Russia has 130,000 orphaned children. The domestic adoptions last year numbered about 70,000. In 2014, the number of orphans in institutional care should go down to 30,000.
Russia’s adoption support programme is likely to cost some 40bln roubles a year. Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets gave the figures to President Putin at a meeting in Moscow Wednesday. He said adoption at home must go way before foreign adoption of Russian orphans. In December, the President signed a decree to encourage adoption of Russian orphans by Russian couples. US Ambassador not to discuss orphans in Duma, The US Ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul will not come to Russia’s State Duma where he was invited to discuss the situation with Russian orphans abused in the US, the Embassy told reporters Wednesday. Moscow to probe same-sex US adoption of Russian kid, Russia’s Foreign Ministry and investigators will probe a same-sex US adoption of Russian orphan Egor Shatabalov, Russia’s human rights ombudsman Konstantin Dolgov said Wednesday. In 2007, a court in Russia’s Kemerovo ruled to give the child to Marcia Ann Brandt of the US who at that time lived in the same-sex marriage with Beth Chapman but concealed the fact. Russia believes this could psychologically damage the boy as well as violates Russia’s Family Code which defines a family as a marriage between a man and a woman. US has worst adoption record from Russia - Astakhov, Russian children’s rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov has said the United States has shown the highest rate of abuse against adopted Russian orphans. “No other country has recorded so many cases of deaths and violence against our children,” Mr. Astakhov said Wednesday in response to a question from an American journalist. The ombudsman added the rate of Russian children given up for adoption by Americans has approached that of Italy, France and Spain, but none of the latter has shown so much reluctance in tightening control and providing information about the foster children. Russian social care moves to repatriate orphaned Maxim Kuzmin’s brother, Social care officials from Russia’s Pskov region have moved to repeal the adoption of Kirill Kuzmin, the younger brother of the murdered Maxim Kuzmin, who died while living with an American foster family in the United States. They said there were sufficient legal grounds to take the boy from his American adoptive parents, citing charges of child abuse, among others. According to the plaintiffs, death of one of the siblings meant that his living brother could be repatriated. Voice of Russia, RIA, TASS, Source: Voice of Russia
Bulchee the well known accessories brand plans to double store count from existing 15 to 30 this year. The brand from the house of Atlas Brands aims at build a pan-India network by 2020. Elaborates Ramesh Bulchandani, Managing Director, Atlas Brands, “Most brands are seeing the largest growth in their accessories category as the Indian consumer appreciates the importance of strong products. We see a strong growth across all segments of customers for leather products in India.” Bulchee offers premium accessories to men and women. “Our accessory lines include – men’s belts and wallets, ladies’ handbags and wallets, ties, and small accessories. In the fast-growing fashion accessories market, Bulchee holds the distinction of providing the widest collection of fine leather and non-leather accessories,” says Bulchandani. Bulchee introduced premium Italian leather lines way back in 1988, and successfully represents a heritage of international quality merchandising. Bulchee products are available at more than 300 leading multi brand apparel and footwear stores countrywide and all locations of national chain stores such as Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Landmark, Metro Shoes. “We are present in more than 750 odd points of sale throughout India. This includes multi brand stores, large format stores and exclusive brand stores. It’s also available through 15 EBOs across India which will be scaled up to 30 by the end of the year. The EBOs are a mix of company owned and franchises. “Bulchee has a unique and franchise friendly module. We require zero investment and franchisees share a trade margin for supervision and operating the store. Bulchee also secures our franchisees with a minimum guarantee,” he explains. Bulchandani says since Bulchee’s incorporation in 1988 they have always had one philosophy: To provide quality, timeless, fashion-forward accessories for everyone. “There is a gripping insistence to a beautifully crafted product, a sense of wonder that something real could be so much like your imagination. That is what Bulchee aims to provide, products that separate themselves for the mundane. Accessories that become essentials.” The brand targets men and women between 25-30 years of age. Over time Bulchee has introduced diffusion and work-wear lines to cater to the office going and youth segments. 
