September 25, 2013. MegaFon announces its telecommunications network is ready for the launch of Russia Arms Expo 2013 in Nizhniy Tagil. For the first time in Russia, the mobile carrier’s portable stations will provide 4G Internet connection on the exhibition premises, the company’s press service reports. MegaFon will also offer free Wi Fi Internet connection to all the visitors to and the participants of the exhibition. This means exhibitors and reporters will be able to transfer data on the achievements presented at the exhibition at the speed of up to 50 Megabits per second. ‘The upcoming

September 25, 2013. Yekaterinburg is currently Russia’s top city in terms of development, culture, and incoming and outgoing tourist industry as well as the living conditions, Deputy Mayor of Yekaterinburg Sergey Tushin said at a solemn reception dedicated to the World Tourism Day. ‘The tourist industry is one of the core sectors of the city’s economy at the moment, and one reason why this sector is developing so fast is that both the local authorities and the business community – as well as the city’s entire public – are interested in this development. When these three parties unite,

September 24, 2013. Today, on September 23, Yekaterinburg Council had a meeting on the laying of a new tram link, the city council's press service reports. The hi tech link will become the first and the longest in the history of Yekaterinburg: it will be about 5km long. The link is to connect one of the city's largest and most dynamically developing sections in Leninsky District to downtown Yekaterinburg. Preliminarily, the first stop will be located at the intersection of Wilhelm de Gennin St and Sakharov St. The tramways will run along the right side of the road up to Akademik

September 24, 2013. There are no grounds to say that Yekaterinburg might be excluded from the program for hosting the World Football Championship matches in 2018, RIA Novosti refers to FIFA's Head of Media Delia Fischer as saying to R-Sport. The Russian media reported earlier that the authorities might decide to relocate the World Cup matches from Yekaterinburg to Krasnodar – the latter also applied for the right to host the championship but did not make it to the shortlist of candidates. Head of Russia 2018 Coordination Committee Alexei Sorokin denied the possibility of indicating

September 24, 2013. Canada opened a few visa centers throughout Russia, including Yekaterinburg. The opening ceremony in the Urals' capital took place at the Panorama Hotel on September 20, Travel.ru reports. Having a visa center right here in the city does not mean you can't apply online or directly - by placing your pack of documents into the special box at the consulate as before. However, the launch of the visa center automatically cancels applying through Pony Express. The service fee is 965 RUR. There are also additional services like filling the application form using a

September 24, 2013. A mobile app RAE 2013 is now available at App Store for iPad and iPhone and at Google Play for Nokia, HTC, and Samsung. The app keeps the user in the know of everything that goes on at the 9th International Arms, Military Vehicles, and Ammunition Exhibition Russia Arms Expo 2013; Uralvagonzavod Corporation is the general coordinator of the event. 'A visitor to RAE 2013 will easily find all the necessary information in this application, as the news and updates are structured in a user-friendly way. The most recent news, a description of the agenda and of the

September 24, 2013. VUZ-Bank's Corporates Department is going to coordinate a round table discussion for companies and businesspeople who operate on the international market or do business with partners abroad. The round table discussion is mainly targeted at sharing information and practical experience in the field of foreign economic activity for SMEs, the bank's press service reports. Experts will talk about the latest changes in the foreign currency legislation in the Russian Federation, about how to create a safety cushion when engaging in foreign economic activity (where to

September 23, 2013. The traffic in Yekaterinburg will get better thanks to the creation of special hubs at the city entrances where one can switch to a different mode of transport, Deputy Mayor of Yekaterinburg for Urban Development, Transport, & Environment Evgeny Lipovitch told the participants of the Eurasian Transport Forum, the official city portal states. The city council is working on the development of the road and street network and pays special attention to the main transport framework. Yekaterinburg orbital motorway is also being expanded. The capacity of the roads is increased

September 23, 2013. Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK) is going to pay its shareholders 975m RUR worth of dividends for the first half of 2013. The company Board of Directors decided on September 19 to call an extraordinary general meeting (voting by correspondence) to consider the issue of payments, the company’s press service reports. ‘The Board of Directors recommended that the EGM vote for paying the interim dividends of 1.04 RUR per one ordinary share with face value of 10 RUR; this totals to 975,089,537.76 RUR; the sum is to be paid off by January 10, 2014,’ the press release says. The

September 23, 2013. Yekaterinburg Municipal Duma deputies – United Russia members – suggested in the course of their first faction meeting that an open letter to the Russian Federation President should be prepared and presented at the Duma session. The letter should ask the President to support Yekaterinburg’s right to coordinate and host the World Cup 2018 football matches, the city council’s press service reports. The initiative was put forth by Vladimir Kritsky, who was supported by his colleagues and the Soviet of the Federation Member from Sverdlovsk Region Eduard Rossel. The exact

