BP faces environmental inquiry in Russia Mar 22, 2008
TNK-BP has been in a dispute with Gazprom over the terms of sale of another large Siberian petroleum resource, a natural gas field within pipeline range of the Chinese border, in the Irkutsk region. BP was seen as prescient for having invested in the remote field in the early 1990s in anticipation of a boom in Chinese energy demand that materialized a decade later. (International Herald Tribune)
Russian Prosecutors Open Probe On Baikal Pulp Mill Mar 15, 2008
"The Prosecutor-General has ordered the (local) Irkutsk region prosecutor to hold a probe into the legality of the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Combine's operations," the Prosecutor-General's press office said in a statement. "The said enterprise has been carrying out the illegal issuance of industrial waste with levels of pollutants higher than permitted levels," it said, adding that the plant was using water from Baikal without official permission. (Planet Ark, United States)
Complete weather forecast Dec 7, 2007
Jackson, MS 39201 Last Updated: 12/07/07 07:45:24 EDT. C) Relative Humidity: 74% Barometer: 30. (The Clarion-Ledger)
Russians turn to grass-roots unions - and strikes - to protect against inflation Nov 29, 2007
Workers laid down tools at workplaces as diverse as a construction site in Chechnya, a timber factory in Novgorod, a hospital in the Far East Chita region, a housing maintenance office in Saratov and at fast-food kiosks in Irkutsk, the institute said. In the past month, dockers in St. Petersburg have gone on strike, demanding a salary increase of 30 percent, while Russia Post workers struck for their fourth time since 2001. (International Herald Tribune)
Microsoft Pushes IT in Siberia Nov 28, 2007
The topic of a data center came up as part of discussions between Microsoft and the Irkutsk regional government ... Irkutsk is a city in Siberia ... Microsoft and the Irkutsk regional administration plan to continue the data center discussion at a later date, Microsoft said. (New York Times)
Microsoft plans Russian data center Nov 27, 2007
As if the Microsoft vs. Google battle didn't already resemble a game of Risk, the software giant announced plans to move into Irkutsk ... As for the potential Irkutsk location, it has the added benefit of giving a new threat to Microsoft managers. (CNET News.com)
Fortress Intercepts Additional High Grade Gold at the Elena Prospect, Svetloye Project, Russia Oct 25, 2007
Samples are prepared on site or at the DalGeophysical Laboratory, Khabarovsk, Russia or the Irgiredmet Laboratory of Irkutsk, Russia (both accredited by the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Standardization and Metrology "Gosstandart" of Russia). Assaying by fire assay and atomic absorption is performed by the Irgiredmet Laboratory, Alex Stewart Labs in Moscow, Russia and by ALS Chemex in Vancouver, Canada. (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
Dutch investment company announces $100 million mining projects in Siberia Oct 20, 2007
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands A Dutch investment company said Friday it has reached a joint agreement with the government of Irkutsk to invest more than $100 million in coal and other natural resource projects in the Siberian province. The investment represents the largest foreign investment in Irkutsk to date, although several smaller projects focusing on the region's aluminum reserves are already in operation ... Irkutsk governor Alexander Tishanin was to attend a formal signing of the agreement... (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
Wilderness woesEnergy projects threaten traditions of Siberia's Evenk people Oct 8, 2007
He says that, since 2001, the number of reindeer in the Irkutsk region - on which the Evenk economy depends - has diminished by 10 ... One report by the Irkutsk-based Institute of Geography suggested that the Evenk community need only be compensated for a loss of 225 roubles ($9; 4. (BBC News -- Europe)
In pictures: An ice cream adventure Sep 28, 2007
Here the trio give a tow to another team in Irkutsk, Russia. They crossed the Caspian Sea to Turkmenistan by cargo ship, which took 30 hours, not the expected 12. (BBC News -- UK)
WEATHER: Thunderstorms possible Aug 28, 2007
Weather - 7-day Forecast Summaries. Melbourne, FL 32935 Last Updated: 08/28/07 09:30:35 EDT. (Florida Today)
Siberian souvenirs: Monaco prince gets two seal pups Aug 17, 2007
The mammals - unique to Lake Baikal - were presented to Prince Albert II by Irkutsk regional governor Alexander Tishanin during the monarch's holiday. The prince is touring Russia and has spent time relaxing with President Vladimir Putin in the Tuva region. (BBC News -- Europe)
Thorns in the rosyChina-Russia relationship Aug 15, 2007
