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Russia 100503
Basic Political Developments
• RUVR: Russian-Japanese meeting to consolidate bilateral relations – Medvedev: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says that he hopes that the ongoing Moscow meeting of the heads of Russian and Japanese regions will serve to consolidate the two countries’ partnership.
• RUVR: New York conference to focus on nuclear nonproliferation - The Russian delegation to the conference is led by a high-ranking diplomat Anatoly Antonov.
• RIA: NPT review conference starts in New York
• RIA: NPT review conference: Iran and Israel - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov is to address the forum on Tuesday.
• Guardian: US and Russia to propose ban on WMD in Middle East
• RIA: China's Hu to visit Moscow for Victory Day celebrations
• AP: China's Hu to visit Russia on May 8-9 for celebrations of World War II anniversary
• RUVR: Another rehearsal of Victory Parade in Red Square
• Itar-Tass: Patriarch leads memorial service on Battlefield of Prokhorovka
• African Press Agency: Russia values its relations with North Africa, says legislator - A Russian parliamentarian and coordinator of the Inter-parliamentary Group in charge of developing ties with North African countries (Mahgreb states), Nikolai Gerasimenko, has said that "Russia has the most fruitful relations with the North African region."
• Gulfnews: Court rejects requests to extradite a Russian businessman
• Zawya: Telecom Cooperation With Russia
• Armenia Now: From Iran Media: Russia lauds Iran mediation in Karabakh
• KYRGYZSTAN
o RIA: Kyrgyz authorities offer rewards for capture of former officials
o 24.kg: Initiative Kyrgyz citizens speaks for reunion with Russia
o Turkish Weekly: Son Of Ousted Kyrgyz President Investigated For Corruption
o Turkish Weekly: An Interview with Dinara Oshurahunova, the Head of "Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society" in Kyrgyzstan
• RFE/RL: ‘Predators Of The Press’ List Released - The group's list of what it calls "predators of the press" includes presidents and heads of government including Chinese President Hu Jintao, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
• RIA: Police officer injured in North Caucasus attack - A traffic police officer was injured when an unidentified assailant opened fire at a checkpoint with an automatic weapon in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, a police source told RIA Novosti on Monday.
• Russia Today: Militants attack gas distribution hub in Southern Russia
• Interfax: Attack disrupts communication between Dagestan gas distribution facilities
• RIA: Point of contact gas distribution stations attacked in Dagestan
• RBC: One of the leaders of the Slavic Union arrested in St. Petersburg, arrested on suspicion of involvement in a series of explosions.
• RIA: ADB Board of Governors meeting will be held in Tashkent - The annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will be held in Tashkent on 1-4 May, told RIA Novosti spokesperson of the Government of Uzbekistan.
• RBC: Dmitry Medvedev signed a law on compensation for court delays
• .ru: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin welcomes filmmakers and spectators to the St Petersburg International Film Forum
• Russia!: Who Gave Mr. Medvedev His iPad?
• Itar-Tass: Putin releases leopardess from cage to house in Sochi nature park
• Russia Today: Putin releases wild cat
• RIA: Russians visit Cuba more often — authorities
• Daily Times: Pakistan, Russia top list of ‘non-smiling’ nations
• The Other Russia: Thousands of Russians Turn Out for May Day Rallies
National Economic Trends
Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions
• Seeking Alpha: Russia's 10 Largest Traded Stocks
• Reuters: UC RUSAL plans $1.03 bln corporate bond; shares up
• Bloomberg: Rusal Says Unit to Sell 30 Billion Rubles of Bonds (Update1)
• Reuters: UPDATE 1-Russia's Rencap buys SAfrica's Barnard Jacobs Mellet
• Panarmenian: MoneyGram International announces low money transfer fees
• Meat International: Meat purchase prices in Russia still below production costs 03 May 2010
• Russia Today: New players open menus on Russian fast food market
Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)
• Reuters: UPDATE 1-Russia Apr oil output near record levels, gas falls
• Upstreamonline: Russia tops Saudi in crude output
• UPI: Russian oil companies eye small fields - Tatneft met with academic, ministerial and industrial officials, including delegates from Lukoil and TNK-BP, to discuss the need for state assistance for oil production from smaller fields. "The problems of developing small deposits and deposits of extra-viscous oil are becoming increasingly relevant in connection with the increasing depletion of large fields and the increase of the hard-to-recover share oil reserves in the resource base of the country," Tatneft said in a statement.
Gazprom
• Somaliland Press: DJIBOUTI:The Russian giant GAZPROM moved to Djibouti
• Oil and Gas Eurasia: New Oil Field Discovered in Yamal
• BarentsObserver: Gazprom might merge energy assets - The Board of energy major Gazprom considers to merge several of the company’s electricity generating units, among them the TGK-1.
• Dow Jones: Gazprom Neft To Double Annual Oil Output By 2020 - Prime-Tass
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Full Text Articles
Basic Political Developments
RUVR: Russian-Japanese meeting to consolidate bilateral relations – Medvedev
|May 3, 2010 09:41 Moscow Time |
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says that he hopes that the ongoing Moscow meeting of the heads of Russian and Japanese regions will serve to consolidate the two countries’ partnership. This comes in a statement by the Kremlin’s press service. The meeting, Medvedev says in a message, will enrich cooperation between the territorial entities of the Russian Federation and Japan’s prefectures, and it will also help shape relations of true partnership between the two nations. The Russian leader pointed out that regional ties are an important and much sought-after component part of Russian-Japanese relations. The president’s message was read out by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
RUVR: New York conference to focus on nuclear nonproliferation
|May 3, 2010 09:54 Moscow Time |
An international conference is due to get under way at the UN Headquarters in New York later today to focus on the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons and illegal circulation of nuclear materials. The Russian delegation to the conference is led by a high-ranking diplomat Anatoly Antonov. The forum will specifically concentrate on Iran’s nuclear programme. The parties to the forum expect an address by Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to uncork a sensation. This kind of conferences has been normally held once every five years since 1979, when the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty came into force. The Treaty officially proclaimed Russia, the UK, the US, China and France as nuclear powers. 189 world nations have since joined the Treaty.
RIA: NPT review conference starts in New York
02:2803/05/2010
The 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is opening in the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday as disputes continue on Iran's nuclear program.
The United States and other Western countries suspect Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program and are seeking new sanctions following Iran's move to enrich uranium to 20%. This is likely to be one of the main focuses of the conference.
The Iran Six (France, Britain, Germany, the United States, Russia and China) began on April 19 discussing the text of a draft resolution imposing sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear program.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton will be the key figures on the agenda of the conference's first day.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov is to address the forum on Tuesday.
UNITED NATIONS, May 3 (RIA Novosti)
RIA: NPT review conference: Iran and Israel
06:1903/05/2010
The 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is opening in the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday as disputes continue on Iran's nuclear program.
The United States and other Western countries suspect Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program and are seeking new sanctions following Iran's move to enrich uranium to 20%. This is likely to be one of the main focuses of the conference.
The Iran Six (France, Britain, Germany, the United States, Russia and China) began on April 19 discussing the text of a draft resolution imposing sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear program.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton will be the key figures on the agenda of the conference's first day.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov is to address the forum on Tuesday.
The NPT is an international agreement on control over the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. It fixes the right of all member states to research, produce and use nuclear power for civilian purposes. All UN members except Israel, India, North Korea and Pakistan are signatories to the NPT.
NPT review conferences are held each five years. The last one, in 2005, was a failure as the countries failed to adopt a single declaration due to numerous differences.
As regards Israel, its closed nuclear program and the country's unwillingness to join the NPT cause concerns worldwide.
Tel Aviv, which, according to many experts, has nuclear weapons, has neither officially confirmed nor denied this. The country's refusal to join the treaty has made the international community think the suspicions are true.
But Israel does not come under international sanctions as it is under the protection of its key ally — the United States whose foreign policy is to a large extent defined by the interests of influential Jewish organizations.
Ahmadinejad is expected to touch upon the issue, once again raising the question why Israel is allowed to have what is believed to be a secret nuclear weapons program and not join the NPT, whereas Iran, an NPT signatory, is being constantly talked out of having a civilian nuclear program of its own.
UNITED NATIONS, May 3 (RIA Novosti)
Guardian: US and Russia to propose ban on WMD in Middle East
Tough global talks ahead in review of nuclear treaty as Egypt aims to put pressure on west over Israel
Julian Borger, diplomatic editor
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 2 May 2010 22.15 BST
The US and Russia have drafted an initiative to ban nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, the Guardian has learned.
The proposal – involving the appointment of a special coordinator to conduct exploratory talks with Israel, Iran and the Arab states, followed by a regional conference – will be a central issue at a conference beginning tomorrow in New York aimed at preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons around the world.
Washington and Moscow have circulated the proposal among the three other permanent members of the UN security council, seeking their endorsement. But it is unclear whether the initiative, aimed at reviving a largely-forgotten 15-year-old agreement with some tentative practical steps, will go far enough for Egypt, a key player at this month's talks. Cairo has long championed the idea of a WMD-free Middle East as a means of exerting pressure on Israel, the only country with nuclear weapons in the region.
The New York conference brings more than 150 countries together in a month-long effort to repair and update the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), at a time when it is threatening to unravel.
"This will be the most important conference in our lifetime on disarmament and non-proliferation," said Des Browne, the British former defence minister who now leads a multi-party group of veteran politicians and generals pushing for the elimination of nuclear weapons. Some officials are calling the NPT review conference a "nuclear Copenhagen". Like the climate summit last December, it demands complex trade-offs between powerful nations, emerging powers and weaker states. The eventual outcome may be unclear, with degrees of success measured in shades of grey. And, like Copenhagen, the consequences of failure may not be felt for years, but could prove catastrophic.
"We're not at a nuclear tipping point, but we are approaching a nuclear tipping point," said Daryl Kimball, the head of the Washington-based Arms Control Association in Washington.
