EU warnings of war in Ukraine May 6, 2014 THE PRESIDENTS of both Germany and France warned that Ukraine is on the brink of war yesterday, as tensions rose again in the country. Both the interim government in Ukraine and rebel pro-Russian fighters have suffered casualties in recent days, as fighting continues in the east of the country ahead of a referendum on Russian rule [...]
Aussie dollar climbs as central bank holds rates May 6, 2014 The Australian dollar has risen to a near one-week high as the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) held interest rates at 2.5 per cent. The RBA anticipates a period of interest rate stability as the Aussie dollar remains high. The Australian central bank expects to see improvement in the labour market in the near future [...]
Blame Europe’s 70 year holiday from history for the West’s terrible decline May 5, 2014 THE US public has had it with being the world’s policeman. An April 2014 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that only 19 per cent wanted America to engage in a more activist foreign policy. Fully 47 per cent wished the US to conduct a less activist policy, a camp that has quadrupled in size over [...]
Is a foreign language worth the investment? May 1, 2014 English may be a lingua franca, but another tongue could boost your job prospects AN INCREASING number of foreign multinationals – from Airbus to Samsung – now mandate English as the common corporate language. In 2010, Japanese services firm Rakuten hit headlines when it announced it would become an English-only organisation. “English is the only [...]
Is a foreign language worth the investment? April 30, 2014 English may be a lingua franca, but another tongue could boost your job prospects AN INCREASING number of foreign multinationals – from Airbus to Samsung – now mandate English as the common corporate language. In 2010, Japanese services firm Rakuten hit headlines when it announced it would become an English-only organisation. “English is the only [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 30 April 2014 April 29, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Borrowers driven to shadow banks A US regulatory crackdown on the $600bn leveraged loan market is driving borrowers to alternative lenders known as “shadow banks”, according to market participants. Bankers said the Federal Reserve and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency had stepped up their policing of the market, which provides financing [...]
BP sticks by Rosneft as Russia crisis hits profit April 29, 2014 OIL GIANT BP yesterday reiterated its commitment to Rosneft, despite the US putting sanctions on its head earlier this week. The FTSE 100 firm owns an almost 20 per cent stake in the Russian oil producer, whose chief executive Igor Sechin is one of president Vladimir Putin’s oldest allies. Russia has been at loggerheads with [...]
Bottom Line: Oil giant stuck in a hard place over sanctions against Sechin April 29, 2014 BP BOSS Bob Dudley is no stranger to Russian controversy. In 2008, when he was head of the oil giant’s Russian arm, he was forced to leave the country in unusual circumstances after his visa renewal was refused and officials raided the firm’s local TNK-BP offices. Since he took over as chief executive of the [...]
EU extends sanctions over Ukraine April 29, 2014 THE EU has announced a further 15 people it has added to its list for sanctions over the violence in Ukraine. The list now contains the names of 48 Russian and pro- Russian individuals involved in the separatist movement. New sanctions have been announced against General Valery Gerasimov, first deputy defence minister, and Lieutenant General [...]
Norway’s Statoil posts bumper profit due to US gas price hike April 29, 2014 NORWEGIAN energy giant Statoil posted net profit of 23.7bn krone (£2.35bn) in the first quarter, up from 6.4bn krone the previous year, beating market expectations thanks to a rise in US gas prices. Statoil is present in all the major US shale gas plays and benefited from higher demand due to an unusually cold winter. [...]