Moscow Court approves ban on messaging app Telegram April 13, 2018 Russia has followed through on plans to ban messaging app Telegram, with a Moscow court approving the move. The WhatsApp rival has been under the scrutiny of Russian authorities for months, as the Kremlin seeks to gain access to encrypted communications. Media watchdog Roskomnadzor sought to limit access to the app earlier this month after [...]
OPCW backs UK on Salisbury nerve agent attack April 12, 2018 The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has backed the UK over Salisbury, confirming that the samples it has tested met “the identity of the toxic chemical” named as Novichok by the government. The nerve agent – which the OPCW did not name in its statement – hospitalised former double agent Sergei Skripal, [...]
Bitcoin price (BTC) jolts to life, climbing by $1,000 in an hour April 12, 2018 Bitcoin’s price rocketed up by about 17 per cent today to reach its highest price in more than two weeks. The cryptocurrency broke past the $7,000 and $8,000 barriers in a matter of about an hour for the first time since the end of March. At the time of writing, bitcoin was down from its [...]
The Russian rouble (RUB) is falling further as pressures mount over US sanctions and Syria April 11, 2018 The Russian rouble fell for a third day today as the fallout from new US sanctions continued to heap pressure on Russian companies and markets. After dropping around eight per cent since the start of the week, the rouble shed nearly a further three per cent this afternoon, with one dollar buying 65 roubles at [...]
US dollar tumbles as pound hit two-week high of $1.42 (GPDUSD) April 11, 2018 The US dollar is trading at nearly its lowest point in two weeks, after Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to cut import tariffs, easing concerns about a US-China trade confrontation. Meanwhile, sterling continues to rally, hitting a two-week high to trade at $1.42. The dollar dropped against a basket of six major currencies, down to [...]
Double t-rouble: Russian currency hammered as markets reel from souring relations with West over Skripal poisoning and Syria chemical attack April 11, 2018 The Russian rouble took another dive yesterday to hit its lowest point in over a year after a fresh round of US sanctions on individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin rattled markets. The rouble fell nearly four per cent against the US dollar, with one dollar buying 63.9 roubles at its peak, following on [...]
Glencore boss Ivan Glasenberg resigns from Rusal’s board amid Russia sanctions April 10, 2018 The chief executive of commodities giant Glencore has stepped down from the board of sanctions-hit aluminium producer Rusal. Ivan Glasenberg resigned from his position as a director of the world’s top aluminium producer after its share price halved yesterday due to a fresh round of US sanctions that targeted Russian oligarchs including Oleg Deripaska, who [...]
Russian markets, the rouble and Oleg Deripaska’s Rusal and En+ Group plunge on US sanctions April 10, 2018 Russian shares and other financial assets took a hammering on global trading floors yesterday as investors reacted to a fresh round of US sanctions targeting some of Russia’s most prominent tycoons. The biggest hit was taken by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska’s firms, with aluminium giant Rusal’s Hong Kong-listed share price more than halved, while shares [...]
“It was my mistake”: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg set to take personal responsibility for data breaches April 9, 2018 Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg is set to take personal responsibility for data breaches on the social media site when he appears before US politicians on Wednesday. In the testimony he is due to give to the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Zuckerberg will say that Facebook “is an idealistic and optimistic company” [...]
May: Assad and his Russian backers must be held to account if behind chemical attack in Syria April 9, 2018 Theresa May has warned that Russia and the Assad regime will be held to account if the Syrian government is found to have been behind the alleged chemical attack on Syrian civilians this weekend. Speaking from Copenhagen alongside Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, May said the UK “utterly condemns” the attack in Douma, outside [...]