By Mark Adomanis, Contributor According to official propaganda the Russian Federation is a “multiconfessional and multiethnic” state, not simply a nation-state for ethnic Russians. And, in reality, ethnic Russians make up about 80% of the population, with the remainder comprised of a bewildering array of ethnicities that are usually, but not always, Muslim. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
It’s a case teaming with colorful characters: a reputed Russian mob boss once accused in an Olympic scandal, a wealthy art world impresario who hung out with Leonardo DiCaprio and a woman named Molly Bloom who gained a celebrity following by hosting them at high-stakes poker games.
U.S. authorities allege all had roles in a sprawling scheme by two related Russian-American organized crime enterprises. Prosecutors say in recent years the operations laundered at least $100 million in illegal gambling proceeds through hundreds of bank accounts and shell companies in Cyprus and the United States.
The sprawling case against more than 30 defendants, announced this week by federal prosecutors in Manhattan, illustrates the insatiable appetite for sports betting around the globe — and the enormous potential for illicit profits. The steep rise in wealth among the upper class in the former Soviet Union has driven that potential to new heights, said Mark Galeotti, a Russian organized crime expert at New York University.
“We’re seeing higher-rolling businessmen involved in these types of cases,” Galeotti said. The high rollers’ bookies are left with the problem “of trying to figure out what to do with suitcases full of cash, and that leads to the money laundering,” he added.
The tentacles of the scheme reached into Trump Tower, the high rise on Fifth Avenue where prosecutors say a U.S. ringleader was living in an apartment one floor below Donald Trump‘s own place. There, he oversaw a network of Internet sites that formed “the world’s largest sports book” that catered “almost exclusively to oligarchs living in the Ukraine and the Russian Federation,” prosecutors said.
On one of the thousands of conversations intercepted on the defendants’ cellphones, the leader could be heard warning a customer who owed money that “he should be careful, lest he be tortured or found underground,” a prosecutor said.
The ring paid Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov — already under indictment in a separate U.S. case accusing him of bribing Olympic figure skating judges at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City — $20 million in gambling proceeds in a two-month period alone, court papers said. In another transaction in late 2010, the same man wired $3 million from a Cyprus bank account to another account in the United States, the papers said.
The new indictment naming Tokhtakhounov called him a “vor” — a term roughly translated to “thief-in-law” and comparable to a Mafia godfather. His role,
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/smrAIW68DyM/
A number of comments by Americans on social media mistaking the Czech Republic for the country of origin of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects — ethnic Chechen brothers — prompted the Czech ambassador to the United States to act.
In a statement posted on the embassy Web site, Petr Gandalovic said “the Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities — the Czech Republic is a Central European country; Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation.”
Gandalovic calls it “a most unfortunate misunderstanding,” but some responses on Twitter are less diplomatic.
Mirca Sekerova recommends Americans “open a geography book once in a while…stop blaming our country for this.”
And Petr Manda commented: “Well done, U.S. education system.”
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/xw0RGgnCxM8/
President Vladimir Putin on Friday revived the Soviet-era Hero of Labor award, once again turning to the symbols of the Soviet Union to reach Russians who look back to those times with nostalgia.
Putin, a 60-year-old former KGB officer, also has turned to Soviet practices to address the problems of Russia today. In his decree, the president said he was establishing the title Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation “with the goals of raising the social significance and prestige of selfless and honest labor.”
The new Hero of Labor medal is now Russia‘s highest state award and as such is to be worn on the left side of the chest and above all other Russian and Soviet awards. The medal is to be made from gold with a weight of 15.25 grams (more than half an ounce).
The award should be given to Russian citizens who “make a significant contribution to the social and economic development of the country, including development of industrial and agricultural production, transport, construction, science, culture, education and health care, and also other spheres of activity,” the decree states.
The systemic corruption in Russia — from kickbacks paid to Kremlin-loyal businesses to bribes demanded by doctors and teachers — has undermined people’s faith in government and hindered economic growth. While the opposition pins the blame squarely on Putin, he has made a concerted effort in recent months to show that he is addressing the problem.
In announcing his intention to revive the Hero of Labor award, Putin said that it had “proved to be useful” in the past.
Earlier this month, Putin called for the revival of a Soviet-era physical evaluation program that required all schoolchildren to pass fitness tests. He lamented that children today are in much worse shape than a few decades ago and said the restoration of GTO, the Russian acronym for Ready for Labor and Defense, would teach them “to stand up for themselves, their family and, in the final run, the fatherland.”
On Friday, he called for children once again to wear uniforms to school as they did in Soviet times.
Shortly after he first became president in 2000, Putin brought back the Soviet anthem and reinstated the Soviet-era red banner and red star for the military. The return of the familiar symbols was part of Putin’s effort to revive Russia‘s image as …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Helping Deliver More Sustainable Olympic Games, Dow Becomes the Official Carbon Partner of Sochi 2014
Celebrating 40 years in Russia, the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Movement will help the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee to deliver Games with minimal impact on the climate
SOCHI, Russia–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The Dow Chemical Company (NYS: DOW) , Worldwide Partner and the Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Games, has been announced today by the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee as the Official Carbon Partner of the XXII Olympic Winter Games, to be staged from February 7-23, 2014. The direct carbon footprint associated with the delivery of the Games will be mitigated through the implementation of energy-efficient technologies, with improved greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance in the key areas of infrastructure, industry and agriculture. All projects will be implemented in the Russian Federation, generating savings and long-lasting benefits to the host country’s economy.
