Andy Potts
Opel deal delayed
General Motors is not yet ready to sign off on the sale of its loss-making European division Opel, due to be taken over by Magna and Sberbank.
Amid EU concerns that there could be a political edge to the deal, with fears that state aid from Germany could be misused, a final confirmation cannot be completed before a GM board meeting on November 3, Reuters reported.
German Economy Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg's asked GM to confirm that the carmaker chose Sberbank's partnership with Canadian firm Magna for business and not political reasons.
Bulgaria pipes up
Russian media claims that Bulgaria could be kicked out of the South Stream pipeline project have been dismissed by the co-chair of Sofia's ruling Blue Coalition, Marin Dimitrov.
Kommersant and other papers claimed last week that a deal with Turkey could end Bulgaria's role as a transit country for Russian gas to the Balkans.
But Focus news agency reported that Dimitrov claimed these reports were intended to pressure Bulgaria's government into striking a deal with Moscow.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is reportedly "furious" that his Bulgarian counterpart, Boyko Borissov, asked for "more time" to consider joining the project.
Dimitrov questioned whether Bulgaria would benefit from being part of South Stream, while Euractiv.com reported the mayor of Burgas said:
"The city does not want the pipeline."
Slam-dunk dinner
Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia's richest man, celebrated his imminent takeover of the New Jersey Nets NBA franchise with a slap-up meal - costing $19,000.
The New York Post reported that Prokhorov took six colleagues to Nello's restaurant - where he's said to be a regular - washing down their feast with a $5,000 bottle of 1998 Chateau Petrus and two $3,600 2002 Montrachet Latours.
Other bill items included truffle tagliolini and carpaccio ($1,425), while the guests left $3,750 in tips, the Post reported.
The paper also carried quotes from NBA Commissioner David Stern confirming that the Nets deal was a slam-dunk, and Prokhorov was said to be looking forward to taking over in the New Year.
TNK-BP splashes out
Anglo-Russian firm TNK-BP is set to sink $180 million into the Russkoye oil field in northern Russia over the next couple of years, Interfax reported.
The field could potentially yield 65 million barrels a year until 2020 - extracted using a new method of thermal recovery - if transport issues can be resolved.
Rosneft sale under review
Russia's biggest oil producer, Rosneft, could be due for a further sell-off of shares, according to Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko.
RIA Novosti reported that Shmatko said: "The idea has been discussed, but no decision has been taken."
Up to 75 per cent of the company could be sold off, according to First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, but Elvira Nabiullina, Economics Minister, said there would be no sale before 2011.
Raging bulls
Back on track
Samsung is ready to return to the Trans-Siberian Railway to get materials to its Kaluga plant, transportjournal.com reported. The South Korean firm had previously shipped via Europe due to the lack of competitiveness of the world's longest railway, but began sending cargo by train from the far eastern port of Vostochny earlier this month.
Toxic assets
Profit slump
Sberbank, Russia's largest lender, saw its profits fall 91 per cent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2009, RIA Novosti reported. The bank blamed the figures on the need to boost expenditure in a bid to create reserves, cutting pre-tax profits to 11.1 billion rubles ($410 million).
Rusal debt demand
Alfa Bank has threatened Rusal with legal action if it doesn't stump up interest on $85.9 million of recently repaid loans, Reuters reported. The bank's deputy chief exec Vladimir Tatarchuk explained that the debts had been paid in full, but outstanding fines and penalties still needed to be recovered. "If we do not manage to agree with Rusal's units, then we do not exclude filing a law suit," he said. Earlier the bank had threatened to start bankruptcy proceedings.
