As romance fraud and dating scams soar during pandemic, many are left heartbroken June 11, 2021 Romance scam reports and online dating scams have soared during the coronavirus pandemic. Analysis by consumer group Which? found that romance fraud reports were up by 40 per cent in the year to April of this year, compared with the previous year, with more than 7,500 reported scams. Reported losses reached £73.9mduring the period – [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Ukraine told to change Russia-baiting Euro 2020 kit; Germany muscles in on London NFL patch; beIN and Channel 4 bag rights deals June 10, 2021 Euro 2020 may not have started yet but it has already kicked off between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine tweaked the nose of Russia earlier this week when it revealed a Moscow-baiting new football kit, to be worn at Euro 2020. The yellow shirt features a map of Ukraine that includes Crimea, which Russia annexed in [...]
Central African Republic charges Frenchman with espionage June 9, 2021 The Central African Republic’s attorney general today said a French national has been charged with espionage. The man was arrested with a cache of weapons and ammunition at his home last month. Police found weapons, military fatigues and foreign bank notes at the home of Juan Remy Quignolot, 55, in the capital Bangui. Authorities accused [...]
UK has ‘no alternative’ to deepening economic ties with China, says minister June 9, 2021 The UK has “no alternative” but to enhance its economic relationship with China in spite of its many human rights abuses, according to a trade minister. Graham Stuart told a House of Lords committee today that “China offers more opportunity to the UK economy than any other market” and that a more comprehensive economic relationship [...]
Gordon Brown proposes G7 funding model to vaccinate poorer countries June 9, 2021 The former Prime Minister said that Friday’s G7 meeting will decide “who lives and who dies”, dependent on access to the Covid-19 vaccine. Brown argued the G7 countries should use the summit to create a cost-sharing formula, modelled on UN peacekeeping, to help fund vaccine distribution in the poorest countries. International agencies the ACT-Accelerator Alliance [...]
US recovers $2.3m from Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack June 7, 2021 US authorities today said they had recovered around $2.3m (£1.6m) in cryptocurrency from the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline. US deputy attorney general Lisa Monaco said investigators had seized 63.7 Bitcoins, now valued at about $2.3m, paid by Colonial after last month’s hack that sparked major shortages at petrol stations along the east coast. [...]
Kremlin critic Navalny returns to prison after hunger strike hospital recovery June 7, 2021 Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who was sentenced to 2.5 years in February, has been returned to prison after recovering from a hunger strike at a hospital in a different prison. The opposition politician had declared a hunger strike in late March in a bid for better medical care in prison after experiencing acute leg and [...]
EU not needed: Germany, France and Italy vying for post-Brexit deals with UK June 5, 2021 The EU’s three biggest countries – France, Italy and Germany – have started negotiations with the UK aimed at striking bilateral post-Brexit security and intelligence agreements. Discussions are taking place at ambassadorial and ministerial level, focusing on defence cooperation and intelligence sharing, according to multiple news reports in Germany and France, as well The Guardian. [...]
What does a €50 carbon price mean for European companies? June 3, 2021 Earlier this month, the EU carbon price moved above €50 per tonne for the first time ever. The price is now more than double its level prior to the pandemic, with a sharp rise in recent months. What is the EU carbon price? The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is designed to put a price [...]
Russia’s Nordgold plots London IPO after gold price climb June 3, 2021 Russian mining giant Nord Gold has confirmed its plans today to hold an initial public offering (IPO) in London, after reaping the benefits of rising gold prices. The company, known as Nordgold, is plotting a free float of at least 25 per cent while it also plans another listing in Moscow, the group said today. Investor [...]