Khodorkovsky’s pardon causes market gains December 19, 2013 RUSSIAN stock markets gained yesterday after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to pardon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man, after he spent more than ten years behind bars. The move was seen as a boost for investors increasingly worried about political freedoms and Russia’s ability to reform the economy. Russian stocks have underperformed emerging market [...]
Moscow to assist Yanukovich December 17, 2013 The Russian government has offered a major package of economic assistance to embattled Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, who is facing huge protests in his own country. Russia is now set to buy $15bn (£9.22bn) of Ukrainian bonds to help boost the country’s public finances. Moscow is also slashing the price that Ukraine pays for Russian [...]
Ukraine protests rage on as EU formally suspends discussions December 15, 2013 AS MASS protests against the government flared in Kiev, the European Union announced yesterday that it will halt talks with Ukraine indefinitely. European commissioner for enlargement Stefan Fule said that the Ukrainian government’s arguments “have no grounds in reality” as he confirmed the curtailment of discussions. Late last month, President Viktor Yanukovych abruptly cancelled negotiations [...]
Forget a Bitcoin bubble: A wider crypto revolt is challenging everything | City A.M. December 13, 2013 FOR ALL the talk of a Bitcoin bubble, it’s easy to miss the real significance of what is currently happening. The rise of Bitcoin is just the beginning. Cryptocurrencies are no longer the domain of activists and grassroots movements, they are nothing less than “new money”. Many are waiting for the moment when a central [...]
TCS backs consumer credit laws December 12, 2013 London listed credit card firm TCS Group yesterday welcomed clarification on Russia’s lending laws after fears stricter rules could harm its business model. TCS said the newly drafted laws would not impact the company’s home delivery business model, which delivers credit cards to homes in rural Russia.
Oil production outside Opec at modern peak December 11, 2013 PRODUCTION outside the world’s traditional oil-rich nations has ballooned during the past year, rising to nearly half of the global output. According to the latest report on the market by the International Energy Agency (IEA), countries outside the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) are producing the most that they have in decades. States not [...]
Forget a Bitcoin bubble: A wider crypto revolt is challenging everything December 10, 2013 FOR ALL the talk of a Bitcoin bubble, it’s easy to miss the real significance of what is currently happening. The rise of Bitcoin is just the beginning. Cryptocurrencies are no longer the domain of activists and grassroots movements, they are nothing less than “new money”. Many are waiting for the moment when a central [...]
UK to relax visa rules for visitors from Gulf states December 9, 2013 VISA rules for nationals from several Gulf states coming to Britain are being relaxed by the government in a drive to boost visitor numbers and encourage higher tourist spending. The Home Office announced yesterday that short-term visitors from Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will be able to obtain a new electronic visa waiver [...]
TCS shines with maiden results December 9, 2013 SHARES in Russian credit card firm TCS Group yesterday remained stubbornly lower than their November float price, despite the firm posting a 22 per cent rise in profits. The business, founded by Russian entrepreneur Oleg Tinkov, closed at $14 a share after it said pre-tax profits rose to $61m for the three months ending September, [...]
The tech giants are right: We could be sleepwalking into a surveillance state December 9, 2013 THE CHIEF executives of eight of the biggest businesses in the world sent a clear message to global leaders yesterday: as far as surveillance laws are concerned, the status quo is not an option. It is hardly a common occurrence that AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo agree on something, let alone write [...]