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 [...]
Criminal case against NatWest tip of £90bn iceberg in ‘money laundering capital of the world’ March 26, 2021 Yesterday it was reported that the recent money laundering charges against NatWest are linked to a separate case against 13 individuals based in cities around the UK. The latest revelations followed the shock announcement, last week, that the Financial Conduct Authority had lodged criminal proceedings against NatWest for money laundering offences. The watchdog – accusing NatWest of [...]
En+ sees profit fall a fifth on aluminium price slide March 25, 2021 Metals firm En+ saw its net profit drop 22.1 per cent in 2020, dragged down by lower commodities prices and foreign exchange headwinds. Although the Anglo-Russian firm is not intending to pay a dividend for the past year, it is hoping to resume payouts over the coming year. It added that it had seen an [...]
Norway blocks Rolls-Royce sale on security grounds March 23, 2021 The Norwegian government has today said it will block Rolls-Royce’s attempt to sell an engine-making firm to a Russian company on national security grounds. Last month the FTSE blue chip firm announced it would sell Norwegian firm Bergen Engines to TMH Group for €150m (£132.5m). The disposal is part of plans by the aerospace giant [...]
Hong Kong Racing Tips: Lui to continue fine recent run March 23, 2021 IT’S BEEN a tough few months for trainer Douglas Whyte. The former 13-time champion jockey come trainer most recently saw his Hong Kong Derby hope Russian Emperor need two more strides to win the territory’s coveted prize. Unfortunately, that’s been the story of Whyte’s run of bad fortune since the beginning of January with only [...]