NEWS

JSC Tatneft net profits in 2009, according to the Russian Accounting Standards, totalled 50.87 billion roubles. This is 48 percent more than in 2008, 34.3 billion roubles. JSC Tatneft said in a statement in the fourth quarter of 2009 the net profits had been 5.41 billion roubles, which is nearly half of that in the third quarter, 11.4 billion. The company said the main reason for decreased profits in the 4th quarter of 2009 was redistribution of resources among the subsidiaries.

President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov visited construction sites of the social mortgage program in Kazan. April 4, President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov visited social mortgage program construction in Kazan.

Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov conducted a meeting on commissioning housing and capital repairs of blocks of flats in the RT House of Government on April 3. It was held in a videoconference format for the municipal districts of Tatarstan.

April 15, KAMAZ-Master team will take part in the presentation of the International Silk Road Rally of Dakar Series 2010 which is to become the first in the –five-year series dedicated to the Olympics 2014. For the first time in history of the Russian motorsport, the marathon of such level will be held only in the territory of Russia starting in Saint Petersburg and running to Sochi, the capital of the Winter Olympic Games 2014. The organizer of the world-known rally-marathon Dakar, the French company ASO, will be involved in organization of the rally.

The award ceremony at which anniversary medals of the 65th Anniversary of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 were presented to 49 Great Patriotic War veterans, former prisoners of fascist concentration camps, citizens of Leningrad under the siege was held at the Kazan City Hall on April 2. Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin presented the awards.

A master class for the volunteer movements’s leaders was yesterday held at the Idea technology park in Kazan. The workshop was conducted by Sandra Kamerbeek, a specialist at the Netherlands social development centre MOVISIE in Utrecht, visiting Kazan within the Tatarstan-Netherlands project Heritage. The event was initiated by Idea Consulting and Kazan league of volunteer translators Need for SPEAK.

Ms Kamerbeek went on to share out with the Kazan audience methods of building an efficient volunteer movement. She told about online volunteering, increasing its popularity over the world, a way to help people from any part of the world by using information technologies. Volunteers across the world provide translation service, consult, help each other study foreign languages, hold charity events, et cetera.

To involve volunteers, an association now needs to have a clear answer to the question of how a volunteer can benefit by participating in its activities. The “benefits” mainly include gaining experience, contacts, new acquaintances, moral satisfaction from the work, self-fulfilment and other non-material preferences, the expert specified.

Ceremony of bestowing the Russian Federation Government awards in culture field for 2009 is held in Moscow today. One of the awards will be given for creating the museum complex in Yelabuga to Tatarstanians - acting Vice-Premier – Culture Minister of Tatarstan Zilya Valeyeva, head of Yelabuga Region Ilshat Gafurov (co-authors of the concept), author of the tourism development programme, former deputy head of Yelabuga Region Lilia Nurgatina, author of the complex reconstruction and renovation project, head of Yelabuga Region executive committee Farit Khanifov, author of museum expositions, the museum-reserve director Gulzada Rudenko.

Incumbent Vice-Premier – acting Culture Minister of Tatarstan Zilya Valeyeva has congratulated Tatarstan citizens of the Day of Belarus and Russia Nations Unity on April 2.

President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov held visiting meeting on developing special economic zone of industrial type “Alabuga”. It was held in administrative-business centre of special economic zone “Alabuga”. Acting minister of construction, architecture and housing Marat Khusnullin, acting chairman of RT Committee on developing small and medium-size enterprises Timur Shagivaleev, Director General of special economic zone “Alabuga” Vasily Kudryashov took part in the meeting.