Vimpelcom set to issue dollar and rouble notes

Vimpelcom, the Russian Telecommunication giant with assets in various emerging markets including Italy and Pakistan. has hired banks to issue notes of dollars and roubles in order to refinance existing problems.Telenor has 31% shares in Vimpelcom while Vimpelcom holds stakes in Orascom, the parent company of Mobilink.

Reuters reported that Vimpelcom plans to issue a five-year rouble Eurobond having initial guidance set at the 9 percent area. Barclays, Citigroup, ING, and Royal Bank of Scotland will be leading to manage the financing.

The Russian giant is buried in debts which grossed $26.6 billion at the end of September 2012 out of which $2 billion will mature this year. In 2012 Russian borrowers managed to raise a total of around $53 billion through Eurobond issues and have issued more debt this year to profit from positive risk sentiment towards emerging markets.

Dell Laptops to be distributed by the KPK Government

Following the footsteps of the Punjab Government, the provincial government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) has announced the provision of 25,000 Dell Laptops to the students in the province. The Dell Laptops model selected is Inspiron3420. The first round of distribution will be conducted on Feb 10 at Peshawar University.

Speaking about the initiative, Project Director KPK, Adeel Khan, said “This project is a great leap in terms of equipping our youth to meet the challenges of the modern world and to keep Pakistan a competitor in the global knowledge economy. Dell’s involvement goes a long way in guaranteeing the success of this initiative.”

Shahzad Aslam Khan, Country Manager Dell Pakistan & Afghanistan, said “We look forward to working with KPK as they increase technology access and the learning potential for students. Mobile computing devices have become essential to daily life — at work, at home and increasingly, in academic institutions. Students are leveraging devices of all kinds to access information, collaborate with their peers and teachers, and produce dynamic content inside and outside of the classroom.  At Dell, we believe these devices can help support teaching and learning – and have the potential to personalize the learning experience for each student. Dell is delighted to work with KPK in this important program and is committed to providing these devices by meeting aggressive time lines and ensuring highest product quality.”

It is worth noting that the first lot of laptops distributed by the Punjab Government were also manufactured by Dell.