Sverdlovsk Region-based aluminum manufacturers need to develop and to get upgraded, the region’s Industry Minister Alexander Petrov said at a press conference in Yekaterinburg. ‘The state of affairs at RUSAL is complicated for both objective and subjective reasons. The subjective reasons consist in a dramatic metal prices decrease on the global markets. We haven’t got any powerful energy resources in Sverdlovsk Region, yet the prime cost of aluminum production is quite high,’ the minister said. ‘RUSAL’s Sverdlovsk Region-based enterprises deal in the export of aluminum ingots, which have only

Rusline, Bashkortostan, and Moskovia turned out to be the least punctual air carriers in February 2012, the Federal Air Transport Agency reports. Rusline delayed 20.86% of the 1,093 flights operated last month, Bashkortostan delayed 19.87% of its flights, and Moskovia delayed 17.09% of its flights. VIM-Avia and Nordwind Airlines were also among the companies that delayed the greatest number of flights compared with other carriers, RBC points out.

MegaFon came up with updates on the most popular mobile devices in February 2012, the mobile carrier’s Ural branch’s press service reports. According to the sales data from the company’s 1,640 own outlets located in 450 Russian cities, among the best-selling devices are: e-modems MegaFon 3G E173 (up to 7.2 Mbit/sec) and MegaFon 3G E352 (up to 14.4 Mbit/sec) as well as MegaFon Minifon TDS-12-1, Nokia X1-01, and Nokia 1616. Samsung S5250, Nokia 5228, Nokia C5 5Mp, Nokia 5230, and Nokia C5-03 proved the chain’s best-selling smartphones in February. In the Urals, the top five most popular

The passenger traffic at Ural Airlines Aviation Company rose by 70% last month compared with February 2011, the company’s press officer reports. In February 2012, Ural Airlines operated 1,516 flights (which was 31% more than a year earlier). This included 484 international flights, 675 domestic flights, and 357 flights around the CIS. 166,463 people flew with the air carrier in February 2012, which was 71% more than in February 2012. 66,353 people used the company’s international flights, 67,400 passengers were on domestic flights, and 32,710 people flew around the CIS. The actual passenger

Secretary-General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Vicente G. Loscertales is to arrive in Yekaterinburg next Saturday, March 17, 2012. The municipal council reports the visit has to do with Yekaterinburg applying as a candidate for hosting the World Universal Exhibition EXPO n the year 2020. In the course of his visit, Loscertales is to meet the top officials of Yekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk Region; besides, the agenda of the secretary-general’s stay covers taking a look at the site of the industry & innovations exhibition Innoprom. The primary purpose of Vicente