Lucent, you didn't answer my question. And it's not the first time, by the way. All you do is keep posting the same BBC article with a silly picture of a man in WWII uniform.



The purchase of major EU bank, B.M.P.S. by a Russian counterpart could mark the start of a shopping spree by the country’s cash-rich banks.

VIDEO - http://www.russiatoday.ru/business/news/24055/video


On Wednesday influential business daily Milano Finanza reported that a Russian consortium is eyeing the French and Belgian operations of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA.

Observers believe only VTB or Sberbank has the resources to buy the assets put up for sale by the Italian major.
Experts think cash-rich Russian banks will not be able to resist the temptation to purchase European banks. The current credit crisis provides all the conditions for such deals: EU banks have become relatively cheap, while Russia's banks are full of cash.

However, some banking analysts do not see the logic for Russian banks to buy abroad. “I think the priority for any Russian bank’s management must be first to focus on the domestic market,” an expert from global investment bank Lehman Brothers said.

http://www.russiatoday.ru/business/news/24055


From Bloomberg:


The world's biggest banks are advising their clients to load up on rubles in a bet that one of the first things Dmitry Medvedev may do after he's sworn in as Russia's president this week is to allow a stronger currency.

Merrill Lynch & Co., Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG predict gains of as much as 4 percent in the next six months. They say pressure will mount on the central bank to let the ruble appreciate to stem inflation even if it risks damping profits of oil and energy exporters, which according to Merrill Lynch fund more than half of the federal budget.

The last time Bank Rossii, which must submit proposed changes in monetary policy to the government, allowed the ruble to strengthen was in August, when the inflation rate was 8.5 percent. It's now 13.3 percent, five times the average of the Group of Seven industrialized nations. Two interest-rate increases this year failed to restrain consumer prices, and Russia ``isn't ruling out'' letting the ruble gain, Bank Rossii Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev said April 24.

``Ruble appreciation will continue to be a key anti- inflation tool given the limited domestic monetary instruments the central bank has at its disposal,'' said Ramin Toloui, a senior vice president at Newport Beach, California-based Pacific Investment Management Co., which manages more than $800 billion. ``That favors continued ruble appreciation.''
The central bank sets the price of the ruble against a so- called currency basket made up of 0.55 dollars and 0.45 euros.
It let the currency appreciate against the basket three times last year by a total of about 1.3 percent. The ruble was at 36.7684 per euro and 23.7601 per dollar at 9:18 a.m. in New York.

Surging Growth

Russia, the world's biggest energy exporter, has expanded an average of about 7 percent a year since President Vladimir Putin, 55, took office in 2000. During that time, the price of oil has risen almost fivefold to a record $119.93 a barrel. The economy will grow 6.6 percent this year, more than five times the 1.2 percent average of the G-7, according to Merrill Lynch.

Medvedev, 42, and the central bank are faced with the challenge of maintaining growth while stemming inflation. Consumer prices have surpassed the government's target every year since 2003.
Bringing down the inflation rate ``is one of our biggest priorities,'' Putin said during his annual press conference on Feb. 14. Putin will become responsible for the economy when he assumes the role of prime minister on May 8, the day after Medvedev's inauguration.
`Doing Everything' ....

READ MORE - http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...refer=currency

__________________
War between Russia and Georgia orchestrated from USA

READ MORE -- http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/co...ssia_georgia-0

Back to the subject:

July 10, 2008, 21:28
Georgia recalls ambassador to Russia

Georgia is withdrawing its ambassador from Moscow in protest at Russian military flights over South Ossetia. Tbilisi says the diplomat is being recalled for ‘consultations’ following an act of aggression. Russia says the flights prevented a possible Georgian invasion of South Ossetia.

Georgia's Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili announced the decision to pull the ambassador Erosi Kitsmarishvili out on Thursday, accusing Russia of an "act of aggression".
"Russia has revealed its attitude and political position not only in respect of international law, but also to issues of international security and stability in general," Tkeshlashvili told journalists. She added: "We will undertake active and decisive steps, and today we will recall the Georgian ambassador to Russia for consultations".

