Author Archive
Posted on May 17, 2011 - by Venik
BP’s Rosneft alliance was always on thin ice
BP shareholders were wary about forging such close ties to the state-backed Rosneft Let’s face it, BP’s grand Arctic alliance with Rosneft never set shareholders’ pulses racing. There might be a lot of oil underneath the ice but it looked as if BP was becoming over-exposed to Russia by tying itself so closely to state-backed [...]
Posted on May 17, 2011 - by Venik
Police make breakthrough in cannibal cases in Russia and Slovakia
Moscow man caught eating human liver, while remains of women found by Slovakian officers Russian police have detained a man who was caught eating an acquaintance’s liver. They tracked down the suspected cannibal after a trail of severed body parts including limbs and a head were found across Moscow. “When the police came to arrest [...]
Posted on May 17, 2011 - by Venik
The billionaire oligarchs behind Alfa-Access-Renova (AAR)
AAR is a consortium of four Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman The oligarchs behind Alfa-Access-Renova (AAR) include Fridman.At 47, he has an estimated wealth of $15.1bn, making him Russia’s seventh richest man. Fridman and Peter Aven founded the Alfa Group Consortium – a holding company which controls Alfa Bank, Alfa Capital, Tyumen Oil, several construction material [...]
Posted on May 17, 2011 - by Venik
Rosneft ready to ditch BP and do deal with rival
Rosneft, the state-owned Russian oil group, seeks Arctic alliance with BP rival after collapse of deal with British company The Russian oil and gas group Rosneft is ready to ditch BP and look elsewhere for an alliance with a foreign competitor following the collapse of the two companies’ proposed alliance. The Rosneft-BP deal, announced in [...]
Posted on May 17, 2011 - by Venik
BP-Rosneft deal collapses
Huge Arctic exploration agreement is called off after the companies failed to finalise a deal to buy out BP’s current Russian partners in TNK-BP BP’s transformational deal in the Arctic has collapsed after it failed to reach agreement with its various Russian partners before a key deadline expired at midnight on Monday. The deal under [...]
Posted on May 16, 2011 - by Venik
Deadline expires for BP and Rosneft to save Arctic alliance
BP and Rosneft could resolve deal by buying out oligarchs’ stake in TNK-BP joint venture – but price remains a sticking point A bid to salvage BP’s Arctic exploration alliance with the Kremlin-controlled oil group Rosneft appeared in the balance after a midnight deadline to complete the deal had passed last night. The British oil [...]
Posted on May 16, 2011 - by Venik
Russia’s Winter Olympics slips into controversy over ‘Nazi images’
Billboard adverts for elite housing complex at Sochi 2014 games uses ‘neo-Hitlerite’ imagery from infamous design agency, say critics A promotional campaign linked to the 2014 Winter Olympics is stirring debate in Russia because of its use of allegedly “fascist” imagery. The campaign employs images of blue-eyed, blond sportsmen and women which have been described [...]
Posted on May 16, 2011 - by Venik
BP races to save alliance with Rosneft over Arctic oil and gas exploration
BP and Rosneft could resolve deal by buying out oligarchs’ stake in TNK-BP joint venture – but price is a sticking point BP was locked in talks on Monday as it raced to save an alliance with Kremlin-controlled Rosneft to explore for oil and gas in the Russian Arctic before a midnight deadline. The British [...]
Posted on May 13, 2011 - by Venik
Tim Waterstone poised to buy back book chain with Russian partner
Speculation billionaire Alexander Mamut has stepped in with a £43m bid to clinch control of the Waterstone’s outlets Tim Waterstone, the founder of the book stores that take his name, is poised for a dramatic come-back after his new, rich Russian commercial partner submitted a £43m bid for the business. Shares in the bookseller’s owner, [...]
Posted on May 12, 2011 - by Venik
Battle for Arctic oil intensifies as US sends Clinton to polar summit
WikiLeak cables show fears that Arctic resources rivalry could lead to military conflict between Nato and Russia The US government has signalled a new determination to assert its role in Arctic oil and gas exploration by sending secretary of state Hillary Clinton and other ministers to a summit of the region’s powers for the first [...]
Posted on May 11, 2011 - by Venik
Maradona and Liverpool greats play exhibition match for Chechen leader
All-star football game in Grozny the latest attempt by president Ramzan Kadyrov to show republic has recovered from war As night fell on the Chechen capital, the roars reached a fever pitch. A helicopter hovered overhead. Snipers readied their sights. Ten years ago these would have been signs of war. Last night, they indicated that [...]
Posted on May 11, 2011 - by Venik
Chechens flock to see Russo-Chechnya team take on soccer all-stars
President Ramzan Kadyrov captains side in a match that he hopes will prove Chechnya has put violent past behind it As night fell on the Chechen capital, the roars reached a fever pitch. A helicopter hovered overhead. Snipers readied their sights. Ten years ago these would have been signs of war. Today, they indicate that [...]
Posted on May 10, 2011 - by Venik
Russian blogger Alexei Navalny faces criminal investigation
Anti-corruption campaigner says state is taking revenge for his exposés of alleged fraud at Russian state companies Prosecutors in Moscow have opened a criminal investigation into anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, in what the blogger said was revenge for his exposés of alleged fraud at Russian state companies. The investigative committee said the activist was suspected [...]
Posted on May 10, 2011 - by Venik
Evgeny Lebedev warns of political backlash against abuse of press freedom
Russian publisher of Independent titles says British newspapers risk being placed in an ‘institutional straitjacket’ • Read Evgeny Lebedev’s speech in full Evgeny Lebedev has warned that phone hacking and other abuses of press freedom could lead to a new regulatory regime that would “not look out of place in the dark, totalitarian days of [...]
