Russian growth forecast slashed by World Bank due to sanctions September 24, 2014 RUSSIA had its growth forecasts slashed by the World Bank yesterday due to ongoing geopolitical tensions coupled with a lack of reform. The World Bank forecast 0.3 per cent growth in 2015 and 0.4 per cent in 2016, revised down from 1.5 per cent and 2.2 per cent respectively. Sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s [...]
As Cameron recalls Parliament, should Britain join an open-ended campaign against the IS? September 24, 2014 Hannah Stuart, research fellow at The Henry Jackson Society, says Yes. Suggestions from the Pentagon that military action against the Islamic State (IS) could take years should not deter the UK. Neither should they come as a surprise – the fight against global jihadists is already a generational struggle. For years, militant Islamist groups have [...]
Asian space race: India beats China to Mars, and for less than making the film Gravity September 24, 2014 In the 1950s and 1960s the US and Russia battled it out to be the first country to make it to the moon. Now, the space race has shifted its attention to our neighbouring planet, Mars. The US, Russia and Europe have already successfully put spacecraft in orbit around the Red Planet. As of [...]
Putin threatens retaliation against Ukraine if EU trade deal goes ahead September 24, 2014 Russian president Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine that its access to Russian markets could be hampered if it goes ahead with a planned trade agreement with the EU. Putin said in a letter to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko that any change to legislation to prepare for the deal would be met with retaliation from Russia. [...]
When terrorists steal your name: The sorry plight of the brands called Isis September 24, 2014 Is there no such thing as bad publicity? If your brand carries the same name as an extremist terrorist outfit you might feel differently. Since emerging earlier this year, the militant group Isis has changed its name twice – it is now also known as Islamic State (IS) and Isil (Islamic State of Syria [...]
The Eurozone optimists are playing a dangerous game – Investment Comment September 23, 2014 Despite a continuing stream of woeful economic data from the Eurozone, a number of investors and fund managers have become more sanguine about the currency bloc in recent months. Writing in these pages in August, JP Morgan’s Blake Crawford argued that a combination of economic revival, continued low interest rates and supportive monetary policy should [...]
Scottish independence referendum: Claims of vote rigging lead to petitions demanding recount September 22, 2014 Claims of vote rigging durig the Scottish independence referendum have led to calls for a recount. Over 88,000 people signed a petition at change.org entitled "We the undersigned demand a revote of the Scottish Referendum, counted by impartial international parties." The accusations of vote rigging centre around videos and photos shared on social media that [...]
Global ad spend set to reach over $520bn this year September 21, 2014 DIGITAL advertising will help grow the global advertising market by 5.3 per cent this year, higher than the 3.9 per cent growth seen in 2013, according to research released today by ZenithOptimedia. Total global adspend will reach $523bn (£320.5bn) over the course of the year, boosted by 17.1 per cent growth in internet advertising. “Internet [...]
Ukraine crisis: Petro Poroshenko calls for US military aid September 18, 2014 The Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has called upon the US to provide his country with military assistance as it attempts to combat pro-Russian separatist forces. Poroshenko described Ukraine as being at the “forefront of the fight against terrorism”. President Barack Obama has condemned Russia’s involvement in the conflict, but has so far limited [...]
Elon Musk’s SpaceX wins Nasa commercial flight contract September 17, 2014 It’s a good day for PayPal founder Elon Musk; his SpaceX corporation has been selected by Nasa as one of the two firms to design crew capsules for transporting astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The Commercial Crew Development programme has awarded SpaceX and Boeing a combined sum of $6.2bn to develop the capsules. [...]