Russian News: February 19th, 2008!


RBC, 19.02.2008, Moscow 16:29:16.Federal, regional, and local authorities need to clamp down on corruption, Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov stated during today’s meeting of the extended board of the General Prosecutor’s Office today. Prosecutors need to coordinate anti-corruption measures more efficiently and to take steps to reduce corruption even in the absence of a special anti-corruption law and a respective agency, Zubkov noted. The PM emphasized the necessity of removing the causes of corruption, as well as reducing administrative barriers in Russia.

RBC, 19.02.2008, Moscow 16:00:29.According to preliminary data confirmed by Mosenergo’s Executive Board, the Russian energy company’s net profit under RAS more than halved to RUB 740m (approx. USD 30.09m) in 2007 compared to a year earlier, the company’s press office reported today. Meanwhile, the net profit target was set at RUB 300m (approx. USD 12.20m). Revenue grew 11.5 percent to RUB 78.3bn (approx. USD 3.18bn).

RBC, 19.02.2008, Moscow 14:43:45.Commenting on the anticipated amendments to the budget for 2008 and 2009-2010 during today’s press conference, Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov criticized such a large budget surplus. The Federation Council is likely to approve the amendments at the plenary session on Wednesday, as most of the additional budget revenue is to be spent on social payments, Mironov noted. However, the official pointed out that there were more budget funds that needed to be allocated to various economy sectors.

RBC, 19.02.2008, Moscow 14:34:16.At the closing of the special dollar trading session for today deals, the low and the high on deals stood at 24.40 and 24.55 RUB/USD respectively, unaltered since the opening. The weighted average dollar exchange rate coincided with the official dollar rate set by the Bank of Russia for February 20 at 24.52 RUB/USD. The stability can be traced to the situation abroad, where the euro-to-dollar rate has been virtually unchanged for several hours now.

RBC, 19.02.2008, Moscow 13:23:47.United Company Rusal is not in talks with Russian businessman Vladimir Potanin on the purchase of his stake in Norilsk Nickel, Viktor Vekselberg, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Russian aluminum giant, told RBC today. Therefore, he denied recent media reports that UC RUSAL had made a proposal to the co-owner of the Russian mining and metallurgical company to buy out his stake and pay for it with cash and UC RUSAL’s shares.

RBC, 19.02.2008, Moscow 12:57:14.Russian Railways intends to allocate some RUB 10.5bn (approx. USD 427m) as investments in the project for improving oil transfer from Russia to China, the railway company’s press office reported today. The project provides for the reconstruction of a section of the Transbaikal railway in order to increase the railway’s capacity. Most of the reconstruction activities under the project are to be completed in 2008.

RBC, 19.02.2008, Moscow 11:59:23.Today’s session on the Russian stock market started with a rise in most traded securities, which can be attributed to a considerable increase in US and European stock indices, as well as to higher metals prices. On MICEX, almost all stocks went up 0.5 percent on average, while Rosneft and Sberbank gained more than 1 percent. The RTS index topped 2,035 points after the first ten minutes of trade.

RBC, 18.02.2008, Moscow 19:21:40.The Board of Directors of the Bank of Russia has made a decision to issue RUB 400bn (approx. USD 16.27bn) in series 05 short-term zero coupon bonds, with the maturity date set for September 15, 2008, the international and public relations department of the Russian Central Bank announced in a statement.

Subscribe in a reader

Svet Sunday: St Petersburg Metro is Beautiful too!

Hello,

Recently we had a series of articles about Moscow Metro (part1, part2, part3). Our reader Ludmila sent us a link to a beautiful movie about St. Petersburg Metro. Let’s watch it together!

Thank you Ludmila, you always help us with great information!

And what beautiful metro (subway) has impressed you? Send us information and we’ll publish it.

You want know more about St.Petersburg’s Metro, you always can find an article in Wikipedia!

Svet and KylePhotobucket

comments always welcome.
==================================
(additional information brought to our attention by Ludmila)

Saint Petersburg Metro
Locale Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast
Transit type Rapid transit
Began operation 1955
System length 105.5 km (65.6 mi)
No. of lines 4
No. of stations 60
Daily ridership 3.43 million
Track gauge 1,520 mm (4 ft 117⁄8 in)
Operator Peterburgsky Metropoliten

Saint Petersburg’s unforgiving geology has frequently hampered attempts by Metro builders. The most notable case took place on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line. While constructing the line in the 1970s, the tunnelers entered an underground cavity of the Neva River. They managed to complete the tunnel, but in 1995 the tunnel had to be closed and a section of it between Lesnaya and Ploshchad Muzhestva flooded. For more than nine years, the northern segment of the line was physically cut off from the rest of the system. A new set of tunnels was built and in June 2004 normal service was restored.
============================================

Subscribe in a reader

Russian News: February 15th, 2008!