The pact itself is not in imminent danger of implosion. Its 189 national signatories extended its life indefinitely in 1995. But its underlying bargain – that the nuclear powers would disarm and share their technology for peaceful purposes and, in return, the rest of the world would not try to acquire nuclear weapons – is fraying.
Israel, India and Pakistan, which all have nuclear arsenals, remain outside the treaty. North Korea withdrew seven years ago and has since been building its own bombs. Iran is widely suspected of cheating, and the five nuclear powers recognised under the pact – the US, Russia, UK, France and China – are under fire for what non-weapons states see as hypocrisy and the slow pace of disarmament.
Western officials fear that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, who is expected to attend tomorrow, will use the occasion to put the nuclear powers on trial and distract attention from his country's controversial programme.
The last NPT conference, in 2005, broke up in acrimony when Iran clashed head-on with the Bush administration. Many countries in the non-aligned movement (NAM), a cold war grouping which still carries clout in these negotiations, sided with Iran in lambasting the US and other established nuclear powers.
Barack Obama's administration believes it has done enough to avert another fiasco. Last year the US president pledged to pursue the eventual abolition of weapons. In its nuclear posture review last month, the US narrowed the circumstances in which it would use nuclear weapons, and in the new Start treaty, both the US and Russia have lowered the number of strategic warheads they will deploy. "The setting is very different from 2005, in terms of disarmament," said a senior diplomat from the non-aligned movement. "In 2005, there was no disarmament going on. Bush didn't even believe in multilateral treaties."
According to the Washington Post, the US will reveal the exact size of the American arsenal for the first time, in a show of transparency and to underline the cuts it has made. But to ensure vital support from Egypt, which is chairing the non-aligned movement nations, the US and Russia have also drafted the proposal for a nuclear-free Middle East zone.
The nuclear powers first agreed to help set up a Middle East zone free from weapons of mass destruction in 1995. It was part of the price of persuading Egypt and the Islamic world to accept the indefinite extension of the NPT. The US, Britain and Russia were supposed to manage the process, but have done little, to Egypt's fury. This year, Egypt has made it clear it will demand small, but concrete, steps in return for its co-operation. The size of those steps will be the focus of the bargaining in New York. Egypt and the NAM states want a full negotiating conference to take place next year, to be organised by a standing committee of the NPT. That is not seen as feasible in Washington, which is arguing for a more open-ended exploratory conference at some future, undefined date.
Ellen Tauscher, the US undersecretary of state for arms control, said last week: "The best chance we have to achieve a WMD-free zone in the Middle East is to reach an agreement on a lasting and just peace in the Middle East."
Negotiations on such a zone would require Israel to confirm the existence of its nuclear arsenal – something it has so far refused to do – and ultimately bargain it away. Few expect it to do so in the foreseeable future, but Israel has said it is ready to enter into regional arms control talks if its security concerns are addressed. Israel, which is not an NPT signatory, will not take part in the New York conference, butis watching warily from the sidelines.
In return for backing a Middle East nuclear weapons-free zone, Washington will want support from Egypt and other non-weapons states to isolate Iran, impose greater penalties for leaving the NPT, and give the UN nuclear watchdog more teeth to curb proliferation.
Weeks of tough negotiation lie ahead, and success is far from preordained.
"There is a range of outcomes," said Deepti Choubey, an NPT expert at the Carnegie Institute for International Peace. "The best and most unlikely would be a final declaration that all states agree to and is meaningful. If you could get a summary from the chair that broadly captures a consensus, apart from a few spoilers, that is not a disaster."
RIA: China's Hu to visit Moscow for Victory Day celebrations
08:4103/05/2010
Chinese President Hu Jintao will attend World War Two Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday.
Hu will arrive in Moscow on May 8 for the 65th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi forces.
Some 25 world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel are expected to attend the Red Square celebrations.
The parade will also see for the first time the participation of military units from Britain, the U.S. and France.
The first parade in Moscow took place on June 22, 1945, marking the end of the war that claimed some 55 million lives.
BEIJING, May 3 (RIA Novosti)
AP: China's Hu to visit Russia on May 8-9 for celebrations of World War II anniversary
By: The Associated Press
2/05/2010 11:08 PM | Comments: 0
BEIJING, China - China's president will visit Moscow next weekend for ceremonies marking the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
China's foreign ministry said Monday that President Hu Jintao will be in Moscow on Saturday and Sunday to commemorate the end of the "Patriotic War." China and Russia were formally on the same side in World War II, though their forces fought in different regions. Moscow declared war on China's Japanese occupiers days before the war ended in 1945.
Hu's visit is part of a series of frequent high-level Chinese and Russian exchanges in a relationship that has evolved from Cold War hostility to close commercial and political ties.
RUVR: Another rehearsal of Victory Parade in Red Square
|May 3, 2010 10:16 Moscow Time |
Another rehearsal of the 65th Victory Parade has been held in Moscow. This is for the first time that servicemen of the CIS countries, Poland, and also of the United States, the UK and France, which were the Soviet Union’s main Allied Nations, have marched across Red Square. During the Second World War the United States and Great Britain helped the USSR with supplies of arms and military hardware, and brought the Victory nearer by opening the Second Front. Taking part in the rehearsal were Poland’s company of guards of honour, officers of the legendary French air squadron Normandie-Nieman, a battalion of a US Infantry regiment, the main band of Britain’s Royal Air Force and the servicemen of the First Welsh Regiment, which liberated France in autumn 1944.
Itar-Tass: Patriarch leads memorial service on Battlefield of Prokhorovka
03.05.2010, 04.14
PROKHOROVKA (Belgorod region), May 3 (Itar-Tass) -- The celebrations on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Great Victory were held on the Battlefield of Prokhorovka, where the most large-scale tank battle in the war history broke out in 1943. Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, Culture Minister Alexander Avdeyev, chairman of the Russian Union of Writers Valery Ganichev, senators from the Federation Council and veterans of the Great Patriotic War were attending the celebrations. About 3,000 people gathered at the Church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul, which had been built by the 50th anniversary of the Great Victory in 1995.
Patriarch Kirill led a memorial service for the heroes, who fell in a bloody tank battle. “The more time passes after that horrible war, the more precious the life is in our society of war veterans, who are the keepers of the living historical memory, heroes of the spirit, who defeated the enemy,” the patriarch said. “The feat committed by the army and the wartime generation is a precious treasury of our national history, a great example for future generations,” he noted.
“If we want to curb disorder and to ensure the prosperous development in peace of our Fatherland, we should have a strong spirit,” the supreme hierarch said. He also noted that “the sense of duty is a moral term.” “No laws, even harsh laws of the wartimes guaranteed the fulfillment of the duty. Here on this third battlefield of Russia we believe that the God can preserve our people, build up our moral foundations and help to fulfill our duty with all heart and soul,” the patriarch pointed out.
After the memorial service the war veterans were awarded with the Victory anniversary medals. Patriarch Kirill attended an unveiling ceremony of a new memorial entitled “The Third Battlefield of Russia.” The Battle of Prokhorovka along with the Battle of Kulikovo against the Tatar-Mongol yoke and the Battle of Borodino against the Napoleon French invasion are among the historic events, which show the valour of the Russian people.
More than 1,200 tanks participated in the Battle of Prokhorovka in the southern part of the Kursk Arch. The Nazi forces engaged in the battle new tanks Tiger and Panther and intended to take revenge for the defeat in the Battles for Moscow and Stalingrad. The attack of the Nazi troops was rebuffed in a bloody battle. Belgorod and Oryol were liberated less than a month later. The first artillery salute in honour of this victory was fired in Moscow.
Before the celebrations on the Battlefield of Prokhorovka His Holiness Kirill consecrated the largest church in Belgorod. The Church of Faith, Hope, Charity and their Mother Sophia with 17 domes on an area totaling about 3,000 square meters was built in the Belgorod residential area Kharkovskaya Gora. This place is just 70 kilometers away from the Russian state border with Ukraine. It is noteworthy that the major street of this Russian city is named after Ukrainian national hero Bogdan Khmelnitsky.
The new church became the 23rd church in Belgorod with the population of 400,000 people. All these churches have been built for the last 15 years. Only two olden houses preserved in the ancient Russian city of Belgorod, which was almost completely destroyed during the Great Patriotic War. Several thousand Belgorod residents attended the festive event on this sunny May day. Glossy Black Chokeberry already started blossoming at the church gates. An Orthodox Christian educational center is situated near the church. Students of the Belgorod ecclesiastical seminary work there as missionaries.
All top officials of the city and the region were attending the church consecration ceremony and the Divine Liturgy led by Patriarch Kirill. In a congratulatory message on the consecration of the new church His Holiness Kirill emphasized that “churches are being built for people to feel the abundant life, joy and calmness.” “The Kingdom of God can be reached not only through the overcoming of ordeals, but when there is peace in the heart and the mind is calm,” he said. The patriarch awarded Governor of the Belgorod Region Yevgeny Savchenko and several church donors with church medals.
African Press Agency: Russia values its relations with North Africa, says legislator
APA-Moscow (Russia) A Russian parliamentarian and coordinator of the Inter-parliamentary Group in charge of developing ties with North African countries (Mahgreb states), Nikolai Gerasimenko, has said that "Russia has the most fruitful relations with the North African region."
Gerasimenko on Sunday pointed to several factors that contribute to such a great partnership, among them is that "the region is the most economically developed region in Africa, and secondly, several North African countries (Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco) are the most popular tourism destinations among Russians."
Gerasimenko further said : "we have close work ties with the parliaments of the North Africa region. Already there have been several meetings during this year. A large conference is to take place in Moscow celebrating the 50th anniversary of the attainment of Africa’s independence. There are already preliminary activities being done together with the ambassadors of the African countries in Moscow."
"All of these things are very important as they provide the opportunity to learn more about the peculiarities of each North African country. The State Duma, Russia’s lower chamber of parliament fully supports and assists such activities," he said and added also that "it’s a well known fact that we have a long history of cooperation in the field of education.
