Press Review

		Izvestia Kommersant Vedomosti Vedomosti. Companies and Markets Rossiiskaya Gazeta Moskovskiye Novosti Komsomolskaya Pravda Moskovsky Komsomolets

Izvestia
www.izvestia.ru

The Institute of Comprehensive Social Studies has made public a report analyzing Russian society in the buildup to parliamentary elections. The report examines the state of society, and its relation to the upcoming elections and the results of reforms. A story examines the report, concluding that people concentrate on their dachas and land plots rather than the country's political arena. (1,3)

The crash of a small Che-22 Korvet hydroplane outside Dmitrov (Moscow region) on Sunday left three people dead. A story describes how it happened, reflecting on the serious problems around small aviation. (1,2, Kommersant, 4, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, 2, Vremya Novostei, 2, Noviye Izvestia, 3, Zhizn, 7, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 9, Trud, 1, Komsomolskaya Pravda, 2, MK, 1,2)

A coalition for granting a preferential trading status to Russia has been created in Washington. Its initiator, the American-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is considering the abolition of the 1974 Jackson-Vanik amendment as its main goal. In an interview, coalition founder Republican Kurt Weldon, a chief expert on Russia in the House of Representatives, shares his view on existing problems in American-Russian relationships. (1,2)

The Swedish government has finished paying compensation to Swedes who were forcibly sterilized between 1935 and 1975. Over the past several years 1,700 people received a 19,200 euro compensation payment. A story examines the origin of this issue. Viktoria Rinkus, head of the Russian Service of Swedish Radio, added here commentary. (2)

An editorial is devoted to Chukotka governor Roman Abramovich's deal to privatize the London soccer club Chelsea. His company Chelsea Limited made a statement Monday saying that the deal has been completed. Abramovich now owns 99.75 percent of the British premier-league club. (2, Gazeta, 7, Vremya Novostei, 8)

Ingosstrakh in June and July signed several agreements aimed at expanding insurance operations in Central and Eastern Europe. A story examines these documents. (2)

Natural Resources Minister Vitaly Artyukhov examines measures taken by his agency over the past two years to boost the efficiency of geological surveying work funded by the federal budget. (4)

President Vladimir Putin is controlling the financial recovery of rural residents and the redivision of property in the agricultural sector. On Monday he said he will request that the Prosecutor General's Office inspect the application of bankruptcy procedure for agricultural enterprises. The president believes that dishonest companies through fictitious bankruptcies are able to buy up agricultural enterprises for a small sum. A story examines the problem, focusing on the president's efforts to improve the situation. (5, Kommersant, 2, Vremya Novostei, 4, Rossiiskaya Gazeta Agrarnaya Supplement, 1)

In the state of the nation address to the Federal Assembly, President Vladimir Putin named three priority tasks of the government: to double the Gross Domestic Product, to reform the army and to crack down on poverty. Most Russians demand a stop to inflation and even propose a return to state control over prices. The government is not concentrating on skyrocketing prices, preferring to concentrate on doubling the GDP. A story examines both sides' concerns. (5)

Interros has signed an agreement with the Financial-Industrial Federation to buy OVK Group for $200 million. A story describes the recent history of domestic banks, focusing on analysts' positive assessment. (5, Kommersant, 1, 5, Gazeta, 7, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 1, 3, Vremya MN, 1, 2, Vremya Novostei, 7)

The State Fisheries Committee is considering reorganizing the fishing business. The concept of boosting the fishery sector will soon be submitted to the government. Brief. (5)

According to Bloomberg, France will sell part of its stakes in the Renault auto concern for 1.31 billion euros ($1.5 billion). The money earned will be spent on cutting the country's debt and funding loss-making state-run companies. Brief. (5)

In an interview adviser to the Russian government David Callund, head of Callund Consulting company and an author of Russian pension reform, examines the specific features of these reform in Russia, focusing on its positive trends. (6)

A competition has been declared among management companies to compete for control of pension fund accumulations and special depositaries. Before the end of August the Finance Ministry will select depositaries, and fund management companies before Sept. 5. After that Russians will be able to chose who will manage their future pensions. A story examines the terms of this competition. Three experts share their views. (6)

The Moscow tax agencies made a sensational statement Monday that due to technical irregularities between GAI and the Tax Service, Moscow drivers will receive notices on transport tax payments no earlier than October. A story describes how drivers regard this information. (7, Vremya Novostei, 3)