RBC, 15.02.2008, Moscow 17:54:55.LUKoil has completed the acquisition of 100-percent stakes in the GRAND and Mega-Oil M retail chains from RussNeft, the Russian oil giant stated in a press release today. The chains comprise 122 gas stations located in Moscow and in the Moscow region, as well as 26 stations in other regions of Russia. The retail chains’ annual sales have been estimated at more than 300,000 tonnes of gasoline, while daily sales in Moscow and in the Moscow region reached 9.6 tonnes. The purchase of the two chains is expected to boost LUKoil’s sales of motor fuel of Euro 3 and Euro 4 standards.

RBC, 15.02.2008, Moscow 16:56:21.Gazprom secured a loan worth $1.635bn from Credit Suisse in January 2008 in order to redeem another loan obtained in September 2007, the Russian gas giant reported in an IFRS-based financial statement for the first nine months of 2007. The new loan was extended at an annual interest rate of 5.25 percent with maturity in 2018. Furthermore, in September 2007, Credit Suisse granted Gazprom another loan worth USD 1.635bn at an annual interest rate of LIBOR plus 0.3 percent with maturity in 2009…..

RBC, 15.02.2008, Moscow 16:37:12.Slightly over two hours before the close of today’s session, the RTS index was down 1.5 percent at 1,994.83 points, while the MICEX index went down 1.96 percent to 1,654.79 points. On the RTS< href="http://www.rbcnews.com/">RBC, 15.02.2008, Moscow 15:20:31.Alexander Potyomkin, President of the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX), and Atsushi Saito, President and CEO of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, have held talks over the prospects for Russian companies to make IPOs on the Japanese market, the Russian exchange’s press office reported today. The parties also discussed the possibility of Japanese investors’ entry on the Russian market. During the meeting, Potyomkin pointed out that foreign traders accounted for roughly 30 percent of MICEX’s trade volume, although the number of Japanese investors was still fairly moderate. MICEX’s current priority is to provide Japanese investors with accurate information on the situation on the Russian stock market, Potyomkin noted.

RBC, 15.02.2008, Moscow 12:59:46.Russia’s total spending on existing nanotechnology programs exceeds RUB 220bn (approx. USD 8.93bn), First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told an economic forum in Krasnoyarsk today. An additional RUB 130bn (approx. USD 5.28bn) was invested in the Russian State Corporation of Nanotechnologies (RCNT), a recently established state-owned company for the promotion of nanotechnology in the country, Medvedev stated. The Deputy PM also pointed out that, while the funds were to be allocated on a competitive basis, the preference would be given to Siberian companies.

RBC, 15.02.2008, Moscow 12:35:30.The ruble is likely to become a stable currency over the next four to five years, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told an economic forum today, commenting on the economic program presented earlier by First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. While Kudrin welcomed Medvedev’s plan to cut taxes in Russia, he doubted the feasibility of the projected development of the country’s road network in light of a simultaneous tax reduction.

RBC, 15.02.2008, Moscow 09:52:11.A national plan for fighting corruption must be developed and implemented as a matter of urgency, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told the “Russia 2008-2020. Growth Management” economic forum in Krasnoyarsk today. He also pointed out that breaking laws should stop being a habit, as a disrespect for law always leads to a lack of respect for other people and failure to comply with people’s own responsibilities.

RBC, 15.02.2008, Krasnoyarsk 09:27:46.Russia has to pass a package of laws to counter corporate raiding, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev told a forum in Krasnoyarsk today. According to him, it has to be an effective tool to prevent corporate raids.

RBC, 14.02.2008, Moscow 18:37:14.One of the Russian government’s primary goals for the next decade is to ensure the expansion of the country’s middle class and to reduce inequality in the incomes of Russians, President Vladimir Putin told a press conference today. The country’s leader pointed out that the current 15-fold difference in the incomes between the rich and the poor was absolutely intolerable. Putin reiterated that the government needed to take steps to ensure that Russia’s middle class grow to 60-70 percent of the population by 2020.

RBC, 14.02.2008, Moscow 17:33:50.During a press conference in Moscow today, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared his readiness to discuss bilateral relations between Russia and Georgia, including current and pressing issues, with his Georgian counterpart Mikhail Saakashvili. Answering a question about his readiness to discuss acute and touchy issues, particularly the disputed status of such regions as Abkhazia and South Ossetia if Kosovo declares independence, Putin pointed out that Saakashvili and himself always met at all the forums, and that if he should accept an invitation to come on February 22, they would be sure to hold a one-on-one meeting to discuss all such issues.

