(more…)

by John Helmer - Monday, November 8th, 2010
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow

If you’re wandering in the desert, and there isn’t enough water to go around, you need to be able to tell your friends at the well from your foes. The ancient Hebrew tribes found that circumcising their members was a particularly reliable device. They didn’t have to punch the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) toggle used in modern aircraft cockpits – they just pulled down their pants.
(more…)

by John Helmer - Sunday, November 7th, 2010
No Comments »

by John Helmer - Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow

US statutes require the registration of American agents who are acting for foreign companies or foreign individuals in an attempt to influence US legislation, political debate, or government decision-making in favour of their clients’ interests. Camouflage and concealment are unlawful, and can verge on espionage in the minds of some US prosecutors.

Lobbying is generally legal, so long as the lobbying activities themselves – letter-writing, meeting officials, donations to political campaigns, etc. — are registered and regularly reported to the Foreign Agents Registration unit (FARA) at the US Department of Justice in Washington.
(more…)

by John Helmer - Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow

Does he or doesn’t he? Is S&M best practice in his management thinking — cutting-edge in the literal sense?

Mikhail Prokhorov has a funny way of answering questions about his tastes, and ingratiating himself with reporters at the same time. When interviewed recently by a special reporter for the New York Times – the Times editors were reluctant to commit one of their regular byliners to the job – Prokhorov showed how he is able to break a man’s leg in just three furtive moves.
(more…)

by John Helmer - Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
No Comments »

“One oligarch, One divorce, Two abysses”, Pierre-Alexandre Sallier, Le Temps, Geneva,
October 30, 2010 — translated from the French

In Geneva, the wife of Dmitri Rybolovlev demands half of his wealth of 12 thousand million Swiss francs ($12.1 billion)

This affair leaves two big holes, one in Cologny, the most upper-crust hill of Geneva, the other one in the Urals
(more…)

by John Helmer - Monday, November 1st, 2010
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow

Now children, this is a story of the boy who was so keen to go on holiday, he packed his bag too soon.

The three insiders familiar with the matter, on whom Bloomberg relies, seem to have got the story wrong, at least so far as the timing of Alexei Mordashov’s (right image) initial public offering (IPO) of Nord Gold shares. They were reported as saying last week that the company had lodged its application to the Listing Authority of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the London regulator headed by Hector Sants (left image): “OAO Severstal’s gold-mining unit is seeking regulatory approval for a $1 billion initial public offering in London, according to three people with knowledge of the plan. The IPO, managed by Credit Suisse Group AG, Morgan Stanley and Troika Dialog, may start as early as this month, pending approval from regulators in London, two of the people said, declining to be identified because the information is private.”
(more…)

by John Helmer - Friday, October 29th, 2010
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow

Evraz, Russia’s largest steelmaking group, has announced this week the creation of a special internal committee on health, safety and environment, and will appoint a new vice president to supervise these issues. A company statement says it “is focused on increasing the level of industrial safety, labour protection and care of the environment across its international operations.”
(more…)

by John Helmer - Friday, October 29th, 2010
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow

One of every ten dollars Alrosa is hoping to borrow from investors this month has been provisionally set aside to advertise Alrosa at the next three Olympic Games – London, Sochi, and Rio de Janeiro. This is the largest purse of Russian philanthropy, advertising, or giveaway ever publicly offered to western bond buyers to approve, and to fill.
(more…)

by John Helmer - Thursday, October 28th, 2010
No Comments »

By John Helmer, Moscow

An order by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to extend the current ban on wheat, rye, barley and corn exports until July 1 next year — announced last week — will make an exception to allow Russian millers and traders to ship milled flour abroad. Allowing 1.4 tonnes of wheat to make one tonne of flour, the tonnage of wheat not allowed to be exported, which may be shipped as flour, may reach a million tonnes, triple the volume of the flour trade in the year before the drought.
(more…)

by John Helmer - Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
No Comments »