Is the UK defence secretary right that Russia is a danger to the stability of the Baltic States? February 19, 2015 Andrew Foxall is director of the Russia Studies Centre at The Henry Jackson Society, says Yes This is nothing new – and has little directly to do with events in Ukraine. Russia has been destabilising the Baltic States for much of the last decade. In 2007, it was behind a series of cyber attacks on [...]
A room with a view: Why Brits are flocking back to Italy’s Lake Como February 19, 2015 It was the Romans who discovered Lake Como, and built their villas overlooking its stunning scenery. Today, the Mediterranean microclimate created by the lake’s waters is enjoyed as much as ever, though many now prefer an apartment in place of a villa. Aside from the views across the lake, and the uniquely benign climate it [...]
Reasons to whine: After the Bordeaux wine market collapse, optimism is creeping back February 19, 2015 Imagine a financial market where prices have collapsed by more than 30 per cent in the past three years, where a hatful of investment companies have gone to the wall and investors are reportedly nursing losses of more than £100m. It sounds like a full blown crisis, doesn’t it? But this isn’t Chinese equities or [...]
RAF jets scrambled as Russian bombers seen flying off coast of Cornwall February 19, 2015 RAF fighter jets were scrambled to escort two Russian Bear bomber aircraft off the coast of England after they were seen flying “close to UK airspace”. The Typhoon fighters from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire were sent to escort the Russian planes after they were spotted flying near to Cornwall. A Ministry of Defence spokesman [...]
Russian warship Yaroslav Mudryy tracked by Royal Navy’s HMS Argyll entering English Channel February 17, 2015 A Russian warship has been tracked by the Royal Navy entering the English Channel for the second time in three months. The Russian warship – called Yaroslav Mudryy or Yaroslav the Wise – is a Neustrashimy class frigate and was sailing with an accompanying tanker, the Kola. HMS Argyll, a Type 23 frigate complete [...]
Putin has an upper hand – it is high time the West said enough is enough February 15, 2015 Vladimir Putin once said “There is no such thing as a former KGB man.” The problem in dealing with the present Russian Tsar is that he knows far more about our weaknesses than we do about his. Coming to maturity as a KGB officer in eastern Germany, the young Vladimir Putin’s tradecraft involved incessantly analysing [...]
Ukraine crisis: Ceasefire violated within an hour, but is largely holding February 15, 2015 The Ukrainian ceasefire agreement lasted all of 50 minutes. Both sides accused the other of having broken the accord, with the telling shots fired near the town of Debaltseve, where 6,000 government troops are being besieged by separatist forces. Both sides allege that within an hour of the midnight cease in hostilities, artillery shells were [...]
Brent crude oil price tops $60 as US supply plummets February 13, 2015 The price of oil has nudged back above $60 per barrel for the first time since the end of last year, after a closely-watched report suggested supply from the US has fallen. This morning a barrel of crude oil rose more than $1 to $60.32, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 1.4 per cent to [...]
Rolls-Royce share price falls as sales drop for the first time in a decade February 13, 2015 The figures Shares at troubled engineering giant Rolls-Royce opened 3.3 per cent lower this morning after it reported a sales drop of six per cent to £13.7bn in 2014, the company's first drop in sales in a decade. Revenues fell six per cent to £14.6bn, while underlying pre-tax profits dropped eight per cent to £1.6bn (dead on [...]
Ukraine ceasefire boost for Coca Cola bottler helps FTSE – London Report February 12, 2015 COCA-COLA bottler HBC led the UK’s top share index higher yesterday, after news of a general ceasefire from Sunday in Ukraine’s east. The world’s second-largest bottler of Coca-Cola drinks, which counts Russia as its biggest market, surged 6.23 per cent after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced the ceasefire agreement following peace talks in Minsk with [...]