The end of an illusion: What Boris Nemtsov’s murder means for the international community March 14, 2015 On February 27, Boris Nemtsov, the Russian statesman, physicist, and outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was executed by unknown assailants just outside Moscow’s Red Square. A liberal reformer, Nemtsov was a key figure in the introduction of capitalism to post-Soviet Russia. He was also seen as a uniting figure, someone who could bring [...]
Bank of Russia cuts interest rates to 14 per cent March 13, 2015 Russia slashed its interest rate by one percentage points to 14 per cent today saying "the balance of risks is still shifted towards a more significant cooling of the economy". The bank said the rate could would help reduce these risks, without the threat of increasing inflationary pressure. This is because monetary policy, and low [...]
Mayor of Kiev fights for new city investors March 12, 2015 WITH the usual enormous Russian pavilion conspicuous by its absence at this year’s Mipim property bash, Russians have all but deserted the event this year. But their Ukrainian neighbour has arrived in force, with Kiev mayor and former world champion boxer Vitali Klitschko flying in to persuade people to invest in the country’s capital. Klitschko [...]
Saudi Arabia won’t cut production – because it knows the oil age is ending March 12, 2015 There have been many explanations, including on these pages, for why Saudi Arabia has not cut production to shore up the price of oil. These range from the use of the oil price as a foreign policy weapon – whether to wage economic war against rivals Iran, or to help their US allies bring Russia [...]
Take a risk, invest in Ukraine says Kiev’s ex-boxer mayor Vitaliy “Iron Fist” Klitschko March 12, 2015 With the usual enormous Russian pavilion conspicuous by its absence at this year's Mipim property bash, Russians have all but deserted the event this year – but their warring partner Ukraine has arrived in force, with Kiev mayor and former world champion boxer Vitaliy Klitschko flying in yesterday to persuade institutions to invest in the [...]
North Sea deal still in limbo March 11, 2015 THE RUSSIAN billionaire at odds with the UK government over energy assets in the North Sea is still hoping to reach a deal that will allow his proposed takeover of German firm RWE Dea to go ahead. Mikhail Fridman’s investment firm Letter One last week made a €1.5bn (£1.1bn) bid for the company, which owns [...]
Randy Work joins Roman Abramovich and Sir Chris Hohn with multi-million pound divorce settlement March 10, 2015 London cemented its reputation as the divorce capital of the world after a businessman was ordered to pay his ex-wife £72.3m, amounting to half his wealth. Randy Work, a former private equity executive at Lone Star, argued that his £150m fortune should be protected from ex-wife Mandy Gray as he was the “breadwinner” and because [...]
As Gordon Brown warns that a UK outside the EU would be Europe’s North Korea, is he right? March 10, 2015 Roland Rudd, the founding chairman of Business for New Europe, says Yes Brown is absolutely right to highlight the dangers of leaving the EU, and the potential impact on Britain’s standing in the world. We won’t be like North Korea, but we would certainly be more isolated in an increasingly uncertain world. As Brown says, [...]
Juncker wants EU army to stop growing Russian aggression March 9, 2015 PRESIDENT of the EU Commission Jean-Claude Juncker has called for an EU army, in order to counter growing aggression from Russia. Juncker said: “With its own army, Europe could react more credibly to the threat to peace in a member state or in a neighbouring state.” The EU currently has some battle groups, which act [...]
The Germans want an EU army, but Britain is against it March 8, 2015 Jean-Claude Junker has called for the creation of an EU army, saying it would help the bloc be taken more seriously across the world. The President of the European Commission believes it will deter threats from Russia, which have escalated since the start of the Ukraine crisis. "With its own army, Europe could react [...]