"Many North African students get their education in Russian universities. Recently, a meeting with the North African ambassadors took place in the State Duma, during which we discussed many urgent topics."
Asked about the economic partnership, Gerasimenko explained that Russia has very positive trade relations with Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. These countries have long-lasting relationships and each year they are enhanced in one way or another. Russia is assisting the North Africa region in the sphere of mining and the field of oil exploration and that there are negotiations being held about the construction of an atomic energy station for the region.
"Tourism is one of our leading areas of cooperation," Gerasimenko reminded. In order to strengthen this sphere, a State Duma delegation will visit Tunisia and Morocco on 17th May and will hold official parliamentary meetings. In these countries, there have already been created inter-parliamentary groups that help Russian parliamentarians to consider economic projects of mutual interest and gain the most benefits from the frequent interaction," he said.
Gerasimenko predicted that "cooperation will develop even better and will be enhanced in every way. The North African countries are Russia’s reliable partners and we should not only continue to work together in our traditional spheres, but also establish new forms of cooperation."
KKK/daj/APA 2010-05-03
Gulfnews: Court rejects requests to extradite a Russian businessman
The judgment is still subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days
• By Bassam Za'za', Senior Reporter
Published: 00:00 May 3, 2010
Dubai: A court has rejected prosecutors' requests to extradite a businessman to Russian authorities.
The man is accused of trading weapons and being involved in a merchant's premeditated murder in Saint Petersburg.
"The Dubai Court of Appeal has rejected Dubai Public Prosecution's (DPP) extradition request and decided that it will not surrender the Russian suspect, A.K., to the concerned Russian authorities," said Presiding Judge Eisa al Sharif when he made yesterday's judgment in courtroom 20.
The court dismissed the DPP's extradition request after A.K.'s lawyers Ahmad Al Kamaly and Nasser Hashim, of Al Kamaly Advocates and Legal Consultants, said the extradition request was "baseless, lawless and groundless".
"The Russian authorities based their extradition plea upon a recent judgment handed out against other convicts [excluding my client] in the Saint Petersburg murder, in which A.K. was not involved, charged or indicted," contended Al Kamaly and Hashim in their defence.
"The premeditated murder verdict became irrevocable and other convicts are serving their punishments. He has not been subpoenaed or sentenced in absentia, which makes the extradition plea groundless and unlawful."
The DPP referred 45-year-old A.K. to Dubai Appeals Court after the Russian authorities put out an arrest warrant and an extradition request against his name.
A.K. was arrested at Dubai International Airport and referred to the DPP in connection with the allegations of unlawful acquisition, possession, transportation and trading of firearms and ammunition and the premeditated murder of a well known Russian merchant, P.A.
Sunday's judgment is still subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.
During the court proceedings, the judge asked the authorities to submit documents to confirm whether the suspect was discharged, or not, from the premeditated murder case mentioned in extradition request.
"The Russian authorities submitted the same court documents which were submitted earlier and were not the ones required by the Appeals Court," the lawyers said.
"The extradition request is not related to any punishable or incriminated action A.K. committed, but it's related to disputes between Russian businessmen. The plea was not based on any legal grounds… besides, we are concerned about his rights which are preserved by the Criminal Procedures Law."
The charges of trading in arms and ammunition and murder brought against A.K. remain uncorroborated and the extradition plea was therefore unjustifiable, argued the defence.
When prosecutors levelled the charges against him, A.K. said: "The victim was one of my closest friends. When he was killed, I handed his family an amount of money which he had kept with me. I have been maliciously dragged into this case because I refused to pay that money to the mafia. I am not guilty and not involved in the murder. I refuse to be extradited to the Russian authorities as well." A.K. pleaded not guilty to the charges in the Appeals Court and called on the jury to reject the extradition plea.
Zawya: Telecom Cooperation With Russia
03 May 2010
Iran's visiting Communications and Information Technology minister supervised the signing of telecommunications cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Russia's Telecom Company in Moscow in April 2010.
According to the contract signed between Iran's Telecommunications Infrastructure Company and Russian Federation's Telecom Company, the span of the two companies' cooperation will expand further.
Managing Director of Telecommunications Infrastructure Company of Iran Mahmoud Khosravi and Managing Director of Russia's Telecom Company Andrey Kalpov signed the MoU for broader telecommunications cooperation.
Iran's Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Reza Taqipour was also in Moscow on Monday upon an invitation by his Russian counterpart Igor Sokolov.
Sokolov said during the meeting with his Iranian counterpart in the presence of the Iranian ambassador in Moscow and a number of telecom officials that the two countries need modern telecommunication networks and infrastructures.
He added, "Iran and Russia work in the field of information transit and can play effective roles in establishment of telecom connections and communication channels in the world.
He further stated, "We seriously seek manufacturing and using all-Russian facilities on our communication and telecom channels, since experience has taught us that Western countries are neither reliable nor trustworthy at times of emergency and crisis."
Iran's Telecom Minister Taqipour, for his part, said, "Russia is one of Iran's greatest neighbors and keeping in mind the two countries' important position in the region, there are great potentials for strengthening and broadening cooperation in the field of telecommunications technology."
He further said Iran's geopolitical status in the region is quite unique, adding, "Iran is situated at an international crossroad and is the access point to the East and the West. Considering Iran's capabilities, we are ready to cooperate with Moscow to become a telecom transit route to Europe."
With regard to a visit to Iran by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Sokolov said the trip was one of the most successful diplomatic overtures for Moscow "as we realized how accommodating the Iranian side could be."
Taqipour likewise said, "The two countries can cooperate in the field of fiber optics as they share similar capacities and means.
I would also like to invite my Russian colleagues to Iran to discuss such cooperation in more details."
Iran has one of the youngest and the most educated population in the Middle East. It has mastered the science of information and technology to a great extent. Just for the record, Iranians have won several prestigious awards at the international scientific competitions in this particular field.
Under the circumstances, it is safe to conclude that cooperation with Moscow in the field of telecommunications technology could expand and grow irrespective of political reservations.
Of course, the West is in no way in the mood to see a developed and progressive Iran in the fields of science and technology.
Perhaps that also explains why they have been doing everything at their disposal to stop the country's all-out progress and development.
Iran has initiated national and international projects to turn the country into the most preferred telecommunications hub in the region.
Iran has launched broadband networks with a relatively wide range of frequencies. The program aims to secure high speed voice and data transfer via 3G networks and WiMAX in the telecommunications network--in collaboration with the private sector.
Another program is to connect the country with global optical fiber networks from northern and northwestern borders to avoid any setbacks in global telecom systems.
By Dariush Safarnejad
© Iran Daily 2010
Karabakh | 03.05.10 | 11:28
Armenia Now: From Iran Media: Russia lauds Iran mediation in Karabakh
presstv.ir
Russia says it has no opposition to Iran’s initiative to mediate between Azerbaijan and Armenia in order to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said on Friday that Moscow does not oppose Iran's proposal to hold trilateral talks involving Azerbaijan, Armenia and Iran on the Karabakh dispute, RIA Novosti reported.
“We have nothing against the meeting. If such a meeting is held, obviously, it is necessary to wait for the results and then speak of the possibility of Iran's mediation in the Karabakh conflict settlement,” Nesterenko added.
He went on to say that Iran's mediation proposal only referred to a trilateral meeting at this stage.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki suggested a trilateral meeting involving the foreign ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran to resolve the dispute “through negotiations and on the basis of justice.”
Both Azerbaijan and Armenia have laid claim to the Nagorno-Karabakh territory, which is largely populated by Armenians but located in Azerbaijan.
Armenia took control of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s following a short but bloody war with Azerbaijan in which around 30,000 people lost their lives.
While a ceasefire was brokered in 1994, the dispute continues to remain unresolved despite years of international mediations.
KYRGYZSTAN
RIA: Kyrgyz authorities offer rewards for capture of former officials
09:4703/05/2010
The Kyrgyz provisional government is offering rewards of up to $100,000 for information leading to the capture of ex-officials, including relatives of deposed President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
Bakiyev's three brothers and his son, Maksim, 33, former head of the state investment authority, are among those on the wanted list, a spokesman said.
Ex-prime minister Daniyar Usenov and former Chief of National Security Murat Sutalinov are also wanted on charges of ordering the murders of opposition protestors.
"The confidentiality of all information is guaranteed," the spokesman added.
Bakiyev was deposed after violent street protests hit the former Soviet republic in early April. He is currently in Belarus.
BISHKEK, May 3 (RIA Novosti)
24.kg: Initiative Kyrgyz citizens speaks for reunion with Russia
03/05-2010 07:41, Bishkek – News Agency “24.kg”, By Aizada KUTUEVA
The initiative group of citizens of Kyrgyzstan speaks for reunion with Russia under autonomy, one of initiators of the idea, lawyer Yuri Barvinok told the news agency 24.kg.
According to him, it is necessary to make this step in order to save sovereignty of the country and not to allow its split. “Nowadays the authorities are unable to control the situation in the republic and are permanently asking for help from neighbors and international organizations. At present we depend on everything – money, investments, food products, but we do not produce anything ourselves. According to the National Statistics Committee, more than 45 percent of population of KR lives below the poverty line. Unofficial data are much less comforting. All these factors negatively affect the image of the country. In order to understand the world community’s treatment of us, you should attentively study the information of foreign mass media, received from experts and politicians, and then you will understand that credit of trust to our country has been depleted”, says Yuri Barvinok.
He considers that since the quality of management of the previous and current authorities led to dead end, we should seek for a way out of it. “Such a way exists – joining Russia. Before complete loss of sovereignty, it is better to again become a part of big country, having saved Kyrgyz national emblem, flag, anthem within autonomy”, Yuri Barvinok is convinced.
As the lawyer notes, at present the most correct decision of the interim government will be transfer of authorities to legitimate parliament with a single goal of conducting of referendum on reunion with Russia. “If the interim government and Zhogorku Kenesh do not agree with it, we will find another way. Today our initiative group includes around 60 persons out of ordinary people. It is enough to start collecting signatures to support our initiative. If we collect 300 thousand votes, then the referendum will take place. I am sure we will manage to do it, it is just a matter of time”, added Barvinok.