The diesel submarine Novosibirsky Komsomolets will arrive in Moscow from Severodvinsk in eight days to host a museum of Russia's submarine fleet. Brief. (7)

Khodynskoye Pole in the north of Moscow is to be an elite housing district. A brief looks at some details of the project. (7)

The Moscow government on Monday will discuss the program Sports in Moscow that will work towards boosting city sports over 2004 to 2006. A story examines the document, focusing on its priorities, such as a general scheme of placing sports facilities in Moscow up to 2010. (7)

The Prosecutor General's Office said Monday that a new (fourth) indictment has been made against Menatep head Platon Lebedev, who is accused of tax evasion. The Prosecutor General's Office criticized Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who recently said that there was no need to keep Lebedev in jail. Investigators believe Kasyanov is exerting pressure on the court. A story reveals the essence of the new indictment. (8,Kommersant, 3, Gazeta, 1,4, Noviye Izvestia, 2, Vremya Novostei, 1, 2)

A powerful fire on Monday in the Defense Ministry's Kantemirov division outside Moscow left one serviceman dead and another seriously injured. The fire also destroyed nine military machines, including three tanks. A story gives details. (8, Kommersant, 4, Rossiiskaya Gazeta, 2, Gazeta, 5,Vremya Novostei, 2, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 9)

A story reveals the essence of the Traveling with God program that was launched in 2001. Patriarch Alexy II and former Railways Minister Nikolai Aksyonenko decided to open small chapels in Moscow railway stations. (9)

Kommersant
www.kommersant.ru

The urn that held what was thought to be the ashes of Gennady Vlakh, who was killed during the October terrorist act at the Dubrovka theater, was buried in the Khimkinskoye Cemetery on Monday. A story describes what that urn contained in reality. (1)

Nikolai Petrushin, director-general of the House of Doors company, was killed in a contract hit in Moscow on Monday. Brief. (1)

Festivities devoted to the 100th anniversary of the canonization of Saint Serafim Sarovsky will take place in the closed city of Sarov (Nizhny Novgorod region). A story looks at the program of the event, saying that Patriarch Alexy II and President Vladimir Putin are expected to attend the festivities. (2, Gazeta, 1,3, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 1,2, Trud, 3)

The Prosecutor General's Office at a new conference on Monday touched on several high-profile criminal cases, some of which have been solved. A story examines them. (4)

A significant charge has been dropped from the criminal case of Akhmed Zakayev, rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov's envoy. A story describes it in detail. (4)

Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko presided over a session of the government commission on issues relating to the use of main pipelines Monday. The commission redistributed oil export quotas. Viktor Khristenko intends to increase export duties on individual kinds of oil products, since the existing legislation allows him to do this. A story comments on the session's decisions. (5)

The dollar's value went down to 30.25 rubles on Monday. A story says how traders regard the dollar's position. (5, Gazeta, 7, Noviye Izvestia, 4)

Moody's said Monday that in a couple of days it may raise Russia's rating up to BA1. A story comments on Moody's statement, saying what it means for investors. (6)

The Finance Ministry on Monday paid $28.848 million in interest on Russia's debt to the International Monetary Fund, earlier than deadline. Brief. (6)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has set a $3.4 million limit to the Russian Kredittrast bank's program funding the export of agricultural produce and equipment from the United States. This was announced in a bank press release. Brief. (6)

According to preliminary estimates, Russia in the first six months of this year extracted 202 million tons of oil. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko, who added that 107 million tons was exported. Brief. (6)

The Siberian Coal Energy Company, or SUEK, intends to change its structure in the near future. The company has created 13 subsidiaries in Siberia that will receive the property of coal slits and companies that SUEK bought over the past several years. A story examines the company's structural project. (7)

The American MCI telecommunications company, formerly known as WorldCom, has found itself in the center of a huge scandal. Its major competitors are accusing it of swindling. A story gives details. (7)

The government of the Chelyabinsk region decided to sell its 51 percent state package of stakes in the South Ural Mining Company. The auction is supposed to take place at the end of this year. Brief. (7)

The European Commission has approved a $6.15 billion deal between British Petroleum and the Tyumen Oil Company, or TNK, to create the TNK-BP company. Brief. (7)

