Joining the data dots to predict the future: Meet Ometria’s Ivan Mazour February 27, 2017 With nauseating velocity I’m elevated 40 floors up the Heron Tower, my ears popping with altitude, to meet Ivan Mazour at the Duck and Waffle. We’re here to talk about how Ometria, his seventh company by his early thirties, can predict the future. Often referred to pejoratively as “the son of a Russian billionaire”, Mazour is [...]
America would gain nothing from cosying up to Putin’s declining Russia February 27, 2017 It has been three years since Russia’s stunning annexation of Crimea. It is the worst kept secret in Washington that the new administration of Donald Trump would like to turn the page on the US-Russian hostility that followed, in a transactional effort to remake US foreign policy. At the heart of Trump’s Jacksonian nationalism is his [...]
Brave sub-zero temperatures to discover Moscow’s hidden cultural treasures February 24, 2017 Russia’s sprawling capital teems with magnificent onion-domed churches, candy-coloured Baroque buildings and compelling, clean-lined, Stalin-era skyscrapers. Pretty parks such as the vast, green Gorky Park dot the city, and at its heart is the imposing plaza of Red Square. This is home to the showpiece cathedral of St Basil, Lenin’s mausoleum and the state-owned department [...]
America After the Fall depicts the pain and the anxiety of America following the Wall Street Crash February 23, 2017 Hot on the heels of its Russian Revolution exhibition downstairs, the RA continues on an exciting trajectory in its programming with an equally intriguing – and rigorously curated – show in its Sackler Wing, focusing on American art in the decade following the Wall Street Crash of October 1929. Much has been made of the [...]
Norway doubles down on Arctic oil February 21, 2017 While Canada and the U.S. ban Arctic drilling for oil and gas motivated by environmental concerns, and majors such as Shell pull out of their Arctic projects due to financial pressures, Norwegian energy companies are planning to increase drilling in the country’s Arctic shelf in the Barents Sea. It seems that the limited oil price [...]
Russian mining giant Rosneft agrees to a deal with the NOC to increase Libyan oil production February 21, 2017 Russia's top oil producer Rosneft has struck up an oil exploration deal with the National Oil Corporation (NOC) of Libya. The NOC is working to encourage more foreign investment and ramp up Libyan output, the NOC said in a statement. “We need the assistance and investment of major international oil companies to reach our production goals and [...]
Trump has named Lt Gen HR McMaster as his new national security adviser after Mike Flynn lasted just three weeks in the job February 21, 2017 President Donald Trump has named Lt General HR McMaster as national security adviser, his replacement for Michael Flynn. Trump called McMaster "a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience". His appointment comes after retired vice admiral Robert Harward turned down the role and David Petraeus, former general and CIA chief, was removed from the running. [...]
MPs set to vote on Magnitsky legislation which would see assets of human rights’ abusers frozen February 20, 2017 The House of Commons will vote tomorrow on the Magnitsky legislative initiative which seeks to freeze the UK assets of alleged human rights violators from anywhere in the world. The initiative is presented as an amendment to the Criminal Finances Bill which was introduced to the parliament last October to strengthen and improve the enforcement of [...]
Sutton United primed for their big moment against Premier League Arsenal February 20, 2017 Fifth-tier Sutton United and fame may be ships which pass in the night but, whatever happens against Arsenal on Monday, beacon-like memories have been made which will sparkle long after the limelight vanishes. The minnows have certainly made their mark during a giant-killing extravaganza which may or may not reach its conclusion in the fifth [...]
Founding Fathers 1, populists 0: The US constitution is taming Trump February 20, 2017 “Through all the gloom I can see rays of ravishing light and glory.” – John Adams to his wife Abigail, July 3, 1776, after Congress voted for Independence “Good people don’t go into government.” – Donald Trump Donald Trump’s first month in office ended with a bizarre, rambling press conference that made incompetence into a [...]