From the very beginning of its journey to host the Olympic Winter Games for the first time in Russian history, Sochi 2014 has set the bold goal of delivering the Games with minimal impact on the climate. In order to help the Organizing Committee fulfill its vision toward generating change and raising awareness around climate change in Russia, Dow will work with local companies and marketing partners of Sochi 2104 to mitigate the estimated carbon footprint associated by the Organizing Committee with the hosting of the Games.
“We aim to be the most innovative Olympic Winter Games in history, and our long-lasting positive impact will leave behind an unparalleled heritage not only to Sochi and the Krasnodar Region, but to Russia and its people for generations to come,” said Dmitry Chernyshenko, president of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games Organizing Committee. “With its vast experience, world-class leadership in the industry and a wide range of innovative solutions, Dow is the trustworthy partner to help us on our journey to deliver more sustainable and innovative Games.”
The energy-efficient projects planned for implementation in Russia will enable the Organizing Committee to mitigate its carbon footprint and will also bring benefits to the country’s economy in the long term by targeting upgrades in building infrastructure, optimization of farming practices and enhancements on industrial processes. “We are very excited with the opportunity to work with Sochi 2014, Dow customers, and Olympic Partners to contribute to the sustainability vision of the first Olympic Winter Games in Russia – a country where Dow …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Analysis of DNA extracted from a fossil tooth recovered in southern Siberia confirms that the tooth belonged to one of the oldest known ancestors of the modern dog, and is described in research published March 6 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Anna Druzhkova from the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Russian Federation, and colleagues from other institutions. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
GE Wins $333 Million Service Contract Extension for Sakhalin-2 LNG Plant in Subarctic Russia
MOSCOW–(BUSINESS WIRE)– GE Oil & Gas (NYS: GE) has received a 16-year service contract extension valued at $333 million for Sakhalin-2, one of the world’s largest integrated oil and gas projects that operates in the harsh subarctic environment of Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East. The agreement underscores GE‘s commitment in local resources and a local workforce for the facility, which delivers economic benefits for both the Sakhalin region and all of Russia.
The service agreement was announced today during the Russia Power event in Moscow, where GE also announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Sakhalin provincial government to work together in developing power generation projects to meet the future energy needs of Sakhalin Island. The MOU covers a wide range of GE technology options, including aeroderivative gas turbines, gas engines, coal gasification and wind power.
The service contract extension covers four GE Frame 7EA gas turbines that drive the process trains for Sakhalin’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant—the first of its kind in Russia—and five GE Frame 5 gas turbines that are used for electricity production at the site.
Sakhalin Energy, a partnership that draws upon global oil and LNG expertise and experience, operates the project under a production sharing agreement with the Russian Federation. LNG is produced using technology that was developed by Shell to ensure maximum production during severe Sakhalin winters. The production capacity of the plant is 9.6 million tons of LNG per year, most of which is exported to Korea and Japan.
The extension to the Sakhalin Energy–GE contractual services agreement (CSA) for maintenance and services on Sakhalin Energy‘s LNG plant gas turbines has been approved by Sakhalin Energy‘s shareholders and Russian stakeholders. This …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Filed under: Oil & Gas Industry
The two most hotly debated scientific concepts associated with energy are “global warming” and “peak oil,” both with myriad proponents and detractors around the world.
In the latter case however, what is indisputable is that the last several decades have seen major fields in significant oil exporting nations decline. From Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar superfield through the Russian Federation‘s vast west Siberian field to Indonesia, oil output has spiked, and, in the case of Indonesia, it left the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in 2009 because it ceased to be a net exporter of oil. For those with a sense of history Indonesia, then the Dutch East Indies, was a major factor in the outbreak of world War Two in the Pacific, as the Japanese in late 1941 determined to seize the oil-rich archipelago in response to a U.S. oil embargo imposed earlier that year.
The latest country to stare into the energy abyss of declining oil production is Colombia.
In a stark interview with RCN Radio, Colombia‘s Finance Minister Mauricio Cardenas told his audience that Colombian oil reserves will last only eight more years at the current rate of consumption, adding, “We know that’s not much time to sustain a pace of 1 million barrels per day. That’s why we need to find reserves quickly.”
Adding to the grim picture Cardenas said that as yet, state oil firm Ecopetrol SA, 80 percent governmental and 20 percent private, one of the 25 largest petroleum companies in the world, had yet to discover new fields as large as Arauca province’s Cano Limon (95,000 barrels per day) or the Cusiana-Cupiagua field in Casanare province in 2011. The Cusiana-Cupiagua field peaked at 434,000 bpd in 1999, declined the following year to 342,000 bpd and has been dwindling ever since, although the U.S. government’s Energy Information administration notes, “Colombia produced 923,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil in 2011, up 35 percent from the 595,000 bbl/d produced in 2008,” adding that, “EIA forecasts that Colombia‘s oil production will increase in the next two years: in the May 2012 edition of the ‘Short Term Energy Outlook,’ EIA projected that Colombian oil production will rise to 970,000 bbl/d in 2012 and will exceed one million bbl/d in 2013.”
Cardenas noted, “Finding fields like those is very difficult. None has shown potential of that magnitude thus far. There are several (fields) with some minor potential and they add up. And that’s better because this isn’t about winning the biggest prize, it’s about winning several secondary prizes.”
The good news?
Last year Ecopetrol SA, recorded net profits of $15 billion marking the firm’s second most profitable year ever, with Cardenas noting bpd production slightly above the EIA statistics, telling reporters, “Ecopetrol gave us excellent results last year… which fills us with optimism. We’ve been at (1.18 million barrels per day since the beginning of 2012.”
But obviously Ecopetrol SA is going to have to dig deep into its cash reserves both to find and bring new fields online.
Bravado aside, …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
