Russia's EU ambassador says his country aims to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 25% through to 2020. Ukraine's President, Viktor Yushchenko, has written an open letter to Dmitry Medvedev, asking him to change the terms of agreement on gas supplies.  The move 'appeared designed to embarrass his political rival, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko', says Reuters, alhough things will likely be tense enough ahead of Tymoshenko's meeting with Vladimir Putin today, as she has already announced that the transit price of Russian natural gas through Ukrainian territory will be doubled as of January next year.  Tymoshenko says the meeting's agenda does not include gas issues.  RusAl is pulling out of the construction side of the Boguchanskaya hydroelectric plant, its joint project with RusHydro, although says it will not withdraw funding. The venture has already been the focus of disputes ...

In spite of recent measures taken to avoid more EU gas disruptions this winter, and a new Russia-EU partnership set to be discussed in detail at this week's Stockholm summit, Slovakia's Prime Minister can't see Kiev being able to pay its gas bills.  A $300 million EBRD loan to Naftogaz, intended to help it manage the import and storage of gas from Russia, has just been delayed after the Ukrainian company failed to implement key reforms.  Gazprom chief, Alexander Medvedev, says the company's 2009 profits are forecasted at around $42.5 billion - and that's in spite of end-of-year export cuts of 10%.  He has also challenged reports that supply will outstrip demand until 2015, forecasting the end of the surplus for either 2011 or 2012, depending on your source.  Speaking as chair of a petrochemicals conference ...

Looks like we're not done having fun with this one yet.  From the Associated Press:Putin did not technically rap -- but he did deliver his speech clutching a mike to the backdrop of a hip hop groove. He clapped his hands while listening to the rappers, standing by the stage with the show's mostly teenage audience.Rappers meanwhile sang Putin's praises and declared they would welcome the chance to record a track with the Russian prime minister, who has cultivated a bad boy image over the years with cutting wisecracks and occasional rude language."For this is Putin, he is our idol," rapper Roma Jigan said in one improvised flow. "Let's give him a shout out so that the whole world hears it."

By Bob Blandeburgo Associate Editor Money Morning

Stimulus measures in Japan helped the world’s second-largest economy grow at its fastest pace in more than two years, but it’s unlikely policymakers will reduce spending despite the nation’s rapidly growing debt.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in Japan grew at 4.8% annual rate in the third quarter, surpassing all the forecasts of 20 economists polled by Bloomberg News. That follows a revised gain of 2.7% in the three months ended June 30, according to Japan’s Cabinet Office. Japan’s economy grew 1.2% on a quarterly basis.

“The turnaround in public investment has definitely contributed to the rebound in GDP, so if they do start to cut it’ll weigh on growth,” Hiromichi Shirakawa, chief Japan economist at Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE ADR: CS), told Bloomberg.

Stimulus measures around the world helped Japan’s exports grow 6.4%, but as global economies withdraw stimulus measures,

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In what are sure to be the most bizarre and cringe-worthy videos of the week, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin showed up as the featured guest on a popular hip hop TV show in Russia.  According to the AFP, Putin commented "And breakdance is something peculiar. (...) This really is propaganda for a healthy lifestyle because it is hard to imagine breakdancing having anything to do with drinking and dope."Julia Ioffe at RUSSIA! has a good post on the story, and even points to the nice, smooth transition Putin makes from talking about healthy lifestyles to his more familiar tones of nationalism.  However most people aren't going to be able to get beyond the mysteriously compelling sight of Putin nodding his head to the music, with some obvious discomfort, while all the youth around throw their hands in the ...

Uppsala University in Sweden says the IEA's annual World Energy Outlook 'drastically underplayed the scale of future oil shortages'.  Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has won Slovenia's approval for the South Stream pipeline, 'undermining European Union efforts to reduce dependency on Russian gas supplies'.  A deal was signed late on Saturday, marking the fifth and final signatory of 'all the European partners needed for this project to be completed'.  Gazprom could receive 'exclusive rights' as a supplier of liquefied natural gas to Singapore after the expiry of a current contract with British Gas.  RusAl is planning to sell a 10% stake to help repay its $14 billion debt, and may offer special ventures and access deals in a reported bid to help China take the lion's share.  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his country's nuclear rights are 'not ...

TODAY: Medvedev's state of the nation address warns opposition against using democracy to rock the boat; talks up modernization. Media unconvinced President can match word with deed. Topol-M problem for START replacement talks;  Litvinenko suspect Lugovoi willing to speak to London prosecutors?; is Russia really cracking down on nationalists; Putin world's third most powerful according to ForbesIn President Medvedev's second state-of-the-nation address, highlights of which can be found here, he warned opposition politicians not to use democracy as a way to 'destabilize the state and split society'. The fact that the speech emphasized long-term goals, related to cutting time zones, technology and industrial modernization, heralds a call for re-election argues one analyst, quoted in the Moscow ...

The ruble hit an 11-month high yesterday, just after warnings against bets that the currency would continue to mount. The government has apparently decided to abandon some of its more ambitious pre-crisis goals for the 2012 economy, admitting that growth will be more reserved than previously hoped. Billionaire Alisher Usmanov is apparently negotiating with the government to possibly exchange his 31.1% in mobile operator MegaFon for a stake in Rostelecom, once the latter has undergone a planned restructuring. TeliaSonera has reportedly agreed with Mikhail Fridman-led Alfa Group to combine holdings in mobile operators MegaFon in Russia and Turkcell in Turkey. Despite planning 67,000 job cuts, Sberbank is apparently optimistic that profits will recover next year. VEB is planning to sell foreign currency bonds, the term and size of which will be decided according to market ...

RFE/RL follows the movements of former police major and new You Tube star Aleksei Dymovsky, whose campaign against corruption in the police forces has caused a storm of controversy.  According to an article by Brian Whitmore, Dymovsky avowed at a press conference in Moscow that he has 150 hours of incriminating material on tape, which it seems he wishes to submit directly to video addressee Vladimir Putin.  The article also raises some question marks about whether the apparently media-savvy major, who has called his whistle-blowing 'suicidal', has a political puppet master behind him.  Indeed Whitmore highlights how the ex-major's criticisms could be fueling an internal political battle: Dymovsky's allegations come at a time of intense ...

We have just received a copy of an open letter from Amnesty International Canada to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in advance of his upcoming trip to the forthcoming APEC meeting in Singapore, followed by a visit to India. The letter urges Prime Minister Harper to uphold Canada's well-known reputation as a staunch human rights supporter by raising concerns with and presenting recommendations to Singapore authorities regarding the case of Dr. Chee Soon Juan and other civil society representatives and to address ongoing human rights challenges in India. Below is an excerpt from the letter, followed by a link that will allow you access to the letter in full.

Singapore has two realities: its appearance as a progressive country with regular elections and economic success; and its record of human rights violations designed

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