The Cold War: part II

It looks like BP's relations with the Russian government are getting frostier. The Moscow authorities have now refused half of the work permits needed by TNK-BP for its foreign workers, including the chief executive Robert Dudley. So unless the company manages to thaw relations quickly it would seem that the Russians on the verge of achieving their goal of taking control of the venture. Last night, Dudley said: "We have been given no grounds to believe these issues will be resolved before senior international staff and their families will have to leave Russia. Unfortunately, this now appears very likely."