Russia will probably not invite emerging economic powerhouses such as China and India to next year’s meetings of the Group of Eight nations, a senior aide to President Vladimir Putin has said. Russia in 2006 will assume the rotating presidency of the eight member elite forum, which has, however, invited some developing nations as observers at recent summits. Igor Shuvalov, the key official responsible for organising next year’s summit, said Russia believed it would be more useful to invite heads of multilateral organisations such as UN agencies, simply because of the issues on the agenda. “We believe, and this is not certain yet,we should not invite other countries as was done by Great Britain and by the French,” Shuvalov said in a speech at the Royal Institute for International Affairs in London on Tuesday. “Instead we could invite the heads of . bodies which are responsible for more international global issues,” he added. —Reuters Yechury slams Cuba sanctions United Nations: CPI(M) leader, Sitaram Yechury, on Tuesday opposed economic sanctions against Cuba and urged the international community to redouble its efforts to promote an environment free from sanctions and embargoes. At a discussion, on US imposed economic sanctions against Cuba, at the UN General Assembly, Yechury said: ‘‘India is opposed to any unilateral measures by countries that impinge on the sovereignty of another country.’’ Later on Tuesday, nearly every country in the UN General Assembly passed a resolution telling the United States on Tuesday to lift its four-decade old economic embargo against Cuba in a record vote of 182 to 4 with 1 abstention. AGENCIES