On July 31, Vostok Energy placed winning bids to develop two oil-and-gas deposits in the Irkutsk region ... On August 1, Rosneft stated that Vostok Energy was interested in a similar auction for licenses to develop the Vakunai and Ignyalin deposits in the Irkutsk region, due next month ... In the mid-1990s, Russia and China mulled over a project to build a 2,600km power-transmission line from Irkutsk region in Siberia to China at a cost of $1. (Asia Times Online)
VimpelCom Announces Acquisition of a Cellular Operator in Irkutsk Region Aug 13, 2007
MOSCOW and NEW YORK, Aug. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Open Joint Stock Company "Vimpel-Communications" ("VimpelCom" or the "Company") (NYSE: ), today announced that it acquired Closed Joint Stock Company "Corporation Severnaya Korona" ("CSK"), which holds GSM 900/1800 and D-AMPS licenses covering the Irkutsk Region ... 5% of the entire cellular market in the Irkutsk Region. (PR Newswire)
Workers in mining companies are coming down with AIDS Jul 12, 2007
2 million in 2005 and in the country's fifth-largest gold mining area, Irkutsk, the rate is more than three times the Russian average, UN data showed. In India, there are many areas where the population's infection rate is above 1 percent. (International Herald Tribune)
FEATURE-Is HIV a time bomb under the mining industry? Jul 11, 2007
2 million in 2005 and in the country's fifth largest gold mining area, Irkutsk, the rate is more than three times the Russian average, UNDP data showed. In India, there are many patches where the population's infection rate is above 1 percent. (AlertNet)
Lake Baikal, Russia: Cruising the crystaline waters of a Siberian wonder Jul 11, 2007
These days, its shore is a short day trip along the Angara River from the regional capital Irkutsk, which has daily flights to and from Moscow ... Even Olkhon, the largest of the lake's islands, roughly in the midsection, is accessible by car or bus from Irkutsk, in summer by a short ferry ride (in winter, one can drive over the ice) ... Several tourist companies in Irkutsk and, to a lesser extent, in Buryatiya, the region on the eastern side, offer boat tours on Baikal, ranging from day cruises... (International Herald Tribune -- Travel)
State-Sponsored Robberies Jul 3, 2007
Obtained in 1997, the license for the Kovykta field obligated the operator to prod 00004000 uce as much as 9 billion cubic meters a year to supply gas to the local settlements in the Irkutsk region ... Any company which would have started producing the entire 9 billion cubic meters in the area would be bound to cut back the production, because the entire Irkutsk region and the neighboring regions could not even come close to absorb so much gas. (Human Events Online)
Gazprom takes over BP project Jun 23, 2007
8 percent stake in the Kovykta field, northwest of Irkutsk, which holds an estimated 2 trillion cubic meters, or 70 trillion cubic feet, of natural gas, enough to satisfy the entire world's demand for one year. Gazprom agreed to pay between $700 million and $900 million for the field along with TNK-BP's 50 percent ownership of a small company developing a gas distribution network in the region. (International Herald Tribune)
Russian gas giant to buy BP from Siberian gas field Jun 23, 2007
Its shareholders are TNK-BP, Interros and the Irkutsk regional administration. Editor: Jiang Yuxia. (Xinhuanet, China)
* Meeting delayed in TNK-BP gas license wrangle Jun 16, 2007
The Kovykta field in the Siberian province of Irkutsk is a flagship project for TNK-BP, which is 50 percent owned by Britain's BP and 50 percent owned by Russian consortium Alfa Access Renova ... 8 percent stake and Irkutsk Province owns the remaining 10. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
Russia-China oil link nears completion Jun 15, 2007
Irkutsk to Daqing, with a projected annual gas capacity of 34 billion cu m. ... Putin also said that an oil pipeline, starting from the Taishet, Irkutsk, to Nakhodka, Primorsky Krai, on the western bank of the Pacific Ocean, would be constructed. (People's Daily Online, China)
Russia Postpones Decision on BP License for $18 Billion Siberian Gas Field Jun 2, 2007
TNK-BP's unit violated license requirements at Kovykta by failing to supply 9 billion cubic meters of gas a year to the Irkutsk region, Mitvol said after his staff finished their last review of the gas field on May 25 ... TNK-BP has defended the license, saying the terms require only that it meet the gas demand in Irkutsk. (Bloomberg -- UK)
Russians postpone ruling on BP license Jun 2, 2007
The Kovykta field, in the north of Siberia's Irkutsk region, contains enough gas to supply the 27-nation European Union for more than four years at 2005 levels, according to BP's statistical review. . (Washington Times)
US backs nuclear fuel bank plan Jun 1, 2007
Following an agreement in May 2007 between Kazakhstan and Russia, a site for the nuclear fuel bank is now being considered in the remote city of Irkutsk, in Eastern Siberia ... The proposed nuclear fuel bank in Irkutsk will be discussed at a meeting of the IAEA's Board of Governors in June 2007. (BBC News -- Technology)
