Some News From Russia on 8/17/2010…

Official drawing of Standard of the President ...
News From Russia…

Russia’s trade surplus amounted to $85.6bn in January-June 2010, having increased 1.99 times from $43bn in the corresponding period of the previous year, the Russian Federal Statistics Service (Rosstat) reported today citing the Bank of Russia’s data.

Russia’s foreign trade stood at $293.9bn in the reporting period, 41.5 percent greater than in January-June 2009. Meanwhile, exports surged 51.4 percent to $189.86bn, and imports jumped 26.4 percent to $104.2bn.

Earlier, the Bank of Russia indicated that the country’s trade surplus stood at $84bn, nearly double that from H1 2009.

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Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin thanked on Tuesday the foreign governments and pilots who have contributed to efforts to extinguish wildfires in Russia.

Pilots from Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Italy, France and Turkey took part in smothering the wildfires, while many other countries contributed rescue workers.

“It is particularly pleasant to know that when we are in trouble, we do not have to ask for help or support. Practically all of our partners responded, showing their solidarity with Russia,” the premier said.

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A blast hit the Hermitage cafe in the city of Pyatigorsk at around 4.25 p.m. today. According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, there are casualties, but their number is still unclear. The city’s emergency authorities are already working at the explosion site.

According to preliminary data, 15 people died as a result of the blast. Meanwhile, authorities say an explosive device was hidden in a car parked next to the cafe.

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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his wife Svetlana Medvedeva are scheduled to pay an official visit to Yerevan on Thursday at the invitation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsian. Medvedev is expected to lay a wreath at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial and have a state dinner with Armenian leader, the Arminfo news agency reported today citing the Armenian president’s press office.

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Russia’s capital was named the fourth most expensive city for foreign workers, or expats, according to a recent survey published by Forbes magazine.

The survey published on July 1 places Luanda, Tokyo and N’Djamena ahead of Russia in regard to the cost of living standards.

The results of the survey were based on four criteria: monthly rent for upgraded housing, the average cost of a cup of coffee at a cafe, the average cost of taking a date to the movie theater, and finally how much it costs to grab some fast food.

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Confidence ratings in Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have grown again, according to a survey by Russian Public Opinion Fund released on Tuesday.

The levels of trust in the Russian leaders have risen in August compared to June but fell in comparison to January, the survey said.

A total of 57% of Russians said in August they trusted Medvedev (the figure stood at 53% in June and 62% in January).

Putin, the poll revealed, is again considered more trustworthy than Medvedev. The poll showed 64% trusted the prime minister (in June the figure stood at 61% and 69% in January).

The number of those who say they do not trust Medvedev is 14%, whereas 13% do not trust Putin.

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A court in the Siberian city of Irkutsk has sentenced a woman driver to three years in jail to begin in 2024 after finding her guilty of killing one sister and leaving the other physically handicapped, a court spokesman said on Tuesday. Because she has a child…

The accident was caught on camera and shows Shavenkova getting out of her car after striking the girls. The driver did not run to the aid of the victims, but instead walked around the car to check out the damage done to her vehicle.

The case has caused much social outcry over the callus behavior of the woman…

Windows to Russia!

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