To the question what Kyrgyzstan will gain from entering Russia, the author of the initiative answered that the country will become calm, interethnic conflicts will stop, economic position will improve due to increase of salaries and pensions.
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Turkish Weekly: Son Of Ousted Kyrgyz President Investigated For Corruption
Monday, 3 May 2010
Maksim Bakiev, the son of Kyrgyzstan's ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev, has been implicated in a corruption scandal which involved fuel delivery to the U.S. air base in the country.
Local media on May 1 cited prosecutors as saying air base suppliers bought fuel from Kyrgyz companies, who in turn bought fuel from Russia.
The Kyrgyz firms were owned by Maksim, and investigators say his father had relaxed import duties for his companies.
Numerous investigations have been launched into the activities of Kurmanbek Bakiev's government, which has been accused of money laundering and abuse of office.
Turkish Weekly: An Interview with Dinara Oshurahunova, the Head of "Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society" in Kyrgyzstan
Monday, 3 May 2010
Head of the human rights organization "Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society" in Kyrgyzstan, Dinara Oshurahunova shares her opinion on situation in the country with Jetigen Online.
Ryskeldi Satke - What is your assessment of the events occurred in the village of Mayevka on April 19 ?
Dinara Oshurahunova - The clashes in Mayevka (attacks on ethnic Meshetian Turks) have become a tragedy for us. It is unforgivable for the Provisional Government (PG), Kyrgyz State could not prevent the riots along with numerous misleading statements by PG officials on having the situation under control. Acting Chairman of the Kyrgyz State Secret Service, Mr. Duishebayev informed rights groups about the message with warning the PG of impending criminal intents in Mayevka 2 days prior to erupted violence in the village. What stopped the Government to prevent this tragedy from happening and to intervene in a timely manner, thereby saving the lives of 5 people and to forestall the looting ? The question remains open, unfortunately. At a time when attacks began the new Government was dealing with a leadership of the Internal Affairs Ministry that was supposed to be protecting citizens of Kyrgyzstan. In general, disagreements among the former opponents who have seized power at the moment dramatically increased. These differences were demonstrated on April 19. Now they are trying to put a good face and prove to everybody there is a unity between the members of the PG but the secrecy around decision-making process creating distrust of Kyrgyz citizens.
Ryskeldi Satke - In your opinion, do you think these attacks on settlements of Meshetian Turks in Mayevka were ethnically motivated as well as attacks on ethnic Russians in the village of Leninskoye ?
Dinara Oshurahunova - No, I do not think so, these attacks were provocative and planned. We should talk about this in public. Among ordinary Kyrgyz citizens, there is no prejudice or hatred on grounds of nationality or ethnicity. It was a deliberate action to cause certain consequences so that could be presented as ethnic strife in Kyrgyzstan. But the attempt failed. Among those who rushed to defend Meshetian Turks were many Kyrgyz nationals. Some external factors as well as forces inside the country would love to ignite the theme of anti-Russian rhetoric or ethnic conflict capitalizing on the events in the village of Mayevka.The real question is what for ? So Russia could send the peacekeeping forces to our country reacting to "SOS" from ethnic Russians in Kyrgyzstan ? Wouldn't have been objective if the Russian media would cover the efforts of Kyrgyz citizen groups which are made up with different ethnicities protecting the city from riots and looting on the night of April 8 as well as the fact of unity regardless of nationality in Mayevka and Leninskoye villages when residents came out to defend their own towns. It shouldn't be suggested that looters were Kyrgyz nationals and victims were non Kyrgyz. It does not depend on nationality, whatsoever.There are plenty of examples of good citizens and criminals in any country.Kyrgyz people are tolerant and friendly to others, in our country more than 80 nationalities live side by side. Therefore, Russian media reports on swelling anti-Russian hatred in Kyrgyzstan are absolutely groundless. In fact, ethnic Russians migrate abroad in search of a better life due to country's stagnant economy but it is not associated with nationalism. Russians of Kyrgyz origin were leaving in the past as well. Some of them are coming back from Russia. Russian media unfortunately does not cover those who return to Kyrgyzstan.
Ryskeldi Satke - Do you think Bakiev clan behind recent inter-ethnic clashes taking into account a fact of remaining Bakiev brothers who are still at large in the southern Kyrgyzstan?
Dinara Oshurahunova - I do not know, but it is quite possible. Although, we must not forget about the other inside forces such as pro Akaev followers who wish to take a revenge. It is likely that these actors are also trying to destabilize the country. That is why PG should address highlighted issues. The task of the citizens security is among the priority issues. However, while PG can not prove it really controls the State, there is a chance that different forces will wreak havoc and try to establish anarchy.
Ryskeldi Satke - Society has a view of the opposition that came in the wake of anti-Bakiev unrest into Provisional Government, now rolling with chaotic appointments to the Government's highest positions of their own representatives as it happened with Department of Customs of the Kyrgyz Republic while not focusing on the problem of widespread illegal land seizures and criminal takeovers of legitimate businesses. Your comment on Provisional Government's reliability?
Dinara Oshurahunova - There are distinct differences within the new Government not only in coordinating a policy making process but also in choosing appointees to various government posts. The presence of several political parties in the Government dynamically involved in the appointments of its members for leadership positions suggests that the PG is not paying proper attention to the current situation. Authorities at the moment more concerned with upcoming Parliamentary elections, consolidating administrative resources while Kyrgyz public holds growing discontent with illegal land and property seizures around the country. It's been more than 3 weeks as the PG took control over the country. What is done since then? What is the economic situation in Kyrgyzstan ? What's the State budget ? We as civil society would like to hear the real reports with numbers on what has been done for a bearing situation.
Ryskeldi Satke - Are you concerned over the possibility of "Deja Vu" scenario with new authorities that could be represented by the same figures who have been serving under Akayev and Bakiyev ? and How we can be sure there won't be any "Clan" factors in the new Government down the road again ?
Dinara Oshurahunova - There'll be a political party system which is not better either. Should we be concerned with pro Akaev or pro Bakiev servants ? We have a shortage of professionals in the Government and local administrations around the country. Despite that we can not afford the luxury of having people in the leadership who bend under any regime.This question is not about pro Akaev or pro Bakiev agenda. This is likely a matter of morality, ethics and principles of professionalism. We are not afraid of that. We support transparency of the State employment selective process which may open the way for true specialists. The country urgently needs development than political bigotry.
Ryskeldi Satke - How justified, in your opinion, the views of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organisation) peacekeeping forces operations on the ground in the country or other international organizations troops deployment to Kyrgyz Republic for maintaining stability ?
Dinara Oshurahunova - Not justified under any circumstances. We are a sovereign State. We have a strong civil society and everything to do it ourselves.The only question is the PG ability to influence the situation and capability of effective conflict monitoring with prompt prevention.
Ryskeldi Satke - Russian President Medvedev recently made a statement on the events in Kyrgyzstan pointing at possible play out with irreversible consequences comparable to the political instability in Afghanistan. Do you think Russian leadership has grounds for such claims ?
Dinara Oshurahunova - When violence erupted in the village of Mayevka, for a moment there was a public feeling this could be a long time trouble. But reality in Kyrgyzstan is different, people had enough with conflicts. The spring planting season has arrived, so ordinary people gradually return to business. Passions for rallies are going away. Let's hope there won't be more conflicts. We also expect our neighbor States to support the course of the new Government to build a free and law abiding Kyrgyzstan.
Ryskeldi Satke - What, in your view, the Provisional Government is lacking to bring stability in Kyrgyzstan ?
Dinara Oshurahunova - Legitimacy,commitment to values, procedure transparency. Concerted action, effective interaction between civil society and authorities .We need functioning Government institutions. They let former State personnel go and now, the new Administration littered with papers, complaints, appointments etc. It must move away from the bureaucracy routine and should start working while we understand that many of those in the PG have not shown themselves as managers in the past.
Ryskeldi Satke - What do you think of the reported power struggle in Jalal Abad province? Does former President Bakiyev have a mass support there ? and How serious the speculations over tensions between the southern and northern population as foreign media describes it ?
Dinara Oshurahunova - They have the support provided by Bakiev family,friends and relatives in Jalal Abad. Just as with ex-Minister Kongantiyev whose family 3 days ago blocked the road in Maili-Suu. There are many people from this area who held senior positions under Bakiyev. And so the whole brotherhood is trying to hold rallies in support of their relatives. But it is not that extensive as shown by the foreign media. A clear proof has been demonstrated in the first public meetings with Bakiyev prior to his departure from the country. People came simply to gawk at Bakiyev as the former president whom they saw only on television. It is important to say that on April 7 people took to the streets not for the opposition but against the Bakiyev regime. As in 2005, protesters hadn't stood for Bakiyev as well. It is very important to understand. Therefore, Bakiyev does not have a wide support even in his home district.
Another thing, there are political forces using the "South-North" theme to destabilize the country. It has always been used by politicians of all stripes to manipulate people and promote their interests. But again, the likelihood of conflicts can be reduced through active Government policy in the southern provinces. In fact, there is no split between north and south because the PG represented by both groups which is a good sign.
Monday, 3 May 2010
Ryskeldi Satke
RFE/RL: ‘Predators Of The Press’ List Released
May 03, 2010
PRAGUE -- The media-freedom group Reporters Without Borders has released an updated list of enemies of the press to mark the United Nations-backed World Press Freedom Day.
The group's list of what it calls "predators of the press" includes presidents and heads of government including Chinese President Hu Jintao, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Also appearing on the list this year are Chechnya's pro-Kremlin President Ramzan Kadyrov and Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
Reporters Without Borders said anyone who questions Kadyrov's policies could face what it called "deadly reprisals."
The group said Mullah Omar, whose influence extends to Pakistan as well as Afghanistan, was included on the list because "the holy war he is waging is also directed at the press."
