US, UK and France launch air strikes on Syrian government targets April 14, 2018 Multiple government targets in Syria have been bombed by the US, UK and France force in response to a chemical weapons attack. Damascus and two locations near Homs were targeted due to their alleged use as chemical weapons sites. The intervention came in response to a suspected chemical attack on the town of Douma last [...]
Moscow Court approves ban on messaging app Telegram April 13, 2018 Russia has followed through on plans to ban messaging app Telegram, with a Moscow court approving the move. The WhatsApp rival has been under the scrutiny of Russian authorities for months, as the Kremlin seeks to gain access to encrypted communications. Media watchdog Roskomnadzor sought to limit access to the app earlier this month after [...]
London Stock Exchange Group appoints Goldman Sachs veteran David Schwimmer as its new chief executive April 13, 2018 The London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) has appointed David Schwimmer, a longtime Goldman Sachs banker, as its new chief executive. Schwimmer will join the group on 1 August, succeeding Xavier Rolet, who left amid a bitter public row with an investor to oust the group’s chairman, which was sparked by the announcement in November 2017 [...]
OPCW backs UK on Salisbury nerve agent attack April 12, 2018 The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has backed the UK over Salisbury, confirming that the samples it has tested met “the identity of the toxic chemical” named as Novichok by the government. The nerve agent – which the OPCW did not name in its statement – hospitalised former double agent Sergei Skripal, [...]
Brent crude oil price flies past $72 a barrel on threat of missile attack on Syria April 12, 2018 Oil prices jumped higher again this morning after Donald Trump’s threats to fire missiles at Syria sparked fears of supply disruptions in the Middle East. At the time of writing, Brent crude oil futures were up 0.17 per cent at $72.18 per barrel, having hit $72.49 earlier in the day. West Texas Intermediate, the US [...]
Donald Trump warns Syria and Russia ‘missiles are coming – get ready’ April 11, 2018 Donald Trump has told Russia to “get ready” for missiles fired into Syria, saying in a tweet that “they will be coming”. The US President is widely expected to announce military intervention after the weekend’s chemical attack in Douma, just outside Damascus. The UK appeared willing to support the US-led strike, with Prime Minister Theresa [...]
The Russian rouble (RUB) is falling further as pressures mount over US sanctions and Syria April 11, 2018 The Russian rouble fell for a third day today as the fallout from new US sanctions continued to heap pressure on Russian companies and markets. After dropping around eight per cent since the start of the week, the rouble shed nearly a further three per cent this afternoon, with one dollar buying 65 roubles at [...]
Brent crude oil price: Donald Trump’s tweets send oil prices to December 2014 high of nearly $72 per barrel April 11, 2018 Oil prices have rocketed to their highest point since December 2014 after US President Donald Trump threatened to fire missiles at Syria in a tweet. “Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming,” the President wrote on Twitter. Oil prices had already been [...]
Double t-rouble: Russian currency hammered as markets reel from souring relations with West over Skripal poisoning and Syria chemical attack April 11, 2018 The Russian rouble took another dive yesterday to hit its lowest point in over a year after a fresh round of US sanctions on individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin rattled markets. The rouble fell nearly four per cent against the US dollar, with one dollar buying 63.9 roubles at its peak, following on [...]
Glencore boss Ivan Glasenberg resigns from Rusal’s board amid Russia sanctions April 10, 2018 The chief executive of commodities giant Glencore has stepped down from the board of sanctions-hit aluminium producer Rusal. Ivan Glasenberg resigned from his position as a director of the world’s top aluminium producer after its share price halved yesterday due to a fresh round of US sanctions that targeted Russian oligarchs including Oleg Deripaska, who [...]