Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak was appointed Ambassador to the United States on September 16, 2008, having previously served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. A career diplomat, Kislyak joined the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation/USSR in 1977. During his distinguished career, Kislyak headed the Foreign Ministry's Security and Disarmament Department (1995­-1998), and served simultaneously as the Ambassador to Belgium and as Russia's permanent representative to NATO.  Ambassador Kislyak first served in the United States as second secretary at the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York (1981­-85) and, later, as first secretary and counselor Russian Embassy in Washington (1985­-89).

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February 11, 2016
Downtown Houston, TX
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News.exxonmobil.com, January 4, 2016: IRVING, Texas--( BUSINESS WIRE)-- Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) announced today that it will donate $100,000 to the American Red Cross to provide disaster relief assistance in response to the recent tornadoes in north Texas.

"Our thoughts are with all who have been impacted by the devastating tornadoes, and especially with the families who lost loved ones during the holiday season," said Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer. "We hope that this donation to the Red Cross will help our neighbors and friends in north Texas during this difficult time."   Read more...

Tass.ru, January 9, 2016: MOSCOW, January 9. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree on establishing a special economic zone (SEZ) in Moscow Region's Fryazino, according to a document published on the official governmental website on Saturday. "A special economical technical-implemental Istok type zone is being established in Moscow Regoin's town of Fryazino with the aim of ensuring conditions for research, prototyping, manufacturing high-tech products in accordance with priority directions in the scientific and technical and innovation activities. This will contribute to developing and modernizing the defense industry, machine building, aerospace industry and several other spheres," the note to the document says. 

Themoscowtimes.com, January 14, 2016:  Russian top government officials and international experts gathered at the annual Gaidar Forum on Wednesday in Moscow to deliver their vision of the Russian economy's future.

Tass.ru, January 14, 2016:  The international economic forum in Moscow diagnosed the Russian economy with "dependence on oil prices" and offered medical treatment measures to cure this disease by encouraging investment into the real sector, experts polled by TASS said on Thursday. The Gaidar forum named after former Russian premier and reformer of the domestic economy in the early 1990s Yegor Gaidar was held in Moscow on January 13-15. The forum annually brings together leading world scientists and politicians, bankers and business people to discuss the vectors of economic development.

RussiaDirect.org, January 15, 2016:  The role of the great powers in the world order was among one of the most popular topics discussed by Russian and foreign experts and officials during the Gaidar Forum taking place Jan. 13-15 at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) in Moscow.      

Russiainsider.com, January 8, 2016: Russia is hoping to launch a futures market for its oil benchmark, the Urals blend.

According to a Reuters  report, Russia has for years wanted to establish a rival oil futures market to the Brent benchmark, but Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to finally turn it into a reality. The motivation stems from the fact that Russia is forced to sell its oil at a discount to the widely traded Brent benchmark based in the North Sea.

The discount for the Urals blend has averaged $0.84 per barrel in 2015, and $0.99 per barrel last year. But that is sharply down from the discount ten years ago, which often widened to as much as $5 to $6 per barrel. Nevertheless, the discount has started to grow again in recent weeks.

Read more...

Oilvoice.com, January 12, 2016: OAO NOVATEK announced today that the Yarudeyskoye oil field has reached its planned production capacity of 9,700 tons of crude oil per day, which is equivalent to approximately 3.5 million tons per annum. Twenty-four production wells are currently in operation at the field with average flow rate exceeding 400 tons of crude oil per day per well.

Chairman of the Management Board of NOVATEK, Leonid V. Mikhelson stated:

'The Yarudeyskoye field was launched in December last year and it has ramped up to its full production capacity in a record short period of time as planned. The new volumes of crude oil produced at this field will positively impact the dynamics of our production in 2016 and will contribute substantially to our Free Cash Flow generation'.  Read more...

Oilvoice.com, January 13, 2016: OAO NOVATEK reported today preliminary operating data for the fourth quarter and full year 2015. I n the fourth quarter 2015, NOVATEK's marketable production totaled 17.80 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas and 2,559 thousand tons of liquids (gas condensate and crude oil). The Company's full year 2015 marketable production aggregated 67.91 bcm of natural gas and 9,094 thousand tons of liquids, resulting in an increase in natural gas production by 5.78 bcm, or by 9.3% as compared with 2014, and an increase in combined liquids production by 3,058 thousand tons, or by 50.7%.

