Flare-up in the Caucasus – This Time It’s Serious

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , , was written by for on August 8, 2008 .2 Comments

It’s official. Wiki even has an article on it (2008 War in South Ossetia). It’s quite balanced and always updated, so I recommend reading it over any news source. I admit that I was under the impression that this conflict would yet simmer for a few years, as they already have been, a spectacle of […]

News 2 May: Russia’s Second Oil Peak

This about Economy, tagged , , , was written by for on April 25, 2008 .5 Comments

For all the noise being made this month about Georgia, about NATO, about Tibet, etc, possibly the most portentous is that it seems Russia hit its oil peak (strictly speaking, its second – the first happened in 1987), well in line with peakist predictions. Production increases via application of new technology, as seen in the […]

News 2 Mar

This about Politics, tagged , , , was written by for on March 2, 2008 .No Comments

The most important development has been Medvedev’s election to the Presidency with 70.2% of the vote. While it has not been squeaky clean (and as such, no different from any other Russian election under either Yeltsin or Putin), the more hystryonic claims of voter intimidation are to be treated with a pinch of salt – […]

News 13 Jan

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , was written by for on January 13, 2008 .No Comments

Rally against Georgia poll result Thousands of opposition supporters have taken to the streets in Georgia in protest at what they say were rigged presidential elections last weekend. Those gathered in the capital, Tbilisi, are demanding a second round of voting. Pro-Western leader Mikhail Saakashvili polled 53%, narrowly averting a run-off against his nearest rival, […]

News 11 Jan

This about Politics, tagged , , , , was written by for on January 11, 2008 .3 Comments

Net capital inflow into Russia hit $82.3 bln in 2007 MOSCOW, January 11 (RIA Novosti) – Net capital inflow into Russia reached a record $82.3 billion in 2007, almost double the previous year’s figure, the Central Bank announced on Friday. In 2006 the figure was $42 billion. In the last three months of 2007, net […]

News 10 Jan

This about Politics, tagged , , , , was written by for on January 10, 2008 .No Comments

Russian moves to ban tobacco advertising MOSCOW, January 10 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian government has decided to completely ban tobacco advertizing, by signing up to a World Health Organization anti-smoking convention. In its first session of the year, the government approved a draft law on joining the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), […]