Tag Archives: russia

International, U.S.

Russia says United States starting new Cold War

May 18, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, says the United States faces a new Cold War if it continues to push its “missile shield” across eastern Europe.

Medvedev says Russia will have no choice but to increase spending on its military, especially nuclear weapons: “We would then be talking about developing the offensive potential of our nuclear capabilities. This would be a very bad scenario.”

The U.S. has repeatedly said the missile shield system is aimed at Iran, but it’s very suspicious that most European countries that have agreed to host the U.S. system, are in eastern Europe facing Russia.

Business/Economics, International

Chinese are big spenders in France, Russians close behind

In another sign of who’s got the money, for the second year Chinese tourists have topped the list of biggest spenders in France.

The study was done by the UN World Tourism Organization.  Recently the Japanese, in their own study, found that Chinese tourist were the biggest spenders there.

The study showed a 60% increase in Chinese visiting France, from 2009 to 2010.  Spending also went up by 35%.

Russian tourists are the second biggest with number of visitors, and spending, in France.

 

Business/Economics, International

Sign of the times: Fast Five showing in Russia before United States

Fast five had a midnight opening, April 29, in the United States.  But, the Vin Diesel, U.S. franchise success, opened in Russia first.

In fact Vin Diesel told Russian media, on opening night in Moscow, that he “…wanna shoot a movie in Moscow so badly…”, adding that “…when you see Fast Five, you’ll hear Mia and Brian talk about Russia a lot.”

Fast Five opened in more than 10 countries, in the week prior to opening in the U.S., and has become the top money maker in most of those countries.

So what’s the sign of the times? The big money for “Hollywood” movies is not to be found here in the U.S. anymore, no thanks to the bad economy.

Business/Economics, International, Opinion

World’s largest oil producer, Russia, halts fuel exports, could drive up gas prices

Russia has stopped exporting refined fuel, officially to deal with fuel shortages in Russia.

Russian officials hope the export ban will last  only through May, but after that Russia will increase to costs of exporting their fuel.  In any event, this move by Russia should add to the increasing fuel prices the world is paying.

I can’t help wonder if Russian leaders are taking advantage of a domestic situation to make things worse for the West, in retaliation for what the West is doing in Libya, and what the West is trying to do in Syria.

 

 

International, U.S.

Former Ronald Reagan official says this is all about World War 3

“Washington is all for invading Libya and is putting more and more pressure to intervene in Syria because we want to… clear China and Russia out of the Mediterranean.”

“Those two countries are just in the way of American hegemony in the Mediterranean and certainly the Americans do not want a powerful Russian fleet stationed there and they certainly don’t want China drawing energy resources.”

“Once Russia and China come to the conclusion that the Americans simply cannot be dealt with in any rational way and are determined to somehow subdue them and do them damage, all kinds of escalations can result. This is the real danger and we’re risking a major war.” Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under President Ronald Reagan, and former editor of the Wall Street Journal

International, U.S.

Russia issues more warnings against NATO, over Libya, willing to officially oppose UNSCR 1973

“If a resolution leads to a further escalation of a civil war by any means, including outside intervention, we will not be able to support this.”-Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister

Russia is demanding that military strikes stop, and that peace talks begin following a ceasefire.  Russian officials indicate that they will move from a neutral stance on UNSCR 1973 (Russia abstained from voting on it), to officially opposing it, if NATO doesn’t back off.

International

Terrorists bombed Minsk subway, Moscow on alert, graphic video

At least 11 people are dead, and as many as 103 wounded, after an explosion in a Minsk subway, in the country of Belarus.  The explosion caused Russian police in Moscow to search their subways.

Witnesses say there is a large crater where the ‘bomb’ went off.  Belarus police say it is an act of terrorism, they found the remains of a bomb that ahd been stuffed with scraps of metal.  One analyst says this is the first time for such an act of terrorism in Belarus.

Russia suffered a terrorist attack at one of its airports in January.  Russia has been asking Western leaders to help them in their fight against terrorism since the 1990s.

Cell video

Graphic video