United Heavy Machines, or OMZ, intends to launch a managing company for several enterprises. This was announced by Perm governor Yury Trutnev after his meeting with OMZ director-general Kakha Bendukidzes. Brief. (7)

Vedomosti
www.vedomosti.ru

The new Russian-British company TNK-BP has been registered in the British Virgin Islands, which has displeased Russian bureaucrats -- they now fear that tax revenues from the company will decrease. (A1)

Moody's may raise Russia's rating, which depends on political stability and an improved investment climate in the country. The agency over the next three months will study the situation in Russia. (A1)

According to specialists from the Troika Dialog investment bank, pension reform will not soon add money to Russia's financial market. According to estimates, by 2007 the share of pension capital on the internal stock market will amount to only 2 percent, and to only 3.6 percent on the bond market. The situation will change only by the end of this decade. (A1)

Russia's oil extraction over the first six months of this year amounted to 202 million tons, compared with 182 million in the same period last year, Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko said Monday. Brief. (A1)

Sociologists found that Russia's dislike of oligarchs does not affect their attitude toward small and medium-sized businesses. According to the latest opinion poll conducted by the Agency of Regional and Political Studies, Russians' attitude to entrepreneurs is positive, though they admit that they themselves are not ready to launch their own businesses. (A2)

Former Belarussian Prime Minister Gennady Novitsky on Monday was appointed speaker of the upper house of parliament to replace Alexander Voitovich, who retired. Experts and Voitovich himself believe that the retired speaker was less loyal to President Alexander Lukashenko than Novitsky. (A2)

The Federal Energy Commission is continuing to uphold the right of big consumers to buy cheap electricity on the wholesale market. The commission believes that their presence on this market, despite the fears of UES and the Economic Development Ministry, does not affect the growth of energy costs for the population. Opponents disagree with the Commission's conclusions. (A3)

Four experts share their views on whether it is possible to create a single economic zone. (A4)

Huawei Technologies is a leading company in China today. Over the last two years it made a breakthrough on the Russian market. It has signed several contracts on building GSM networks. In an interview the head of its board of directors Sun Yafan speaks about this profitable private company that belongs to its employees. (A5)

Vedomosti. Companies and Markets

Interros Holding has bought OVK banking Group for $200 million. The Group was created on the basis of the networks of the notorious SBS-Agro Bank. (B1)

Three television channels -- Rossia, NTV and STS -- have joined together to buy the rights from the Warner Bros film company for $12 million to show four films (their names are given). (B1)

Vladimir Shternfeld, the founder and former owner of the cement Shtern Cement holding, is returning to the cement business. RosShtern Group, which is controlled by the businessman, has bought the property of the bankrupt Spartak cement plant in the Ryazan region and intends to invest $20 million into restoring production. (B1)

Yukos has not given up its plan to place $1 billion in eurobonds. This was announced by the company's press secretary Alexander Shchadrin. Brief.(B1)

The Sakhalin Energy (operator of the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project) has pumped 700,000 barrels of oil to be delivered to the Philippines. Brief. (B1)

The St. Petersburg Krylov Central Research Institute and the U.S. oil corporation Halliburton have won a tender for the right to design an oil-loading terminal for a Russian company. This was said by Institute Director Valentin Pashin. Brief. (B1)

Severstal director-general Anatoly Kruchinin and rolled metal department chief of the Minmetals company (China) Jing Shil on Monday signed a memorandum on cooperation. A brief reveals the essence of the document. (B1)

Standard & Poor's has confirmed a long-term credit rating of Sibneft at the B+ level, a positive forecast. S&P commented on this decision. Brief. (B1)

The Economic Development and Trade Ministry in early August plans to submit a reworked privatization program for 2004 to the government. The shares of large domestic steamship-lines and ports will take a dominant place on the list. A story names some of them. (B2)

Guta-Bank plans to invest $100 million up to the year 2010 in retailing the retail sector. A story looks at the bank's ambitious plans. (B3)

Rossiiskaya Gazeta
www.rg.ru

The Prosecutor General's Office at a news conference Monday shed light on the fate of Platon Lebedev, who heads Menatep's board of directors and is currently in police custody. News of the Sergei Yushenkov murder case was also given. A story comments on the prosecutors' pronouncements. (1,2)

