25 years later: Remembering the fall of the Berlin Wall November 9, 2014 This weekend, the world observes the 25th anniversary of one of the most historic events in modern history, the fall of the Berlin Wall. The wall, erected by the German Democratic Republic of East Berlin in 1961 and fortified for nearly 30 years, was built to stem the flow of defectors from the Eastern bloc [...]
Rouble edges up after falling to historic low against dollar and euro November 7, 2014 The rouble recovered slightly against the dollar in late morning trading, after it dropped to historic lows against both the dollar and the euro. At one point in mid-morning, it took more than 48 roubles to buy a dollar, as investors showed their lack of confidence in the Russian central bank's ability to control its [...]
Champions League: City reach crisis point after Euro misery goes on November 5, 2014 MANCHESTER CITY 1 CSKA MOSCOW 2 MANCHESTER City boss Manuel Pellegrini admitted his side are suffering a crisis of confidence after defeat to Russian champions CSKA Moscow at the Etihad Stadium last night left their Champions League hopes dangling by a thread. CSKA hitman Seydou Doumbia enhanced his status as the scourge of the Etihad [...]
The immigration debate has been poisoned – and the facts wilfully ignored November 5, 2014 This weekend, people across Europe will commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. They will celebrate the end of communism in Europe, the liberation of millions from totalitarianism, and the opening up of a continent to free movement between nations. In Britain, however, the politics of migration has become grubbier. Everybody [...]
Imperial Tobacco hit by global decline in cigarette sales November 4, 2014 Imperial Tobacco yesterday reported a drop in its revenues for the year ending 30 September, with the company hurt by its attempt to reduce its debt pile along with falling sales in volatile markets. However, the results were broadly on par with City expectations, and investors reacted positively. Shares closed more than four per cent [...]
Watch: Russian Steve Jobs monument dismantled after current CEO Tim Cook comes out as gay November 4, 2014 A St Petersburg monument in memory of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has been dismantled following the current CEO of the tech giant, Tim Cook, coming out as gay. The iPhone-shaped monument is two metres high and had sat outside the State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics. However, ZEFS, the Russian group [...]
Evraz share price dips as Roman Abramovich-backed miner aims to raise $350m in note offering November 3, 2014 Russian steel-making and mining company Evraz announced yesterday that it is aiming to refinance a portion of its debt with an offering of 7.5 per cent of secured notes worth $350m (£219m) through its Canadian subsidiary EICA. According to Evraz, which is headquartered in London, the notes will be guaranteed by Evraz North America and one [...]
Christmas top 5 November 3, 2014 Book ahead to avoid yule tide disappointment HYPER JAPAN CHRISTMAS MARKET Get the perfect Christmas present for the Japanophile in your life at the Hyper Japan Christmas Market. Following a successful exhibition earlier this year, the market will bring all things Japan to Kensington’s Olympia once again from 14 to 16 November. Adult tickets are [...]
RAF Typhoons intercept Russian Tupolev Tu-95 “Bear” bombers in UK airspace November 2, 2014 The RAF has intercepted two huge Russian bombers over the North Sea. The Tupolev Tu-95 planes, which were a range of around 8,000km and was originally designed to drop nuclear bombs on the continental US, were picked up by RAF radar and met by Typhoon fighter jets before being escorted through UK airspace. Contact was [...]
Russian central bank hikes interest rate by 1.5 percentage points to stave off rouble slide October 31, 2014 So much for the softly-softly approach to monetary policy taken by most central banks at the moment. Russia has hiked interest rates by 1.5 percentage points to 9.5 per cent, in an effort to stave off further slides in the rouble. The value of Russia's international reserve stockpile has fallen more than $30bn since the [...]