The group said Taliban militants have threatened local reporters who do not promote Mullah Omar's "propaganda," and that around 40 Taliban attacks directly targeted journalists and news media in 2009.
The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said that "these predators of press freedom have the power to censor, imprison, kidnap, torture and, in the worst cases, murder journalists."
compiled from agency reports
RIA: Police officer injured in North Caucasus attack
09:1603/05/2010
A traffic police officer was injured when an unidentified assailant opened fire at a checkpoint with an automatic weapon in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, a police source told RIA Novosti on Monday.
The source said the attack took place at 1:30 p.m. (09:30 GMT) on Sunday.
"The officer's life is not in danger," the source said, adding that the injured man had been installing a traffic surveillance camera on the side of the road when the shots were fired.
An investigation is underway.
NALCHIK, May 3 (RIA Novosti)
Russia Today: Militants attack gas distribution hub in Southern Russia
03 May, 2010, 11:41
A group of ten armed men stormed a gas distribution station in Russia’s Southern Republic of Dagestan on Monday. Parts of the station were reportedly blown up, causing damage to the station’s equipment.
The connection with the gas stations in the republic has been lost and gas supplies in eight regions have been affected.
Officials say the militants also shot at a nearby mobile phone mast. However, they did let go the station's manager and his family, who live on the site of the station, prior to attacking it.
Police and gas specialists are now trying to secure the fuel depot.
May 03, 2010 11:28
Interfax: Attack disrupts communication between Dagestan gas distribution facilities
ROSTOV-ON-DON. May 3 (Interfax) - Unidentified assailants attacked and damaged the dispatcher office controlling some of Dagestan's gas distribution facilities early on Monday.
"A criminal group of at least ten assailants attacked the dispatcher office near the village of Kakashura in the Karabadakhken district at 5:30 a.m., Moscow time. The assailants ordered the operator, his wife and child at gunpoint to walk out. The equipment was removed from the building and some of it was damaged with shots, or blown up. The operator's home was burnt," a source in Dagestan's law enforcement services told Interfax.
In a separate incident, shots were fired at a mobile phone tower near the gas operator's office, the source said.
The attack left the equipment damaged and communication disrupted with eight gas distribution stations in Buinaksk, Karabadakhkent, Dzhingutai and other parts of Dagestan, he said.
Police have arrived at the scene. Gas experts are working to restore communication with gas distribution facilities.
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RIA: Point of contact gas distribution stations attacked in Dagestan
GOOGLE TRANSLATION
05/03/2010 9:25
MAKHACHKALA, May 3 - RIA Novosti. Unknown on Monday morning in Karabudahkentskom district of Dagestan attacked para operator with gas distribution stations, told RIA Novosti source in law enforcement area.
"The incident occurred near the village of Kakashura. Unknown at gunpoint and escorted from the building point of contact who lived there the operator, his wife and child. After that, there would relegate equipment, they shot some of it, and burnt the house of the operator," - said the source.
According to him, details of the incident is being investigated.
As told RIA Novosti the gas company representative republic, Monday morning to them, it was reported that at the point of the operator due to gas distribution plant in Kakashure, lost communication signal.
"It clarified the brigade arrived at the scene, a group of people numbering about 10 men attacked the radio broadcasting tower and the point of contact through which gas associated with objects located in different regions of the country, and ruined equipment, and therefore a violation of the communication signal, - said the source.
According to him, the scene is operational brigade gas industry, they set the amount of damage.
According to the manager of the company "Kaspiygazprom" The incident occurred about an hour of the night, but the message it received in the company only 05.10 Moscow time.
"This incident had no impact on gas supply, disturbed only link", - said the dispatcher.
RBC: One of the leaders of the Slavic Union arrested in St. Petersburg, arrested on suspicion of involvement in a series of explosions.
GOOGLE TRANSLATION
In St. Petersburg, arrested one of the leaders of the St. Petersburg Branch of the nationalist organization "Slavic Union" Vladislav Gavrichenko.
According to police, W. Gavrichenko is related to the series of explosions in St. Petersburg, on suspicion of which were previously arrested two members of nationalist organizations, the Mayak radio station ".
According to preliminary information, namely B. Gavrichenko acted as the instigator, having had to make the detainees in December 2009. and January 2010. explosion near the shop "24 hours" on ul.Tankista Hrustitskogo 112A. Then both the explosion there were no casualties, the bombs were up to 100 grams of TNT.
RBC, 03.05.2010, St. Petersburg, 3:47:48
RIA: ADB Board of Governors meeting will be held in Tashkent
GOOGLE TRANSLATION
01/05/2010 1:32
TASHKENT, May 1 - RIA Novosti, Abu-Ali Niyazmatov. The annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will be held in Tashkent on 1-4 May, told RIA Novosti spokesperson of the Government of Uzbekistan.
According to him, the meeting will be attended by more than three thousand people, including heads of governments, central bankers, finance ministers and representatives from business, academia, the press. Planned a series of seminars and discussions sponsored by ADB projects.
On Saturday at the meeting was also planned to meet the President of the ADB with the media.
In the Asian Development Bank, founded in 1965, comprises 67 countries. The main activities of the ADB is financing development projects, development of regional cooperation, technical assistance.
RBC: Dmitry Medvedev signed a law on compensation for court delays
GOOGLE TRANSLATION
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a federal law on compensation for violating the right to trial within a reasonable time or the right to execute a judicial act within a reasonable time "and the Federal Law" On amendments to some legislative acts in connection with the adoption of the Federal Law "On the compensation for the violation of rights the proceedings within a reasonable time or the right to execute a judicial act within a reasonable time ", adopted by the State Duma on 21 April 2010. and approved by the Federation Council on April 28 2010. according to the press office of the President.
Under the amendments, establishes safeguards to ensure the citizens of Russia, foreign citizens, stateless persons, Russian, foreign and international organizations the right to trial within a reasonable time and the right to execute a judicial act within a reasonable time, the violation of which is the basis for awarding just compensation.
Application for compensation may be filed in court, the arbitral tribunal within three months from the date of entry into force of the last judicial act or the end of the case, which was a violation, if the length of the proceedings exceeded 3 years (in criminal proceedings - 4 years) and the applicant has addressed a statement to expedite its consideration.
Compensation awarded by the court, the arbitral tribunal in the form of money and its size is determined based on the applicant's claim, the circumstances of the case, the duration of the violation and the significance of its consequences for the applicant. Enforcement of court decisions on compensation for breach of a reasonable duration of the proceedings is made at the expense of the federal budget, and for violation of a reasonable period of execution of judicial decisions - from the federal budget, or budget of an RF subject, or the local budget. The law amends the budget, Criminal Procedure, the Arbitration Procedure, Civil Procedure Code, to establish procedures for applying for compensation, as well as the order of examination by courts of general jurisdiction and arbitration courts of this category of cases. Changes in the Tax Code establishes the amount of duty payable upon application to the court to award compensation in the amount of 200 rubles. for the citizens and 4 thousand rubles. for organizations.
3 May 2010.
2 May 18:05
.ru: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin welcomes filmmakers and spectators to the St Petersburg International Film Forum
The message reads, in part:
"This ambitious film festival is a tribute to the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War, who defended their Motherland and won peace and freedom for future generations.
"This war still serves an inexhaustible source of inspiration both for filmmakers and other artists. It is especially significant that this film forum will take place in Russia's so-called Northern Capital - a city that suffered severe hardships to become a symbol of the courage and moral and spiritual heroism of our people.
"I am confident that this festival will take place in an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual understanding, improve international friendship and cultural relations, and nurture patriotism among young people."
Russia!: Who Gave Mr. Medvedev His iPad?
Dmitry Medvedev — the first Russian president who actually uses the internet, owns an iPad.
According to a LifeNews.ru, Mr. Medvedev hated the device at first ("one can't from it, and the real books are much better") but then warmed up towards it and downloaded "A Hero of Our Time" ( A 19th century novel by Mikhail Lermontov about a man from St. Petersburg who tries to make peace with the society).
Dmitry Medvedev's staff hinted that once the iPad is available in Russia, the government might bulk-order the device for the official use.
Itar-Tass: Putin releases leopardess from cage to house in Sochi nature park
03.05.2010, 02.18
KRASNAYA POLYANA (the Sochi highland resort), May 3 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin released from a cage to a house one of two leopardesses brought from Iran to the Sochi National Park on Sunday.
According to ecologists, both female specimen of this rare species of animals, which have not been given names yet, “will participate in a program to restore the leopard population in the North Caucasus.”
Just one leopardess was released in the house, as the second one fell ill and is under quarantine now. Putin visited the sick leopardess, as well as a leopard, which he released to the houses in the Sochi National Park in September 2009.
A employee of the national park told the premier that the wild animals, which are still being kept in separate houses, will get acquainted gradually getting in touch through the fence.
The program to revive the leopard population in the North Caucasus has been implemented in Sochi since 2009. A breeding nursery was built in the Sochi National Park especially for two West Asian leopards brought from Turkmenistan. They passed the adaptation well and were waiting for “fianc·es”, which had to be brought from Iran.
In April 2010 Russia presented to the Islamic Republic two Amur tigers from the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Novosibirsk zoos, as a gift of courtesy Iran presented to Russia two West Asian leopardesses, which were caught in their habitat. One leopardess is three years old, the other one is just eight months old. This species of cats was almost exterminated in the North Caucasus at the beginning of the previous century and put on the Red Book of Russia.
When leopards give offspring in the Sochi breeding nursery, the zoologists are going to release the wild cats in the Caucasus biosphere reserve.
Specialists also hope that a biosphere range, which is to be created on the territory of the Tebedra and Caucasian Natural Reserves, will help to restore the population of West Asian leopard in the North Caucasus. This biosphere range will be the largest in Europe, Academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences Anatoly Kudaktin told Itar-Tass.
