... country's energy problems in the absence of enormous inflows of investment to the sector. The Argentine government intends to expropriate 51 percent, leaving Repsol with a 6 percent stake. At the same time, natural gas accounts for 51 percent of energy consumption, compared with 32 percent for oil and barely 17 percent for coal, renewables and hydroelectric and nuclear power. Worldwide, gas accounts for barely a quarter of total energy consumption. Of course, in Qatar, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates...

If everyone lived like Russians, humanity would need 2 1/2 planet Earths to sustain consumption, though this profligacy is dwarfed by the American lifestyle — which would require no less than four planets to sustain on a humanity-wide scale, according to the World Wildlife Fund. If everyone lived like Russians...

... global economy. The State Statistics Service did not provide any breakdown with the gross domestic product figures, but Dmitry Polevoi, economist at ING bank, suggested that the impressive year-on-year expansion was the result of strong government consumption and a slowdown in import growth, as well as higher inventories. The figure, which defied a recent slowdown in industrial output, was "a total surprise to the market," he said. The first official estimate for first-quarter GDP slightly...

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev proposed a new Cabinet to President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday — but both made it clear that details, including the names, are not yet for public consumption. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev proposed a new Cabinet to President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday — but both made it clear that details, including the names, are not yet for public consumption. After handing over the proposal on the outline...

... first-quarter net profit decreased 2.4 percent, year on year, to 2.01 billion rubles ($68.35 million) on the back of depressed electricity prices, while revenues rose 12 percent to 17.4 billion rubles, the company said in a statement. (Reuters) Electricity consumption rose 2 percent year on year in January-April 2012 to 374.7 billion kilowatt hours, including 81.8 billion kilowatt hours in April, down 0.4 percent, System Operator UES said, Interfax reported. (MT)

... collateral and then paying out the loan from the company's dividend stream. You can spend $30 billion buy Surgutneftegaz, which owes $30 billion in cash and then get oil assets for free. Or you can buy Mosenergo, which is the size of Ukraine in terms of gas consumption. Yet, this is all theoretical. In reality, the number of people who can stage a deal like this in Russia can be counted on one hand. With that in mind, consolidating Bashneft, Norilsk Nickel, MegaFon, or Uralkali can be planned by any banker...

... Interfax reported Friday. The new rules, Putin said, "govern relations between suppliers and consumers of electricity and contain several major innovations." The new rules introduce fines of three times the cost of electricity for unmetered consumption and lift restrictions when changing suppliers. "We need real steps to improve competition in the retail electricity market, moreover power companies must have a robust and predictable environment, robust and predictable demand,"...

... rose 11 percent, MMK said. The company said it expects to increase sales of finished steel products in the second quarter. Its production of coking coal concentrate in the first quarter came to 776,000 tons, down 12 percent quarter on quarter, while consumption of its own iron ore fell 9 percent to 1.05 million tons. MMK's 2012 finished steel output could increase 15 percent from last year, the company said earlier. (Reuters)

... "Uncertainty over the scale of influence of the mentioned factors remains a substantial source of midterm inflationary risks," the Central Bank said. The bank said the economy was running close to capacity, but although retail lending and consumption were growing, it did not see any pronounced impact on prices from rising demand. The next policy meeting will be held in the first half of June, the central bank said. 179738

... guidelines will also decrease the number of places alcohol is sold by 10 times. Authorities will limit the number of liquor licenses that will be sold, part of a strategy to improve health that will also boost fines for violations of rules governing the consumption of alcohol. Last November, the Health Ministry said that breathing in a healthy way is possible only in cafes that are completely non-smoking, saying that even in non-smoking sections, levels of harmful substances in the air exceed the norm...

... airport eroded in the past two years by revamps at Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo. The much-delayed Dreamliner, which includes components developed and manufactured in Russia, makes extensive use of plastic composite materials and aerodynamics to lower fuel consumption, noise and air pollution. Boeing claims that the plane is 60 percent quieter and releases 20 percent fewer emissions than comparable aircraft in its class — which the company hopes will boost sales in jurisdictions like Europe with increasingly...

... angrily. What prompted the outburst was the reaction of one or more deputies — unseen by reporters in a room where they watched the session on closed-circuit television — to Putin's criticism of the Soviet Union's capacity to produce mass consumption goods of acceptable quality. A voice or voices from the audience, likely from the Communist faction, pointed out that Soviet industry had made possible the world's first space flight. Coming out of the hall, Communist Deputy Anatoly Lokot...

... aluminum maker Alcoa, fell as much as 2.6 percent to 4.90 Hong Kong dollars ($0.64) after the earnings announcement. That price represents less than half of the stock's 2010 Hong Kong IPO value of 10.80 Hong Kong dollars each. While global aluminum consumption in the first quarter grew 5 percent from a year earlier, the average price of the metal used in cars, construction and beverage cans fell 13 percent to $2,177 per ton, RusAl said. Net profit, which included its share of earnings in Norilsk...