Rosselkhoznadzor (the state agricultural watchdog) might ban import of cattle produce from the EU beginning from April 1, 2007 unless each country produces veterinary certificates before March 31, 2007. The market players say Rosselkhoznadzor’s requirements are justified, reports RosBusinessConsulting. According to the preliminary data provided by the National Meat Association, 60,000 tons of beef, 220,000 to 230,000 tons of pork, 190,000 to 200,000 tons of poultry, and 200,000 tons of by-products were imported from Europe last year. In terms of money, this came to round about $1.5 billion.

‘Local car loan market is developing at a very fast pace, and we are constantly on the lookout for the new bank offers which we look into very closely prior to signing a cooperation agreement. Auto shows usually cooperate with four to six banks that offer low interest rate and no monthly commissions. Banks that are not capable of adapting to their clients’ needs are not normally among them,’ says Natalia Aristova of Okami Motors car center. Russian banks issued some $7.5 to $8 billion worth of loans in 2006, which comes to 40% of all new cars bought in the country, whereas the figure only

Some British builders are going to take part in local construction projects, reports Britain’s Consulate-General in Yekaterinburg. Executives of Buschow Henley, British Expertise WYG International, and PRP Architects are to arrive in Yekaterinburg on March 5, 2007. Their agenda includes a workshop devoted to discussing various ways of design and town planning. The British experts will also hold negotiations with the city council and the local builders.

Rosselkhoznadzor (the state agricultural watchdog) put temporary limits on meat export from a number of companies based in the U.S., France, Germany, Brazil, and Uruguay, reports Rosselkhoznadzor’s press officer. Over 200 tons of poultry, beef, and pork imported from these countries were examined this January, and the meat was found to be infected with salmonella.

Russian citizens spent $29.1 billion on new cars in 2006, which exceeds the figures for a year earlier by 54.1%. Given the import of second-hand foreign cars, the aggregate capacity of the market reached $24 billion. A greater range of auto loan offers was one of the key factors responsible for such an impressive increase in car sales last year. Russian banks issued some $7.5 to $8 billion worth of loans in 2006, which comes to 40% of all new cars bought in the country, whereas the figure only amounted to $4 to $4.5 in 2005. Provided this trend is continued, every other car sold in Russia

‘Ural Airlines’ cheap tickets from Yekaterinburg to Tel Aviv and back (the price of a return ticket only comes to $319 plus the fuel and airport fees) will definitely enjoy great demand, and I’m positive our company is going to take advantage of this offer as well. Besides, this carrier provides nice quality transfers, which is why their offer is advantageous indeed,’ Anastasia Ermolaeva, Director of Pangaea Travel Agency, said to UrBC. Ural Airlines are offering 70% discounts on tickets from Yekaterinburg to Tel Aviv and back between February 19 and June 20, 2007. The company is the only

Galvanized and painted steel market of Ural Federal District came to 250,000 tons in 2006, with another 270,000 to 280,000 tons expected in 2007. These figures were presented at the conference devoted to galvanized and painted rolled metal that was held in Moscow. The Ural flat section processing market has been developing quite rapidly, with goods supplied mainly by the building industry which, in its turn, grows by 8% to 10% a year due to stable economic development, income growth, and business investments (all of which results in increased demand for real estate) and mortgage lending

A concert devoted to Defender of the Motherland Day was held in Tomsk on February 24, 2007. Tomsk-based subsidiary of URSA Bank invited the veterans of the Great Patriotic War, home front workers, senior citizens, and all those wishing to come to join in the celebration. The show included a performance by the children from the local hobby clubs as well as a few competitions prepared by the concert organizers. ‘My friends, who were invited by URSA Bank over the phone, took me along. It is very nice that the concert is propaganda-free, it is a true people’s performance,’ says Luydmila

Throughout the past year, all subsidiaries of Evrazruda (ore maker and part of Evraz Group) kept trying to reduce the environmentally hazardous effects of their activity. Abagurskaya processing and agglomeration plant based in Novokuznetsk appears to have contributed the most: its activities included overhauls of suction devices, which decreased the amount of agglomeration dust dumped in the air; then, they started recycling of slag at the boiler furnaces, which makes it possible to burn up to 1,000 tons of additional slag a year and thus saves fuel; finally, the plant started recycling its

‘The accounting examination by experts that is to show what has led to such a trouble with Noviy Grad (the local developer) is expected to have been completed by April 2007. This examination is being conducted at the order of Sverdlovsk Region public prosecution authorities,’ says Maxim Kasatkin, Director of Economic Offenses Department of Yekaterinburg Internal Affairs Administration. All this is part of the investigation related to the criminal suit of former CEO of Noviy Grad Yuri Repeta who is charged with fraud. In the meantime, HydroSpetsStroy Ltd. (Noviy Grad’s general contractor) is

