OAO Alfa-Bank, the proprietor of OAO Bank Severnaya Kazna, announced the sale of the bank’s remaining assets. As Bank Severnaya Kazna no longer operates under the name, the company’s furniture, safety vaults, office equipment and tills are now offered for sale, 3,550 items altogether. The company is asking 2.92 million RUR for the property in question, while the posted balance sheet value comes to 17.85 million. All the items are now located in a warehouse in Yekaterinburg. It is suggested that the customers pick them up themselves, with the minimum purchase requirement of 50,000 RUR.

France’s trade mission UBIFRANCE officially opened in Yekaterinburg recently. This is the organization’s third Russian office after the ones in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. UBIFRANCE is a state-run organization in charge of industrial and commercial issues. The decision to set up an office in Yekaterinburg was taken in 2010. According to the French officials, this decision was actually influenced by considerations of the Urals’ economic potential. For one, Sverdlovsk Region and France’s trade turnover reached $780m last year, which was 73% better than a year earlier. France is now the

Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service might investigate the advertising campaign launched by ZAO Bank Tinkoff. The new video clip features the TV news presenter Arina Sharapova, Interfax refers to the bank’s Vice President for Marketing Oleg Anisimov as saying. The advertisement was broadcast both on television and via the Itnernet; the video starts with a cue from ‘Sberbank’s customer’, a woman climbing the stairs who complains to the news presenter about her worries: ‘It’s always really busy at Sberbank,’ she laments. Arina Sharapova replies by telling her about the loan offers available at

Starting May 18, 2011, OAO Ural Airlines will be operating a scheduled international flight from Yekaterinburg, Russia to Kiev, Ukraine, and back. The flights will be operated on a weekly basis, that is, every Wednesday, using an A 320 airplane.

Starting April 29, 2011, OAO Ural Airlines is going to operate a scheduled international flight from Novosibirsk, Russia, to Larnaka, Cyprus, and back. The flight will be operated once a week, every Friday, using an A 320 airbus. The cheapest tickets are available at ?699 plus fuel fees. The flight to Larnaka is, in fact, Ural Airlines’ first international flight departing from Novosibirsk.

Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) announced it had bought a 50% minus one share holding in MMK-Atakas. The transaction amounted to $485m, the company reports. This means MMK can consolidate a 100% shareholding in the company now. The deal will be through by November 1, 2011. The obligatory prerequisite for the transaction is getting all the necessary permits first. ‘Consolidating a 100% share in MMK-Atakas is part of MMK’s strategy aimed at securing our presence of the sprawling markets in Russia and the Middle East, primarily Turkey. This will make running the company even more

В 10.00 в здании областного правительства (ул. Цвиллинга, 27) состоится презентация первого тома Книги Памяти трудармейцев. В 10.30 в ЮУрГИИ им. П.И. Чайковского (ул. Плеханова, 41) начнется городской конкурс юных исполнителей, учащихся детских музыкальных школ (народные инструменты). В 11.00 в пресс-центре «Комсомольской правды» (ул. Красная, 4) пройдет пресс-конференция «Основные направления развития здравоохранения Челябинской области 2011 году». В 11.00 в администрации Челябинска (пл. Революции, 2) состоится награждение победителей фестиваля «Опаленные сердца».

13 марта пройдут дополнительные выборы депутатов Челябинской городской думы и 8 муниципальных собраний депутатов. 15-17 марта в ЮУрГУ состоится международная научно-практическая конференция «Экология, охрана водных ресурсов и водоочистка». 24-25 марта в Челябинске будет проходить IV юридический форум Южного Урала.