Trump inquiry: There was ‘quid pro quo’ in Ukraine call, ambassador says November 20, 2019 President Donald Trump knew about requests to Ukraine for investigations into his rivals and understood there was a “quid pro quo”, a top US diplomat has said. Gordon Sondland, US ambassador to the EU, told an impeachment inquiry that he “followed the President’s orders” and those of his lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Read more: Asian stocks [...]
Swedbank rocked by ‘bombshell’ report on probe over possible US sanction violations November 20, 2019 Swedbank has been rocked this morning by reports that the group is under investigation for possibly breaching US sanctions. Swedish public broadcaster SVT is reporting that US authorities were probing whether the lender’s Baltic unit had breached sanctions against Russia. The group’s share price has slipped more than four per cent in morning trading. Read [...]
Keep calm, and don’t get carried away by lurid rumours about the Russia report November 20, 2019 One of the great mysteries of this election campaign to date has been why an unpublished report should be the cause of great and sustained political hysteria. This document has been cited by numerous sources as of pivotal significance to national security. Even Hillary Clinton — remember her? — has popped up to opine solemnly [...]
White House official slams Trump call and ‘cowardly’ attacks on witnesses November 19, 2019 A senior White House official has testified that US President Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s leader was improper, while blasting “cowardly” attacks on witnesses. Lieutenant colonel Alexander Vindman, the White House National Security Council’s top Ukraine expert, made the comments during a hearing in the impeachment inquiry into Trump. Read more: Donald Trump impeachment: [...]
Ireland face familiar situation in crunch Euro 2020 qualifier with Denmark November 17, 2019 Heading into a play-off match to qualify for a major competition is a feeling that the Republic of Ireland are all too familiar with. The infamous Thierry Henry handball incident in 2009 saw them lose to France in extra-time and miss out on a place at the World Cup in South Africa the following summer. [...]
It’s the Davis Cup, but not as we know it: the lowdown on the ‘world cup of tennis’ taking place in Madrid November 17, 2019 After 118 years of the Davis Cup being played over the duration of the tennis season, this week it is replaced by a new version that is decided over just seven days. The revamp will some of the world’s best players compete for 18 countries in Madrid in a format designed to equate to a [...]
Donald Trump impeachment: US politicians kick off public hearings November 13, 2019 The impeachment inquiry into US President Donald Trump stepped up a gear this afternoon as politicians opened the first public hearing. The House Intelligence Committee is holding the first hearing as part of a probe into whether Trump improperly pressured Ukraine to help his bid for reelection. Read more: FTSE 100 staggers under Trump’s tariff [...]
Jeremy Corbyn’s support for authoritarianism abroad makes him unfit to be Prime Minister November 13, 2019 If you’ve managed to tear your eyes away from the flood of General Election coverage recently, you may have read about the political turmoil currently racking Bolivia. Following a narrow and contested election victory for incumbent Evo Morales in late October, protests broke out across the country in response to the President’s alleged cheating, culminating [...]
No end in sight for US shale boom November 13, 2019 The US shale boom is set to continue, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2019, with output set to stay higher for longer than previously predicted. Although the rate of production will slip from the rapid expansion of recent years, the report predicts that the US will account for 85 per [...]
Labour suffers second cyber attack in 24 hours November 12, 2019 Labour has been hit by a second cyber attack in two days, after hackers reportedly targeted the party’s web services this afternoon. Hackers tried to force its web services offline from around 1pm today, according to a Labour source. Read more: Labour experiences a ‘sophisticated and very large’ cyber attack A Labour spokesperson said: “We [...]