Russia Presses for Stronger Ties with Mongolia May 31, 2007
Both sides pledged to prioritize trade during an April 26 meeting of the bilateral sub-commission on regional and cross-border cooperation, held in Irkutsk. The sub-commission reiterated plans to raise trade turnover between Russia and Mongolia as high as $700 million. (EurasiaNet.org)
BP moves closer to losing license to Siberian oil field May 29, 2007
In the latest setback for BP, the Irkutsk Region Arbitration Court rejected a company lawsuit against the Ministry of Natural Resources ... In court filings, TNK-BP argued the license requirements contradicted other Russian government documents estimating demand in the Irkutsk region. (International Herald Tribune)
Russia moves closer to stripping TNK-BP of licence for gas field May 28, 2007
A judge in an arbitration court in Irkutsk, the region in East Siberia where the field is located, said he had ruled to throw out a suit by TNK-BP , which was seeking to stop the authorities from taking away the licence ... Under the licence terms, Kovykta was to produce 9 billion cubic metres by 2006, but without an export licence its output has been restricted to the much smaller needs of Irkutsk region. (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
India takes a hit over Russian fighters May 24, 2007
Under the deal to supply the multi-role combat aircraft to India, Russia's Irkutsk Corp has already supplied 60 Su-30s. Russia is willing to deliver another 40 fighters at the cost escalation of. (Asia Times Online)
BP could lose control of Russian venture May 21, 2007
Marina Dracheva, a spokeswoman for TNK-BP, said that a judge in Irkutsk, the largest city near Kovytka, will review a Rusia Petroleum request for a "clarification of the company's license obligations" on May 23. "It will be up to the courts to decide whether Russia is in breach or not," she said Sunday. (International Herald Tribune -- Business Asia)
Trans-Siberian for softies May 21, 2007
Because, frankly, for all that I had looked forward to the views from the train, they weren't up to much, at least not on my six days from Moscow to Irkutsk ... I left the train in Irkutsk. (Guardian Unlimited -- Travel)
Russia to deliver two Su-30MKM planes to Malaysia May 18, 2007
A n aviation plant in Irkutsk will deliver two Su-30MKM planes to the n Air Force in late May, a plant official said on Thursday ... Russian specialists began to fulfill the contract in early 2005 after the Malaysian expert delegation visited Irkutsk, Siberia. (People's Daily Online, China)
Russian Environment Agency Probes Urals Energy May 16, 2007
The agency also said ecologists had accused Urals Energy of deforestation in the Irkutsk region and it also had information about wrongdoing around the island of Kolguyev in the Arctic Nenets region. Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of RosPrirodNadzor, said in a statement the agency had initially planned an examination of the firm's licence and environmental compliance in late 2007. (Planet Ark, United States)
Russia Acts to Keep Ties with Armenia Strong Apr 24, 2007
Aivazian also announced that Yerevan had agreed to join the international uranium enrichment center, located in Russia s Irkutsk region. A higher profile display of friendship occurred earlier in April, when Russia s first deputy prime minister and rumored presidential successor, Sergei Ivanov, visited the Armenian capital. (EurasiaNet.org)
Moscow Easter Festival touches a wide audience Apr 20, 2007
It has included a tour by the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Volga River region during the festival's first week and events in Chelyabinsk in the Urals, Irkutsk in Siberia, and Vladikavkaz and Nalchik in the Northern Caucasus. "Music liberates, purifies, elevates, and, if you will, this is my religious conviction," Gergiev said at a news conference in Nizhny Novgorod at the start of the Volga tour on April 9, the Regnum news agency reported. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Highland Gold may cede bigger stake to Barrick: report Apr 16, 2007
Mr. Horne told Vedomosti Highland Gold alone was not a big enough company to consider bidding for the Sukhoi Log deposit in the Siberian region of Irkutsk the only gold deposit in Russia declared strategic by the government. But with one or other of our partners we could take part in the bidding, he said. (Globe and Mail -- Business)
More Matter: Back in the U.S.S.R. Apr 11, 2007
Speaking with a physicist who came to visit an acquaintance in Irkutsk late one night, conversation turned to America ... Kostya, a History major at Irkutsk State University, told me that the greatest difference between us was the degree of predictability in our lives. (Middlebury College -- The Campus, VT)
