Matviyenko Sez Cuba and Russia Ties on the Upswing

THIS is what HH thinks of El Comandante… any questions? He’s certainly not buying the lying rightwing twaddle that Potapov and Paffhausesn are peddling…

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During her official visit to Cuba, Valentina Matviyenko, chairman of the RF Federation Council, met with Cuban President Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz and Juan Esteban Lazo Hernández, the President of the Cuban National Assembly of the People’s Power, and said that relations between Russia and Cuba are having a renaissance. Matviyenko praised the expansion of bilateral partnership, trade, economic, scientific, and humanitarian cooperation between the countries. She told reporters on the flight back to Moscow, “Our delegation came to Havana to upgrade and boost parliamentary cooperation between our two countries. We discussed a number of issues during a two-hour talk, including Fidel Castro’s health. The Comandante is feeling OK; he’s following a strict régime under tight medical supervision”.

Matviyenko also said that apart from being an important strategic partner, Cuba’s also a good and reliable friend, noting, “Our countries have special bonds of fraternity and mutual respect; Russia has very warm and sincere feelings for Cubans. We love our Cuban friends and are ready for cooperation. Havana and Moscow became close allies under Fidel Castro… 2013 marks 50 years since his first visit to the USSR… Moscow and some other Russian cities noted the event. Now, bilateral cooperation is on the rise, mainly focused on trade and economy. Although last year’s trade turnover accounted for only some 220 million dollars (6.93 billion Roubles. 172 million Euros. 145 million UK Pounds), there’s a great potential for expansion”.

The streets of Havana have many signs of long-lasting friendship, such as Soviet-made cars. Despite Cuba’s turn to foreign investors, the USA doesn’t want to lift its sanctions, so, Havana eyes working with Russia. Lazo, the president of the Cuban National Assembly of the People’s Power, spoke about the prospects of bilateral energy cooperation, thinking that Russia could help in constructing new units and supplying equipment for Cuban power plants built with Soviet aid. Havana also expects Moscow’s help in exploring oil in its Gulf of Mexico wells and further construction of refineries. Russian investment in Cuba’s oil sector is important; at present, only Zarubezhneft does so, but other Russian companies shall also join in. Cuba also eyes cooperation with Russia in nickel production, tourism, and agriculture as well as seeking help to refurbish and upgrade the Mariel and Santa Cruz del Norte power plants.

Russia and Cuba are long-term partners. For instance, Cubana de Aviación uses Russian Tupolev Tu-204 planes. Cuba has imported some worth 12 million USD (378 million Roubles. 9.4 million Euros. 7.9 million UK Pounds) worth of power plant equipment from Russia in the last three years and has recently resumed purchase of Russian tractors. Russian tourists are also contributing to Cuba’s economic revival… some 90,000 holidaymakers from Russia visited the Island of Freedom last year.

19 May 2013

Aleksei Lyakhov

Lada Korotun

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_05_19/Russia-Cuba-ties-are-seeing-renaissance-official/

 

21 March 2013. RIA-Novosti Infographics. Rating of the Richest Oil Countries in Per Capita Terms

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The experts at RIA Rating conducted a study of world oil and gas reserves. For more information on which countries lead in energy reserves per capita, see the Infographic above. According to RIA Rating’s calculations, the champion in the ranking is Qatar, where the average oil and gas reserves are worth more than 6 million USD (186 million Roubles. 4.7 million Euros. 4 million UK Pounds) per capita. To make a comparison, this amount is approximately equal to the average Russian salary for 600 years. Such large quantities have provided Qatar a fantastic economic growth in recent years; now, it’s the richest in the world in terms of GDP per capita. Second in the global oil and gas riches sweepstakes is Kuwait. This small Middle Eastern country has more than 4 million USD (124 million Roubles. 3.1 million Euros. 2.7 million UK Pounds) worth of oil and gas reserves per capita. Russia, with the largest gas reserves in the world, and amongst the 10 countries with the largest oil reserves, was only 17 in the rankings, largely due to its relatively-large population. The combined worth of Russian commercial oil and gas reserves is thought to be about 23.5 trillion USD (728 trillion Roubles. 18.2 trillion Euros. 15.5 trillion UK Pounds). Thus, the average worth per capita of Russia’s reserves isn’t all that high… 165,000 USD (5.1 million Roubles. 128,000 Euros. 109,000 UK Pounds)… that’s only 1/35 the per capita of the worth of Qatar’s reserves, but it’s also about 35 times higher than the world average.

