Eight people die in Nizhny Novgorod region house fire.

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, November 3 (Itar-Tass) - Eight people have died in a
fire that broke out in a residential building in the Nizhny Novgorod
region, an official in the press service of the regional department of the
Russian Ministry for Emergencies (RME) told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

A message about the fire reached the rescue service at about 00:50
Moscow time. The blaze broke out in an eight-storey residential building
in the city of Balakhna. The fire was raging on an area of 150 square
metres. The efforts to put out thef ire involved seven fire-engines and 28
firemen. Eight bodies were found at the site of the fire.
Fire service investigators and an operational group of the RME
regional department, led by department chief Alexei Shikanov, are
currently at work in Balakhna, seeking to ascertain the causes of the
fire. .

.Executives of over 50 RF co's attend FIHAV fair in Havana.

HAVANA, November 3 (Itar-Tass) - Russia remains one of Cuba's main
trading partners, Rodrigo Malmierca, Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and
Investments, stated here on Monday at a ceremony marking the opening of
the 27th International Havana Fair FIHAV-2009. "Venezuela, China, Russia,
Spain, and Brazil remain Cuba's main trading partners," he said.
When speaking of Cuba's commercial contacts with other countries, the
Minister said that the Americas account for 52 percent of Cuban trade
turnover, Europe -- 24 percent, Asia and the Middle East -- 21 percent.
Rodrigo Malmierca emphasized that the Havana Fair opens in the complex
conditions of the world economic downturn, "which is not yet over. It is
hard to predict when and how the crisis will end".
"The crisis has resulted in a sharp decline in world trade, a shortage
of credits, contraction of exports and, as a consequence, a shortage of
foreign-exchange currency, to mention just a few among other problems
that, as usually is the case, hit developing countries most of all," the
Minister went on to say. He added, "Cuba has been no exception in this
respect: the outcome of the crisis, coupled with the economic blockade
imposed by the United States almost 50 years ago, as well as the
accumulated tremendous damage done in recent years by climate change
phenomena, was that the economic situation in this country grew
aggravated still further".
According to data given by the Minister, by the end of the third
quarter of this year, Cuba's foreign trade decreased by 36 percent as
compared with that in the corresponding period of last year, with the
share of import in it being almost 80 percent." "Nevertheless our country
still remains an attractive market to foreign businessmen," Rodrigo
Malmierca said.
The Havana Fair organizers say over 2,500 foreign businessmen are
taking part in the fair. The executives of over 50 Russian companies and
enterprises have arrived here to participate in the fair. Russia has an
exhibition pavilion of its own.

.There are favourable conditions for RF-Cuba coop'n--view.

HAVANA, November 3 (Itar-Tass) - There are now favourable conditions
for Russo-Cuban cooperation in the field of advanced technologies, Ricardo
Cabrisas, Vice-President of the CubanCouncil of Ministers, said during a
tour of the Russian pavilion at the International Havana Fair that opened
on Monday, with almost 4,000 businessmen participating. Russia is
represented at the fair by over 50 enterprises and companies.
Upon examining the display stand of the Federal Bio-Medical Agency,
Ricardo Cabrisas remarked that in the field represented at the stand
"there are ample opportunities for bilateral mutually beneficial
cooperation".
Alexander Starovoitov, Director of the Center of Information
Technologies and Systems of Executive Power Bodies, Dr. of Sc.
(Technology) and honoured worker of science and technology of the Russian
Federation, acquainted the Cuban Vice-President of the Council of
Ministers with the concept of the exhibition on the theme of "The Advanced
Russian Technologies" that has been arranged within the scope of the
Havana Fair.
Starovoitov said the exhibition consists of five main areas chosen in
Russia as priority ones and its peculiarity is that it is fully oriented
towards Cuba's requirements.
Apart from exhibits proper, on view is also a database listing 6,000
projects that are of interest to Cuba. Starovoitov pointed out that in
order to discuss each of them "there is no need to spend time on study".
It is possible promptly to organise a television linkup session in an open
or restricted-access mode. Thereby, Cuban specialists, upon choosing the
needed theme from the database, can immediately discuss it with Russian
counterparts.
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