TODAY: Putin warns E.U. against Gazprom probe; Gazprom suspends purchases from independent producers; APEC summit ends; Clinton dismisses Russia’s latest Syria proposal; Putin’s crane flight provokes ridicule; Chirikova candidacy approved; Patriarch Kirill says Church is under attack.

President Vladimir Putin has warned the European Union that it must resolve its ‘regrettable‘ antitrust probe into Gazprom if it wants to avoid ‘losses on both sides’, saying that the investigation was ‘not a constructive approach’, and accusing ‘United Europe’ of trying to keep its political influence.  At the same time, he insisted that Russia has ‘warm relations’ with Europe, and insisted that there was no risk of a trade war.  Gazprom is suspending purchases of gas from independent, non-Gazprom producers in Russia, blaming ‘unstable demand’.  The APEC summit has come to an end.  Highlights included a deal between Gazprom and Japan’s Natural Resources Agency to build an LNG plant in Vladivostok.  Many at the summit noted strong growth in the Asia-Pacific region, contrasting it with the decline of Western economies.  Putin called for trade barriers to be smashed, and both he and Chinese President Hu Jintao expressing concern over the faltering global economy.  ‘Russian officials admit that their current share of Asia-Pacific trade stands at a humbling one percent.’  President Vladimir Putin expressed an aim to actively promote consolidation in the Russian banking sector, as Sberbank posted an eight-month net profit of $7.41 billion, a 6% increase on the same period last year.