NEWS

The opening of the Sozvezdie - Yoldyzlyk 2009 Festival is going to take place at the Unics Complex on April 15. Performers from Tatarstan's neighboring regions will take part in the event on its first day. The aim of the festival is to support young gifted people of Tatarstan. Participants and winners of the Festival are considered to be successors of cultural and spiritual heritage of the republic.

About 150 Tatarstan volunteers will get a chance to receive a training in Belgrade during the World Summer Universiade-2009. The contract with the Serbian side has already been signed. The training will last for 20 days during which the students will work with journalists, sportsmen and on sites.

Tatneftechiminvest Holding held a board meeting, chaired by Prime Minister of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov on April 13.

A delegation of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) is to arrive in Kazan on April 27, Director of the municipal unitary enterprise Universiade-2013 Directorate Vladimir Leonov told an online news conference at the Tatar-inform information agency.

The opening of the annual All-Russian French Language Theatre Festival opened in Kazan on April 13. Last year, it was held in Samara.

Tatneft was included on the list of the world’s largest companies compiled by Forbes, which released a rating of 2000 largest public companies of the world on April 10, 2009. Their total market value made $20 bln, incomes - $32 bln, net profit - $1,6 bln, and asset value - $125 bln. They experienced significant losses over the last year: total net profit of the largest corporations fell by 31% and market value by 49%.

Kazan’s Ak Bars is Russian champion in ice hockey! They have defeated HC Lokomotiv from Yaroslavl I the seventh match of Gagarin Cup series with the score 1:0. Ak Bars has become the first winner of Gagarin Cup.

Kazan is open for proposals of architecture design companies on designing and construction of sport facilities for the Universiade-2013 in Kazan. Tatarstan Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov announced it at a meeting with representative of NBBJ company (the US) at the Republic of Tatarstan Government House on April 10.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Singapore to Russia Simon de Cruz has today toured the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan, to see in person the business opportunities offered to its tenants, says Alabuga’s press service.