Asian markets tumble as Russia sanctions loom April 28, 2014 Asian markets are in retreat after a lacklustre performance on Wall Street and western nations prepare to impose further on sanctions on Russia in wake of heightened tensions in Ukraine. Representatives from all 28 EU member states will meet today to impose travel restrictions and asset freezes on a further 15 influential Russians, according to [...]
British retailers lure overseas online browsers April 28, 2014 THE NUMBER of overseas shoppers browsing the web for British clothing and footwear retailers has surged in the past year, with department stores grabbing a greater share of the attention, new figures released today show. Retailers have been pushing ahead with international expansion plans to offset slowing growth and weak consumer spending at home, using [...]
Ukraine to get Slovakia’s gas April 28, 2014 UKRAINE is set to sign a gas deal with Slovakia today, as it looks to secure alternative supplies amid ongoing tensions with Russia. Russia’s Gazprom provides Ukraine with gas, but it has almost doubled its prices after Moscow claimed sovereignty over Crimea last month. Slovak gas company Eustream said that a reverse-flow agreement to ship [...]
Letters to the Editor – 28/04 – Build up and out, Best of Twitter April 27, 2014 Build up and out [Re: How a terraced street revolution could fix London’s housebuilding crunch, Friday] I remain to be convinced that terraced housing is higher density than high rise. If New York and Hong Kong wanted to make more housing available, would they knock down their high rises and build two storey terraces instead? [...]
What you need to know before the open April 25, 2014 Fears that the crisis in Ukraine will escalate are expected to see European markets open lower today. Signs of growing corporate takeover activity strengthened confidence yesterday, offsetting the persistent worries for a time. US secretary of state John Kerry has called on Moscow to either work towards diffuse the situation in Ukraine, or face more [...]
S&P downgrades Russia to BBB- April 25, 2014 Standard and Poor’s has cut its credit rating for Russia to BBB- – the lowest investment grade. The reason for the downgrade to a notch above "junk" is owing to large capital outflows from the country and worsening economic risks, the credit rating agency said, as the situation over Ukraine becomes more tense. It maintains [...]
Asian markets take a hit as Ukraine tensions rise April 25, 2014 Asian markets have taken a hit after US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russia it would be making a "grave mistake" if it did not cease interfering in Ukrainian affairs. Investors were left disappointed after US President Barack Obama's state visit to Japan failed to secure a trade deal between the two countries. Many [...]
How Britain is wasting its real shale gas potential April 24, 2014 WITH the Ukraine crisis intensifying and concerns growing over its impact on energy security, the government has responded this week with rather inconsistent messages: it announced more multi-billion subsidies for unreliable renewable energy projects and another promise to speed up shale gas extraction in Britain. Speaking at a conference in Blackpool, and with a new [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 25 April 2014 April 24, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Google+ chief out ahead of shake-up The Google executive who led its attempt to challenge Facebook in social networking is leaving the company, ahead of changes to the service. Vic Gundotra, a former Microsoft executive who has spent almost eight years at the search firm, launched Google+ in June 2011, with the stated [...]
Heineken returns to growth in Europe though profits tumble April 24, 2014 HEINEKEN yesterday reported a 37 per cent decline in first-quarter net profits to €143m (£117.63m), though parts of Europe raised more glasses of the brewery group’s beers. Like-for-like beer volumes rose 1.5 per cent, while revenues rose 3.4 per cent to €4.04bn. Currency movements and the divestment of the Finnish Hartwall unit hurt the firm’s [...]