BP’s Russian roulette

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Ruth Green

Here is my latest article published in IBA Global Insight:

In January, BP and state-owned Russian energy company Rosneft shocked the world by signing a US$16bn share swap deal. The two companies intend to jointly exploit oil and gas reserves in Russia’s Arctic shelf and make Rosneft the largest single shareholder in BP. The deal, which will also see BP increase its holdings in the former assets of Yukos oil company, occurred only a matter of weeks after Yukos’ former CEO, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was sentenced to a further six years in prison.

A stark reminder of BP’s recent past also came shortly after, when the company reported a loss of US$4.9bn – mainly due to US$40.9bn for charges relating to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill – making 2010 its first year of losses for 20 years. The tie-up therefore not only raises many questions about the viability of a British – Russian exploration operation, but also poses questions about the future of BP and the oil and gas industry as a whole.

Published on 04-04-11. Read on here

The Art of Reading in the 21st Century

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Ruth Green

Here is my latest blog for Booktrust:

The UK celebrated World Book Day last Thursday and it got me thinking about the nature of reading in modern times.

Although there’s no doubting the pleasure of reading a hard copy of a book, the internet has clearly revolutionised our access to foreign language books, both in the original language and in translation. Project Gutenberg and its vast collection of ebooks has long made it a valuable resource for people looking for texts in translation, original prose and even related literary criticism.

Published on 15-03-11. Read on here

Lands of Opportunity: Latin American exploration market

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Ruth Green

Here is my first article published in IBA Global Insight:

The drama surrounding the rescue of 33 miners in northern Chile has highlighted the great potential in the country’s mining industry as well as the Latin American exploration market.

Latin America has long been known as a mineral rich continent. Nevertheless, periods of economic, political and social instability have discouraged foreign companies from investment. On 13 October, 33 miners were rescued after being trapped for 66 days in the collapsed San José mine in northern Chile. The story captured worldwide attention and turned what could have been a major blow for the country and its mining industry into a global success story. Both the rescue and the euphoria it provoked are telling of the great potential and interest in both Chile and the Latin American market as a whole.

Published on 15-02-11. Read on here

In discussion: The Anatomy of a Moment by Javier Cercas

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Ruth Green

Here is my latest blog for Booktrust:

On Monday evening I attended a talk by Javier Cercas chaired by Antony Beevor at the Southbank Centre. Cercas was speaking about his new book The Anatomy of a Moment (La Anatomia de un instante), which describes an incident in February 1971 when a group of around 200 soldiers and members of the Civil Guard stormed the lower house of the Spanish Parliament.

Published on 11-02-11. Read on here

Javier Cercas’ award-winning account of 23-F to commemorate thirtieth anniversary

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Ruth Green

Here is my latest blog for Booktrust:

Although we may hear little about Spanish fiction in the UK, we arguably hear even less about Spanish history written by Spanish writers themselves. Hispanists in this country are well acquainted with the likes of Raymond Carr, Hugh Thomas, Paul Preston and Antony Beevor, but will probably not associate Spanish writer Javier Cercas with non-fiction.

Published on 17-01-11. Read on here