RusRating rated 43 Russian banks, including three banks based in Sverdlovsk Region, on the basis of their reports and accounts. ‘The rating given to SKB-Bank is determined by its nice rate of development, strong support of the financially independent proprietor, and good growth potential,’ report RusRating analysts. They also believe their developmental forecast appears to be stable, reports SKB-Bank’s press officer. RusRating is an independent national rating agency that has been on the Russian market since 2001. It mainly deals in rating banks, leasing businesses, and bank bonds, and in

‘Ural Airlines make very attractive offers in terms of Israel-bound flights. This destination is now becoming more and more popular; it used to enjoy little demand because of the war, but the state of events is quite peaceful now and people aren’t afraid of going there. Trips to Israel are particularly interesting since they give one a chance to combine rest with high quality medical treatment. Moreover, in the springtime, the country is very popular with palmers of all sorts who want to be there at Easter,’ Olga Gutlyar, Director of Zima-Leto Travel Agency, said to UrBC. Ural Airlines are

‘According to the terms of the grant contest, the money received can be spent in three ways: on teaching methods development, on equipment and study materials, and on training and re-training the faculty and support staff. Last year’s winners, on average, spent 25%, 70%, and 5% on these, respectively. Ural State University is going to invest 87% out of the total of 510 million RUR in lab equipment and books,’ Dean of the Department of History Dmitriy Bugrov said to UrBC. ‘The university is going to spend money on the most promising fields of science and education vital to real economy and

Two new 210-ton pouring cranes were assembled at the arc-furnace plant of Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Novokuznetsk (part of Evraz Group). One of the cranes (the one used for the pouring bay and the ladle-furnace) has already been launched. The second crane (meant for two arc-furnaces) is going to start operating in April 2007; the company’s workers are getting the equipment ready at the moment, reports the spokesperson for Evraz. The new cranes are much more effective than the old ones because they have been fitted with the new variable frequency drives that enhance the smoothness and

Two new 210-ton pouring cranes were assembled at the arc-furnace plant of Metallurgical Industrial Complex of Novokuznetsk (part of Evraz Group), reports the spokesperson for Evraz. One of the cranes (the one used for the pouring bay and the ladle-furnace) has already been launched. The second crane (meant for two arc-furnaces) is going to start operating in April 2007; the company’s workers are getting the equipment ready at the moment. All this is part of the company’s modernization program that has resulted in replacement of five cranes so far. One more crane is to be replaced in the last

Sverdlovsk Region division of Federal Antimonopoly Service filed a criminal suit against Sverdlovsk EnergoGas Company regarding violations of antimonopoly law. The case is to be considered on March 21, 2007, reports the spokesperson for SverdlovEnergoSbyt. Federal Antimonopoly Service looked into the case of Valeriy Kudrin, head of Tugulym municipal district, on February 27, 2007. Mr. Kudrin demanded that the citizens of the district use Sverdlovsk EnergoGas Company as their electricity supplier, and the Service decided his actions were illegal.

‘Multi-faceted area development will cut costs and create nice room for living,’ claims Alexander Starikov, Rector of Ural State Architectural Academy. ‘The construction of the would-be Academic district of Yekaterinburg that employs this concept will also make housing much more affordable. As is well known, the prices on the real estate market are quite speculative due to the increased demand and limited supply. Large-scale construction projects may be a solution to the problem; in addition, they comply with the top-priority national program known as Affordable and Comfortable Housing to

Yekaterinburg Consumer Services Committee alongside with some other authorities managed to remove 57 game-playing machines from the city’s kiosks and pavilions, reports Oleg Zemtsov, the spokesperson for Deputy Mayor Viktor Konteev. There were 67 such machines in town at the beginning of 2006 and, in compliance with Mr. Konteev’s decision, a removal schedule was drawn up that included 69 items, 57 of which were rid of last year. The process of doing away with the playing machines that have no permits will continue this year as well.

RUSAL has recently completed the acquisition of the majority holding of Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (Alscon), which is going to increase its aluminum output by 150,000 tons a year. Buying Alscon also means RUSAL can now create a full production cycle in this regions and expand its client network as well as enter the new markets, reports RUSAL’s press officer. The company bought a 77.5% share holding that includes a plant with the planned production capacity of 193,000 tons of aluminum annually which has an electrolysis shop, an anodic shop, and a foundry; a port on the River Imo, and

‘We use highly professional architects for Academic construction project,’ reports project manager Stanislav Pridvizhkin ‘They are now working on the landscape and the street architectural designs to make sure the would-be district has a single concept and not a motley assortment of buildings. The general image is quite important. Different parts of Academic district will be designed by different designer teams, yet all of them are going to be supervised by Valode & Pistre that deals with the general image development,’ Mr. Pridvizhkin explained.