World News

The billionaire capital of the world, Moscow, Europe’s largest city, wants to establish itself as a financial hub, despite loud calls that Russia is a ‘bad investment.’ Much attention is paid to Moscow’s billionaires as financial circles watch with intrigue as football clubs, Greek islands, and New York penthouses are bought up by Russia’s new class of wealth. Hedge funds first arrived in Moscow alongside the explosion of the Russian stock market in 2005-06, but the Western-managed firms, without specific exposure to the local market, didn’t emerge as hedge funds, but rather extra-big...

The Canadian author Alice Munro has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Described by the jury as a "master of the contemporary short story", Munro, 82, has published numerous collections over a 45-year career.

Born in Wingham, Ontario in 1931, her mother was a teacher, and a father a fox farmer. After finishing high school, she began studying journalism and English at the University of Western Ontario, but broke off her studies when she got married in 1951. Together with her husband, she settled in Victoria, British Columbia, where the couple opened a bookstore....

The University of Exeter has awarded an honorary degree to one of its most distinguished academics, Professor Tim Niblock, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern Politics. The ceremony was hosted by His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, in Sharjah UAE on 26 September. The Honorary Doctor of Laws marks Professor Tim Niblock’s retirement from the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies (IAIS) at the University, and his contribution to academia within the Gulf. Over 120 invited guests attended the special ceremony including IAIS alumni, many of whom hold influential positions...

The continued accumulation of sand within the iconic ring-shaped reefs inside Maldivian atolls could provide a foundation for future island development new research suggests. Islands like the Maldives are considered likely to be the first to feel the effects of climate change induced sea level rise, with future island growth essential to counter the threat of rising sea levels.

The study published in the journal Geology , and carried out by researchers from the University of Exeter in collaboration with the University of Auckland, James Cook University, the National Institute for...