Under the program the Teberda Natural Reserve in Karachai-Cherkessia will be expanded to the boundaries of the Caucasian National Biosphere Reserve. A new zone will be granted the status of biosphere reserve and will influence positively the implementation of the program to restore the leopard population. “It is very important for the breeding of leopards, as a biosphere range will merge two highly protected national parks. These predators were seen in this region in 1968, 1986 and 1996,” Kudaktin added.
The Teberda Natural Reserve will be expanded by 28,000 hectares merging with the neighboring Zelenchuk and Urup regions of the Russian Republic of Karachai-Cherkessia. Scientists believe that the biosphere range will contribute to the preservation of biological and landscape variety in the region. “The Ritsa National Park and the Kodori National Park under restoration in Abkhazia border with the natural corridor, which two Russian natural reserves are forming,” Kudatkin noted.
The boundaries of the biosphere range will lie along the Greater Caucasus Range from the western border of the Teberda Natural Reserve to the eastern border of the Caucasian Natural Reserve. The northern part of the biosphere reserve will mainly make up steeply high mountains and some medium-high mountains, which can turn into a habitat for leopards.
Russia Today: Putin releases wild cat
03 May, 2010, 07:21
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is known for his keen interest in wildlife, has recently opened a new enclosure for a rare Anatolian leopard.
The premier was in Sochi National Park in southern Russia when two large female cats arrived from Iran. It was a gift of courtesy – in April this year Russia presented to the Islamic Republic two Amur tigers.
Putin released only one of the leopardesses, as the other fell ill and will be in need of special care for some time.
Representatives of Sochi National Park say they hope to begin a breeding program for the big cats and will be monitoring how the animals adjust to their new surroundings.
When leopards give offspring in the Sochi breeding nursery, the zoologists are going to release the wild cats in the Caucasus biosphere reserve.
RIA: Russians visit Cuba more often — authorities
05:2603/05/2010
The number of Russians who visited Cuba in the first quarter of 2010 has grown by over 20% on the same period last year, the Cuban statistics department said.
According to the department, in January-March 2010 more than 13,200 Russians visited the island.
A total of 810,100 foreigners visited Cuba in the first quarter this year — almost the same as in the first three months of 2009.
Canada accounted for the bulk of foreign tourists in Cuba, with 387,000 Canadians visiting the island in January-March 2010. It is followed by Britain with 38,500, Italy with 38,100, Germany with 28,900, France (28,500) and Spain (28,300).
Cuban authorities consider Russia as a promising tourist market.
According to the organizers of an international tourist exhibition, Fit Cuba 2010, that opens in Havana on Monday, the number of Russian tourists visiting Cuba has been constantly rising in recent years.
HAVANA, May 3 (RIA Novosti)
Daily Times: Pakistan, Russia top list of ‘non-smiling’ nations
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, Croatia and Russia have topped a list of countries where people sitting behind shop and office counters have a surly attitude and find it difficult to smile. Quoting a poll conducted by Nextep agency, Moscow News reported that only 34 percent of shop owners and officials in Croatia and Pakistan smile at people, while Russia came second with 65 percent. According to the poll, Russia has many stereotypes of the surly people behind the counter, who scowl at potential customers. The agency asked shoppers to look for hints of happiness as they bought their daily bread in shops across 14 countries, the report said. The people found a third of Russian and Pakistani staff were “stony-faced”, with 65 percent people scoring on the ‘smile-o-meter’. Tourism offices and guesthouses’ staff were among the least welcoming. The apparent misery behind such attitude of the people is a reflection of working conditions, particularly in the hard-pressed tourism sector and general stores, the report said. App
The Other Russia: Thousands of Russians Turn Out for May Day Rallies
May 3rd, 2010
Thousands of Russians turned out for traditional May Day celebrations on Saturday throughout the country, with protests, marches, and rallies held by oppositionists, rights advocates, union workers, and other activists. While many of the events proceeded largely without incident, a number of protesters were detained without basis and some rallies were banned altogether.
According to Ekho Moskvy radio, May Day events in Moscow that had been sanctioned by the city government included five demonstrations, three processions, and eleven rallies. One of the processions was organized by the opposition movement Solidarity, which counted members from a variety of other opposition groups and public organizations among its 500 participants. Prominent figures in the procession included United Civil front leader Garry Kasparov, former Deputy Prime Minister and Solidarity cofounder Boris Nemtsov, and former police Major Aleksei Dymovsky. Participants carried posters, political insignia, and a gigantic Russian flag spanning several meters in length while chanting “Russia without Putin,” “Moscow without Luzhkov,” “Putin is Brezhnev, Putin is Stalin,” “We need the Other Russia,” and “Putin must go,” among other slogans.
Although a smoke bomb was set off at one point during the procession, the police did not move to detain anyone. Protesters believe that a provocateur set off the bomb. Despite that, the procession successfully made its way to Moscow’s riverside Bolotnaya Square, where the event ended with a cultural festival. Police detained several people on the square without explanation, including Andrei Moiseyev, co-leader of Solidarity’s Moscow branch and one of the event’s organizers. Moiseyev was escorted away by police together with a reproduction of a painting by artist Dmitri Vrubel, entitled “The Kiss of Putin and Brezhnev” that he was holding. Also detained were artist activist Pyotr Verzilov, his wife, several musicians, and event co-organizer Sergei Davidis. Police gave no explanations for any of the detentions.
Elsewhere in Moscow, at least five thousand people turned out for a demonstration held by the Communist party. In addition to the Communists themselves, members of the Left Front, the National Bolsheviks, the anti-fascist group Antifa, and anarchist organizations also joined the protest.
The liberal opposition group Yabloko also held a demonstration in Moscow, with approximately 1200 participants. Chief among speakers at the event was Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin, who warned against allowing Prime Minister Putin to return to the presidency in 2012. “We need a new president who won’t rob the people of their rights and freedoms – who will fight not against the opposition, but against corruption,” he said to the crowd.
Another protest dubbed the Day of Anger was held in Moscow by the opposition group Left Front. A wide variety of oppositions, human rights advocates, environmental activists and social justice advocates came together to express their collective grief with Moscow’s ruling elite – in particular, Mayor Yury Luzhkov and Governor Boris Gromov.
Controversy had surrounded plans for the Day of Anger all last week. Left Front leader and event organizer Sergei Udaltsov had said on Wednesday that the city had sanctioned the event, but the mayor’s office denied this the next day. It remained unclear up to the end whether the rally had really been officially sanctioned or not – a vital factor, since participating in an unsanctioned rally in Russia is punishable by law, and many unsanctioned rallies end with participants being beaten and/or arrested by the police. In any case, the rally went on, but Udaltsov was detained at the end. The official reason cited by police was that more people had taken part than Udaltsov had indicated on the application for sanction. According to Left Front press secretary Anastasia Udaltsova, the unofficial version for Udaltsov’s detention, as told by several police officers, was that “representatives of the Moscow government would like to have a chat with him.”
In the city of Kaliningrad, approximately three thousand demonstrators took part in a rally of various opposition groups. According to Kasparov.ru, what began as a traditional May Day demonstration evolved into an anti-government rally. Participants brought signs to the event reading “Peace, work, May – no work, no housing,” and held up tangerines, which have become a symbol of public protest in the city in recent months. Following that, however, protesters began chants demanding for the federal government to resign.
In St. Petersburg, a procession planned by democratic opposition groups was banned by city authorities. Olga Kurnosova, executive director of the pro-democracy group United Civil Front, said that the reason involved the slogan that the protesters had planning to use, which called for St. Petersburg Governor and Putin favorite Valentina Matviyenko to resign. Supposedly, the slogan did not correspond with the slogan written on the application to hold the rally that was filed with the city. Therefore, the procession was banned altogether. Despite that, about seven hundred oppositionists held a stationary demonstration where the procession was supposed to take off from.
A photo gallery of the various events in Moscow is available here at Grani.ru.
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by: David Hunkar May 03, 2010 | about: LUKOY.PK / NILSY.PK / NVATY.PK / OAOFY.PK / OGZPY.PK / OPYGY.PK / RNGZY.PK / RSX / SGTPY.PK
The S&P Russia 10 index is comprised of 10 of the largest publicly-traded Russian stocks available to foreign investors through London International Order Book (IOB) GDR Listings.
As a commodity-based economy, Russia presents many opportunities in the commodity sector. However as an emerging market with significant political risks, Russian equities can be highly volatile in addition to the general volatility that comes with commodity stocks.
The S&P Russia 10 index is up 8.4% YTD. The constituents of this index are:
1. MMC Norilsk Nickel (NILSY.PK)
2. Lukoil (LUKOY.PK)
3. OAO Gazprom (OGZPY.PK)
4. OAO Rosneft Oil Co (RNGZY.PK)
5. Novatek (NVATY.PK)
6. VTB Bank
7. Surgutneftegaz (SGTPY.PK)
8. Tatneft (OAOFY.PK)
9. RusHydro
10. Polyus Gold (OPYGY.PK)
Note: All these stocks are traded on the OTC markets in the US markets and may be illiquid.
Disclosure: No positions
Reuters: UC RUSAL plans $1.03 bln corporate bond; shares up
Monday May 03, 2010 08:40:04 PM GMT
UCRUSAL/BOND
HONG KONG, May 3 (Reuters) - Russia's United Company RUSAL said its unit OJSC RUSAL Bratsk has proposed a corporate bond issues worth up to 30 billion Russian roubles ($1.03 billion), raising capital to refinance debt and to improve its debt profile.
Shares of the world's biggest aluminium producer rose nearly 7 percent to a morning high of HK$8.90 in Hong Kong before steadying at HK$8.70 by 0417 GMT, up 4.6 percent. The shares bucked a 1.4 percent fall in the broader Hang Seng Index .
The aluminium group said the bond issue, which is subject to board approval, would consist of two tranches with maturity of seven and 10 years.