NOVATEK processed 3,322 and 12,021 thousand tons of unstable gas condensate at the Purovsky Processing Plant, which represented a 59.6% and 82.1% increase as compared with the corresponding volumes in the fourth quarter and full year 2014, respectively.  Optional Link

Rbth.com, January 11, 2016: The Soviet Union opened its first cosmonaut training center 56 years ago this month, and it now prepares to meet the goals of a new generation of space explorers. On January 11, 1960 the Commander-in-chief of the Soviet Air Force, Konstantin Vershinin, issued a secret decree on the creation of a military unit for space travel training. This was the beginning of the Cosmonaut Training Center.

Voanews.com, January 11, 2016: Russian media say the government plans to cut the amount of money it spends on the International Space Station during the next decade.

The Izvestiya daily reports the latest budget drafts for 2016-25 include about $3.3 billion in spending on the station, or about $330 million a year.  That is a 10 percent reduction from a previous draft in April.

Russia's space agency is one of five that works together to operate the station with a rotating crew of astronauts that conduct experiments.  Russia plays a key role in transporting the crew to and from the station, since the United States retired its fleet of vehicles to send astronauts into space.

Blasters and laser canons look stunning in the epic battles of "Star Wars,'' but in reality a laser weapon is extremely ineffective and an ordinary mirror can provide almost 100 percent protection from such blasts. However, there is demand for lasers in certain economic sectors. For example, lasers transfer information over optical networks.  Read more...

RT.com, January 11, 2016: "The project is so beneficial economically that we and the banks involved in its financing feel quite comfortable. All the investment will pay off within six years," said Russian Railways spokesman Denis Muratov. 

"Cargo will go by rail to a seaport from the vast areas of the island of Kalimantan, which is the largest in Indonesia and very rich in natural resources and minerals," he added.

Only the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra have previously had train services.

According to Muratov, in addition to the commercial benefits, the project will create more than 300,000 construction jobs, and more than 10,000 jobs in related industries. The Russian company will also give 200 scholarships to Indonesian students in 2016 and will increase that number to 350 in the future.    Read more...

Globaltravelerusa.com, January 11, 2015: DoubleTree by  Hilton Kazan City Center opened its doors, growing the brand's Russian portfolio in one of the key locations for the 2018 FIFA World Cub. Located in the heart of Kazan, the property offers 98 guestrooms and suites as well as state-of-the-art meeting space capable of accommodating up to 60 guests.

Kazan is one of Russia's largest and most populous cities, known for its rich cultural heritage and location on the Volga, the longest river in Europe. Renowned for its sporting associations, Kazan will be a popular game city for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.  Read more...

Tmk-group.ru, 12 января, 2016: Лидер российской нефтяной отрасли ОАО НК "Роснефть" и Трубная Металлургическая Компания (ТМК), один из крупнейших мировых производителей труб для нефтегазовой отрасли, подписали меморандум о партнерстве при реализации программы импортозамещения трубной продукции для шельфовых проектов.

Целью меморандума является закрепление и дальнейшее развитие системы взаимодействия ОАО НК "Роснефть" и ПАО "ТМК" при освоении импортозамещающей трубной продукции, в том числе новых ее видов с высокими технико-экономическими характеристиками, соответствующих международным стандартам и требованиям, предъявляемым "Роснефтью".  Читать далее...

Evraz.com, 29 декабря, 2015: ЕВРАЗ вновь принял участие в международном проекте по добровольной углеродной отчетности CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project). В этом году компания расширила количество данных об объемах выбросов парниковых газов, в частности, предоставила сравнительные показатели по годам, а также дала анализ причин изменения ряда параметров. По баллам раскрытия ЕВРАЗ занял третье место среди компаний, работающих в России. В 2014 году компания замкнула первую четверку рейтинга.

ЕВРАЗ планомерно снижает воздействие на окружающую среду в соответствии с экологической стратегией, принятой в 2012 году. Некоторые задачи выполнены досрочно: например, показатель переработки отходов уже превысил 100%, забор свежей воды снизился более чем на запланированные 15%.   Читать далее...