Issue #1355 (19), Tuesday, March 11, 2008
 

BUSINESS

REAL ESTATE AWARDS COME TO CITY

This year, for the first time the Commercial Real Estate Awards ceremony will take place in St. Petersburg to recognize the specific achievements of leading local developers and real estate professionals. 350 market players will attend the ceremony, which ...

 

LOCAL DEVELOPER SETS ITS SIGHTS ON YEKATERINBURG

ST. PETERSBURG — LSR Group, the St. Petersburg-based developer controlled by Russian billionaire Andrei Molchanov, will spend $300 million on acquisitions ...

IN BRIEF

Water Rules Violated

ST. PETERSBURG (SPT) — The Northwest Prosecutor’s Office has identified 221 violations in the sea ports and water transportation system so far this year, Interfax reported Friday.

The Northwest Prosecutor’s Office filed 16 ...

 

RUSSIA ADDS 34 NEW BILLIONAIRES, DERIPASKA LEADS

MOSCOW — From the titans of industry to the friends of President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s richest just had one hell of a year.

Boosted by soaring oil ...

RZD EYES CONTROLLING STAKE IN TGK

MOSCOW — Russian Railways, or RZD, is considering buying a controlling stake in power generation company TGK-14 jointly with ESN-Energo, an industry source said Thursday.

“Yes, ESN-Energo’s partner [in the deal] is Russian Railways,” the source close ...

 

GOVERNMENT MAY MERGE MICEX AND RTS

MOSCOW — The government may merge the country’s stock exchanges and sell shares in the new company to the public, Vedomosti reported Thursday, citing the ...

TELECOMS TO BE INCLUDED AS A STRATEGIC SECTOR

MOSCOW — The government wants foreign investors to seek its permission for buying control of mobile and landline communications companies, a measure that could hamper growth in the booming sector, according to draft legislation made public Thursday.

The ...

 

KRAFT FACTORY SET TO OPEN

ST. PETERSBURG — Kraft Foods Inc., the world’s second-largest food company, plans to open a $100 million plant near St. Petersburg next week to make instant ...

STATE PLANS 2ND GROUP OF FUNDS

MOSCOW — Russia will allocate as much as 9 billion rubles ($460 million) to create a second group of state-backed venture funds in a bid to reduce the country’s reliance on oil and gas exports.

The government will solicit proposals from financial management ...

 

FINANCE MINISTERS REJECT BANK MERGER

BERLIN — The finance ministers of Germany and Poland on Thursday rejected the idea of merging two international, government-controlled banks with overlapping ...

UNION CALLS FOR SOFTER GAMBLING LAW

MOSCOW — A Russian law forcing gambling out of Moscow and St. Petersburg from July next year will deter investment in the industry and should be relaxed, the country’s Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Union said Friday.

Plans to restrict gambling to four ...

 

LAWMAKERS REJECT CALLS FROM OIL EXECUTIVES FOR TAX BREAKS

MOSCOW — Lawmakers are not planning to cut taxes for oil companies, a deputy speaker of the State Duma said, resisting calls by executives and investors. ...

SINGLE EUROPEAN GAS HUB ‘UNLIKELY’

MOSCOW — A single European gas hub will probably never emerge and gas trading may develop in a pattern similar to the U.S., according to the head of gas and power trading at Total SA, Europe’s third-largest oil company.

“I think you’re going to end up ...

 

MELTING ARCTIC ICE COULD LEAD TO ENERGY WAR

WASHINGTON — With oil above $100 a barrel and Arctic ice melting faster than ever, some of the world’s most powerful countries — including the United States ...

INDIA SIGNS DEAL WITH RUSSIA TO UPGRADE JETS

NEW DELHI — India has awarded Russia a 965-million-dollar contract to upgrade its multi-role MiG-29 warplanes, officials said on Monday.

The two post-Cold War allies Saturday signed the deal to extend the life of India’s fleet of 70 MiG-29 jets another ...

 

FUEL COSTS INCREASE AS RUSSIA CURBS EXPORT

SINGAPORE — Russia is forcing Exxon Mobil Corp. to abandon plans to export natural gas to China. Nigeria is requiring explorers to share output with its ...

Raven Russia Sees Warehouse Income Triple

EDINBURGH — Raven Russia Ltd., the U.K. owner of Moscow and St. Petersburg warehouses, said earnings almost tripled last year as the company’s properties gained in value.

Net income rose to $95.3 million, or 22.32 cents a share, from $32.6 million, or 9.62 cents, a year earlier, the Guernsey-based company ...