20:54
RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT DOES NOT THINK FALLING OIL PRICES WILL PREVENT FULFILMENT OF 2002 BUDGET
One need not expect negative effects on the fulfilment of the 2002 federal budget from Friday's dropping of world oil prices, said an informed source in the Russian government. More details...

20:10
RUSSIA, LEBANON REVIVE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP COMMISSION, SAY PREMIERS
The Russian and Lebanese Prime Ministers met at the negotiation table to agree on the revival of a bilateral intergovernmental commission for trade and economic, research and technological partnership, Mikhail Kasyanov, Russia's Prime Minister, announced to newsmen after the talks. More details...

18:43
RUSSIA AND WTO: ONLY THE STRONGEST WILL SURVIVE
The debates over Russia’s joining the World Trade Organization remain unabated. The near the joining date is coming, the more heated the debates become. The question “to join or not to join” became no longer relevant after President Vladimir Putin’s speech made at the guest session of the Davos economic forum held recently here in Moscow. More details...

16:58
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, LEBANESE PREMIER DISCUSS POSSIBILITY OF CONSTRUCTING OIL REFINERY IN LEBANON
In the course of their Friday meeting President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri of Lebanon discussed a possibility of constructing an oil refinery in Lebanon. This was disclosed by the Lebanese premier at the press conference. More details...

15:33
RUSSIAN-LEBANESE COMMISSION FOR TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION TO RESUME WORK
The Russian-Lebanese intergovernmental commission for trade and economic cooperation will soon resume its work, Igor Ivanov, Russia's Foreign Minister, told journalists after the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri held in the Kremlin. More details...

15:15
RUSSIA'S STATE FISHING COMMITTEE CHIEF MEETS WITH ICELAND'S FOREIGN MINISTER
Prospects for Russian trawlers' getting access to the territorial waters of Iceland were discussed in Moscow on Friday by Yevgeni Nazdratenko, chairman of the Russian State Fishing Committee, and Halldor Asgrimsson, Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Iceland. More details...

15:04
AVERAGE PRICE OF OIL TO BE NO LESS THAN USD 18 PER BARREL NEXT YEAR, ANALYSTS SAY
According to analysts' forecasts, in 2002 the average price of oil will be no less than USD 18 per barrel. In their opinion, the drop in oil prices is a temporary phenomenon and soon oil prices will start growing again. More details...

13:49
AGREEMENT ON CONSTRUCTING AN ATOMIC POWER PLANT TO BE SIGNED IN MOSCOW
During the visit to Moscow by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on November 4-6, a framework agreement will be signed on the construction of an atomic power plant in India with the participation of Russia. Minister of Atomic Energy Alexander Rumyantsev told reporters about this on Friday. More details...

13:14
RUSSIAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MINISTER ADVOCATES EXPANSION OF RUSSIA-WEST COOPERATION
Russian Minister of Economic Development and Trade German Gref has stressed the need to expand cooperation between Russia and Western business circles to eliminate economic aftermath of the acts of terror in the USA. German Gref spelled out his opinion Thursday speaking before the participants in the 5th Russian annual investment symposium in Boston. More details...

13:12
PRIME MINISTER SAYS RUSSIAN SCIENCE RETAINS ITS LEADING POSITION
Russian science has retained its leading position in the world, and knowledge and developments of Russian scientists are no less competitive than Russian raw materials, according to Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who spoke at the meeting with laureates of the government's prize in the field of science and technology for the year 2000. More details...

12:57
RUSSIAN ECONOMY INTEGRATES INTO WORLD ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL SYSTEM
About 200 regulatory documents related to Russia's integration into the world economic and financial system have been adopted in Russia or are currently in the works, Russian Economic Development Minister German Gref told the participants in the Fifth Annual Russian Investment Symposium in Boston. More details...

10:29
FIFTH ANNUAL RUSSIAN INVESTMENT SYMPOSIUM STARTS IN BOSTON
The gala opening of the Fifth Annual Russian Investment Symposium took place in Boston on Thursday evening. Top-level Russian, American, and international business, and government officials are due to discuss the current economic climate in Russia and the possibilities of foreign investment at the three-day-long forum's sessions and seminars. The theme for this year's event, "Reform and Renewal", reflects both the persisting need for reform in Russia and Russia's dramatic achievements in this area over the past year. This year's programme features the state and prospects of investment in the Russian economy, investment opportunities in the energy, transport system, high technology, investment climate in various Russian regions, corporate governance reform, labour market potential, continuing risks for investors. More details...

20:11
RUSSIA GETS ITS FIRST BANKING HOLDING
Russia has got its first banking holding ROSINBANK. Its shareholders are the Russian financial corporation and the Russian association of cash collectors of the Central Bank of Russia. It was said at a news conference in the RIA Novosti news agency. More details...

19:29
RUSSIA'S FIRST CIVIL AIRLINES ASSOCIATION BORN
The first association of civil airlines, Open Skies Alliance, has been established in Russia. It got a registration paper in late October, reports Viktor Fursov of this association. More details...