September 23, 2013. Representatives of two innovative Urals-based companies are going to come to Boston for the Russian Innovation Week – a major event for the Russian innovators, Sverdlovsk Region Business Support Fund (which coordinated the trip) reports. The annual RIW is targeted at intensifying cooperation between Russian technological companies and their American counterparts. The main idea behind the event is to show Russia’s potential as one of the most investment-attractive European countries that America could invest in over the following five years. The participating companies –

September 23, 2013. Bank Koltso Urala and Greenwich Shopping Center keep developing their unique co-branding project know as Greencard; the bank issued its 10,000th Greencard today, the bank’s press service reports. The great number of cards means the customers are increasingly interested in this Greencard project. This is something unique to Yekaterinburg at the moment, as Greencard is a fully functional VISA Classic card with a bonus and discounts at Greenwich stores. The card’s other advantage lies in the fact that it also works as the loyalty card for Kupets in Greenwich Supermarket.

September 20, 2013. The Finance Ministry prepared the final drafts of amendments to the Credit History Act that will state clearly that upon the publication of the new Act, the Credit History Bureau will have to annul the empty records and files within six months and not issue any more new dossiers in the future. A credit history file counts as empty if it contains records of data on applications by those borrowers who were not granted a loan, Bank Koltso Urala’s press service reports. The initiative was put forward by the Central Bank over six months ago. The regulatory authority believes

September 20, 2013. Delegations from 18 National Olympic Committees are going to stay at Burgas Resort during the winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014; the resort was built by Sinara Group, the company’s press officer says. ‘Burgas is getting ready to open its doors and show its hospitality to executives of 18 National Olympic Committees. While getting ready for the big event, delegations from Norway, Germany, Latvia, Switzerland, and Japan have already checked the resort out and thought very highly of the location and the service of the place,’ the press release states. The resort team are now

September 20, 2013. Bank NEIVA made a presentation on the features and benefits of its new mobile app NEIVA Mobile that was developed specially for iOS devices – iPhones and iPads – and is targeted at the bank’s corporate customers, the bank’s press service reports. The application supports all the functions of the full-fledged cash and settlement operations system, including financial transactions. NEIVA Mobile allows one to work with accounts of several organizations simultaneously and obtain updated information on current loans or deposits, make bank statements and the loan repayment

September 20, 2013. The trade union members joined in the running race dedicated to the upcoming Machine-Builder’s Day and the 84th anniversary of the company trade union at Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant (a member of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation), the corporation’s press service says. 32 competing teams represented their departments, production divisions, and administrations. Prior to the start of the race, all the participants attended an opening parade conducted by the director of the plant’s sports club and the primary judge Yuri Shusharin, who announced the teams

September 20, 2013. Uralvagonzavod’s exhibition facility is now hosting an unusual exhibition called Russia’s Presidents. The exhibition is mainly compiled from a collection created by Art-Sfera and comprises fine art, sculpture, sketching, and 3D objects dedicated to the three presidents of the Russian Federation: Boris Yeltsin, Dmitri Medvedev, and the current president Vladimir Putin, Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation’s press release says. The exhibition features over 40 works by 30 prominent Russian artists from different parts of Russia: Saint Petersburg, Kazan,

September 19, 2013. The participants of the show that is to take place during the 9th International Arms, Military Vehicles & Ammunition Exhibition Russia Arms Expo 2013 (RAE-2013) have started rehearsing at Staratel range in Nizhniy Tagil recently, Governor of Sverdlovsk Region’s Information Policies Department reports. The rehearsals will last till September 21, when the final demonstration version of the show will be held at the range of Nizhniy Tagil Metal Testing Institute. Nearly all the show participants – Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation, Uraltransmash,

September 19, 2013. Director-General of Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation Oleg Sienko topped the rating of best managers in the machine-building industry, according to Kommersant Publishing House. The best managers were selected in every sector; in the IT field, for example, the Director-General of Info Watch Natalya Kasperskaya was selected as the most successful manager. Chairman of Gazprombank Supervisory Board Andrei Akimov was chosen as the best manager among the private banks, and head of Russdragmet Valeriy Oif was selected as the best manager in the metallurgical

September 19, 2013. The Russian Government decided to lift drop the visa regime it used to have with South Korea, Prime reports. ‘The new agreement touches upon the citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea who have regular international passports and are going to make short-term trips (under 60 days long) for business, tourist, or private purposes, or in order to join some cultural, scientific, or sports events,’ the Cabinet’s declaration states. Travelers who enter either country without a visa can stay in the respective host country for up to 90 days within every 180