Zelensky warns oil price surge could help Russia’s war efforts June 14, 2025 A sharp rise in global oil prices after Israeli strikes on Iran will benefit Russia and bolster its military capabilities in the war in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky has said. The Ukrainian president told journalists in Kyiv that the surge in oil prices threatens Ukraine’s position on the battlefield, especially because western allies have not enforced [...]
High Court rules aircraft lenders can recover loss from planes stuck in Russia June 11, 2025 In a substantial blow for insurers, the High Court concluded that 'War Risk' insurers to foot the bill over aircraft lost in Russia
Gold tops euro to become central banks’ second favourite reserve asset June 11, 2025 Central banks now hold more gold than euros in the face of global trade tensions and volatile markets, according to a report produced by the European Central Bank (ECB), making it the world’s second largest reserve asset after the US dollar. Purchases of gold were twice as high in 2024 as the average seen over [...]
Calls to overhaul UK’s ‘outdated’ sanctions regime June 5, 2025 Experts are calling for an overhaul of the UK’s “outdated” sanctions regime, which is “ill-equipped” to face modern forms of crime and conflict. Former justice secretary Robert Buckland has argued for reforming the UK sanctions system to better suit modern threats, writing in a report by the Adam Smith Institute (ASI). The Sanctions and Anti-Money [...]
Starmer refuses to commit 3 per cent defence spending despite ‘battle-ready’ claim June 2, 2025 Keir Starmer has been criticised for failing to commit to increasing defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP. The Prime Minister vowed to put in place the “largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War,” with a 2.5 per cent share of GDP going to defence. However, the PM maintained that hitting [...]
Keir Starmer defends uncertainty over defence spending target June 2, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has defended not setting a precise date for when the UK will deliver its “ambition” to spend three per cent of GDP on defence. The Prime Minister is facing backlash after the government appeared to row back from an important target ahead of Monday’s strategic defence review announcement. Starmer told the BBC [...]
Ukrainian girl killed and another hurt in Russian missile attack May 31, 2025 A Russian missile has hit a front-line region in Ukraine, killing a child and injuring another, as uncertainty remains as to whether Kyiv diplomats will attend a new round of peace talks proposed by Moscow for early next week in Istanbul. Russian troops launched some 109 drones and five missiles across Ukraine overnight and into [...]
North Sea windfall tax causing ‘irreversible damage’ says oil giant May 27, 2025 The boss of Enquest has slammed the windfall tax on oil and gas firms as doing “irreversible damage” to the industry and “driving job losses across the sector”. Amjad Bseisu, Enquest’s chief executive, called for the North Sea tax to be scrapped in an operations update on Tuesday after claiming it makes the UK a [...]
Defence boom will continue long after Ukraine war, says Panmure May 19, 2025 An end to hostilties in Ukraine would only be a short-term setback for the share price of European defence manufacturers, according to analysts. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS) said last week that in the case of a mid-2025 ceasefire in Ukraine, Russia could rearm and attack a Baltic state as soon as 2027. [...]
UK condemns Russian drone strike that left nine dead in Ukraine May 17, 2025 The UK has condemned a Russian drone attack that killed nine people in Ukraine early on Saturday. The attack, which struck a passenger bus in Ukraine’s north-eastern Sumy region, came just hours after the first face-to-face talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiations in Istanbul, Turkey. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was “appalled” by the [...]