a 78% share of total consumption, as against 21% for bioethanol. Biogas fuel consumption (0.5%) is still a purely Swedish phenomenon and vegetable oil consumption has reverted to marginal status (0.5%) since Germany started taxing this product Sales of E10, a fuel made up of 90% unleaded petrol and 10% bioethanol by volume in some countries are behind the faster growth in bioethanol consumption (6.2% up on 2010) compared to biodiesel (2.4%). The European Commission would like E10 to be the main petrol fuel used in all the Member States by 2013. In 2011 the situation is just as tense as it was for European biodiesel last year. The European Biodiesel Board’s (EBB) first estimates are that European Union production receded for the first time, dropping 8% from 9 570 000 tonnes in 2010 to 8 800 000 tonnes in 2011. The EBB says it will publish firmer figures in October. This means that European industry did not gain from the slight increase in biodiesel consumption. For the first time European plant capacity utilisation, put at 22 117 000 tonnes in 2011, should drop below the 40% mark, which has put a number of European operators in dire straits. The Spaniards in particular have been forced to close their plants and lay off workers. Where does this leave the 2020 targets? As it stands, biofuel consumption in transports (13.6 Mtoe in 2011) is lower than anticipated in the National Renewable Energy Action Plans (14 Mtoe in 2010), amounting to a level a little over one year behind schedule. The data published in these NREAP plans was compiled then updated by ECN in November 2011 in its report “Renewable Energy Projections as Published in the National Renewable Energy Action Plans of the European Member States”. This publication forecast 14 038 ktoe of biofuel consumption in transports in 2010 (2 871 ktoe of bioethanol, 10 956 ktoe of biodiesel, 211 ktoe of other biofuels), 19 778 ktoe in 2015 (4 968 ktoe of bioethanol, 14 542 ktoe of biodiesel, 268 ktoe of other biofuels) and 29 745 ktoe in 2020 (7 307 ktoe of bioethanol, 21 649 ktoe of biodiesel, 789 ktoe of other biofuels) (graph 3). “Given the Directive deadline, which was still nine years away in 2011, this delay gives no cause for concern. The 2020 target,” find the authors of the Biofuels Barometer. “As a matter of course and based on the more intense use of second-generation biofuels, consumption growth should be more buoyant in the second half of the decade. This conservative view partly reflects the forthcoming developments of sustainability criteria, primarily involving factoring in the Iluc effect. A number of countries such as Germany have also deliberately cut back the development of 1st-generation biofuels to leave considerable room for 2nd-generation biofuels to expand. However, in the light of the efforts required to develop them industrially, this growth cannot start until the second half of the decade.” The authors go on to say that prospects for first-generation development in Europe are limited by the dearth of dedicated farming land and the trends in global demand. For instance, Brazil, which only a short while ago was the leading bioethanol exporter has now become its leading importer. The drop in domestic production, as a result of a bad harvest, has even prompted the Brazilian government to reduce the incorporation rate in petrol from 25 to 20%. American bioethanol exports, which are currently frustrating European industry sales, could also end up lessening. Continued high prices paid for petrol in the US have increased pressure to increase the bioethanol incorporation rate there, which is already almost up to 10%. In January 2011, EPA, which is responsible for regulating biofuel incorporation, authorised petrol blends with 15% ethanol for vehicles made after 2001, which means that about two-thirds of the vehicles on the road in the United States can use E15. The 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act provides for increased consumption of 9–36 billion US gallons of ethanol by 2022 (34–136 billion litres), which means that American consumption will steadily grow. Accordingly, the development of second-generation biofuels could start much sooner than expected – as early as the middle of the decade. The use of ligno-cellulosic biomass and algae will lead to clearer environmental benefits and relieve the pressure on farming land. 
Launched in 1973, Lotto entered the India market in 2007 through Sports Lifestyle. And now it is looking at increasing its retail presence through EBOs and other channels. On the cards are 100 EBOs by the end of this year. Elaborating on their India plans, Lalit Kishore, Managing Director, Sports Lifestyle says, “Lotto Sport Italia and Sports Lifestyle first signed a licensing agreement in July 2007, which was extended for