20 March 2013

RIA-Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/infographics/20130320/180136761/The-Worlds-Richest-Countries-by-Oil-and-Gas-Reserves.html

http://ria.ru/infografika/20130319/928007562.html

28 October 2012. A Dose of Truth to Counter Brazen Republican Lies

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If corporations and the rich paid taxes at the same level as in the 1960s, the debt would disappear in a decade,” according to a study by the Institute for Policy Studies.

• In the 1940s, corporations paid 43 percent of all federal income taxes collected in the USA. In 2010, that percentage was only 8.9 percent.
• The USA raises less corporate tax revenue than most developed countries.
• The top statutory tax rate is 35 percent, but companies pay an average effective tax rate of about 25 percent. Some large companies paid nothing in taxes in 2010.
• Twelve major corporations made 171 billion USD (5.38 trillion Roubles. 132 billion Euros. 106 billion UK Pounds) in profits from 2008 to 2010, yet had a negative income tax rate of 1.5 percent.
• In 2010, the tax bill of General Electric, with reported worldwide profits of 14.2 billion USD (447 billion Roubles. 11 billion Euros. 8.8 billion UK Pounds) (5.1 billion USD (160.5 billion Roubles. 4 billion Euros. 3.2 billion UK Pounds) from its operations in the USA) was: ZERO.

During this pre-election period, many corporations seem to be busy brazenly intimidating their employees and telling them how to vote, as opposed to reading credible economic analysts. Not for just the last decade or so, but well before, the American public has learnt that Wall Street and Big Business aren’t where you look for the best economics or the best ethics. Let’s not forget their role in the Great Depression of the 1930s, a human catastrophe brought on by the greed and lack of government regulation in the Gilded Age and the Roaring Twenties. The current fiscal crisis also belongs primarily on Wall Street’s doorstep. Only careful regulatory policies by the federal government, combined with smart counter-recessionary government spending, can get the American economy back on its feet.

http://consortiumnews.com/2012/10/27/anti-government-economic-orthodoxy/

Editor’s Note:

I need add nothing. These vulture capitalists pay less tax than many of us do. It’s time to change that, kids. However, voting for Romney will only bring the Visigoths and Yahoos into the Forum, and we’ve got to prevent that. That’s all that one needs to say, no?

BMD

 

USA on the Verge of a “Fiscal Cliff”

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 No matter who takes the US helm, Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, the winner will have to tackle the budget deficit problem which many experts consider threatening the global economy. Some even call it a fiscal cliff. The GOP and the Democrats approach the issue differently but its solution will be decisive for financial well-being of all countries around the globe. Neither candidate plans tough austerity, but both back tougher taxation. Obama proposes to tax the rich, whilst tycoon Romney wants to tax everybody.

Russian economist Yevgeni Yasin believes, “This is all pre-election rhetoric, but, in practise, unpopular measures would be inevitable. Any drastic decision could trigger side-effects in the global economy. If the USA keeps on squandering money like this, its economy, as well as the global one, would fluctuate for some time, but, then, finally collapse”. Andrei Vavilov, the head of the Financial Research Institute, said, “Anyway, the winner would have to “relaunch” the American economy for further growth. It’s crucial to stimulate business activity, which is a priority for Romney, whilst Obama pays less attention to this sphere”.

According to a Foreign Policy magazine poll, half of the leading American economists find Obama’s economic strategy more reliable and rebuke Romney’s plan as being dangerous and unrealistic. Larry Summers, ex-US Treasury Secretary and the head of the National Economic Council, mocks Romney’s economic course. Meanwhile, Wall Street investment banks think that time is running out and urges the President and the Congress to prevent a collapse. However, politicians are unlikely to handle financial issues when the presidential race is approaching its peak.

19 October 2012

Anna Zhdanova

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_10_19/US-on-the-verge-of-a-fiscal-cliff/

Editor’s Note:

The fiscal crisis is due to four factors:

• Overly-expensive wars in foreign parts unrelated to national defence or national interests
• Tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans enacted during wartime (!)
• Deregulation of the banking industry
• Businessmen using Third World locales to circumvent labour and environmental regulations

The way out is clear. Firstly, we must “bring the legions home”, end the wars, and cut military spending for at least 20 years. Secondly, we must restore taxation on the rich to the levels of 1980. Thirdly, we must repeal all of Reagan’s “deregulation” and reimpose strict regulation of the banking industry. Fourthly, we must stop “outsourcing” by penalising businessmen who send jobs overseas.

That would cure the ill… but the Republican Party wants short-term gain over long-term health. It does indicate whom to vote for on 6 November, doesn’t it? Remember, a vote for Romney is a vote for war, higher taxes, and a corporate dictatorship. If we hold back the Republican racists this time, they may never get up again (due to changes in American demographics). That’s why we all have to vote…

BMD