We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
THE RUSSIAN ROUBLE crashed to new record lows today, losing some 20% in value by the afternoon despite drastic overnight measures by the central bank to hike the key rate.
The rouble hit 80 to the dollar and 100 to the euro on the Moscow Exchange. Overall the Russian currency has lost nearly 60 percent of its value since the start of the year.
The RTS index of the Moscow Exchange fell by 17 percent, to its lowest point since 2009. “We are clearly seeing a speculative attack on the rouble,” an analyst with VTB24 bank Alexei Mikheyev told AFP.
The central bank made a dramatic decision to raise interest rates which was meant to strengthen the currency. It did help it somewhat but the dollar still buys as many as 80 roubles now and the euro as many as 100 roubles.
Investors have dumped their shares amid the risk of a deepening economic crisis that could destabilise the country.
The Guardian reports that the head of the Russian Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, told people in the country that they should get used to a new way of life now.
“We have to learn to live in a different zone, to orient ourselves more towards our own sources of financing, and to give a chance to import substitution”.
“Trust me, the choice the central bank’s board of directors made was one between bad and much, much worse,” commented the bank’s first deputy chairman Sergei Shvetsov .
“In the coming days, the situation will be comparable with the toughest period of 2008. I think that the experience we accumulated over the past crises will help us find the right solution and survive this situation. I very much hope so.”
- © AFP 2014 with additional reporting by Michelle Hennessy.
Serve Apple right!
They are a bunch of thugs. They were (not for the first time) caught using unscrupulous methods to kill off any competition.
Thugs is a strong word. What did they do exactly?
Eh jeff Apple employing over 3000 people in Cork!!! Thugs! They have done a huge amount for the local community. I’ll be Supporting local jobs thats for sure and sticking with Apple :)
Thug’s is a strong ok but the essence of the comment is right. Apple for the most part have created nothing new just did things a similar but better way. Steve jobs said it himself they only ever took other peoples ideas and improves them. others are now doing that to apple. and they deal with it through the courts instead of competing on price and product.
as for how many apple employ in Ireland their competitors employ more people here so that’s no basis for supporting either side
sent from my iPhone
first time I saw a tablet pc was on Startrek, Captain Pickard had one long before Apple.
@Ray
You will find everything from the floppy disk,mobile phone through to tablet came from startrek.As much as people give that show some stick it was ahead of its time.
But he was in the future though…time travel?
If it wasn’t for apple we’d all be using crappy symbian OS phones made by Nokia. Whether you love em or hate them they transformed mobile phones and tablet markets.
Well said Jay ;)
Android is older than iOS.
But Android was already in development before Apple started the iPhone and WebOS was already developed. Palm & HTC had been making touch screen phones and personal assistants for years…
Apple just applied their industrial design & UI to other peoples ideas…
Should be harsher consequences for apple
Maybe, but having to publicly admit they were wrong? Against Samsung? I bet that will sting horribly more than any fine. It will be very interesting to see how they handle this.
Android Rulez…!!!
I didn’t say invent Smartphones..they transformed them…and no one knows whether IOS/Android was first.
Google claim 2005 for Android but iOS was released in 2007 well ahead of it so it’s safe to assume Apple were working on it earlier than 2006 etc..
Either way both make great smartphones and I’ve had both including the very first android phone released.
never liked apple, and I never will… so I’m really happy to see how that case ended :)
Michelle Hennessy is pretty
Big fan of hers!
I have an iPad and a Samsung android phone and I love them both equally.
I am so disappointed with you.
Stick with one technology and look on with contempt at the other…
the most fundamental aspects of the iPhone are the glass top which is based on a compound called gorilla glass that was shelved by the manufacturer and reported after Jobs met its CEO and described what he was trying to do with touch screens – which conveniently leads into multitouch that came from the iPad design that was already on track at iPhone design stage, and scrolling was designed by the kid Jobs hired in the Apple building foyer after he had screwed his job interview on demonstrating a magnify feature that he jade programmed and first appeared aa a feature on the iMac, not to mention iPod integration etc etc. you may not like Jobs end to end integration that is the basis of the Apple walled garden, but consider why so many US businesses use Apple – because everything is simple – understand one device and you simply get the rest – and everything collaborates particularly with the streamlining of iCloud. Btw – I just composed this comment on my Samsung Note :)
Hi pat, I’m due an upgrade and can’t decide between the note or the galaxy s3. I’m going in tomorrow to get the phone. I love the size of the note but worried I might find it to big for one hand so I’m just wondering how you like it, is it comfortable to use. Sorry I know this is off topic but it’s a big decision for me.
I find the Note to be brilliant. I used to carry a notebook everywhere. Now I just ensure that I have my headphones and mic and I notate on the phone. Anything important is synced to Evernote. I like it :)
Thanks Pat.
Jim: have note too as second phone and it’s awesome… It’s not too big once you get used too also there is function to allow one hand typing – keyboard gets smaller and moves to one or another side of the screen allowing one hand typing which is not really possible on this phone with standard keyboard layout. Screen is perfection finally screen that is comfortable even for watching movies and super hd amoled screen beats even iPhone 4. Have s3 too which is my main phone but prefer note to be honest the only reason note is not my 1st phone is that I use it in car mainly as gps device.
Thanks Fizi I think I’ll go for the note, I mostly use my phone for internet so it sounds perfect for me.
Correct me if I’m wrong but the iPad was around before the galaxy tab. If that’s the case then Apple should get the apology. BTW I have an iPad and tried the galaxy tab, there’s no comparison, Apple rules
Unfortunatley for you, the court case wasn’t based around which you think rules or not… It’s about intellectual property. If what you are suggesting is correct, then Microsoft and Fujitsu should sue both Apple & Samsung as they have been producing tablets for years…
True…the ipad was actually being developed back in 2002-04 but Jobs decided to go with the phone first.
This pics came out in the recent trial.
In light of the super interesting comments above could you change the headline to “Apple and Android users in Ireland drop knowledge bombs about how cool Apple and samsung products are. UK judge to reconsider findings.”
Hey Stephen….everyone knows that Apple products are way cooler than Samsung…even the Judge said it in this same case so it must be true :)
Cool vs Cooler. The only thing we can know for certain in this whole debate is that the judge has a streetwise nephew from Philadelphia living with him. Everything else is irrelevant.
I have a windows phone :(
Actually agree with you on that Paul…if anything it was Bill Gates who created the first tablet pc back in 2002 but it was too far ahead of it’s time. Plus running windows :)
Bloomberg ?
What is the difference that android was first before iOS I have now Samsung galaxy s3 supposedly best android phone on the market and can’t complain about it, but in all fairness iPhone maybe crashed on me once a week, this Samsung crashes daily. Not like complete crash, but whatever application stopped to work do you want to close, wait, etc. os itself is also just smoother on iPhone – you have to be seriously blind to say otherwise. Android not bad thing but when it comes to simplicity and stability it loses with its in my opinion. Feature wise it wins.
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say