Clipmarks | Russian Clips

On Russia suing Bank of NY under US RICO law

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:08:11 GMT

clipped by: tommy2balmy
clipper's remarks: Then there was the role being played by Miami injury lawyer Steven Marks, who openly pitched the lawsuit to the Russian government; while he's hardly the first stateside lawyer to sell the idea of litigation against U.S. companies to foreign sovereigns, that trend in itself is one that deserves closer attention.

Clip Source: www.pointoflaw.com

the government of Russia is invoking the RICO law -- America's RICO law, that is, not some equivalent on its own books -- to demand that Bank of New York pay compensation over a ten-year-old episode in which rogue bank employees opened a channel that allowed Russian exporters and others to move money out of the country without official oversight.

To begin with, there's the sheer size of the sum demanded: $22.5 billion, an artifact of RICO's damage-trebling provisions as well as an optimistic view of underlying damages. Then there's the issue of the application of our distinctive RICO law in other countries' courts over actions and damages occurring overseas

In addition, there was the question of whether the Russian courts would prove a forum adequately protective of the rights of an entity being sued by the Russian government

Finally

the rogue employees,

had found it worth their while to assist the plaintiffs in the advancement of the suit.

Tags: us, russia, rico, bank of ny

US Russian warships

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:21:02 GMT

clipped by: revroy41

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

Palin's Foreign Policy Experience - 20 Meetings for a total of 12 hours

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:11:46 GMT

clipped by: BobbyRutan
clipper's remarks: Examples:

March 10, 2007 -- Palin hosts the annual Fur & Ice reception in Fairbanks for about 30 diplomats and international tourism representatives. A Palin press release issued before the event noted, "Governor Sarah Palin will welcome members of Alaska's diplomatic corps to Fairbanks to view the ice carvings of Ice Alaska's 2007 World Ice Art Championship." Following the afternoon reception, Palin attends the NCAA rifle championships.

March 19, 2007 -- Palin meets with 10 foreign exchange students.

May 15, 2007 -- Palin holds a "brief courtesy" meeting with Martin Uden, then the head of the British consulate in San Francisco. The calendar notes, "He'll be visiting Juneau today off of one of the Cruise Ships."

Clip Source: www.motherjones.com

Calendars Show Gov. Palin's Foreign Policy Experience: About 20 Meetings for About 12 Hours

after John McCain picked her to be the GOP's vice presidential nominee, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin claimed that her foreign policy credentials were enhanced because "you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska." She also pointed out that she had experience dealing with trade delegations

Later, asked by CBS News' Katie Couric if she had ever participated in negotiations with Russia, Palin said, "We have trade missions back and forth. We—we do—it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia

the calendars tracking Palin's official meetings

as governor contain not one listing indicating she ever met with a Russian official.

the 562 pages of her daily schedules

indicate that Palin had few meetings at all with any foreign representatives and rarely dealt with any topic related to foreign policy

Clip Source: farm2.static.flickr.com

Clip Source: www.motherjones.com

Palin spent

12 hours over the course of 19 months on these meetings

Tags: stunning foreign policy experience

Amazingly GREAT music

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:03:28 GMT

clipped by: rmowery
clipper's remarks: I have not seen/heard anyone play this good in a while.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

Russian Circles "Death Rides A Horse"

[Video]

Tags: russian circles, rock, guitar, music, drums

russian map

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:24:41 GMT

clipped by: amanda1m

Clip Source: maps.nationalgeographic.com

Ukraine Leader Dissolves Parliament. Parliament?

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:27:32 GMT

clipped by: citizenbfk
clipper's remarks: This news is so juicy -- and so deep -- that I could feast on it for weeks.

But First: For My Dear Fellow Americans:

Notice > Dissolve the government (temporarily), with just the mere snap of a finger.

#2 > News elections - new government in two months.

#3 > A small party, like say: The Greens, or Libertarians, etc. - could cause this to happen by shifting sides (and gain significant power in the process.

My dear Fellow Americans, that is actual democracy.

I guess I should point out, too, that's it's the second Major Move by Russia (Oh, yea...Russian is behind this)...it's the 2nd Move, after kicking back the attack from Georgia...that totally dismantles about 15 years of U.S. efforts to surround Russia, steal the oil from the Caspian Sea, etc.
(All under the false flag of "spreading freedom and democracy, BTW)

Repulsing the Geogian invasion was like (in chess) moving a Bishop. This Ukraine move is like moving The Queen. Attacking the missile base in Poland will

Clip Source: www.upi.com

Ukraine leader dissolves parliament

Yushchenko blamed the collapse of the country's ruling coalition on Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, citing "the dominance of personal interests over national ones."

The country's pro-Western ruling coalition collapsed Sept. 16 after the pro-presidential Our Ukraine bloc withdrew from the alliance.

