Russian rouble tumbles as threat of US sanctions resurfaces April 15, 2021 The Russian rouble fell two per cent against the dollar on Thursday, giving up gains made earlier this week as the threat of US sanctions on Moscow reared its head again. The US may announce sanctions on Russia as soon as today for alleged interference in its elections and malicious cyber activity targeting several individuals [...]
Screenshot: Can cinemas bring Brits back to the big screen? April 9, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Every dog has its day **Can cinemas bring Brits back to the big screen? **Is Clubhouse really worth $4bn? Media Moment of the Week: Every dog has its day Doing a live piece to camera comes with risks, as any broadcast journalist will tell you. But one thing [...]
Fighting Russian and Chinese disinformation requires a cohesive strategy from Western governments April 8, 2021 Given the world of the internet and multiple platforms, there is undoubtedly more content out there than at any other time in the history of man. Unfortunately, and predictably, along with this news explosion, the very unhealthy scourge of state-sponsored disinformation–with the West’s authoritarian foes trying to take advantage of this editorially unregulated Wild West [...]
Russia’s Sputnik news agency halts operations in Britain April 2, 2021 Russian news agency Sputnik will halt operations in Britain and move its English language service to Moscow and Washington, the media group that launched it in 2014 said on Friday, at a time when Russian-British relations have hit a low point. Rossiya Segodnya said the move was part of a plan to reorganize its international [...]
Georgia was the post-Soviet beacon of hope for democracy but political turmoil could unravel it all April 1, 2021 Georgia, for so long a beacon of hope for democracy and the rule of law in the post-Soviet world, is now once more mired in a political crisis. It is a tragedy for Georgia, where polling by the Washington-based National Democratic Institute (NDI) shows that the overwhelming majority of people want their country to be [...]
EU warns ‘zero’ Covid vaccines will be shipped to UK unless Astrazeneca meets targets April 1, 2021 Brussels has warned that “zero” Covid vaccines made in the bloc will be exported to the UK unless Astrazeneca meets its dose delivery commitments with the EU. Thierry Breton, the EU’s internal market commissioner, hinted at the bloc’s plans to use European-made vaccines as bargaining power with Astrazeneca in an ongoing dispute about vaccine shortages [...]
Best of travel: Mauritius is paradise, but not as you know it April 1, 2021 While we wait for the world of international travel to reopen, we’re reposting classic travel stories from our archives. Today we revisit Steve Dinneen’s journey to Mauritius, the most unusual of tropical paradises. ••• Mauritius offers the cliched white sands and blue seas, but there’s more to discover at this most unusual of holiday destinations. [...]
France and Germany swoop to buy Russia’s Sputnik vaccine March 31, 2021 France and Germany held discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin last night to supply doses of the country’s Sputnik Covid vaccine as suspicions over the Astrazeneca jab continue to proliferate across the continent. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a video call with the Russian premier to discuss “co-operation” over vaccine [...]
Covid-19 latest updates: WHO rules Wuhan lab leak ‘unlikely’; Germany suspends Astrazeneca vaccine in some women; Half of England has antibodies March 30, 2021 WHO Covid-19 origin report rules Wuhan lab leak ‘unlikely’ A highly-anticipated World Health Organization (WHO) report into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic has concluded that a leak from a laboratory is “extremely unlikely”. The virus was most likely to have spread from bats via an “intermediate animal host” to humans, prior to an “explosive [...]
Culture Corner: Your regular City arts round-up March 30, 2021 As we look forward to the City reopening for business, we’re ready to start up our Culture Corner series again, pointing you in the direction of the best arts and culture within the Square Mile and championing the role of the arts within the business community. So much is made possible when the culture, arts [...]