Putin signs Crimea over to Russia as the EU and US issue sanctions March 17, 2014 PRESIDENT Putin has signed Crimea over to Russia and announced it is now a sovereign state, according to the Kremlin. The Russian president is understood to have signed a decree last night recognising the Ukrainian territory as part of Russia, following a widely-disputed vote in Crimea on Sunday. The news comes as President Obama and [...]
Letters to the Editor – 18/03 – No clothes Cameron, Best of Twitter March 17, 2014 No clothes Cameron [Re: Cameron sets out his agenda for EU reform, yesterday] David Cameron’s EU plan will be a stillbirth, if it ever reaches the delivery room. Powers cannot flow away from a German-driven, Frenchbacked, ever closer union, which suits weaker member states. Qualified majority voting is increasingly the norm, and there is little [...]
Putin’s calculations make Ukraine escalation all too likely March 17, 2014 GETTING inside the thinking of Vladimir Putin is a daunting prospect at the best of times; and these aren’t the best of times. Yet doing so shows why a worst-case outcome just a few days ago suddenly seems entirely plausible. After the Crimean referendum, the thoughts ringing around Putin’s head go something like this: “I [...]
What you need to know before the US open March 17, 2014 As investors wait to see how US and EU powers continue to respond to the referendum in Crimea yesterday, S&P 500 stocks futures suggest US markets will open slightly higher today. European markets have extended the early gains they made today, keeping their nerve, despite rising tensions over the Ukrainian crisis and weak EU inflation [...]
Russian gold glitters in face of Ukraine conflict March 17, 2014 The geopolitical tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine are boosting the gold price and benefitting Russian miners, according to Canaccord Genuity today. The broker has upgraded its recommendations on Russian gold producers Polymetal International and Petropavlovsk to “buy”, as a result of its bullish view on the yellow metal and a weaker currency, [...]
Markets unfazed as Hague confirms sanctions to come March 17, 2014 Markets have shrugged off the news this morning that 96.7 per cent of Crimean voters voted for joining Russia, according to the official results of yesterday's referendum, with the FTSE 100 up almost 0.3 per cent, and the DAX and CAC 40 up almost 0.2 per cent. Turnout yesterday has been reported at 83.1 [...]
What you need to know before the open March 17, 2014 Yesterday’s vote in Crimea – where the overwhelming majority of the population voted in favour of joining Russia – could see European markets open lower this morning. Asian markets were nervous during Monday trading too, with key indices closing lower. And, no doubt, the global focus will remain on the region throughout the week, as [...]
Asian shares slide after Crimea vote March 17, 2014 Asian shares have taken a hit as Western leaders condemned the controversial referendum in Crimea as a “mockery of proper democratic practice,” even as Russia claimed it had won a 95.5 per cent mandate for it to annex the Ukrainian province. President Obama’s spokesman said “the international community will not recognise the results of a [...]
Russia under fire over Crimea poll March 17, 2014 FOREIGN secretary William Hague last night joined a chorus of disapproval condemning a controversial referendum in the Crimea as a “mockery of proper democratic practice,” even as Russia claimed it had won a 95.5 per cent mandate for it to annex the Ukrainian province. President Obama’s spokesman said “the international community will not recognise the [...]
Russia’s Ukrainian grab requires a firmer response from West March 17, 2014 AT THE start of every year, forecasters try to predict what could go wrong over the next 12 months – and every time, they get it terribly, spectacularly wrong. Just three months ago, the big risks were seen to be China, Iran, tapering or Eurozone deflation – of course, one or all of these could [...]