Russia to push ahead with asset sales, starting with Rosneft stake

By Darya Korsunskaya and Katya Golubkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian government will sign off on the sale of a 19.5 percent stake in state oil firm Rosneft early next week, pushing ahead with a privatisation programme as it seeks to plug holes in the state budget. Moscow has said it aims to raise 700 billion roubles (£9.17 billion) by selling the Rosneft stake, although the company is under Western sanctions imposed over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis, which may limit interest by W