McDonald’s to take legal action against Russian restaurant ban August 27, 2014 Fastfood giant McDonald’s yesterday hit back against the closure of five of its restaurants in Russia over what the country’s food regulator Rospotrebnadzor claimed were sanitary problems. Maxim Titarenko, a lawyer representing the fastfood company, protested: “The violations mentioned by the Rospotrebnadzor have already been eliminated or are being eliminated.” McDonald’s said in a statement: “We do [...]
McDonald’s set to fight back against Moscow crackdown August 27, 2014 After Russian courts ordered the closure of four McDonald's branches for 90 days, the global food giant has responded saying it will appeal the rulings and is scrutinising the decision made by the courts. "We do not agree with the court's resolution and will appeal against this resolution in accordance with the procedure established by [...]
Snapchat valued at $10 billion with new investment as monthly users reach 100m August 27, 2014 Evan Spiegel, the 24-year-old founder of Snapchat, must finally feel some vindication in his decision to turn down Facebook’s hefty $3bn (£1.8bn) offer for the hugely popular app last year. Snapchat is in the process of raising a new round of investment valuing the mobile messaging app at $10bn (£6bn), the Wall Street Journal reports, [...]
Ukraine crisis: President Poroshenko vows commitment to end fighting August 27, 2014 Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has vowed his commitment to end fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country. His announcement followed two hours of direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Belarus; the first time such talks have taken place between the two leaders. "A roadmap will [...]
Europe will depend on Russian gas for decades, Fitch warns August 26, 2014 Europe will be reliant on Russian gas for at least the next decade with little alternative, analysts have claimed. Ratings agency Fitch issued a stark note yesterday, warning that Europe will continue to depend heavily on natural resources from President Vladimir Putin’s nation despite the race to diversify energy sources on the continent. “Any attempt [...]
Russian government shutters three more McDonald’s outlets August 26, 2014 The Russian government yesterday closed another three branches of McDonald’s, despite official denials that the shutdowns were related to sanction efforts against western governments. Last week, the state shuttered four McDonald’s outlets in Moscow, citing unsanitary conditions. Yesterday, two more in Moscow were closed, along with one in the mountainous Urals region. The company’s Russian [...]
WPP results ‘ravaged’ by strength of the pound August 26, 2014 The world’s largest advertising company, WPP, reported a 1.5 per cent rise in profit to £532m in the first half of the year yesterday, hampered by the effects of a strong pound. WPP reported that the strength of sterling had “ravaged” its billings and at a constant currency the same profits would have risen 15.6 [...]
Ride a black swan? WPP’s Sir Martin Sorrell adds Russian crisis to his list August 26, 2014 The Sochi Winter Olympics in February were a key turning point in the West’s deteriorating relationship with Russia, says WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell who now lists the Russian crisis as the most threatening of his unknown unknowns – or “black swans” – supplanting the Eurozone debt crisis. “I think we made a mistake [...]
Ukraine crisis deepens as 100 Russian lorries begin “direct invasion” August 22, 2014 The head of Ukraine's security service Valentyn Nalyvaichenko has said the unauthorised crossing of 100 Russian lorries into Ukrainian territory is tantamount to a "direct invasion", adding it was "under the cynical guise of the Red Cross – these are military vehicles". According to the Red Cross, the lorries crossed the border on Friday without [...]
State reputation riskier than sanctions for Russia’s oil and gas companies August 21, 2014 The Russian government’s reputation is a greater threat to the cred it worthiness of the country’s energy companies than the sanctions levied against the sector by the US and Europe, according to a report released yesterday. Credit ratings agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P) argued in research yesterday that sovereign risk is the largest factor weighing [...]