News of the Day, 12:00 Moscow time

* Ukraine's national energy company Naftogaz has over $4 billion in debts, with two-thirds of this sum due to be repaid by the end of 2009, a Ukrainian business paper reported

* The Kremlin website said:

- Russia is proposing to the G20 the elaboration and adoption of compulsory international standards for macroeconomic and budget policy

- Russia proposes holding an international conference on a new global financial system following the G20 summit in London

* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Kabul to discuss preparations for an international conference on Afghanistan due to take place in Moscow on March 27

* The U.S. space shuttle Discovery lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS) after numerous delays due to technical issues, NASA said

* Russia will launch a Rockot carrier rocket bearing Europe's first GOCE satellite, an official from the European Space Agency (ESA) said

* Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe will arrive in Moscow on a three-day visit to discuss bilateral energy and metals projects with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov

* Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert postponed until Tuesday a cabinet session to debate a Hamas prisoner swap aimed at securing the release of a soldier seized by militants almost 3 years ago, his press service said

* Mauricio Funes of El Salvador's former Marxist revolutionary FMLN party has won presidential polls in the Central American state

* A man who took several people hostage in a southwest Siberian bank on Friday and was later shot dead by police is reported to have been heavily in debt, a spokesman for investigators said