Earlier, Tymoshenko's bloc joined the opposition Party of Regions, led by Russia-friendly Viktor Yanukovych, to pass legislation substantially cutting presidential powers.

Yushchenko labeled the move a "constitutional coup."

Sherriff Stops Evictions in Home Foreclosures

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:44:33 GMT

clipped by: citizenbfk
clipper's remarks: Although this may almost sound like "non-news," to some, it is incredibly dramatic, not so dramatic as parts of the French Army joining the rebels in the French Revolution nor so dramatid as the Russian Army joining the revolutionaries against the Czar during WWI --- but it is an "officer of the law," saying he's not going to obey the law to evict people from their homes -- during this economic crisis where now home foreclosures have tripled from just two years ago.

The rather dramatic headline, though, is misleading (even though I like dramatic headlines like this myself.)

In fact, while the sheriff's actions are not so dramatic (in a way)...but his real actions are far more clever: He is Slowing Down Evictions.

This way, #1, he won't get fired. #2 his extra demands for documentation and total paperwork requirements could give folks at least a half-a-year before police would actually show up at their door.

Smart. And protects true innocents: renters of homes being forclos

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Sheriff in Chicago Ends Evictions in Foreclosures

Housing advocates said that they thought the measure was the first of its kind, but that in recent years, several sheriffs and judges around the country had taken other steps to slow foreclosure proceedings, like requiring lenders to produce titles proving they owned the properties in question. In Philadelphia this year, Sheriff John D. Green temporarily suspended sales of foreclosed properties.

Sheriff Dart said he took the measure because an increasing number of the residents being evicted were renters who might have been dutifully paying their rent, and might have had no knowledge that the owner was behind on the mortgage.

NASA Chief Thanks Obama for Helping With Soyuz Waiver

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:21:40 GMT

clipped by: tabsey

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Mike Griffin credited Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for spurring Congress to action on legislation allowing the U.S. space agency to buy the Russian Soyuz flights its needs to send astronauts to the international space station beyond 2011.

"I am deeply grateful to you, personally, for your leadership in supporting the difficult, but important, decision to extend NASA's waiver to the Iran, Syria, North Korea Non-proliferation Act to allow the U.S. purchase of Russian Soyuz spacecraft after 2011," Griffin said in an Oct. 2 letter to Obama. "This authority will allow the United States to continue transporting our astronauts to the international space station (ISS), honoring America's commitment to provide transportation for crewmembers from Europe, Canada, and Japan and to ensure that 'lifeboats' are available at ISS in case of emergencies.

The availability of this critical service from our Russian partners is vital

to the United States

Tags: public relations

Oil Outlook Clouds Russia’s Economic Future

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:55:39 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: That could trigger a vicious circle of falling income and investment, as production gets more expensive in Russia's aging fields.

The era of record profits from oil and gas is over - that's according to Russia's Finance Minister Alexey Kudrin. 2008 is likely to be the year of peak oil and gas production in the country.

The big oil companies are cutting investment in new projects. Russia has received up to $1 Billion a day in oil revenues in recent years, and the country's budget and economy remain highly dependent on hydrocarbon earnings.

The world financial crisis and recession has triggered big falls in the world's oil price. That will significantly affect the Russian budget, according to Mikhail Kroutikhin, partner at Rusenergy.

Clip Source: www.russiatoday.com

“We will see a deficit after the price goes down to 70 dollars, at least that s what the Finance Minister says. I believe it could be sooner.”

At the beginning of the week oil dropped to an 8 month low, and rebounded slightly on Tuesday to $89 a barrel for Russia’s Urals blend.

As the worlds second largest oil exporter, Russia is critically dependent on international consumers. President of the Russian Oil and Gas Industrialists Union, Gennady Shmal, says the oil giants have also looked abroad to borrow.

“A lot of our oil companies have high dependence on foreign borrowings. We don't have a common figure but for example Gazprom has around $40 Billion and Rosneft is also around $40 Billion. And Russia exports a lot, so we depend on our international consumers of oil and gas.”

The first signs of falling consumption from US and China - the world's largest oil consumer - could see the price of oil down to 60 $ per barrel, analysts say.

Tags: russian finance minister, oil & gas industrialists union, foreign borrowing, falling income and investment, russia's aging fields, gasprom & rosneft

Ethnic Georgians face citizenship dilemma in Abkhazia

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:54:15 GMT

clipped by: tommy2balmy
clipper's remarks: Not all Gali residents are concerned with the passport situation. Zura B., an unemployed man who asked not to be identified, said he would probably take an Abkhaz passport since he cannot visit Moscow with his Georgian passport. "They won’t take away my Georgian passport and I won’t swear to anything. There are ways to get around such things," Zura said.

Clip Source: www.eurasianet.org

Many Georgians in Gali, a predominantly ethnic Georgian (Mingrelian) area, fear that they may be forced to take Abkhaz passports, which would require them to forfeit their Georgian citizenship, an act few are willing to make.