19:07
DMITRI LITVINOVICH: STATE MONOPOLY ON VODKA RETURNS TO RUSSIA
The epoch of the primary accumulation of capital has long been left behind in Russia. Today’s businessmen are different from those of hot money hunters of the early 1990s. Present-day businessmen do care about their image. The state also tries to catch up with business and wants to show the West a beautiful glossy wrapping in the form of assurances of business being liberalized and corruption being fought. More details...

17:09
ENERGY MINISTER OF VENEZUELA CALLS ON OPEC TO DEVELOP RELATIONS WITH OIL-PRODUCING COUNTRIES, FIRST OF ALL, WITH RUSSIA
Alvaro Silva Calderon, the Minister of Energy and Mines of Venezuela called on OPEC /Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries/ member-states to develop relations with major oil-producing countries, first of all, with Russia and Mexico, in coordinating with oil policy and strategy. More details...

16:59
SWEDEN TO ASSIST RUSSIA IN STAGING ECONOMIC REFORMS
The Swedish government intends to assist Russia in staging economic reforms and allocate 9 million kronas (about USD 900,000) for these purposes, the press service of the Swedish government informed RIA Novosti. These funds will be used within the Swedish-Russian Cooperation Project programme in the course of two consecutive years starting from 2002. More details...

16:30
200,000 JOBS LOST IN AVIATION INDUSTRY
The aftermath of September 11th has been dramatic for the aviation industry, with an estimated 200,000 losses. More details...

14:34
FINANCIAL MONITORING COMMITTEE TO START FULLY FUNCTIONING FROM FEB 1, 2002
The financial monitoring committee being set up under the finance ministry will start fully working from February 1, 2002, reported Russian vice premier, finance minister Alexei Kudrin. More details...

11:04
VLADIMIR PUTIN SIGNS DECREE ON SETTING UP FINANCIAL MONITORING COMMITTEE
Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on creation of a financial monitoring committee. More details...

21:09
DMITRY LITVINOVICH: WORLD CRISIS IS NOT A DISTURBER TO RUSSIA
OPEC representatives are still warning about a possibility of a crash on the world market of oil. OPEC experts say the uncontrollable reduction of prices may take place in the beginning of the next year in case, if the countries that produce oil fail to agree to cut its supply on the market More details...

20:35
LEBANESE PREMIER FOR FREE TRADE ZONE
Lebanon hopes for a free trade zone to be set up and boost its trade with Russia, Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri said to the Russian Industrialists' and Entrepreneurs' Guild. More details...

20:33
RUSSIA-LEBANON COMMODITY TURNOVER TO EXCEED $300 MLN IN 2001
As meeting, Wednesday, with Rafiq Hariri, Lebanon's prime-minister, Arkady Volsky, president of the Russian union of industrialists and entrepreneurs, said that in 2001 the commodity turnover between Russia and Lebanon would exceed USD 300 million. More details...

19:40
RUSSIA, TURKMENISTAN IN TALKS ON DRAFT GAS PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
Russian-Turkmen negotiations are through another round to draft a long-term agreement for gas industrial partnership, the Turkmen cabinet reports from Ashgabat. More details...

19:04
BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN RUSSIA
The Russian economic growth rate has surpassed "respective indicators in European countries," British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told Russian politicians on Wednesday in remarks dubbed into Russian. More details...

18:40
ACCESS TO EXPORT OIL PIPE LIMITED FOR 35 RUSSIAN COMPANIES
The governmental commission for access to trunk oil and products pipelines has decided to limit access to the export oil pipe for 35 oil companies for their failure to pay taxes. More details...

17:58
RUSSIAN STATE STATISTICS COMMITTEE PLANS TO HOLD CENSUS OF PRIVATE ENTREPRENEURS IN 2003
The Russian State Statistics Committee, or Goskomstat, plans to hold a census of private entrepreneurs in 2003, Oleg Rybak, deputy chairman of Goskomstat, told the press conference Wednesday. More details...

17:00
BRITISH GOVERNMENT BOOSTS GUARANTEES FOR EXPORTERS TO RUSSIA
The British government has increased the volume of guarantees for exporters to Russia, due to a marked improvement of the situation in the Russian economy, British secretary of commerce and investment Baroness Simons said on Wednesday. More details...

16:08
RUSSIAN VICE-PREMIER KHRISTENKO TO DISCUSS TRADE-ECONOMIC ISSUES IN CANADA
On Wednesday in the afternoon Russian vice-premier Viktor Khristenko is leaving for Canada, where the fifth session of the Canadian-Russian economic commission will be held on November 1, the vice-premier's press-secretary Stanislav Naumov told RIA Novosti. More details...

15:16
CHAIRMAN OF THE RUSSIAN AUDIT CHAMBER DISCUSSES IN THE NETHERLANDS PROSPECTS FOR COOPERATION IN COMBATING MONEY LAUNDERING
Chairman of the Russian Audit Chamber Sergei Stepashin, who is now staying in the Netherlands, discussed in the Hague prospects of cooperation in combating money laundering and corruption with Mrs. Saskia Stuiveling, chairman of the Audit Court of the Netherlands. More details...