Kazakhstan is a long way off the high rise life in China, but the Silk Road could take it in that direction July 29, 2015 Thousands of years ago on the ancient Silk Road, horses were to Kazakhstan what silk was to China— prime commodity. Chinese traders would traverse the Tian Shan mountains of eastern Kazakhstan, caravans loaded with silk, their most valuable product. In exchange, Kazakh nomads would equip them with Central Asian horses, prized for their strength [...]
Fifa boss Sepp Blatter deserves a Nobel Prize, says Russian President Vladimir Putin July 28, 2015 Sepp Blatter might not be welcome at the FA's headquarters anytime soon, but it seems he can always rely on a friendly face at the Kremlin. Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Swiss TV the Fifa boss, whose organisation is currently engulfed in corruption allegations, deserves a Nobel Prize. It's almost certainly just [...]
Cricket is like spam: The real reason batsmen are piling up higher scores July 21, 2015 The holiday season is getting into full swing, but a shadow has been cast by the abysmal failure of our boys to get anywhere near the enormous target of 509 which Australia’s cricketers set them to win in the second Test match. It may seem preposterous even to have thought they would. But a revolution [...]
Restaurant review: Be prepared to shell out for Crab Tavern July 21, 2015 Crab Tavern is the tenth restaurant to open at the City’s newest dining destination, Broadgate Circle. It’s now overflowing with the kind of high-end, high-turnover gastro-chains that private equity guys go nuts for: opening branches in the City completes a perfect capitalist ouroboros in which we can literally get rich off of our own appetites. [...]
Russian billionaire Yuri Milner promises $100m to search for alien life July 20, 2015 Venture capitalist investor slash Russian billionaire Yuri Milner has got into the race to find alien life, pledging $100m (£64.3) of his own money to help answer the question of whether we are alone in the cosmos. In a philanthropic(ish) effort, the internet entrepreneur announced through a live webcast at The Royal Society in London that [...]
A lesson from Putin: Three Ps to stay in power – pride, propaganda and perspective July 17, 2015 Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, the tumbling price of a vital commodity, and a currency in freefall with record high interest rates. Russia’s economy has leaped from one catastrophe to another. Yet one thing remains: President Vladimir Putin holds the reigns. Putin’s approval rating is now at a record 89 per cent. And while [...]
Two cheers for Obama’s historic Iran nuclear deal July 14, 2015 During my decade working in Washington, those who survived and thrived in the shark tank – regardless of ideology – tended to have one thing in common: an eerie sixth sense for which power-brokers were in it for themselves, and for that treasured minority who were involved in politics for the greater good of the [...]
Sergei Pugachev shows: You just do not mess with the Kremlin July 14, 2015 Sergei Pugachev was once a trusted and close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. But not anymore. His case, as much as any of the string of mysterious deaths of people who have upset the Kremlin, go to show how Putin has carved out power in Russia for some time to come, despite economic hardship [...]
Iran’s nuclear deal: Everyone from Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin to Barack Obama and David Cameron has welcomed the agreement July 14, 2015 It's not often world leaders from the UK and US agree with those from Russia and Syria, but today is one of those rare moments. David Cameron, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad have all welcomed the historic nuclear deal inked between the world's leading powers and Iran today. This morning the [...]
Putin’s old pal Sergei Pugachev flees London for France in £655m fraud case July 10, 2015 A once-close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has gone on the run in the midst of a High Court case, saying his life is in danger. Sergei Pugachev defied a court order by fleeing the to France after he was charged with stealing more than £655m. The exiled Russian oligarch became a French citizen [...]