Denis Matsuev: A Russian pianist's quest to make classical music relevant Apr 4, 2007
PARIS: For concertgoers from Beijing to Tokyo, Salzburg or his native Russia, Denis Matsuev, the towering 31-year-old pianist from the Siberian city of Irkutsk, is a phenomenally gifted performer who regularly sweeps audiences to and off their feet ... In between recordings, foreign tours and frequent performances in Russia, he finds time - and, most relevant in modern Moscow, money - to organize two festivals: "Crescendo," which began in the Russian capital and has its fourth iteration in Paris... (International Herald Tribune)
The Peculiar Case of Tuva Mar 27, 2007
The conflicts in Tuvan politics, with the leaders of opposing groups waging open campaigns against each other and appealing directly to Putin, do not differ much from similar conflicts in the Saratov, Nizhny Novgorod, Irkutsk and Altai regions. In none of those cases did Putin come down on the side of any of the warring clans. (Ocnus.net)
Russia's stages of grief begin and end with acceptance Mar 25, 2007
That crash followed two major disasters last year a crash landing in Irkutsk, in Sibera, which killed 125, and a flight to St. Petersburg that crashed in a storm over eastern Ukraine, killing 170 that cast doubt not only on the safety of the fleets, but also on the state's enforcement policies. Mr. Trunov's answer is still a novelty here: the lawsuit. (International Herald Tribune)
Vodka on ice Mar 24, 2007
Before leaving the region, I visited the town where the train stops - Irkutsk ... Irkutsk is near to gas and oil wells and is quite rich ... Stops are Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Listvyanka, Irkutsk, Ulan Ude, Harbin and Beijing. (Guardian Unlimited -- Travel)
Passenger jet crash landing in central Russia kills 7 people Mar 17, 2007
Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Viktor Beltsov described the accident as a "hard landing.'' Another ministry representative, Irina Andrianova, said the plane was landing in heavy fog and grazed the runway with one of its wings. She said there was no fire after the crash. The Tu-134 plane belonged to the Russian airline UTAir and had 57 people on board, including seven crew members, the company said in a statement. Two of the crew were among the injured, it said. Andrianova said seven... (The Star Online, Malaysia -- News)
Bigotry Monitor: Volume 7, Number 9 Mar 3, 2007
NATIONAL BOLSHEVIKS HOLD ANTI-CHINESE RALLY. About 20 members of the extremist National Bolshevik Party held an anti-Chinese demonstration in Irkutsk, Russia, according to a February 19 report by the Sova Information-Analytical Center. The activists held signs saying, "Let us stop Chinese expansion" and "Russia is not Chinatown!" outside the building of the regional office of the Federal Migration Service. (Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union)
Gazprom's Clock is Ticking Jan 31, 2007
Under the terms of the license, the projects first phase was to have supplied that volume of gas to consumers in Irkutsk oblast, where Kovytka is situated. TNK-BP was ready to start production at that level in 2006, but -- as it turned out -- there was no demand for nearly that volume in Irkutsk oblast; and consequently, it made no sense to build a supply pipeline from the field ... 8% and the Irkutsk oblast administration with 11. (Ocnus.net)
Watchdogs set loose in energy grab Jan 15, 2007
That mark is attainable, TNK-BP officials say, but should be amended since the local market for gas, the Irkutsk region, requires only 2 billion cubic meters. To comply with the 9 billion cubic meter requirement, TNK-BP would have to burn off what the local market doesn't consume. (Chicago Tribune)
Bluerock Resources Identifies Uranium and Gold Exploration Targets in Mongolia Jan 9, 2007
Pulps were sent to both ACME Analytical Labs in Vancouver, and to Sosnovgeology State Laboratory in Irkutsk, R.F. ACME analysed the samples by 37 element ICP-MS (1F-MS package), while Sosnovgeology utilized XRF for U analyses ... A large amount of the Uranium based data was exported from Mongolia to Russia in the early '90's and now resides at the State Geological Institute in Irkutsk. (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
Siberian adventures: Icy but extraordinary Jan 5, 2007
A good place to start your adventure is in the city of Irkutsk. With a population of 600,000, a good infrastructure and an international airport, Irkutsk is the unofficial capital of Siberia ... It is approximately 5,500 kilometers east of Moscow and so close to East Asia that the time difference between Seoul and Irkutsk is only one hour. (Korea Herald, Korea)
Air crashes reached 43-year low in 2006 (Sean Lengell) Jan 3, 2007
The wreckage of an Airbus A-310 plane sits smoldering after crashing in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, Russia. (AP). (Washington Times)
