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By John Helmer in Moscow Russia’s Economic Development Minister, Elvira Nabiullina (pictured left), has confirmed the government’s intention to privatize the shares of the oil tanker group, Sovcomflot (SCF), which is currently 100% owned by the state. Nabiullina, speaking at an investment conference in Moscow, said that in order to increase state budget revenues, the […]

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By John Helmer in Moscow The Guinean Government in Conakry says it has enough evidence to launch a new court claim against Russian aluminium company, Rusal, for at least $1 billion. A local court filing is expected shortly, government sources in Conakry say, citing evidence of inflated costs and allegations of manipulation of financial accounts […]

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By John Helmer in Moscow Oleg Deripaska, the controlling shareholder and chief executive of Rusal, Russia’s bauxite and aluminium monopoly, is attempting to run the gauntlet of international courts and Hong Kong stock exchange investigators, as time runs out for him to meet his cash-or-list obligations to his shareholding partners, Russian oligarchs Mikhail Prokhorov and […]

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By John Helmer in Moscow Vadim Varshavsky, the owner of the bankrupt Estar group of midsize, specialty steel mills, has made his first public appearance in Russia since his financial group collapsed with debts of up to $4 billion. Until recently, he had been thought to be staying in London, or in another location abroad. […]

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By John Helmer in Moscow According to Edgar Rice Burroughs, Nemone, Queen of the City of Gold, was one of those notorious Hollywood types – too beautiful, not enough brains, and a perverse streak that enjoyed making people suffer. Tarzan gets help from his pet lion, and together they despatch the worst Nemone sends after […]

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Key: Rear left, Congressman Bill Pascrell, Democrat, New Jersey Rear right, NBA Commissioner David Stern Centre, Stuart Levey, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Intelligence Rack: Mikhail Prokhorov Front left, Senator Paul Sarbanes, author of financial accountability statute Front right, Daniel Goelzer, Chairman of Public Company Accounting Oversight Board For Immediate Release September 23, […]

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By John Helmer in Moscow A secret meeting in the middle of the night in the presidential palace in the Guinean capital of Conakry, requested by the Russian aluminium oligarch Oleg Deripaska, has triggered a Guinean court ruling and a tax investigation of claims amounting to $700 million. The claims catapult the Guinean government and […]

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By John Helmer in Moscow Mahmoud Thiam, the US-trained banker turned resource policymaker for the Guinean government (pictured right), says that the nine-month review he has initiated of the country’s major mineral and mining concessions is not intended to reopen or renege on every deal done with foreign miners during the 25-year rule of Lansana […]

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By John Helmer in Moscow The state-owned tanker company Sovcomflot will try to sell up to 20% of its shares in a public offering, the former board chairman Igor Shuvalov (pictured right) said yesterday. But the timing may be delayed if a UK High Court trial, focusing on the company’s internal affairs, goes against the […]

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By John Helmer in Moscow The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, was last elected in December 2007. The outcome was the following distribution of seats: United Russia, 315; Communist Party, 57; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, 40; and Fair Russia, 38. Vadim Varshavsky, 49, was elected to the Duma in 2005 […]