Subscribe in a reader

Moscow Metro: Part 3


Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee & thinking about the article that I said I would write on the beautiful Moscow Metro! We have written Part 1 & Part 2 within the last month.
We also posted this video along time ago, on the beauty of the Moscow Metro…..


The video shows how beautiful the Moscow Metro is designed! The Moscow Metro has been called the Palace Under the Ground…..

This link is to a website with some beautiful mosaics….
Deineka mosaics on Mayakovskaya

We just let the pictures speak for themselves….

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Subscribe in a reader

Russia warns Iran on missiles, uranium enrichment

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia warned Iran on Wednesday that its development of rockets and continued uranium enrichment was creating the impression Tehran was intentionally ignoring the concerns of the international community. ”We do not approve of…

read more | digg story

Russia: BBC Sent Wrong Boy To Volga!

Hello,

Sometimes I see things that are very wrong & I have found something that BBC is doing that falls into this category!

BBC has sent a reporter into Russia to make a road trip. This trip is to find out about the things that are wrong with Russia…. (below a quote from Rupert Wingfield-Hayes)
================================
“However, the trip was never supposed to be a pleasure cruise. We set out to try and look at some of the major problems confronting Russia, and that may be why I came across as sounding rather negative. It is, I suppose, in the nature of journalists to look for the dark underbelly.” said, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
================================
This trip started out with a reporter that basically lambasted Russia for her many faults & was incredibly negative about the trip through Russia! The reporters attitude was summed up in the quote above. Then as the complaints about the story, started pouring into BBC, the attitude of the reporter had a significant turnaround. The last story even had a question answer session, where the reporter tried to correct statements of negativity from earlier articles. This question & answer session was too late the damage has been done.

This is what I constantly struggle with: The media from Europe and America put Russia down every chance they get! The media wants the world to think Russia is a bad place……

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7230502.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7226848.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7217149.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7213397.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7234960.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7241042.stm

I feel that this trip was started to degrade Russia, Britain has a problem with thinking that they are better than Russia!

I think that someone from Russia should do a road trip in England to: “set out to try and look at some of the major problems confronting Britain!” They could: “look for the dark underbelly”

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

Subscribe in a reader

This Is Something That Two Super Powers Can Be Proud Of!

America Ranked 1st in Spam,
Russia Ranked 2nd in Spam!

Hello,

I found this interesting & thought I would pass it on.
=================================
Russia emerged as the second spam superpower in the last quarter of 2007, yielding only to the United States in this traffic, said the report released at the web of Sophos, the IT and security control firm.
Under the Sophos latest report on the top spam-relaying countries, the United States is still the global leader in this indicator, accounting for 21.3 percent of spam traffic. Russia is the second with its 8.3 percent. It finally outpaced China, which managed to reduce spam messages to 4.2 percent and sink to the third position.

China is followed by Brazil, South Korea, Turkey, Italy, Poland, Germany, Spain, Mexico and Britain. Overall, those twelve spam-relaying countries account for 65 percent of global spam traffic.

Meanwhile, the Kaspersky Lab released its report on Russia’s spam traffic, claiming the spam share stepped up to 84.6 percent of all messages in January 2008. The lowest traffic (73.1 percent) was registered January 28, while the highest (97.3 percent) was noted on the first day of the year.
www.kommersant.com
=================================

America better be careful or Russia will catch them and be the Spam Kings also! 🙂

Kyle

comments always welcome.

Subscribe in a reader

Uncle Sam & The Bear!

Editorial:

The Cold War ended (1991) because the Soviet Union could no longer afford to fight it. With the collapse of the monetary system, so went the Soviet Empire. But now the inheritor of the Soviet Union (Russia) has money, long term money in the form of vast resources of natural materials. This money is once more building the military infrastructure that was the Soviet Union.

The Russian Bear, has returned with claws that are being resharpened.

From the West’s point of view, Russia is a bully using gas supplies as a tactic to control Europe & Putin’s threat to reside from nuclear arms control agreements. The West also looks at Russia as a “New Cold War!”

But the West has blinders on: America gloated over the Soviet collapse, The people in America celebrated this as a great victory for Democracy! The Capitalist world ascended upon the old Soviet Union looking to create a wonderful new Russia! Now that the Russians had a taste of the good life, they would dance to Uncle Sam’s tune.

Small problem, Russia (who really was the Soviet Union) does not dance to any one else’s tunes. It is the attitude of the West & the get rich quick schemes by the West (the West sought to profit from her humiliation.) that is now driving Russia back to being, well… Russia!

