Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Kremlin critics of trying to weaken Russia's increasing influence as a global power. The Russian president used an interview with Indian media, and a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, to hit back at Western critics who he says are trying to put Russia in its place. More from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty...
While Russian energy companies like Gazprom, Rosneft and now bankrupt Yukos have been dominating the headlines of not only business news, the largest Russian oil group, Lukoil, employed a more subtle approach, reports the Financial Times in a series of articles. In a string of deals examined by the Financial Times, Lukoil has invested $3bn in downstream assets, principally in eastern Europe, including buying three refineries in Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria and acquiring 2,000 petrol stations in the region.
Unlike state-controlled Gazprom, Lukoil is a fully-privatised company that works closely with a strategic foreign shareholder – ConocoPhilllips of the US, which owns just under 20 per cent. Read more...
It’s probably the corporate governance, jokes Greg Newton at Naked Shorts. A quick look at the list of the best performing single-strategy hedge funds over the past five years, courtesy of Pensions and Investments 2006 Databook, reveals a theme.
Of the top 40, 12 contain the words Russia or Russian. Then throw in one from Ukraine, and two further funds which hail from the Firebird Management, the fund manager co-founded by Harvey Sawikin that specializes in Russia and countries that were once part of the Soviet Union, and a sizeable chunk of the league table has found success in those markets, just going on name alone. Read more...
BBC News: Chechen Police Probed Over Murder Of Anna Politkovskaya
Interfax: Moscow Denies Politkovskaya Probe Theory Cited By U.S. Reporters
Telegraph: Russia Threatened By US Missile Defence Plan
Jamestown Foundation - Eurasia Daily Monitor: Kremlin Strategy Targets Western Energy Assets In Russia, Western Supply Sources In Third Countries
Associated Press: Reports: Russia Fulfills Iran Missile Deal
Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty: Moscow To Host Karabakh Talks
International Herald Tribune: Putin Says He, Russians Want Next President To Pursue Similar Policies
The Moscow Times reports that a high-level delegation from the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called on Monday for the Russian government to step up its efforts to solve a rash of killings that it says have made this country one of the world's most dangerous for journalists.
On the eve of the delegation's arrival in Moscow, one journalist was murdered and another was severely beaten in the Far East.
Russia has been rated one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists ranks Russia third in the number of journalists killed on the job since 1992 with 44 journalists killed. The International Federation of Journalists maintains that more than 200 journalists have been killed in Russia since 1993. Read more...
Russia's ambassador to Georgia is returning to his post on Tuesday, January 23 after a four-month absence. Moscow and Tbilisi, however, cautioned there was a long way to go before their turbulent relations were back on an even keel. Reuters reports...
The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was a good start for EU-Russian relations this year, says Deutsche Welle - WORLD's Ingo Mannteufel.
Russia and Germany are two natural partners in the dialogue over European energy security. Now, as Germany holds the presidency of the EU Council, may be the time to resolve the complicated energy relations for the future. Angela Merkel, finds herself on the pinnacle of her power, as other Western leaders like Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair descend from their prime. Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, has only a year and a half remaining in office, and a chance to create a powerful legacy of creating a reliable and functioning partnership with Europe which, despite of all rhetorics, remains Russia's only viable partner for the foreseeable future.
Read more...
