Businesses and government must play the part of an activist investor to clean up corruption in sport May 13, 2016 While last week’s anti-corruption summit in London was inevitably seen mainly in the light of the Panama Papers, there is another scandal bubbling under the surface that urgently needs the attention of the international community – corruption in world sport. The Institute of Directors has been one of the most vocal critics of the governance [...]
Brent crude and WTI: Oil prices slump as strong dollar hits demand May 13, 2016 Oil prices slumped today, dragged down by the strong dollar and Russia's warning that the the global oversupply could last longer than expected. Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell 0.5 per cent to $47.9 per barrel this morning. West Texas Intermediate, the US benchmark, shed 0.8 per cent to $46.3 per barrel. Russia said yesterday [...]
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton questions wisdom of Red Bull over Daniil Kvyat’s demotion to Toro Rosso May 13, 2016 THREE-TIME world champion Lewis Hamilton has become the latest driver to question the wisdom of Red Bull’s decision to demote Daniil Kvyat to junior team Toro Rosso following an error-strewn Russian Grand Prix. Kvyat crashed into Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel twice in the first three corners of the race at the Sochi Autodrom earlier this month [...]
Opec’s June meeting is likely to be another dud May 12, 2016 After a dismal performance in Doha last month, it looks like Opec's meeting in June is going to be another dud. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and non-Opec producers failed to agree a widely anticipated freeze deal at a meeting in April. The split between long-term regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia prompted accusations that [...]
Forget Obama’s self-interested intervention: Brexit would boost Britain’s global influence May 12, 2016 Would Britain be more or less influential in the world if we left the EU? The Remain camp argument is very clear: we would lose influence with exit and we can get better trade deals from within the EU than without. On top of that, President Obama and former secretary-generals of Nato all say that [...]
EU referendum: Remain or Leave – a matter of war and peace? May 11, 2016 Invoking Blenheim, Trafalgar, Waterloo, the Great War, and the Battle of Britain, as arguments for UK engagement with Europe and the world was provocative and historically questionable, but to use these conflicts to support UK membership of the EU as essential is just daft. This is dishonest Remain-style parody of “Leave”. No one is advocating [...]
World Anti-Doping Agency to probe new claims of Russian doping at Sochi 2014 May 10, 2016 Allegations of Russian doping at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi will be investigated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), it was confirmed today. The claims, made by whistleblower Vitaly Stepanov during an interview aired on Sunday by American channel CBS, centre on Russian athletes and entourage members engaging in the misuse of drugs. [...]
Russian oil boss Sechin declares Opec effectively extinct May 10, 2016 The head of Russia's biggest oil firm declared the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) effectively extinct. Igor Sechin, a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, told Reuters that internal strife is killing the cartel and its ability to steer the oil market has all but evaporated. Read more: Oil and gas execs flag Opec policy as biggest [...]
EU referendum: Nato secretaries general warn against Brexit May 10, 2016 Brexit would undoubtedly lead to a loss of British influence, undermine Nato and give succour to the West’s enemies, former Nato secretaries general have warned. The five Nato chiefs wrote that they have been watching the EU debate with growing concern as the Euro-Atlantic community needs an active and engaged UK to meet the challenges to peace and [...]
The case for buying emerging markets on dips May 10, 2016 The beautiful magnolia trees are blossoming, and we all know what that means. Bluer skies over London, happy dogs in the parks, and speculation picking up about whether we’ll see a repeat of the “sell in May” strategy. Last week ended with a thud after a much weaker-than-expected US April jobs report. As soon as [...]