Russia dances to her own tune!

The US plan to put anti-missile missiles in Poland is rightly seen by the Bear as a threat. It is Uncle Sam that has jump started a new arms race, at a time when Russia can play on equal terms again.

Had the $100 barrel of oil happened to the Soviet Union & it had the tools Russia has now. The Soviet Union might not have disappeared. It was economic as much as moral and political decay that led to the collapse of the USSR economy in 1991.

If you are stupid enough to kick a bear while sleeping, you can expect it to bite.

Uncle Sam You should have woke the Bear gently……

Kyle Keeton

comments always welcome.

Russian News: February 12th, 2008!

RBC, 12.02.2008, Moscow 11:54:26.Today’s session on the Russian stock market opened with most traded securities rising 1.5 percent on average. On MICEX, Surgutneftegas was the top gainer, having surged 2.5 percent. The RTS index was up 0.5 percent at the opening and climbed 1.3 percent to top 1,940 points within the first 15 minutes of the session. The increase in Russian stocks can be attributed to the positive dynamics of US indices and a hike in global oil prices.Analysts note that, although another decline is possible on the Russian market, most stocks are likely to go up further, particularly those of Surgutneftegas, which are now undervalued.

RBC, 12.02.2008, Moscow 11:20:23.A Ukrainian delegation headed by the republic’s President Viktor Yushchenko will be arriving in Moscow today in order to participate in a second meeting of the intergovernmental commission jointly with Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin. A bilateral cooperation plan, as well as a number of documents on trade, economic, scientific, and technological cooperation are expected to be signed during the visit.

RBC, 12.02.2008, Moscow 10:09:48.Gazprom could start its natural gas supply reduction to Ukraine at 6 p.m. today. An agreement to this effect was reached during a meeting between the executives of Naftogaz of Ukraine and Gazprom on Monday, when the Russian gas holding’s President Alexei Miller held talks with the Chairman of the Executive Board of the Ukrainian state company Oleg Dubina at the Gazprom headquarters in Moscow regarding the payoff of Naftogaz’s debt for Russian gas supplied to Ukrainian consumers.

RBC, 12.02.2008, Moscow 09:54:31.During the second Russian-Indian trade and investment forum scheduled to start in Delhi on Tuesday, Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov will discuss prospects of the implementation of new joint projects. The PM is also anticipated to take part in the opening ceremony of VTB Bank’s first office in New Delhi today. VTB was granted a license to launch a branch in the Indian capital on January 10, 2008. The Russian banking group currently boasts representations in 17 countries worldwide.

RBC, 12.02.2008, Barcelona 09:25:58.The Russian anti-virus software developer Kaspersky Lab’s share on the Western European anti-virus software market amounted to 5 percent in 2007, General Director Yevgeny Kaspersky told RBC, citing corporate estimates. Meanwhile, the lab ranked among the top three leaders in the retail segment in most countries. The company currently controls over 40 percent of the home anti-viral software market in Germany and Austria, around 50 percent in Russia, and 20 percent in Spain.

RBC, 11.02.2008, Moscow 17:23:20.Russian Post is to remain a state-owned company, IT and Communications Minister Leonid Reyman told journalists during a meeting of the ministry’s board today, adding that the ministry had yet to decide whether Russian Post needed to be converted into a state corporation or into a joint-stock company fully controlled by the government. Commenting on the possible deregulation of the postal sector, Reyman noted that if private-owned companies were allowed access to the market, it was necessary to ensure that Russian Post did not become an operator of its least efficient segments.

RBC, 11.02.2008, Moscow 15:06:40.Russia approved a write-off of 93 percent ($11.997bn) of Iraq’s debt totaling $12.9bn, according to a bilateral agreement signed at the Russian Finance Ministry today. Russia had assumed the commitment in accordance with the Paris Club decision. The agreement was signed by Russia’s Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin and Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

Subscribe in a reader

Russia: Bear Paws?

Police at Khabarovsk airport in the Russian Far East have intercepted a shipping package!
The package, contained 16 bear paws with a black market value of over $1,000 each. The sender, from the city of Okhotka in the Khabarovsk Ter­ritory, has yet to be identified. This is the largest haul of bear paws in five years, a police source said on Wed­nesday.

Bear paws are one of the most expensive Chinese delicacies, served in luxury restaurants and used primarily in traditional Chinese medicine to treat anything from cancer to impotence.
=================================
That is 4 Bears….
This upset me, I like Bears…..
I hope that they catch the people that did this!

Kyle

comments always welcome.

Subscribe in a reader