Rossiiskaya Gazeta prints political analyst Vitaly Tretyakov's commentary on Boris Berezovsky's story "New Re-Division: What's to Be Done?" published by the Kommersant newspaper on July 24. (1,3)

In a wide-ranging interview, Andrei Seltsovsky, head of the Moscow City Health Department, examines the serious problems facing the city's health service. (1,6)

The deputy prime ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus on Friday discussed a proposal by President Vladimir Putin to create a single economic zone for the region. A story comments on Friday's session, focusing on a controversial stand by the Ukrainian official. (2)

Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov on Monday arrived in the Kemerovo region to witness how coal miners live and work today. A story describes what he saw there. (3)

The Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous Area -- Number 86 in the Constitution -- was renamed Monday as the Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous Area-Yugra. President Vladimir Putin signed the decree. A story explains why this measure was taken. (3)

Moskovskiye Novosti
www.mn.ru

The traditional Whale Day holiday will be marked this week in the Bering Straits near the Chukotka village of Lavrenty. A story describes the program of celebrations, noting that Chukotka governor Roman Abramovich is expected to attend. (2)

Russia's Ambassador to Britain Anatoly Adamishin comments on the case around the mysterious recent death of the Defense Ministry's weapons expert David Kelly, highlighting lessons Russia could take from the situation. (5)

Yelena Rykovtseva, Editor-in-Chief of the Moscow bureau of Radio Liberty, comments on the recent article "New Re-Division" by self-exiled oligarch Boris Berezovsky in the Kommersant newspaper on July 24. The story focuses on a criminal portrait of Putin painted by Berezovsky. (8)

In an interview, Ella Pamfilova, chairwoman of the presidential Human Rights Commission, shares her view on the current Yukos scandal and several other political events in Russia. She also talks about problems her commission has been facing. (15)

This week the Museum of Private Collections in Moscow will present an exhibition entitled "The Artists of the American West. 1830-1940." A story examines several pieces that will be on display. (19)

Komsomolskaya Pravda
www.kp.ru

The renovation of the tigers' enclosure at the Moscow city zoo that began a year ago is expected to be completed soon, and its inhabitants -- Amur tigers -- will be able to enjoy swimming in a spacious new swimming-pool. (3)

The leadership of the Apparat Upravleniya company that controls 67.94 percent of the Tomsk Petrochemical Combine stated its willingness to clear off the combine's debts. A story comments on the statement, noting that in essence it expresses the company's wish end bankruptcy procedings. (5)

A feature story describes several entertainment establishments in Grozny, focusing on how residents spend their leisure time. (8,9)

A story focuses on Apatity, a coal mining company in the Polar region that has survived difficult times and has been turned into a profitable company. (11)

Several stories are devoted to the children of the presidents of Russia, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Armenia and Kazakhstan. (12, 13)

Moskovsky Komsomolets
www.mk.ru

After visiting several Moscow's beaches, MK has compiled ratings of the best. The newspaper ranks Vodnoye Dynamo, also known as Vodny Stadion, as the No. 1 beach. A story describes the city's beaches and the services they offer. (1,3)

The North Caucasian District Military Court on Friday afternoon sentenced Colonel Yury Budanov to 10 years in prison, and in the evening a television channel asked its viewers what verdict they would have liked to have seen. The results shocked even the program's host. (1,3)

Unless policemen's wages are raised they will continue to rob people, Moscow Chief Policeman Vladimir Pronin said recently in the Moscow City Duma. A story comments sympathetically on his statement. (1,6)

Another woman was strangled in northeastern Moscow on Sunday. City police have not ruled out the possibility that the woman is the sixth victim of a serial killer. A story gives details. (1, Komsomolskaya Pravda, 7)

Moscow sanitary services this year banned the sale of pieces of melons and watermelons and cutting them to see if they are ripe. A story comments on the order. (1)

As many as 1,082 people were killed in road accidents in Moscow in the first 6 months of this year and another 7,130 were injured. GAI chief Colonel Sergei Sergeyev will answer journalists' questions at a news conference on Wednesday. (2)

Andrei Isayev, head of the State Duma labor and social policy committee and deputy chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions, has published a book titled "The KPRF: Words and Deeds." The book analyzes the unpopular trends of the Communists Party's political stand. A story reviews the book. (3)

A story describes the open trial over Chechen envoy Akhmed Zakayev at the London Magistrates Court. Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky comments on several interesting moments in the trial. (7)