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PRO-RUSSIAN ARMED MEN have seized control of parliament and government buildings in the Ukrainian region of Crimea, raising Russian flags above them.
Up to 50 men with weapons marched into the buildings during the night, hoisted Russian flags on top and were blocking government workers from entering, Crimean prime minister Anatoliy Mohilyov told AFP.
Local authorities were preparing to “take measures”, Mohilyov said without adding any more details.
“We ask government workers not to come to work today,” the regional government said in a statement.
Dozens of men in full combat dress but without any markings of affiliation marched into the government and parliament buildings earlier in the morning and removed the guards without any fight, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted sources in parliament as saying.
It said that they gained entrance to the building complex by firing on the glass doors but no-one was hurt.
The move came amid concerns of growing separatism on the overwhelmingly pro-Russian peninsula on the Black Sea after the ousting of pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych.
The head of the local assembly for Crimea’s Muslim Tatar minority — which is fearful of any pro-Russian separatist moves — confirmed that the buildings had been seized.
“I was told that the buildings of the Crimean Verkhovna Rada (parliament) and the Crimean Council of Ministers (government) are occupied by armed men in uniform without identification signs,” Refat Chubarov wrote on Facebook.
“They have not put forward any demands yet.”
Unconfirmed news reports said that the buildings were being controlled by Russian-speaking militia groups formed by the local population.
Many in Crimea, which is overwhelmingly Russian rather than Ukrainian speaking, strongly oppose the takeover of Ukraine by pro-EU and anti-Kremlin forces.
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There is no misinformation; banks are just not lending!
won’t be long and everyone commenting will be running to the banks
Sme’s think the bank is not lending is a fact and not something they just made up.
The banks have lost all trust and credibility with the vast majority of the public and I for one don’t believe anything they say.
Look, just becuase everyone saw the sky today does NOT mean it was there, ok!? #BOI
how can a bank our group of banks reject the findings of its regulatory body? something is very broken when rule breakers can turn around and refute regulators reports and say we don’t accept the findings in safe knowledge that no one will challenge them
Who do you think runs Ireland, Europe and the World?
I’m Md of a specialist engineering company we have a clean record with our bank Boi,nAnd guess what?nThey are NOT lending!nHow can an Irish Sme grow and create jobs without business loans?nAnd our spineless government haven’t the balls to tackle them??
True for you BTW Whatever happened to the FG proposal to have a reconstruction bank? Is it on the back burner because they want businesses to bail out our zombie banks? Many don’t even bother to try to get loans due to the negative experience of others.
Can anyone name a FG election promise that was kept?? I can’t !
Know what? BOI dont fully qualify as a bank any more. Definition of a bank- 1. an institution for receiving, lending, exchanging, and safeguarding money and, in some cases, issuing notes and transacting other financial business.
The banks are offering to lend, no doubt about that but its the T&C that SME’s can not comply with.
They can then report to the Government that they have made an offer and the company did not avail of it.
Spin, I believe that’s what it is called.
Well if bank of Ireland says it’s not true and that they are bending over backwards to help sme s then it must be true and I have to believe them….tsk tsk ..silly people casting doubt on such a venerable institution
Exactly Marc, if BOI says it’s lending than it is lending and we are all very silly for believing to the contrary …………..despite all the evidence. Did you see the new BOI ad on TV, they really do care about us, they really do!!!!!!!
In jan 2012 applied to increase overdraft from €5000 to €7500,yes that €2.500 increase.aug 2012 no answer just told they haven’t come back .
God love self employed Ireland.
80% of applications approved? Yes, if you count renewals of existing facilities where they have little choice. What’s the % for approvals of NEW money going out the bank’s door?
The minister for finance said in the dail we can’t believe what the banks say so what has changed NOTHING !!!
They have consistently lied to the past government this government the central bank the regulator and now the people of Ireland.
Why do we still doff our caps ?
Eh? Isn’t that a bit like the bloke beating you over the head with a baseball bat being concerned that you believe he’s the violent sort??
They are more concerned, at being found out! Who told the dogs on the street, find them and put them down!
If bank of Ireland are sooooo concerned why don’t they start lending
Bank of Ireland really really loves us all….it’s just misunderstood
OK here we go…
What if, and its a big if, the banks are only reflecting how really shagged the economy is. Then its better not to be throwing good money after bad. We would end up bailing the shaggers out again if they were making huge losses.
Also the government would be delighted that everyone was focusing on the bad bad bankers rather than how fu**ed the economy really is….yes/no?
If a business is loosing money and succeeds in borrowing to cover this loss what happens next year etc.
Can’t we just sack the lot, save the money and get decent banks and bankers in?!!
That last bit was a joke, if course!
Decent bankers… :-))
have your say