UC RUSAL raised $2.2 billion in an IPO in January, dual listing shares in Hong Kong and Paris. (US$1=HK$7.76) (Reporting by Donny Kwok; editing by xxxx)
Bloomberg: Rusal Says Unit to Sell 30 Billion Rubles of Bonds (Update1)
By Joshua Fellman
May 3 (Bloomberg) -- United Co. Rusal, the world’s largest aluminum producer, said a unit plans to sell as much as 30 billion rubles ($1 billion) of bonds to refinance borrowings and reduce funding costs.
The plan is to sell the debt in two tranches of 15 billion rubles each, with the coupon rate to be determined later, the Moscow-based company known as Rusal said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange today. The offer is subject to final approval by the board, it said.
Rusal, controlled by billionaire Oleg Deripaska, completed Russia’s biggest corporate restructuring last year and became the first Russian company to list in Hong Kong. The moves reduced debt and tied most of the aluminum producer’s cash flow to repayment of borrowings.
“The purpose of the issue will be refinancing the current debt of the company and its subsidiaries, decreasing debt service costs, and improving the debt profile,” Rusal said in the statement.
The first tranche of the debt will mature in 7 years from the date of the issue, and the second in 10 years, the company said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Joshua Fellman at jfellman@
Last Updated: May 2, 2010 21:34 EDT
Reuters: UPDATE 1-Russia's Rencap buys SAfrica's Barnard Jacobs Mellet
3:20am EDT
* Rencap to buy firm for $28.2 mln
* BJM still weighing options on proceeds
* BJM shares down 21 pct
(Adds details, background0
JOHANNESBURG, May 3 (Reuters) - Renaissance Securities Holdings, a unit of Russian private investment bank Renaissance Capital (RenCap), has agreed to buy South Africa's Barnard Jacobs Melllet for 207 million rand ($28.17 million).
Stock broking firm BJM , which owns Barnard Jacobs Mellet, said on Monday it had entered into an agreement with Renaissance to sell Barnard Jacobs Mellet to unlock value for shareholders, sending its shares lower.
Shares in BJM dropped 21.05 percent to 3 rand by 0713 GMT, lagging a 0.56 percent weaker JSE All share index .
The broking firm said it was still deciding what to do with the proceeds from the sale.
In February, Rencap appointed a senior Merrill Lynch director to run its new offices in South Africa to focus primarily on metals and mining, oil and gas, financials and telecommunications firms.
Rencap said last month it would expand offices in Africa by 50 to 100 percent to as many as a dozen, adding further local expertise in a vast continent rich with minerals and oil. [ID:nLDE63M0AV]
Rencap was one of the most active dealmakers in Africa last year, executing 18 transactions in 10 countries. It has offices in Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Ghana.
BJM said on Monday the deal with Rencap was subject to approval by its shareholders, the Johannesburg bourse and the Reserve Bank.
(Reporting by Gugulakhe Lourie)
Panarmenian: MoneyGram International announces low money transfer fees
May 1, 2010 - 12:26 AMT [pic]07:26 GMT
- MoneyGram International, a money transfer company, announced significant lower fees for money transfers from Russia to CIS and Israel, effective May 1, 2010, coinciding with the Labor Day holiday celebration across Russia and the CIS. The lower fees are intended to make MoneyGram money transfer services more affordable for CIS immigrant workers in Russia who
remit money back home to support family members. The new fees will be offering our customers greater choice, convenience and reliability.
“MoneyGram has steadily grown its network across Russia and the CIS region to provide fast, convenient and reliable money transfer services to a global network of over 190 countries and territories,” said Peter Hnatiuk, MoneyGram’s Regional Director for Russia, the CIS and Israel. “The Central Bank of Russia estimates workers in the region send more than $18 billion from Russia to the CIS. Our lower fees will encourage anyone who hasn’t tried MoneyGram services yet to discover how convenient, safe and affordable our service is. For our current customers, this new pricing will give them even greater value.”
MoneyGram fees from Russia to CIS start from just $2* USD to send up to $100 USD, $5* USD to send $300 USD or $8* USD to send $500 USD to Armenia, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Israel.
Hnatiuk added, “The new low fees are very competitive and provide a strong compelling reason to use MoneyGram to send funds to the CIS and Israel.”
MoneyGram’s extensive network in Russia includes Rosbank, Uralsibbank, Raiffeisenbank, Moscomprivatbank, Vostochniy Express, Russian Standard Bank, Asia-Pacific Bank and others. In addition, funds can be collected at over 160 CIS banks with more than 14,000 locations throughout the entire region.
MoneyGram International offers more choices for people separated from friends and family by distance or those with limited bank relationships to meet their financial needs. A leading global provider of money transfer services, MoneyGram International helps consumers to safely send money around the world with funds arriving at available agent locations in as little as 10 minutes, subject to agent hours and availability. Its global network is comprised of 190,000 agent locations in more than 190 countries and territories. MoneyGram’s convenient and reliable network includes retailers, international post offices and financial institutions.
Meat International: Meat purchase prices in Russia still below production costs 03 May 2010
Purchase prices for meat and milk in Russia are still significantly below the cost of their production, even in the most efficient enterprises, analysts from the Russian Ministry of Agriculture believe.
By Evegen Vorotnikov
According to the analysts, despite huge investments provided by the state in the development of the Russian meat industry, the production costs (primarily for energy and feed) has increased substantially since the start of the national project "Development of Agriculture” in 2006.
Moreover, cheap subsidised imports from abroad are making Russian meat noncompetitive even in the domestic market. Some Russian analysts believe that there is a need to further restrict meat imports and to inspect some local processors and traders, whether they do not violate antitrust laws. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain the reason of ever increasing retail prices for meat.
Fixing prices
Fixing purchase prices for meat between its producers and the government could be considered as one way to solve the problem; however the local authorities are still not ready for setting prices for a particular period of time.
Nevertheless the Russian government has promised farmers to invest 5 billion rubles in compensation for the increase in feed prices, however the major part of these funds will be probably divided only among effective producers.
In this regard such decision carries some risk and can result in further consolidation of the market, when several large producers will be able to fix prices by themselves.
Russia Today: New players open menus on Russian fast food market
03 May, 2010, 09:08
Russia's fast food market has shown huge growth over the past decade, with international and local players alike reaping in the benefits. Some local expats have come to the market looking to take a seat at the table.
The nation’s entire food outlet market was valued at about 24 billion in 2009, with Fast food accounting to 30-40% of that – or about 8-10 billion worth of take aways.
The market has boomed during the past decade and this has seen the rise of home grown fast food, and an increasing number of global brands looking to cash in.
A recent addition to market comes from a group of expat entrepreneurs who figure they can turn a profit selling Russians a product they usually make in their own kitchens. People like Alex Shifrin, Business Development Director for Soupchik, feel they can create a place at the table despite the economic slowdown
“There's been a mass trend in down- grading money spent on eating out. People are looking for fast food options but a lot don't want to sacrifice things like quality. There's an increasing interest in health. Some segments are saturated. Some are starting to lose popularity.”
Soupchik believe Russians serve up 32 billion soup portions a year, with sales growth of 25% expected in the next 2 years. That sort of growth forecast is common across a wide range of fast food varieties.
From potatoes to soup to hot dogs, chances are, if you're looking for fast food in Moscow, you'll find something that suits your taste. An interesting thing about the market is that many players don't see other outlets as competition, per say, in that many have their own specialized culinary niches.
Maksim Klyagin, an analyst at Finam Management, says that despite the range already available, there is plenty of room around the table for new players to take a seat.
“Without a doubt competition exists. There are certainly a number of large players. But at this stage, it's all more or less comfortable because the market still isn't saturated in spite of the development that's taken place for the past decade. Generally, we see great potential for future growth leading up to the presence seen in Western Europe.”
April saw McDonalds reveal that in 1Q 2010 its European outlets outperformed those in the US when it came to growth. They are eyeing a further 45 outlets in Russia with a planned $150 million in new investment.
With market players swarming in, Russian consumers will dine out on an increasing range of fast food options while the menus of domestic entrepreneurs and multinationals slug it out for their custom.
Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)
Reuters: UPDATE 1-Russia Apr oil output near record levels, gas falls
Sun May 2, 2010 1:40pm IST
* Oil output at over 10 mln bpd for 8 straight months
* Far ahead of Saudi Arabia as world's top oil nation
* Gas output down m/m as heating season comes to end
* Yr/yr gas output rises by over a quarter
By Dmitry Zhdannikov
MOSCOW, May 2 (Reuters) - Russian oil output edged down in April but remained near record levels and well above 10 million barrels per day for the eighth consecutive month, allowing Moscow to retain the world's top position ahead of Saudi Arabia.
Energy Ministry official data showed on Sunday April oil output stood at 10.11 million barrels per day, the second best result ever and down only slightly from a record-high of 10.12 million bpd in March.
The country added 260,000 bpd to its production, or over 2.6 percent year-on-year -- equal to output rises during some of the best years of its steep output growth this decade, which saw Russian output rising by nearly 70 percent since 1999.
This high level has been a worry for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which agreed output targets for most of its members in December 2008, restraining production to support prices.
OPEC leader Saudi Arabia was pumping around 8.05 million bpd of crude in April, holding spare capacity of around 4 million bpd. [ID:nLDE63K0JU]
Russia, which has flirted with OPEC on output cuts in late 2008 during a steep fall in oil prices, decided against cuts as soon as prices started to recover to quickly fix budget gaps.
Roughly 60 percent of the nation's budget revenue comes from taxes on oil and gas sales.
On Friday, oil prices rose for the third month in a row as higher economic growth in the United States and hopes of a bailout to help Greece avoid debt default sparked more risk-taking. [ID:nSGE63T05L]
Russian output has been rising on the back of production at newly tapped East Siberian fields, which, according to JPMorgan forecasts, will account for 2.3 percent of Russia's crude extraction in 2010, up from about 1.1 percent in 2009.
Oil major Rosneft (ROSN.MM) has been the leader of growth with its giant Vankor field adding new barrels, followed by BP's (BP.L) Russian venture TNK-BP, which boosted output 3 percent in April, year-on-year, also due to greenfield projects.
