01 MAR 2022  The war in Ukraine is threatening further disruption to already stretched supply chains. Ukraine and Russia may only account for a small proportion of the imports of major manufacturing nations like Germany and the US, but they are essential suppliers of raw materials and energy for many crucial supply chains. Though the economic …

28 FEB 2022  While the battle for Kyiv rages, the economic war between Russia and the nations of the West has barely begun. The US, the EU and their allies are concentrating their economic attacks on Russia’s financial system while exempting the energy sector. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initial response …

27 FEB 2022  Russia and China are making much of their strategic partnership as a counterbalance to their stresses with the West, but the European Union is still much more important economically to Russia than is China, and Australia comprehensively trumps Russia as a supplier to China. There’s no realistic …

26 FEB 2022 As Russian forces attack targets across Ukraine, commodity traders are watching the country’s vast network of infrastructure that’s key to supplying gas, crops and steel to Europe and beyond. Moscow has confirmed it is targeting military facilities across the country and Ukraine’s border guard said it was …

25 FEB 2022 The Chernobyl nuclear power plant and its surrounding area are showing increased radiation levels after heavy fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops in the region, Ukrainian officials said Friday (Feb. 25) Online data from the Chernobyl exclusion zone’s automated radiation-monitoring system shows that gamma radiation has increased 20 times above usual levels …

02 MAR 2022 Feeling dizzy or light-headed when standing is a common experience caused by a drop in blood pressure. When this blood pressure dip is very brief and rapid, and not tied to any other health problems, it’s referred to as initial orthostatic hypotension or IOH. New research suggests some simple …

01 MAR 2022 More humans are alive today than ever before, and yet around the world, people are still feeling alone a lot of the time. Even before the global pandemic hit, a sweeping meta analysis has found chronic or severe loneliness was a common and overlooked experience in numerous nations. Past studies in the …

28 FEB 2022  A group of environmental advocates have carried out a lab study on samples of the plastic debris from the wreck of the X-Press Pearl, which burned and sank off Colombo, Sri Lanka last year. The vessel was carrying nearly 1,700 tonnes of plastic pellets, or nurdles, and it released …

28 FEB 2022 Being removed from SWIFT means Russian banks can’t use it to make or receive payments with foreign financial institutions for trade transactions. Exclusion from SWIFT, a very discreet but important cog in the machinery of international finance, is one of the most disruptive sanctions the West has …

27 FEB 2022   Merchant ships continue to be targeted in the escalating Russian war on Ukraine while security analysts are warning vessels to leave the area due to the increased danger. The crew of a small chemical tanker was forced to abandon ship with at least two members of …