I suggest you read that thread fully, its embarrassing and not a good look.
Wise words here about NFZâs
Out comes the Nokia 95 and the old set of Stan SmithsâŠ
Can you remind me what my views on schooling are again? I genuinely canât remember sharing those on here.
Because of a complex ownership situation he has inherited a quarter of a box flat on the outskirts of a big expensive city. Once tax is taken into account heâs left with <ÂŁ20k or something, hardly a massive inheritance albeit more than some.
You hammered my brother Barry (he told me most distressed over a glass of port) for wanting to send his children to a private school if his local one was poor (one of the worst in the UK) so to wait for a better state one if and when offered.
A principle is a principle comrade.
May I also suggest you read this as you feature quite highly in this regarding Russian aggression.
Yes thatâs him.
I hammered him too. Ban hammered him.
Article from the Telegraph
âLondongradâ may have become the playground of Russiaâs ultra-rich], but Cyprus has long played an integral role in helping oligarchs make moves to the West.
The island, dubbed âMoscow-on-the-Medâ, became a major magnet for magnates â from Russia and beyond â thanks to the generous perks it offers for the wealthy.
Sunshine, beaches and halloumi may be the main attractions for visitors to Cyprus, but for Vladimir Putinâs allies it has long provided a different class of services: EU passports and a number of banks with a relaxed stance on money-laundering.
The country has tried to clean up its act following a series of scandals, but apparent reticence over sanctions against Moscow have put its role as a gateway to the West under the microscope again.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cyprus offered attractive benefits to Russian nationals: low taxes, low scrutiny and â perhaps most importantly â somewhere to keep money out of the Kremlinâs sight.
Tellingly, Cyprus â one of the EUâs smallest economies â frequently tops lists as the biggest source of foreign direct investment into Russia. Oligarchs like using the island as a base for operations as they direct their money back home. Russia, meanwhile, is typically its biggest investor.
As Jakub Janda, director of the Prague-based European Values Center for Security Policy put it last week: âCyprus is a Russian bank with dirty money posing as an EU state.â
In return, Cyprus has made plenty of money from Russians. In 2014, Russia-related business income was equivalent to about 14pc of the countryâs GDP. Of course, much of that is now tourism â the island caters to middle-class Russians seeking a spot of sun, as well as the billionaire clientele of its luxury retailers.
Facing increasing political pressure in the wake of the Crimea annexation, Cypriot authorities began to crack down on the islandâs network of shell companies. That forced some Russians to wind down entities after being presented with anti-money laundering controls.
By early 2019, Cyprusâs foreign-held bank account valuation, mainly reflecting Russian wealth, had fallen to âŹ7.1bn, according to its central bank. That was down from a peak of âŹ21.5bn in 2012, when it was estimated a third of all bank deposits were of Russian origin.
Banking has not been the only draw, however. Cyprusâs âgolden passportsâ were, until recently, one of the easiest ways for Russians to buy the power and credibility granted by citizenship of a bloc member.
The idea was simple: foreigners could obtain âcitizenship by investmentâ if they pumped enough money into Cyprus.
Initially introduced in 2008, the scheme was loosened substantially by current president Nicos Anastasiades. Facing a financial crisis after coming to power in 2013, he cut the amount of investment needed for eligibility from âŹ10m to âŹ3m. The figure was subsequently lowered even further.
Anastasiadesâ target was obvious. The policy was announced to a crowd of Russian business figures in the port city of Limassol (sometimes called âLimassolgrad"), where Cyrillic signs and Russian-named yachts are commonplace.
Russian investors and their families made up almost half of the thousands of passports awarded in the first five years of the loosened scheme. It even continued to draw huge amounts of interest after Russiaâs move on Crimea in 2014.
An investigation by Reuters found relatives and allies on Hun Sen, Cambodiaâs authoritarian prime minister, had been granted Cypriot citizenship. Then Politis, a domestic news organisation, revealed that Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman at the heart of the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB lotting and money-laundering scandal had also become a citizen.
The revelations prompted probes in Cyprus, and led EU politicians to issue calls for the golden passport scheme to be tackled. Authorities have subsequently stripped nationality from dozens of people after finding âmistakesâ in the process.
The coup de grace was delivered by broadcaster Al Jazeera, which a year later revealed documents that showed how Russian elites â including several with state positions, and some of the countryâs richest men â had bought their way into the benefits from EU citizenship through the Cypriot scheme.
An independent commission found Cypriot authorities had unlawfully issued passports to relatives of investors who ploughed money into the island, and that many of those granted passports had failed to meet the conditions.
The scheme was wound down in disgrace last year, after 13 years that generated political scandal, 6,779 new citizens, and about âŹ8bn of direct cash for the island.
As Russia becomes a political and economic pariah, Cyprus will be keen to show that it has cleaned up its act. But as global regulators try to crack down on the flows of Russian wealth, Cyprusâs bankers may face some difficult questions.
tl/dr
Mind you, that applies to pretty much the entire thread.
697 posts so far. I guess about 500 - at least - would be better off on the Beef thread.
Youâre just saying that because you love Putin*
* No, it doesnât make any sense and there is no evidence of my claim.
Putin if he doesnât do a Hitler in another way by ending himself in a bunker will be before the Hague if he leaves Russia, war criminal.
And how many have that bastion of democracy taken in?
The logistics effort is immense. Special trains from the border zone. Most Tourist coaches booked by corporates getting staff away.
Notbaz.
You checking Barcodes before buying anything?
#jointheboycott
Again. How many have UK Gov accepted?
I donât know if youâre asking me? No where near enough is my answer.