Trump sanctions have swift impact but will world stop buying Russian oil and gas?

Donald Trump’s stated mission to broker peace in Ukraine could come down to this simple question: can the US president convince the world to stop buying Russia’s fossil fuels?Last week, Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, in an effort to damage Moscow’s ability to fund its war machine.Tom Keatinge, the founding director of the Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at the defence thinktank Rusi, said: “The US has been more effective in 24 hours than the EU has been in the last six months. Trump is willing to say what many others are too timid or too diplomatic to say out loud. For the longest time people have been calling for Trump to pull out the sanctions hammer. It could be very significant

Peer trying to derail UK smoking ban discussed bill with relative at tobacco firm

A member of the House of Lords who is trying to derail the generational ban on tobacco sales discussed the legislation with a family member who is “very high up” at British American Tobacco (BAT).Lord Strathcarron is proposing amendments that would scrap the central provision of the tobacco and vapes bill, originally proposed by Rishi Sunak’s government.If the bill is passed in its original form, the UK would become only the second country to implement a so-called generational smoking ban, making it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born after 2008.Strathcarron’s proposal is to simply raise the legal purchase age from 18 to 21.The change proposed by the peer, who in a recent speech in the Lords described cigars as “harmless”, mirrors BAT’s lobbying position

Fare game: what the battle between taxis and Uber means for your airport trip in Sydney and Melbourne

By the time you’ve exited the plane, edged through passport control and endured the baggage claim wait, your only thought may be of home or a hotel bed. But passengers at Australia’s major airports have recently noticed some changes as they contemplate the final leg of their journey.Since Friday, in a bid to deter illegal touts, a new taxi booking trial at Melbourne airport has allowed some passengers to pay a fixed fare upfront. And next month, Sydney airport will begin its own one-year trial of a $60 flat fare for the 13km journey to the CBD.The changes, supported by the taxi industry, are a sign of its struggle to remain competitive with the rideshare companies – especially Uber

Amazon strategised about keeping its datacentres’ full water use secret, leaked document shows

Executives at world’s biggest datacenter owner grappled with disclosing information about water used to help power facilitiesAmazon strategised about keeping the public in the dark over the true extent of its datacentres’ water use, a leaked internal document reveals.The biggest owner of datacentres in the world, Amazon dwarfs competitors Microsoft and Google and is planning a huge increase in capacity as part of a push into artificial intelligence. The Seattle firm operates hundreds of active facilities, with many more in development despite concerns over how much water is being used to cool their vast arrays of circuitry.Amazon defends its approach and has taken steps to manage how efficient its water use is, but it has faced criticism over transparency. Microsoft and Google regularly publish figures for their water consumption, but Amazon has never publicly disclosed how much water its server farms consume

Saracens’ Noah Caluori called up by England for autumn internationals

Noah Caluori, the 19-year-old Saracens wing, has been named in England’s autumn internationals squad by Steve Borthwick.Caluori burst on to the Prem scene by scoring five tries against Sale on 18 October and, as England gear up for a busy November featuring four Tests, Borthwick has called up the uncapped youngster after initially inviting him to a training camp last week. The 36-player squad, including 19 forwards and 17 backs, gathered at Pennyhill Park in Surrey on Sunday night.Caluori made his second Prem start for Saracens in the defeat by table-topping Northampton on Friday. He had a considerably quieter night than the phenomenal display against Sale, and was given a severe defensive test by the Saints’ all-court attacking game

New York Jets legend Nick Mangold dies aged 41 while seeking kidney transplant

Nick Mangold, a hugely popular player during his 11-season career with the New York Jets, has died at the age of 41.Earlier this month, Mangold said he had been undergoing dialysis and needed a kidney transplant. He sought help from fans of the Jets and Ohio State, where he was a star in college.“In 2006, I was diagnosed with a genetic defect that has led to chronic kidney disease. After a rough summer, I’m undergoing dialysis as we look for a kidney transplant,” he wrote at the time