‘Our stock market kept going down last week because of inflation risks and growth of global interest rates, which made most of the world’s markets less attractive in terms of investments,’ says SKB-Bank’s trader Alexander Sterkhov. ‘RTS index reached 1,844.7 points at the close of business on May 17, 2007, which is 2.5% lower than at the beginning of the week. According to the Minister of Finances Alexei Kudrin, after VTB went through with the IPO, the government’s share in the bank’s stock amounted to 78%. It was also announced that 35% of shares had been offered on Russian markets and 65%

Regional law-enforcement agencies disclosed more gerrymandering behind the insolvency of Bogdanovich Porcelain Works while investigating the fraud-related case of the plant’s financial director. CEOs of two Yekaterinburg-based firms, for example, were found to have bribed the person responsible for property assessment in order to have fictitious assessment reports drawn up for them. Later on, this made it possible for the plant’s financial director to buy tons of scrap metal in the guise of top-of-the-range equipment (the damage done to the company was estimated at 23 million RUR).

The proceeds of Vysokogorskiy Ore Mining and Processing Enterprise (part of Evraz Group) increased by 79.6% in the first quarter of 2007 compared to January-March 2006, amounting to 1,676 million RUR. This is 13% better than in the last quarter of 2006, the spokesperson for Evraz group says. The company’s net profit came to 366 million RUR, which is 25.8% better than in October-December 2006, its gross profit came to 708 million RUR, which is 204.6% better than a year earlier. Sales revenues went up by 502.1% compared to a year earlier, reaching 597 million RUR.

Sverdlovsk Region public prosecution bodies report the Ministry of Finances has been violating budgetary regulations while collecting money for the regional budget. The Ministry, it turned out, sometimes failed to place all the papers regarding cases of inappropriate practices of spending budget money with the public prosecution authorities. In addition, reports on administrative offenses were occasionally delayed, which meant some of the offenders were able to get away with their crimes due to end of limitation period. Minister Maria Serova received a warning whereupon she asked department

The foreign trade turnover of Nizhniy Tagil customs came to $255.5 million in April 2007, which exceeds the figures for April 2006 by 32.9%. 77.3% of all goods (total cost $197.6 million) were exported to far abroad, 22.7% of goods (total cost $57.9 million) were exported to the NIS. The customs handled $28.2 million worth of imported goods (this comes to 11% of the area’s foreign trade turnover) and $227.3 million worth of exported goods (89% of the area’s foreign trade turnover). 90.9% and 22% more goods were exported to the NIS and far abroad in April 2007 compared to a year earlier; for

According to the Central Bank of Russia, the volume of investments placed by nongovernmental financial institutions with Uralfinprombank for 91 to 180 days went down 100% (from 1.5 million RUR to zero) in January-April 2007.

Euro-Asian law congress took place in Yekaterinburg’s World Trade Center at 44 Kuibyshev St. on May 17-18, 2007. The congress (known as Legal Integration of the Euro-Asian Region in the Conditions of Globalization) was backed by Olips and organized by the Association of Russian Lawyers with the help of Ural State Law Academy. The event was attended by Chairman of Russia’s Audit Chamber Sergey Stepashin, Counselor to the President and co-chairman of the Association of Russian Lawyers Veniamin Yakovlev, Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Ural Federal District Petr

В 9.00 в здании администрации Челябинска (пл. Революции, 2, каб. 401) состоится заседание комиссии по социальной политике Челябинской городской Думы. В 10.00 в здании областного правительства (ул. Цвиллинга, 27) пройдет аппаратное совещание при губернаторе Челябинской области Петре Сумине. В 11.00 в Законодательном собрании Челябинской области (ул. Кирова, 114, гербовый зал) проводится аппаратное совещание у председателя ЗСО Владимира Мякуша. В 12.00 в администрации Челябинска (пл. Революции, 2, 4-й этаж) состоится аппаратное совещание у главы Челябинска Михаила Юревича. В 14.00 в здании

22 мая, в 11.00, в здании Законодательного собрания Челябинской области (ул. Кирова, 114) пройдет «круглый стол» на тему: «О праве граждан на возмещение вреда, причиненного их здоровью в результате аварийных ситуаций и инцидентов на производственном объединении «Маяк». В числе участников: первый заместитель председателя Законодательного собрания Евгений Редин, председатель комитета по экологии, природопользованию, недрам и чрезвычайным ситуациям Александр Федоров, представители правительств Курганской и Свердловской областей, Южноуральского института биофизики, Росатома, Уральского