Cost of Ukraine crisis akin to ‘mid-sized natural catastrophe,’ Axa finance chief says May 9, 2022 French insurance giant Axa has said it expects the costs it will incur the Ukraine crisis will be similar to the financial hit posed by a “mid-sized natural catastrophe”. Speaking to reporters, Axa chief financial officer Alban de Mailly Nesle said: “We currently expect the net underwriting losses from the crisis to be akin to [...]
Law firms face moral dilemma over Russia exit as Ukraine crisis reveals widening split May 9, 2022 Following Vladimir Putin’s decision to send Russian troops into Ukraine on 24 February 2022, major companies from across the globe began cutting their links to Russia. As multinationals from across Western world, including McDonald’s and Coca Cola, piled out of Russia, a number of high-profile law firms also sought to distance themselves from the country, [...]
Putin ‘running out of missiles’ amid claims quarter of Russian Army now lost: Kremlin loses momentum in Donbas May 6, 2022 Vladimir Putin could be running out of missiles and armaments because of how much his forces have had to fire during the Ukraine war so far, according to the head of Britain’s Armed Forces. The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, said Russia has now lost 25 per cent of all its forces [...]
Putin in rare apology over Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov’s claim Hitler had ‘Jewish blood’ May 6, 2022 Russia’s president has issued a rare apology after backtracking on his foreign minister’s claim that Adolf Hitler had “Jewish blood”. In a phone call to Israel’s prime minister Naftali Bennett, the Kremlin’s leader said sorry after fury was sparked earlier in the week. Bennett had condemned the “lies” by Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, while foreign minister [...]
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich: ‘Intentions of giving sale proceeds to charity have not changed’ May 5, 2022 Chelsea’s sanctioned owner Roman Abramovich has insisted his “intentions in relation to gifting the proceeds” to charity “have not changed.” The Russian-Israeli Billionaire said on Thursday, his team have “identified senior representatives from UN bodies and large global charitable organizations” who will form a foundation to distribute the funds. This comes after what the statement [...]
Ben Wallace: Russian military leaders ‘turning in on themselves’ over the ‘disaster’ war May 5, 2022 Defence secretary Ben Wallace has claimed Russian military leaders are “turning in on themselves” out of fear of being purged by Putin. The minister made his comments while visiting Final, saying the Kremlin’s top brass are playing the blame game over the “disaster” war. He claimed generals are worried about being scapegoated for the invasion’s [...]
Japan to sign historic defence pact with UK as PM Kishida woos London business leaders May 5, 2022 A new defence pact in the Pacific and post-Brexit trade are high on the agenda, as Japan’s prime minister meets his UK counterpart today. Fumio Kishida and Boris Johnson are set to sign off on an agreement which allows British and Japanese forces to deploy together, against the backdrop of war in Ukraine. The deal [...]
Kremlin coup rumours growing in Moscow: Disgruntled generals join FSB looking to oust Putin and end Ukraine war May 5, 2022 Rumours are swirling in Moscow that a number of former generals and KGB officials are preparing to oust Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and plan to end the war in Ukraine, which is increasingly seen across Russia as a strategic mistake and, above all, an economic disaster. The top of Putin’s former employer – the Russian [...]
Chelsea facing administration unless Roman Abramovich drops plans to call in £1.5bn debt May 4, 2022 Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will likely have to drop plans to call in his £1.5bn loan to the club or see it go into administration. Abramovich is reported to have scrapped an apparent previous commitment to write off the debt as part of the sale of the club. The sanctioned Russian oligarch is not allowed [...]
Government bans services exports to Russia – but UK lawyers excluded May 4, 2022 Ministers have announced a ban on services exports to Russia, including management consulting, accounting and public relations but excluding legal professions. In the latest tranche of sanctions from foreign secretary Liz Truss, Russian businesses will no longer be able to do businesses with UK professional services firms. Many businesses have already cut connections with the [...]