TNK-BP Execs get last-minute Visa Extension

Top foreign executives at TNK-BP, Russia's third largest oil producer, have been granted a late reprieve on their visa problems. On Tuesday it appeared that many of TNK-BP's foreign employees would have to leave the country when their visas expired at the end of July. However, the migration service announced on Wednesday that the visas of 49 top executives would be automatically extended. Furthermore, "we will speed up the process for those whose visas expire earlier," said Konstantin Poltoranin, a spokesman for the service. Two conflicting applications were sent to the migration service, one for 63 permits by Russian partner German Khan, and the other for 150. Although a compromise of 71 places was proposed, no formal agreement was reached until Wednesday. This meant that many employees, including the CEO, Robert Dudley,... [read full story]