READ MORE - http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/27313

__________________
War between Russia and Georgia orchestrated from USA

READ MORE -- http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/co...ssia_georgia-0

This is ridiculous - you never engage in debate - you asked me "Explain that, please. How are they "incompetant"?

I did and then you just move onto your usual diatribes


This is what I have come to expect from the Slavs - they have such a totalitarian mentality.

Dear lunecat, in order to engage in debate, first I need to understand your point, so that is why I ask you to explain what you mean. But you always ignore my question, however.

I also noticed that you like to change the topic of a discussion, bring new and unrelated information and then make it look like you win a debate.

Cheers....


-------------------------------

Back to the topic:


US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Tbilisi Wednesday, July 9 as the US and Russia accused each other of stoking unrest in Georgia while US troops began exercises with regional armies near Russia's borders.



US troops have begun war games with the Georgian army
Source -- http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,...n-all-1573-rdf


So why did she visit Georgia now? To say to Saakashvili - Georgia, you are the boss here. Go, Georgia! Go!?

Condoleezza Rice is an agent provocateur.

__________________
War between Russia and Georgia orchestrated from USA

READ MORE -- http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/co...ssia_georgia-0

Russia must not back off now.

Back off from what?

It's all about Georgia (its pro-American president actually) which is trying to turn the Abkhazians into Georgians.
Russia is involved in this conflict simply because in 1992 Abkhazia asked Russia for protection. If not Russia, Georgia would probably exterminate the whole Abkhazian nation.


A Short Chronicle of Events of the 1992-93 Georgian-Abkhazian War

August 14, 1992

Georgian troops enter Abkhazia, move through Gal, Ochamchira, and Gulripsh, and occupy the eastern corner of Sukhum.

August 18, 1992

Georgian troops take control of Sukhum. They remove the State flag from atop the Government House. In the Ochamchira region, which is in their hands, partisan bands actively oppose them. In the city of Grozny, the Parliament of the Congress of the Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus adopts a resolution to dispatch to Abkhazia groups of volunteer fighters.

August 25, 1992

The commander of the Georgian army, G. Qarqarashvili, issues an ultimatum: the Abkhaz are to halt their unsuccessful war within 24 hours. "Even if 100,000 out of the total number of Georgians perish," Qarqarashvili states, "we shall wipe out the entire population of you Abkhazians."




October 23, 1992
Georgian special forces in Sukhum burn down the state historical archive of Abkhazia and the archive of the Institute of Abkhazian language, history and literature.

December 14, 1992
Georgian troops in the village of Lata shoot down a Russian MI-8 helicopter with 60 passengers, including women and children, all of whom perish.

READ MORE - http://www.circassianworld.com/croniclewar.html

__________________
War between Russia and Georgia orchestrated from USA

READ MORE -- http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/co...ssia_georgia-0

MOSCOW, July 10 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian military planes were flying over South Ossetia to avert a possible invasion from Georgia, the information and press department of the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Thursday.

“On July 9, tensions have mounted sharply in the South Ossetia conflict zone. We received the information, including from the command of the peacekeeping forces, about a possible direct invasion of Georgian troops allegedly aimed at a release of four servicemen, who were detained by the South Ossetian law enforcement agencies,” the ministry’s department said.

“To clarify the situation Russian military planes have made a short flight over South Ossetia,” the department said. “As later events showed even this step allowed cooling down the hot heads in Tbilisi and avert a scenario with the use of force that was quite real,” the Foreign Ministry’ s department said.

__________________
War between Russia and Georgia orchestrated from USA

READ MORE -- http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/co...ssia_georgia-0

That's exactly what I wanted to say. If Georgia does decide to attack Abkhazia and South Ossetiah, than Russia must react promptly.

Resistance is futile.

I see.
AmusedToDeath, can you post this site on Serbian forums, please? Thanks.

__________________
War between Russia and Georgia orchestrated from USA

READ MORE -- http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/co...ssia_georgia-0

I do not participate in Serbian political forums. It's no fun if you share the same opinion with others all the time.

But I'll be happy to post the link, if I find a suitable web page to do so.

But don't worry, Serbia stands with Russia on this one.