Malaysian Airlines flight MH17: Ukraine crash reignites crisis July 17, 2014 A passenger jet was shot down over Ukraine near the Russian border yesterday, killing around 300 people and straining the already tense geopolitical situation. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur lost contact with the ground at around 2:15pm GMT. Six of the passengers killed are believed to have been British, and 80 [...]
Air traffic rerouted away from Ukraine after MH17 crash July 17, 2014 Several airlines have now confirmed that they are avoiding Ukrainian airspace after a Malaysian Airlines jet crashed in eastern Ukraine. Flight MH17 came down near the Russian border, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, earlier today. The UK's Department for Transport (DfT) has told aircraft already in the air to avoid Ukrainian airspace. A spokesperson [...]
Malaysian Airlines passenger plane crashes over eastern Ukraine July 17, 2014 A plane belonging to Malaysian Airlines has gone down over eastern Ukraine, near the Russian border. Malaysia Airlines has tweeted that it lost contact with flight MH17 from Amsterdam, and that the last known position of the plane was in Ukrainian airspace. The plane was travelling towards Kuala Lumpur. The Boeing 777 was carrying some [...]
Russian markets take a hit as Ukraine ends truce July 1, 2014 Russian markets are taking a beating in the wake of Ukraine's decision to end the ceasefire with pro-Russian rebels. The Russian ruble has fallen sharply against the US dollar, with a 0.7 per cent slide. Meanwhile, Moscow's MICEX index dropped by 0.9 per cent after the announcement. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the renewed hostilities [...]
Why Ukraine’s free trade agreement with EU puts all eyes on Moscow June 27, 2014 Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia have signed landmark free-trade pacts with European leaders this morning, binding the former Soviet states closer to the west. The agreement slashes import tariffs between the countries and the European Union and is considered a watershed moment for the region: a marked shift away from Russian influence and Moscow's proposals to [...]
Rouble firms on Ukraine hopes June 24, 2014 THE RUSSIAN rouble shot up against the dollar yesterday, reaching its highest level since January, as Moscow gave stronger indications that the conflict in Ukraine would be de-escalated. Russian President Vladimir Putin asked the country’s legislators yesterday to rescind permission he had been previously granted to intervene militarily in Ukraine. The dollar dropped below the [...]
German sentiment drops on investor fears over Ukraine and Iraq June 24, 2014 Investor sentiment in Europe's largest economy has weakened, reflecting ongoing geopolitical concerns over tensions in Ukraine and militant activity in Iraq. German Ifo indicators have disappointed across the board in June, with the business climate index falling to 109.7 from 110.4. Analysts had been expecting a drop to just 110.2. Jeremy Cook, chief economist at [...]
Energy crunch: Oil prices rise over Iraq fears as cost of gas jumps after Ukraine cut-off June 16, 2014 Fears of a disruptive energy price spike grew yesterday as conflict escalated in Iraq and Ukraine’s gas supplies from Russia were abruptly cut off. Experts warned that growing geopolitical risk could send oil and gas prices sharply upwards, prompting a more severe market reaction and even a slowdown in the global economic recovery. The US [...]
Russia heading back to recession as Ukraine turmoil hits business June 4, 2014 Russian private sector output has fallen at its fastest rate in five years, according to survey data released today, prompting some to suggest that the country is yet again facing recession. The HSBC purchasing managers' index, compiled by Markit, sees the Russian headline output index fall to a five year low of 47.1 in May. [...]
Mixed morning for Asian markets as Ukraine tensions ease May 27, 2014 Asian markets have had a mixed morning, with investors taking heart from the possibility of monetary easing in the euro area and the conclusion of Ukraine's presidential election without further interference from Russia. On Monday, Mario Draghi said the European Central Bank (ECB) was prepared to act and counter risks that may arise from low [...]