Aliyev to discuss gas transit in Bulgaria.

BAKU, November 13 (Itar-Tass) -- Azerbaijani's President Ilham Aliyev
will visit Bulgaria on Friday to discuss gas transit to Europe, as
two-year talks with Turkey have failed so far.

Aliyev is to meet his Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Parvanov and Prime
Minister Boiko Borisov.
Although the agenda of the summit talks has not been disclosed,
experts agree Aliyev will discuss gas exports to Europe across the
Bulgarian territory.
Last month Aliyev said "Azerbaijan is ready to export its gas to the
European Union," and that Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Romania, Hungary,
Austria, Germany, Switzerland were among the potential partners. He blamed
Turkish transit problems for impeding gas supplies to the EU.
"It is no secret that for many years Azerbaijan has been selling gas
to Turkey for one third, 30% of the market price. Which country sells its
natural resources, especially under the present circumstances, for 30% of
the market price and is satisfied with it?" Azerbaijani media quoted
Aliyev as saying. The president concluded that EU countries including
Bulgaria are ready to buy Azerbaijan's gas at the market price.
Earlier this year then Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said
his country had agreed with Azerbaijan to hold talks on a deal that would
see Bulgaria receive a billion cubic meters of gas a year.
Last week Aliyev told a business forum in Baku "two years of efforts
to resolve the issue (of transit through Turkey) on the basis of existing
commercial tariffs yielded no result", which makes Azerbaijan look for new
markets.
Local experts believe that if Baku and Sofia agree on the volumes and
transit fees gas can be delivered to Europe from Baku through Georgia and
the Black Sea to Ukraine and Bulgaria.
Transit problems with Turkey forced Azerbaijan suspend the second
stage of the development of its major Shakh-Deniz gas field on the Caspian
Sea up to 2016.


.Duma to raise beer, wine excise, but spare vodka for two years.

MOSCOW, November 13 (Itar-Tass) -- In an attempt to fill in state
coffers in crisis conditions the Russian State Duma is likely to approve
under the final reading on Friday a law that sharply raises excise on
wine, beer and cigarettes next year, but keeps vodka in peace for two
years. It also doubles the transport tax on vehicles.
Excise on wine will rise 30 percent on average, on strong beer - 50
percent and on light beer - three-fold.
The excise is to grow 10 percent for vodka and strong drinks, but will
be upped only in 2012. Chairman of the subcommittee on excise-subject
goods Viktor Zvagelsky told Tass cheap vodka will not be affected. "It
will not tell on the price of a bottle of vodka below 100 rubles. Only a
bottle of expensive vodka will cost 5-7 rubles more," he said.
As for filter cigarettes, the excise is to grow 30 percent on average.
Transport tax increase is intended to fill in regional coffers. The
law increases it two-fold, but gives the regions the right to raise it
five times or decrease ten times. They also get the right to establish the
tax rate depending on the car age and environmental friendliness.


.Experts to consider wind power generation.

MOSCOW, November 13 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian and European energy experts
will meet on Friday to consider Russian wind power potential at a
conference arranged by the Russian Association of Wind Industry (RAWI).
The Association estimates renewable energy sources account for less
than one percent of national power generation in Russia, while the
government set the task of raising the figure to for percent by 2020.
Russia currently uses 3.5 percent of the economic potential of
renewable sources of energy. They annually produce 8.5 billion KWt/H,
which is less than one percent of the total production, RAWI said.
The Association estimated the potential of Russian renewable energy
sources at 430 million tons of conditional fuel. As for the global wind
energy market, its annual growth exceeds 25 percent. In 2003 the turnover
comprised four billion euro and in 2008 it jumped to 36 billion euro. Wind
power generation provides 80 million jobs on the planet, according to RAWI.
In January the Russian government resolved to increase the share of
renewable sources of energy in total power production to four percent by
2020. RAWI said the European Union plans to raise the share from current
seven to 20 percent by the time.

.District official caught red-handed with bribe.

KHABAROVSK, November 13 (Itar-Tass) -- A Russian district official was
caught red-handed with half a million ruble bribe, police said on Friday.
Andrei Pogorelov, deputy head of Smidovichi district of the Jewish
Autonomous Region in Russia's Far East, demanded 500 thousand rubles
(18.000 dollars) from a businessman for permission to start ground works
and threatened problems for the company otherwise.
Local police deputy head Yevgeny Kuzhel told Tass Pogorelov and an
accomplice from the district administration were detained while receiving
the money.
He said police exposed an extortion scheme in Smidovichi district when
company owners were told to remit money to a special administration
account as "voluntary donations" or face business problems.
Kuzhel said Pogorelov is in custody and investigators "do not rule out
that law enforcers were involved in the corruption scheme".
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