S&P: No change with Russia minister resignation (AP)

Millions of people around the world are heading to the polls this year, with plenty of pivotal presidential elections taking place. Along with potentially more than 100 million eligible voters in America electing a president in November, countries such as France, Venezuela and Kenya also hold presidential elections.

Millions of people around the world are heading to the polls this year, with plenty of pivotal presidential elections taking place. Along with potentially more than 100 million eligible voters in America electing a president in November, countries such as France, Venezuela and Kenya also hold presidential elections.

So far the market has been largely oblivious of the shattered trust and changed dynamic in European banking dynamics for one simple reason: Cyprus banks have been closed, and likely will be closed indefinitely, preventing the mass media from broadcasting what happens when an entire population, and foreign depositors, decide to clear out the holdings of their bank accounts, either physically or electronically, and the public anger the will result when they find that courtesy of fractional reserve banking, only a tiny amount of said deposits is actually present.

President Dmitry Medvedev has launched a campaign to oust allies of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin from company boards in a possible blow to Putin's carefully-built system of state control over the economy.After Medvedev reeled off his new to-do list that calls for state officials to stand down from corporate directorships, Russia was buzzing with speculation over whether he has agreed his plan with Putin or was acting independently to thrust himself to the forefront of Russia's leadership with less than a year to go before presidential polls.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Wednesday it was too early to discuss the 2012 presidential elections but added he and President Dmitry Medvedev would agree on whether to stand in the polls."We will jointly agree, we will think about it, we'll see," Russian news agencies quoted the powerful prime minister, and former president, as saying."It's too early to talk about it," Putin said. "As soon as we talk about it everybody stops working, expects changes, reshuffles."

Russia's ruling duo toasted each other with glasses of milk Friday at a lunch of traditional farm products contributed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.Putin was shown on television telling President Dmitry Medvedev to help himself to a giant round loaf of traditional rye bread and a basket of packets of milk and kefir, a drink similar to yoghurt."Let's tuck in," Putin invited Medvedev, who quipped: "It's good that you did not come empty-handed."