Russia
Russia opposes change in Bosnia-Herzegovina constitution, insists it is unacceptable to impose constitutional reforms on other countries. his was stated by Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin addressing a UN Security Council meeting. The US and the European Union are pressing Bosnia-Herzegovina to carry out constitutional reforms and work out their own amendments to the constitution and linking their adoption with granting the country the candidate status for EU membership. Bosnia-Herzegovina is a confederation under the Dayton agreement of 1995 that put an end to the almost four-year conflict. It consists of Moslem-Croatian Bosnia-Herzegovina Federation and Republika Srpska, which enjoy a high level of independence in political, economic and other areas.

Afghanistan
The Afghan-Canadian governor of Kandahar province in the volatile south of Afghanistan survived an assassination attempt Friday, a local official said. Gov. Tooryalai Wesa was on his way to a mosque in Kandahar city for prayers to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. A remote-control roadside bomb detonated as the governor’s three-car convoy passed by in the centre of the city, said Zelmai Ayubi, a spokesman for Wesa. Ayubi said the governor was unhurt, but his vehicle was damaged and one policeman was wounded.

Russia and US
The U.S. and Russian presidents will sign a new deal to cut Cold War arsenals of nuclear weapons by the year end, but may miss an early December deadline by several days, a Kremlin source told Reuters on Friday. Diplomats from the world’s two biggest nuclear powers are preparing a new agreement on cutting atomic weapons before the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START-1) expires on December 5.

Dubai
Banks outside the Gulf played down their exposure to Dubai debt on Friday after fears of default shook global markets, and European leaders said the world economy was now strong enough to cope with the setback. Stocks from Tokyo to London were haunted by concerns that banks were exposed to state companies in Dubai, whose rise from a desert backwater into the business hub of the world’s top oil exporting area lured expatriate cash and executives. The crisis began on Wednesday when Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates federation, asked to delay payment on billions of dollars of debt issued by conglomerate Dubai World and its main property subsidiary Nakheel, developer of three palm shaped islands that once attracted celebrities and the super-rich.

Cuba
Bastion 2009: Cuba’s armed forces launched three days of intense military exercises across the island Thursday, a mobilization that state-controlled media says is designed to guard against an American invasion. The exercises, which run through Saturday, are the first since President Raul Castro took over from his brother Fidel in February 2008 – and since relations between Havana and Washington began to thaw somewhat under Obama.

Russia
At least 21 people were killed and 55 injured when the Nevsky Express train bound from Moscow to St. Petersburg derailed in what could be a terrorist attack, Russian emergencies and railroad sources reported Saturday. An emergencies source said: “Twenty-one bodies have been found.” “The reasons for the accident are being established. One of the versions is that [the train was] blown up,” the Russian Railways (RZD) monopoly said. Power outage on the railroad is also considered a possible reason for the accident that saw several cars of the train go off the tracks.

Canada: Alberta
Environment Canada is investigating whether toxins from oilsands operations in Alberta are contaminating groundwater and surface water in the Athabasca region, Canwest News Service has learned. The top-ranking department official confirmed in a letter that federal teams had inspected five sites following a complaint from an environmental organization and are now reviewing the allegations and potential risks.