UPDATE 1-Goldman loses $428 million in third quarter

* Results hurt by decline in asset valuesOct 18 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc lost $428 million during the third quarter, only its second quarterly loss as a public company, hurt by sharp declines in the value of investment securities and customer trading assets.The largest U.S. investment bank lost 84 cents per share, compared with earnings of $2.98 per share a year earlier.Analysts had been expecting, on average, a loss of 16 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Smoking linked to earlier menopause: study

Non-smokers hit menopause between age 46 and 51, on average. But in all but two of the studies, smokers were younger when they hit menopause, between 43 and 50 overall.During menopause, a woman's ovaries stop producing eggs and she can no longer get pregnant."Our results give further evidence that smoking is significantly associated with earlier (age at menopause) and provide yet another justification for women to avoid this habit," wrote study author Volodymyr Dvornyk, from the University of Hong Kong.Dvornyk and his colleagues also analysed five other studies that used a cut-off age of 50 or 51 to group women into "early" and "late" menopause. Out of more than 43,000 women in that analysis, women who smoked were 43 percent more likely than nonsmokers to have early menopause.Both early and late menopause have been linked to health risks. Women who hit menopause late, for instance, are thought to be at higher risk of breast cancer because one risk factor for the disease is more time exposed to estrogen."General consensus is that earlier menopause is likely to be associated with the larger number and higher risk of postmenopausal health problems, such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and others," Dvornyk told Reuters Health in an email.Overall, he added, early menopause is also thought to slightly raise a woman's risk of death in the years following.There are two theories for why smoking might mean earlier menopause, said Jennie Kline, an epidemiologist from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York.Smoking make have an effect on how women's bodies make, or get rid of, estrogen. Alternatively, some researchers believe certain components of cigarette smoke might kill eggs, added Kline, who was not involved in the study.Dvornyk's team did not have information on how long women had been smoking or how many cigarettes they smoked each day, so his team could not determine how either of those factors may have affected age at menopause.For that reason, and a lack of data on other health and lifestyle factors linked to menopause, the analysis may not be enough to resolve lingering questions on the link between smoking and menopause, they said.Alcohol, weight and whether or not women have given birth may each also play a role in when they hit menopause, but the evidence for everything other than smoking has been mixed, Kline said.It is also possible that the same factors that influence age at menopause may determine whether women have trouble with infertility or not, or how late they can get pregnant.Still, Kline said, "There are way better reasons to stop smoking than worrying about menopause."

Rostelecom Q2 earnings down 2 pct y/y, below fcast

The result came despite a 6 percent increase in revenues to 71.2 billion roubles, the company said in statement.Analysts on average had forecast revenues of 73.4 billion roubles.The former long-distance call monopoly in April became a full service telecoms provider after it was merged with seven regional peers, part of reforms aimed at boosting the efficiency of state telecom assets.It plans to hold a technical London listing this year.

EU-Ukraine talks should go on despite Tymoshenko -Ashton

* EU says Tymoshenko trial politically motivatedBRUSSELS, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The European Union should keep negotiating a trade pact with Ukraine despite the jailing of its former prime minister, but should not sign the deal unless Kiev shows a commitment to shared values, the EU foreign policy chief said on Wednesday.EU officials have said relations with Ukraine could be hurt by the prosecution of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, which Brussels describes as politically motivated. Tymoshenko was jailed on Tuesday for seven years for abusing her office by signing a gas deal with Russia that Ukraine now says was unfair.Responding to the Tymoshenko verdict, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told the European Parliament an offer to conclude an Association Agreement on closer trade and political ties with Kiev should not be taken off the table."I believe we should not walk away from the technical negotiations but continue them with the aim of having before us on the table, a document which makes it clear to both sides what is possible -- and also what will be lost," Ashton said."But we can only sign such an agreement if we are convinced that the Ukrainian leadership believes in the values on which it is based, and is committed to upholding," she said.The creation of a free trade zone with the EU, a key part of the Association Agreement, holds out huge opportunity for Ukraine, an exporter of steel, chemicals and grain, and for the industrialists who are important backers of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.Negotiations on the wide-ranging agreement are close to conclusion, and EU officials said it has been envisaged that the deal would be initialled by both sides at a summit in December. It would also need to be approved by the European Parliament and ratified by individual EU states.On Tuesday, members of the European Parliament sharply criticised Tymoshenko's sentence and some called for a suspension of talks with Kiev.A trade sub-committee postponed a vote on the talks, potentially delaying a process by which the European Parliament is to approve guidance for negotiations.Ashton said she would be discussing Ukraine with the president of the council of EU states, Herman Van Rompuy, and European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, on Thursday.She said she had noted Yanukovich had expressed unhappiness at Ukraine's criminal code and recognised the need to change it."But frankly this is not enough," she said. "It does not excuse the authorities from the responsibility to guarantee a process fully in line with international standards."Yanukovich is due to visit Brussels on Oct. 20. An EU diplomat said he would hear "some unfiltered language" from Barroso then.On Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Gryshchenko denied Tymoshenko's trial was politically motivated and said he expected to move ahead with a cooperation agreement with the European Union this year.Most analysts believe Yanukovich will seek to appease EU leaders by finding a way to secure Tymoshenko's early release, and press ahead with the trade deal despite risking the ire of Russia -- the main supplier of gas to Ukraine and Europe.EU diplomats have urged Yanukovich to use his powers to "decriminalise" the charge against her -- reclassifying it as an administrative rather than a criminal offence -- to allow her to go free. On Tuesday, Yanukovich hinted this might still be on the cards.

Innkeepers, Cerberus set for bankruptcy trial

* Innkeepers looking to force sale to proceedBy Nick BrownNEW YORK, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Innkeepers USA Trust will try to persuade a judge to force would-be buyers to proceed with their planned $1.12 billion acquisition of some of its hotels as a trial begins on Monday in a U.S. bankruptcy court.Innkeepers, the bankrupt operator of 72 hotels under Hilton, Marriott and other brands, sued Cerberus Capital ManagementChatham Lodging Trust in August. Earlier that month, Cerberus and Chatham backed out of a joint venture agreement to buy 64 of Innkeepers' properties.U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley Chapman in Manhattan agreed to start the three-day trial on Monday even though the court is mostly closed for the Columbus Day holiday.Innkeepers had pushed for a quick trial as it hopes to get back on its feet in time to maximize its sale value and pay back its creditors.Cerberus and Chatham invoked a "material adverse event" clause in the sale deal that allowed them to walk away if something happened that could materially alter Innkeepers' business.In pretrial court filings, Innkeepers said no such event had taken place."Innkeepers is stable and ... Innkeepers' hotels have performed at or near budget," the company said. "These hotels' brightest days are ahead of them."Cerberus and Chatham argued in court documents that the purchase agreement allowed them to terminate the deal for any event likely to damage Innkeepers' business in the future.In pretrial court documents outlining why the deal collapsed, the firms cited analysts' downgrades in the lodging sector, weakening hotel asset sales, and 30 percent to 40 percent declines in competing hotel operators' shares.Innkeepers said its buyers used the material adverse event clause as an excuse to try to renegotiate the sale price.The hotel operator filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2010, saying its debt load had made it too difficult to keep up its properties.The case is Innkeepers USA Trust et al v. Cerberus Series Four Holdings LLC et al, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, No. 11-2557.The Innkeepers bankruptcy is In re Innkeepers USA Trust, in the same court, No. 10-13800.