An important factor in Russia's economic growth last year was the unprecedented scale of investment. According to official statistics, the increase in investment in fixed assets hit a six-year high of 13.5% against 10.7% in 2005. The government views the rise as a sign of a healthy economy. Yet the country's stagnating industry makes talk of sound economic growth seem premature.
The fact that investment grew almost twice as fast as gross domestic product (up 6.7%) is really a positive...... (read more)
RIA Novosti political commentator Marianna Belenkaya from BERLIN
The Mid-Eastern Quartet (Russia, the U.S., EU, and UN) has just held a high-level meeting in Berlin. Although many experts had called it useless before it took place, its final news conference produces a number of interesting statements.
The main point is that Arab countries will now be involved in the Quartet's efforts. The forum's host, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said the situation had changed, and "we are finding Arab partners in Mid-Eastern settlement." He added...... (read more)
On February 20, the Russian Commodities Exchange (RTS) launched trading in petrochemical futures. This is an important step in the development of oil and petrochemical exchange trading in the country. Yet it is still a long way until domestic exchanges start setting prices on Russian oil.
Until recently, Russia did not have an oil and petrochemical exchange, although the need for one was obvious. Russia currently produces over one fourth of the world's commodities traded on exchanges, but...... (read more)
RIA Novosti political commentator Vladimir Simonov
Private Luke Simpson, known as "Boob" to his friends, was buried in London on Wednesday. He is the 123rd British serviceman to die in Iraq since March 2003.
That same day, Prime Minister Tony Blair said that Britain would withdraw about 1,600 troops from Iraq in the coming months and might cut a further 500 from its 7,100-strong contingent by late summer if Iraqi forces can secure the country's south.
The prime minister's speech was optimistic, if not quite victorious. The goal of the...... (read more)
The Pentagon has a whole department to supervise stabilization and humanitarian missions in the U.S. troop deployment areas.
The primary humanitarian task of a military contingent is to provide support for the supply service - international charities come next. The department also helps coordinate the work of different humanitarian missions. This actually amounts to the U.S. official concept, under which combat units receive real time information about the location of humanitarian agencies...... (read more)
Russia and China are becoming increasingly integrated into the global economy, and both have stepped up their activity sharply in Africa, Latin America and Asia in recent years, trends that are only likely to accelerate in the future.
But Russia's motives in the developing world are rather different from those of China, which explains the rather different reaction to the two countries both there and in the West.
Hu Jintao's third presidential tour of Africa last week was accompanied by...... (read more)
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