Echoing statements by Abkhazia’s central government, Ruslan Kishmaria, Abkhaz leader Sergei Bagapsh’s point man in Gali, stressed that no plans exist to force anybody to accept Abkhaz passports. But, Kishmaria added, it will be necessary for Gali residents to possess an Abkhaz passport in order to vote in regional and local elections.

"For the time being, it is impossible to allow Georgians dual citizenship purely for the fact that we’re still at a state of war with Georgia," he said. There is also a matter of precedent. Under a recent treaty signed with Moscow, Abkhaz citizens can also hold Russian passports.

Georgian Interior Ministry spokesperson Shota Utiashvili has stated that anyone who takes Abkhaz citizenship will lose their right to be a Georgian citizen.

Tags: georgia, abkhazia, russia

Russia Halts Shares as Medvedev Funding Plan Fails to Stem Rout

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:26:19 GMT

clipped by: rmowery
clipper's remarks: WOW! They are doing a bit worse then us.

Clip Source: www.bloomberg.com

Russia Halts Shares as Medvedev Funding Plan Fails to Stem Rout

Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Russian regulators closed the Micex Stock Exchange for two days as a new $36 billion injection into the banking system by President Dmitry Medvedev failed to halt the country's biggest stock collapse since 1998.

The Micex Index plunged for a sixth day, falling 14 percent to 637.87, the lowest level in more than three years, before trading was halted at 11:05 a.m. in Moscow. The bourse won't open until Oct. 10 unless regulators say otherwise, Micex Chief Executive Officer Alexei Rybnikov said in an interview.

Tags: russia, medvedev, stocks stock market, economy

Russia Completes Georgia Pullout

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:13:56 GMT

clipped by: masbury
clipper's remarks: Asks for protection for the ethnically Russian Abkhazia and South Ossetia to prevent future Georgian attacks.

Clip Source: english.aljazeera.net

Russia completes Georgia pullout

The EU has deployed an observer mission in Georgia as part of a broad agreement with Russia [AFP]

Russian troops have completed a pullout from buffer zones next to breakaway Georgian regions that it had established during a war between the two countries in August.

"We can confirm that from the so-called buffer zones the withdrawal is complete," Shota Utiashvili, a Georgian interior ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, had said the withdrawal would be completed by midnight, ahead of a Friday deadline contained in a ceasefire deal brokered by France on behalf of the EU.

Russia said the focus would shift to international talks in Geneva on October 15, where it will call for an embargo on the sale of offensive weapons to Tbilisi, and for a security mechanism around Abkhazia and South Ossetia to prevent Georgian attacks.

I am pleased that Russia appears to be fulfilling its obligation

Robert Gates

Tags: georgia, russia

Largest Operational Space Facility in the World

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:01:51 GMT

clipped by: vandamonium
clipper's remarks: The rocket looks awesome.

Clip Source: russianfun.net

Sep

Baikonur Cosmodrome…

by Rfun

Here is the Baikonur cosmodrome, which is the world’s oldest as well as the largest operational space facility. It’s located in Kazahstan, but managed by Russian Federal Space agency…

Tags: russian, space, center, cosmodrome, kazahstan

Panic as Russian stock market falls by almost 20%

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:47:50 GMT

clipped by: sunstreak509

Clip Source: en.rian.ru

MOSCOW, October 6 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian stock market gave in to panic on Monday with the MICEX dropping 18.6% to 752 points and the RTS falling by 19.1% to 866.39 points - the worst losses since the 1998 crash.

Russia's financial system has been affected by a global credit crunch which started in the U.S. and quickly spread to Asia and Europe leading to record losses on Russia's financial markets, rising interest rates and a liquidity shortage.

Sergei Sheikov, managing director for corporate clients at the Olma Company said: "Monday became one of the blackest days for most market participants - for the first time since 2005 the RTS index closed below the psychologically important benchmarks of 900 and 1,000 points."

Tags: economy, markets, russia

Arctic Time Bomb Set For 2020?

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:58:22 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken

Clip Source: www.russiatoday.com

According to Jane's International Defence Review (IDR) magazine, by 2020 fossil fuels could heat up conflicts over the ice-cold plains of the North Pole.

As the ice caps melt and the vast recourses located at the top the world become more accessible, the stakes could be raised.

“Well, the worst case scenario will be some kind of conflict in the Arctic, in particular driven by the high price of oil and gas,” said Christian Le Miere, IDR’s Managing Editor. “If countries find themselves in need of these resources they may be forced or compelled to act in a military fashion.”

five major states are already racing for their piece of cake: Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark and the US.

Russia

planted a Russian titanium flag and took some samples of the soil to prove that it is a continuation of the Siberian continental shelf, verifying it as Russian territory.

whether Russia's claim will be able to cut any ice

is anybody's guess.

- other contenders will not give up this treasure without a fight.