Explainer-in-brief: Is there hope on the Ukrainian border? February 16, 2022 Yesterday morning it seemed like a pressure valve had been released, even if just slightly when Russia announced it was “withdrawing” some troops who had been carrying out “drills” on the Ukrainian border. After weeks of escalating tensions and a constant flow of European leaders travelling to Moscow to demand Vladimir Putin back down, it [...]
Kremlin-linked Russian money laundered in London: UK should ‘get its house in order on dirty Russian cash’ February 16, 2022 Boris Johnson’s government needs to “get its house in order” if it is serious about tackling “dirty money” from Russia coming into the UK, Keir Starmer has said. The Labour leader also called for the Government to “go now and go hard” with sanctions against Russia, as he said the Prime Minister should return all [...]
Iberian rugby: The duo of nations mounting a Rugby World Cup challenge February 16, 2022 In 2015 it was Japan beating South Africa in Brighton. In 2019 it was Uruguay beating Fiji in Kamaishi. So in 2023 why can’t it be Spain or Portugal beating Scotland in Lille? Iberian rugby is on the rise – again. But this time the duo of Portugal and Spain are launching their frontier for [...]
Cooling Russia-Ukraine tensions lift London markets February 15, 2022 London markets bounced back yesterday as a seeming de-escalation in tensions between Russia and Ukraine cooled investors’ fears about an imminent invasion. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index closed 1.03 per cent higher at 7,608.92 points, while the domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, added 1.09 [...]
Global markets snap back as Russia-Ukraine tensions thaw February 15, 2022 Global markets have snapped back from a bruising session yesterday driven by a thawing of Russia-Ukraine tensions. A glimpse of a pathway to a deal to avoid a war in eatern Europe sent London’s premier FTSE 100 index soaring nearly one per cent, while the domestically-focused FTSE 250 index advanced 1.06 per cent. Although not [...]
Crude Awakening: The necessity of oil and gas in the green transition February 15, 2022 Oil and gas have a role to play in the energy mix of developed economies, even as the world transitions to renewable energy sources.
Russia to embrace crypto as Fitch downgrades El Salvador, KPMG Canada bets on BTC and ETH February 15, 2022 Data from CryptoCompare shows that the price of Bitcoin started the week at around $42,500 and moved up steadily to the $45,000 mark.
Johnson says Russia sending out ‘mixed messages’ over Ukraine as he declares threat not over February 15, 2022 Boris Johnson has said there have been signs of a “diplomatic opening” over the Ukraine crisis, but that Russia is still sending out “mixed messages” and the threat of war is not over. The Prime Minister today welcomed the changed tone of the Kremlin, and the removal of some Russian troops from the Ukrainian border, [...]
Gazprom to ramp up oil drilling to pre-Covid levels February 15, 2022 Gazprom Neft the oil arm of the Kremlin-backed fossil fuel giant, expects to restore oil drilling to pre-pandemic volumes this year.
Ukraine: Kremlin claims victory over the west as Putin backs off troops February 15, 2022 Russia has begun to pull back troops from the Ukrainian border in a major de-escalation of tensions, with the Kremlin claiming victory over the west in an apparent concession that there will be no invasion. Russian media reported this morning that military units had been pulled back from the Ukrainian border, after a statement from [...]