Mid-sized oil firm Bashneft (BANE.RTS) has also surprised the market with steady growth over the past months after years of stagnant production as its new owner, Sistema (SSAq.L), has increased production rates at existing wells.
Russia's overall output growth is expected to slow in the second half of the year as output additions in East Siberia will be offset by declining production in West Siberia. [ID:nLDE5BK0JX] [ID:nLDE5BL15X]
Oil exports via pipeline monopoly Transneft also edged down in April to 4.27 million bpd from 4.30 million bpd in March.
Exports are expected to rise as Russia boosts capacity at its new Pacific oil terminal of Kozmino, launched late last year. [ID:nLDE63R1UB]
Russia's natural gas production continued its decline amid falling demand in Europe and at home because of warming temperatures and the end of the heating season.
Russia's overall gas output fell to 1.87 billion cubic metres per day in April from 1.94 bcm per day in March and 2.07 bcm per day in February.
The country's gas export monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) also cut production to 1.48 bcm per day from 1.53 bcm per day in March and 1.63 bcm per day in February 2010, data showed.
But both Gazprom and Russia overall boosted output by over a quarter from April last year, when Gazprom was facing demand destruction in Europe because of crisis-hit consumption and abundant supplies of rival cheap liquefied natural gas (LNG). (Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
Upstreamonline: Russia tops Saudi in crude output
Russian oil output edged down in April but remained near record levels and well above 10 million barrels per day for the eighth consecutive month, allowing Moscow to retain the world's top position ahead of Saudi Arabia.
Upstream staff 03 May 2010 03:59 GMT
Energy Ministry official data showed yesterday April oil output stood at 10.11 million barrels per day, the second best result ever and down only slightly from a record-high of 10.12 million bpd in March.
The country added 260,000 bpd to its production, or over 2.6% year-on-year - equal to output rises during some of the best years of its steep output growth this decade, which saw Russian output rising by nearly 70% since 1999.
This high level has been a worry for Opec, which agreed output targets for most of its members in December 2008, restraining production to support prices.
Opec leader Saudi Arabia was pumping around 8.05 million bpd of crude in April, holding spare capacity of around 4 million bpd.
Russia, which has flirted with Opec on output cuts in late 2008 during a steep fall in oil prices, decided against cuts as soon as prices started to recover to quickly fix budget gaps.
Roughly 60% of the nation's budget revenue comes from taxes on oil and gas sales.
On Friday, oil prices rose for the third month in a row as higher economic growth in the United States and hopes of a bailout to help Greece avoid debt default sparked more risk-taking.
Russian output has been rising on the back of production at newly tapped East Siberian fields, which, according to JPMorgan forecasts, will account for 2.3% of Russia's crude extraction in 2010, up from about 1.1% in 2009.
Oil major Rosneft has been the leader of growth with its giant Vankor field adding new barrels, followed by BP's Russian venture TNK-BP, which boosted output 3% in April, year-on-year, also due to greenfield projects.
Mid-sized oil firm Bashneft has also surprised the market with steady growth over the past months after years of stagnant production as its new owner, Sistema , has increased production rates at existing wells.
Russia's overall output growth is expected to slow in the second half of the year as output additions in East Siberia will be offset by declining production in West Siberia.
Oil exports via pipeline monopoly Transneft also edged down in April to 4.27 million bpd from 4.30 million bpd in March.
Exports are expected to rise as Russia boosts capacity at its new Pacific oil terminal of Kozmino, launched late last year.
Russia's natural gas production continued its decline amid falling demand in Europe and at home because of warming temperatures and the end of the heating season.
Russia's overall gas output fell to 1.87 billion cubic metres per day in April from 1.94 bcm per day in March and 2.07 bcm per day in February.
The country's gas export monopoly Gazprom also cut production to 1.48 bcm per day from 1.53 bcm per day in March and 1.63 bcm per day in February 2010, data showed.
But both Gazprom and Russia overall boosted output by over a quarter from April last year, when Gazprom was facing demand destruction in Europe because of crisis-hit consumption and abundant supplies of rival cheap liquefied natural gas.
Published: 03 May 2010 03:59 GMT | Last updated: 03 May 2010 04:00 GMT
UPI: Russian oil companies eye small fields
Published: April 30, 2010 at 10:08 AM
MOSCOW, April 30 (UPI) -- Russian energy company Tatneft initiated a round-table discussion in Moscow to discuss problems tied to oil production from small fields in the country.
Tatneft met with academic, ministerial and industrial officials, including delegates from Lukoil and TNK-BP, to discuss the need for state assistance for oil production from smaller fields.
"The problems of developing small deposits and deposits of extra-viscous oil are becoming increasingly relevant in connection with the increasing depletion of large fields and the increase of the hard-to-recover share oil reserves in the resource base of the country," Tatneft said in a statement.
The company, the sixth largest oil company in Russia, said commissioning smaller oil fields would have a positive impact on Russian oil production.
A document from the discussions said the existing taxation system in Russia makes it unprofitable to develop oil fields with less than 73 million barrels of reserves.
The industrial delegates at the Moscow meeting called for a differentiated tax rate on hydrocarbons production at smaller fields, which Tatneft said account for 14 percent of the balance sheet of reserves in Russia.
Participants noted that the discussion aimed to find a common ground approach "to the rational use of the most important strategic resource of the country, which is oil."
Gazprom
Somaliland Press: DJIBOUTI:The Russian giant GAZPROM moved to Djibouti
(SomalilandPress)As part of its diversification strategy and deployment of its international business, the Russian gas giant GAZPROM just moved to Djibouti.
The company is a giant Gazprom energy, her everything is superlative: more than 400,000 employees, the largest company in Russia, the third market capitalization, the largest exporter of gas in the world. Gazprom owns the largest pipeline network in the world (155,000 km), and holds positions in banks, insurance, media, construction and agriculture.
In the case of Djibouti, it is Gazprom Neft, a subsidiary of the multinational oil energy that comes from taking up residence at the Djibouti Free Zone, which is a significant step forward for commercial DFZ.
Choosing the location is not accidental: Djibouti Free Zone combines a business-friendly environment, a generous package of tax and non tax incentives, with in it, world class facilities including offices equipped , modern warehouses and plots of land serviced. Access has a network of 6,000 businesses across the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), and proximity to regional markets (COMESA) make it a platform conducive to investment and business.
“Our client Gazprom Neft Marine bunkering Ltd. plans to deliver and sell marine fuel through its local subsidiary to be located in Free Zone by the month of May 2010, it is called Djibouti FZCO Bunkering Company,” said Ali Ahmed Aouled , the commercial director of the DFZ.
“The company already has two storage tanks and a barge in the marine oil terminal Doraleh (operated by Horizon Terminal Limited), operate and monitor its activities from a rented office in the DFZ” Has added.
He must also know that the geostrategic position of our country largely explains the arrival Gazprom Neft. Djibouti is located near a dense maritime traffic: merchant ships, freighters, pleasure boats, and of course the fleet of the international coalition in charge of security of merchant shipping against Somali pirates.
Thus the DFZ, in synergy with the port and airport entities, is the main entrance door of foreign investment.
The arrival of this major player in the field of naval replenishment medium term will enhance the quality of service to attract other investment.
Note that these activities are part of the strategy development and openness of our economy.
Source:
30.04.2010
Oil and Gas Eurasia: New Oil Field Discovered in Yamal
Geological work has led to the discovery of a new field in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District, specifically on the Limbayakhinskiy rise (in the North-Russkiy licensed block operated by Oiltekhprodukt-Invest) where a flow of gas condensate mixes was found during tests on seams, the press office of the Yamal governor reported.
Since the beginning of the year, new deposits have been found in the Tanopchinskiy layer of the North-Parusovoye field, the Achimovskiy layer of the Kharvutinsk section of the Yamburg field (Gazprom dobycha Yamburg), the Achimovskiy layer of the Nydinskiy section of the Medvezhoye field and in the Achimovksiy and Neokomskiy layers of the South-Padinskoye field (Gazprom dobycha Nadym).
Copyright 2010, Oil and Gas Information Agency. All rights reserved.
BarentsObserver: Gazprom might merge energy assets
2010-05-03
The Board of energy major Gazprom considers to merge several of the company’s electricity generating units, among them the TGK-1.
The companies which might be included in the merger are Mosenergo, TGK-1, OGK-2 and OGK-6. A decision on the issue will be made before the end of the year, newspaper Vedomosti reports.
According to the plans, the shares of the companies will be included in the new entity, Denis Fyodorov, General Director of Gazprom Energy Holding, told Reuters. Also a new joint policy on dividends will be introduced.
The Territorial Generating Company (TGK-1) is one of the biggest electricity producers in Northwest Russia with generating units in Murmansk Oblast, the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast.
APRIL 30, 2010, 12:30 P.M. ET
Dow Jones: Gazprom Neft To Double Annual Oil Output By 2020 - Prime-Tass
MOSCOW (Dow Jones)--Russian oil major Gazprom Neft (SIBN.RS) plans to double its oil output to around 100 million metric tons of oil a year by 2020 from the 50.8 million tons of oil equivalent produced in 2009, the Prime-Tass news agency reports Friday citing the company's corporate magazine.
The company plans to double its output by acquiring oil assets from Russian natural gas monopoly OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS), its parent company.
Gazprom Neft also plans to increase output by developing oil fields belonging to Slavneft (SLAV.RS), which it holds on a parity basis with oil company TNK-BP Holding (TNBP.RS).
Gazprom Neft also sees its output abroad accounting for 10% of the total output by 2020. Specifically, the company has already started operations in Venezuela as part of the National Oil Consortium, and also has projects in Iraq, Libya, Equatorial Guinea and Angola.
Gazprom Neft also plans to refine 70 million tons of oil a year by 2020, with around 40 million tons refined in Russia.
The company also plans to sell up to 40 million tons of oil products a year by 2020. No comparison was provided.
Agency Web site: prime-
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