09 April 2004 04:45
Daily Headline News for April 9, 2004
The following is a digest of headline news as of 5:30 p.m. on April 9, 2004: RUSSIA TRADE SURPLUS DROPS 14% IN
FEB
Russia's foreign trade surplus, calculated by the balance-of- payments method, dropped 14% in February to $5.6
billion from a record $6.52 billion in January, the Central Bank of Russia reported.
26% up from $9.64 billion in the same two months of 2003. The
surplus tumbled in February because of a 20.9% increase in
The surplus was $12.12 billion in January-February, almost
imports to $6.36 billion from $5.26 billion, with exports up only 1.6% to $11.96 billion from $11.78 billion.
The Federal Customs Service reported that the two-month trade surplus increased to $12.6 billion from $12.2 billion
the previous year, while foreign trade turnover increased 13.4% year- on-year in January-February to $29.8 billion.
VNESHTORGBANK TO PLACE $300 MLN EUROBONDS BY END-APRIL
Vneshtorgbank (VTB) plans to place $300 million in one-year floating-rate Eurobonds by the end of April, Vladimir
Dmitriyev, the bank's deputy chairman, said in St. Petersburg.
Dmitriyev said the issue was intended for investors in Southeast Asia. He said a seven-day road-show would take in
Hong Kong, Singapore and London next week.
Barclays will lead-manage the issue. UES QUESTIONS PURCHASE OF BOGUCHANSK POWER STATION
Unified Energy System of Russia doubts the legality of Basic Element's purchase of a stake in Boguchansk
hydropower station, UES executive Andrei Trapeznikov said at a press conference in Moscow on Friday.
UES has discovered that the purchase was made with funds from Krasnoyarsk hydropower station accounts. About 70% of
the Krasnoyarsk station is owned by structures affiliated to Russian Aluminum.
As reported, Ingosstrakh-Soyuz, which is jointly owned by Oleg Deripaska, who is board chairman at Basic Element,
nominally holds about 25% of Boguchansk hydropower station. UES owns about 65% of Boguchansk hydropower station. YUKOS
SAYS ASSETS SURGED IN Q4
Oil major Yukos has announced that the company's net assets surged in the fourth quarter of 2003 because Sibneft
shares were reflected in its long-term financial investments.
Net assets grew to 274.9 billion rubles in the fourth quarter, up 349% from 61.28 billion rubles in the third
quarter, the company said. RUSSIAN STOCK MARKET REACHES NEW HIGHS THURSDAY
Once again, liquid Russian stocks ended the day Thursday up across the board and consequently stock indices reached
new highs.
The composite S&P/RUX ruble index ended up 1.93% at 910.76 points, the dollar index 1.97% at 190.26 points
The RTS index topped 770 points, having gained 1.54% to 774.04 points, while the MICEX stock index rose 1.42% to
678.54 points. RUSSIA LAUNCHING NEW ANTI-AIDS PROJECT
Officers of the State Drug Control Office's Volga Federal
District Branch seized over 140 kilograms of heroin in the
A number of Russian and international organizations announced on Thursday that they were launching a new 900,000-euro
campaign financed by the European Commission and federal funds aimed at preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS, Gennady
Roshchupkin, an expert with the anti-AIDS project, told a news conference on Thursday.
The project will run two years and will involve Russian and international experts, as well as the Russian scientific
center for prevention of HIV and AIDS. The initiative will include both a nationwide public awareness campaign and work
in two regions: the Ulyanovsk region and Buryatia, Roshchupkin said. RUSSIA MAY APPOINT PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY FOR WTO
TALKS
Russia may create a post of presidential envoy for talks with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to elevating the
status of WTO pointman Maxim Medvedkov, who was a deputy economic development and trade minister, a source in the
Russian Cabinet told Interfax on Friday. 140 KILOS OF HEROIN SEIZED
Russian internal republic of Mordovia last night, a source in the republic's Drug Control Directorate told
Interfax on Friday.
The seizure occurred on a highway that circles the republic's capital Saransk. HONDA BOOSTS Q1 SALES
Honda sold 1,155 vehicles through its official Russian distributors in the first quarter of 2004, a 134% climb from
the 493 sold in the same period of 2003, the Honda office in Moscow told Interfax.
The Honda CR-V was the best seller in Russia. FORD DOUBLES SALES IN Q1
Ford Motor Company sold 6,273 cars manufactured in Russia through its official Russian dealerships in the first
quarter of 2004, up 104% from 3,073 in the same period of 2003, the company said in a press release. The Ford Focus
remained by far the best seller with 4,997 sold in January-March 2004. Ford in Russia plans to manufacture 27,000 cars
in 2004, compared with 16,000 in 2003. RUSSIA HOPES UN WON'T ADOPT EU-PROPOSED RESOLUTION ON CHECHNYA
Russia has called the draft resolution on Chechnya submitted by the European Union to the current 60th session of the
UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva "politicized" and hopes that it won't be adopted.
Reports from Geneva say EU countries submitted a draft resolution criticizing Russia for human rights'
violations in Chechnya. It claims that Russian judicial authorities, both civilian and military, do not fulfill their
mission to investigate offenses committed by federal forces or security services in Chechnya. Simultaneously it
denounces all acts of terrorism in Russia.
"It is surprising that EU countries stubbornly try to revive the Chechen question every year," Deputy
Minister Fedotov said, adding that "our partners in the EU have failed to take into account our arguments and
explanations about the true state of affairs in Chechnya," he said. CIS AND BALTICS CENTRAL ASIA GAS INVESTMENT
STUDY TO BE READY IN FALL
Targeted GDP this year is 37.3 trillion manat. GDP grew
11.2% to 35.1 trillion manat in 2003. The government is
A comprehensive investment study for projects to increase the capacity of the Central Asia-Center gas transportation
system, which services gas supply contracts for Turkmenistan, will be ready by fall 2004.
Turkmenistani President Saparmurad Niyazov and Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller agreed on this at a meeting on Friday, a
source in the Turkmenistani presidential press service told Interfax. AZERBAIJAN FORECASTS ECONOMIC GROWTH OF 15% IN
2005
Azerbaijan's GDP will grow 15.3% from this year's anticipated figure to 43 trillion manat in 2005, the
Economic Development Ministry forecast.
forecasting GDP to grow to 63 trillion manat by 2008 and 101.68 trillion manat by 2010. The exchange rate was 4,923
manat/$1 on April 9. AUSTRIAN-UKRAINIAN GROUP BUYS 90% STAKE IN MOLDOVAN STEEL MILL
The Austrian-Ukrainian Hares Group has acquired a 90% stake in the close joint-stock company Moldovan Steel Mill in
Ribnita from the Itera international group of companies and other companies.
Itera Press-Secretary Yevgeny Ostapov told Interfax on Thursday that Itera had held 75% of the shares sold. Itera has
decided to focus on the oil and gas business - oil and gas field development and the supply of energy resource supplies,
so other assets will be sold, Ostapov said. MOLDOVAN JOURNALISTS END HUNGER STRIKE
Eleven Moldovan journalists on Thursday announced a decision to end their week-long hunger strike after the
country's Television and Radio Coordination Council resumed the licenses of the EuroTV television station and
Antena C radio.
The licenses were suspended in early February since the media outlets had failed to register as legal entities, but
had worked at units of Chisinau's City Hall. The Moldovan State Registration Chamber registered EuroTV and Antena C
as legal entities on Wednesday.
[Interfax] |
RUSSIA IN FACTS
