Food as a weapon: Russia accused of withholding grain for millions to ‘break the spirit of Ukraine’ May 20, 2022 Russia has been accused of ‘weaponising’ food and holding grain for millions of people around the world hostage to “break the spirit of the Ukrainian people”. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a UN Security Council meeting called by the United States that the war has halted maritime trade in large areas of the [...]
Brits’ optimism tumbles to new depths, below financial crisis and Covid-19 lockdowns May 20, 2022 Rampant inflation, tax hikes, swelling food and energy bills and the Russia-Ukraine war has sent Brits’ optimism to its lowest level ever, reveals a closely watched survey published today. UK households are now even more pessimistic than they were when the world was in the teeth of the global financial crisis in 2008 and during [...]
As we cut Russia off from our markets, we must also crack down on Western enablers May 20, 2022 During the nearly four year investigations into Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 US elections, it became glaringly obvious the extent to which malign campaigns from Russia are in fact enabled by actors in the West. Bipartisan staff on the Senate Select Committee responsible for the inquiry became increasingly jaded by the depth of [...]
A toast to a famous Ukraine Eurovision win – with vodka of course May 20, 2022 Ukraine’s triumph at last weekend’s Eurovision Song Contest came as a surprise to no-one. The competition’s traditional regional, ethnic, and political voting blocs were abandoned, as voters from across the continent delivered their overwhelming support to the embattled people of Ukraine, and while the folk-rap number Stefania, by Kalush Orchestra, may not have won strictly [...]
European Commission proposes carbon allowances sell-off to ensure energy security May 19, 2022 The European Commission announced €20bn worth of allowances will be sold to help fund its green ambitions and ensure the bloc's energy security.
McDonald’s agrees to sell its stores in Russia and warns of $1bn exit loss May 19, 2022 Fast food giant McDonald’s has agreed to sell its Russian stores across 45 regions – but warned it is likely to make a $1bn loss. The chain announced it entered into an agreement with an existing licensee Alexander Govor, who has operated 25 restaurants in the eastern region of Siberia since 2015. This comes after [...]
Russia threatens to send supplies to other countries if EU brings in oil ban May 19, 2022 Russia is prepared to send any supplies rejected by European countries to other regions such as Asia if it brings in more energy sanctions.
Russian oligarch’s libel lawsuit against Bellingcat founder thrown out of court May 19, 2022 A libel lawsuit brought forward by a sanctioned Russian oligarch against the founder of investigative news site Bellingcat has been thrown out of court. A High Court judge dismissed Yevgeniy Prigozhin’s lawsuit against Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins, due to the oligarch’s “repeated failure to comply with simple court orders,” following his lawyers exit from the [...]
UK introduces new Russian airline sanctions May 19, 2022 The UK has announced new restrictions on Russian airlines as the war in Ukraine continues.
Ex President George Bush mocked for gaffe: ‘wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq. I mean Ukraine’ May 19, 2022 Former American president George Bush Jr has come in for ridicule after accidentally referring to the “illegal invasion of Iraq” during a speech about the war in Ukraine. The ex Republican leader, 75, made the Freudian slip during an event in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday, at an institute in his name. In a video posted [...]