Russian rouble sinks to record lows as oil prices tumble October 13, 2014 Vladimir Putin was enjoying himself at Russia’s first Grand Prix for a century yesterday, but the party was quickly over as the Russian president woke up to further falls in oil prices and a weakening rouble. The Russian currency hit record lows against the dollar and the euro on Monday morning, as tumbling oil [...]
Britain’s most successful F1 driver? Lewis Hamilton equals Nigel Mansell’s record of 31 wins after Russia GP October 12, 2014 Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead with ease at the Russian Grand Prix today, dominating the track in Sochi to secure his ninth win of the season, giving him a 17 point lead over teammate Nico Rosberg. With just three stages left to go, Hamilton is in pole position to record his second Formula [...]
Ukraine crisis: Russia pulls 17,000 troops from border October 12, 2014 Russia is pulling troops away from the Ukrainian border, ahead of president Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Petro Poroshenko. 17,600 soldiers stationed in the Rostov region have been ordered to return to their bases. According to Russian news agency RIA Novosti, the troops’ training exercises have now come to an end. A ceasefire [...]
Moody’s warns that Russia may prompt Ukraine state to default October 9, 2014 UKRAINE’S government could begin to default on its debts if Russia calls in a $3bn (£1.86bn) loan made to the troubled state late last year, analysts at Moody’s warned yesterday. The state’s debt to GDP ratio is set to rise above 60 per cent this year, breeching the terms of the Russian loan and thus [...]
Perez: Bianchi horror smash is not acceptable October 9, 2014 DISGRUNTLED Force India driver Sergio Perez has described the horrific crash which left Jules Bianchi with severe head injuries and fighting for his life as “totally unacceptable”. Frenchman Bianchi remains in intensive care after suffering a diffuse axonal injury when his Marussia car smashed into the recovery vehicle attending to Adrian Sutil during the Japanese [...]
Rouble falls to a new low against dollar and pound as sanctions bite October 8, 2014 President Putin celebrated his birthday yesterday, but it's just as well he is a tee-totaller because Russia's currency is probably giving him enough of a headache to worry about. The rouble has fallen to a new low against both the dollar and the pound today, as sanctions and falling oil prices continued to hit [...]
Murray stutters as Nadal admits to appendicitis October 7, 2014 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray suffered a minor hiccup on his way to a first-round victory at the Shanghai Masters yesterday – though it was nothing compared to world No2 Rafael Nadal’s abdominal problems. Murray made repeated forehand errors in his second set against Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili before winning 6-1, 7-5 to set up a meeting with [...]
Russia optimists are making an increasingly implausible case October 6, 2014 A potential economic outcast is a bad place to invest money. Russia's economy has taken a battering this year. The conflict in Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions tit-for-tat with the West has delivered an enormous blow to confidence, with some of the country’s largest companies now all but locked out of dollar debt refinancing [...]
Jim Mellon: Three things you didn’t know about the multi-millionaire fund manager October 6, 2014 1 He once ended up owning a nightclub in Manila due to non-payment of a debt. Luckily the debt was repaid. But for six months, he was the owner of the Firehouse Club, unbeknown to his employers. 2 He was once charged with accompanying the ex-Foreign Secretary, George Brown, on a trip around Japan. Then [...]
Economic warfare between the West and Russia only punishes the guiltless September 30, 2014 INCREASINGLY, I am receiving requests for legal support from Russian and Western individuals and businesses who are suffering from the economic sanctions imposed by the West on Russia, and from Russia’s counter-measures. The legality of these sanctions is dubious at best. They flagrantly violate the free trade principles enshrined in the World Trade Organisation treaty [...]