After the OPEC countries decided not to reduce the quota for oil production, a further drop in oil prices can adversely affect the economy of Kazakhstan, the expert of the Institute of Political Solutions of Kazakhstan Sergey Smirnov told Trend.
"I don't want to be another rich, dead dude." So said Frank Giustra, the billionaire Canadian philanthropist who recently received the Dalai Lama Humanitarian Award from the Dalai Lama himself. For the Hollywood Reporter, Giustra is the Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, which he founded 15 years ago or so. Moviegoers and TV watchers know Giustra, or rather Lionsgate, for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, The Hurt Locker, Juno, Monster's Ball, Orange is the New Black, and Nurse Jackie. Undoubtedly, based on the award and the Hollywood Reporter headline, the group of online journals that have arisen lately to lionize big givers will give Giustra a heroic philanthropic bio.
To Western observers, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be caught in a perfect storm: his gamble in Ukraine's Crimea region has left diplomatic ties with the European Union as damaged as they've ever been, with Russia losing the support of a critical ally in Germany; the ruble has dropped 22%, which has helped Russia post its slowest GDP growth in five years; and slumping oil prices could cause the Russian economy to lose between $90 billion and $100 billion per year if oil prices drop more than 30%, according to Russia's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
Russia's competition with China for dominance in Central Asia has long appeared to be doomed due to the asymmetrical relationship between Russian and Chinese economic power. The already strong Chinese economic position in the region has grown even stronger recently with Beijing's announcement of large initiatives that are to pour billions of dollars of aid into the region, further tying it to China.
Former secret service deputy head says publication of house address searched by Maltese police endangers his family
Russian politician Andrei Zhirinovsky is all mouth, so it would not normally have caused a stir when he suggested earlier this year that Russia should simply annex the parts of neighbouring Kazakhstan that have a large Russian population.
Russian politician Andrei Zhirinovsky is all mouth, so it would not normally have caused a stir when he suggested earlier this year that Russia should simply annex the parts of neighboring Kazakhstan that have a large Russian population. But the ultra-nationalist leader of the Liberal Democratic Party actually frightened the Kazakhs, because there is a bigger game going on.
