Section: Business Insider (USA)
Sanction-hit Russian state bank VTB receives $1.8 bn aid
Moscow (AFP) – Russia’s second largest bank VTB said Tuesday it has received 100 billion rubles ($1.8 billion) from the country’s national welfare fund, part of a plan to recapitalise the banking system hit by the falling ruble and Western sanctions.”VTB confirms that today the bank has been provided with 100 billion...
US sends warship as Indonesia expands search for AirAsia plane
Jakarta (AFP) – A US warship Tuesday joined an expanded search for an AirAsia passenger plane missing off Indonesia as the pilot’s last words to air traffic control were revealed.The recording shows the pilot wanted to avoid a menacing storm system before all communication was lost, an Indonesian air safety official said.More than 48...
‘Grexit’ spectre returns, but eurozone safer: analysts
Brussels (AFP) – Fears of a Greek euro exit have returned with a bang after Athens called early elections on Monday, but steps taken after the financial crisis should stop the rest of the currency zone imploding, analysts say.The bigger issue is of political contagion across the EU, with anti-austerity parties across the continent likely to...
12 Geopolitical Predictions About 2015
If 2014 proved anything, it’s that guessing at the state of the world a year down the line is a vain or even slightly embarrassing endeavor. Indeed, who could have expected a year ago that Russia would take over Crimea, ISIS would break out of Al Qaeda and declare a caliphate, the US would start bombing Syria and Iraq while approaching a...
Here’s What Each State Googled More Than Any Other State This Year
There’s a lot to be learned from a person’s Google searches. Real estate listings site Estately looked at Google Trends data to determine what people, stories, and controversies residents of each state cared about most. The map they compiled using the data shows not what each state searched for the most overall, but what they Googled...
The Ruble Is Crashing
The ruble is collapsing again. The currency dropped by as much as 9.3% on Monday — the biggest decline since December 15. This crash follows the Economy Ministry’s announcement that GDP contracted by 0.5% from a year earlier, following a 0.5% increase in October. “This is linked to sanctions first of all, oil and the panic we saw on...
Poroshenko announces Putin meeting in new peace push
Kiev (AFP) – Ukraine’s Western-backed leader Petro Poroshenko promised Monday to meet Russia’s Vladimir Putin and involve US President Barack Obama in his stalled push for peace with pro-Kremlin fighters in the separatist east.The surprise announcement came days after the first direct peace talks with the rebels in three months...
It’s Rare For Planes To Crash When AirAsia’s Did
AirAsia Flight QZ8501 disappeared about 45 minutes after takeoff. Malyasia Arlines MH370, which vanished without a trace earlier this year, also went down well after it had left the runway and entered the “cruise” phase of flight. Another Malaysia Arlines flight, MH17, was lost over Ukraine in July, presumable shot down by a missile....
OBAMA: Putin’s No Genius
President Barack Obama is not impressed with his Russian counterpart in the aftermath of recent events. In a new NPR interview published Monday morning, Obama dismissed those who hailed Vladimir Putin as a crafty world player when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. “Three or four months ago, everybody in Washington was convinced that...
European stocks slide as Greece fails to elect leader
London (AFP) – European stock markets mainly slumped on Monday following the holiday break, as attention focused on Greece’s failure to elect a president, triggering sharp losses for share prices in Athens.In early afternoon deals, Frankfurt’s DAX 30 lost 0.53 percent to 9,869.44 points and the CAC 40 in Paris dipped 0.07...
