10m British pensions at BlackRock ‘helped’ Putin’s invasion of Ukraine via £1bn in oil energy dividends April 5, 2022 Fund manager BlackRock – which oversees 10 million British pensions – has helped Putin build his war chest by investing heavily in Russia’s biggest companies, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism told City A.M. this morning. While those investments have strengthened Putin, they have also generated a fortune for BlackRock’s clients, the group said. Since 2014, [...]
Ukraine war is dramatically dialling up risk of global recession April 5, 2022 The war in Ukraine has dramatically dialled up the risk of a global recession, according to leading economist. The conflict has thrown a ‘massive monkey wrench’ into what was a gradually improving post-pandemic picture, Ira Kalish, chief global economist at Deloitte told delegates at the World Retail Congress in Rome. And it could have damaging, [...]
Civilian ship sinking in Mariupol after Russian shelling April 5, 2022 Ukraine says a civilian ship is sinking in the port of Mariupol after Russian forces fired on it. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry said the ship was struck during “shelling from the sea” by Russia, causing a fire in the engine room. The crew was rescued, including one injured crew member, it added. The ministry said [...]
Russian Army soldiers killed ‘for amusement’ in what look like war crimes, says British military bigwig: ‘Systematic and deliberate’ April 5, 2022 The former head of British military operations in Afghanistan has said images of dead civilians in Ukraine point to war crimes committed by Russian troops. Colonel Richard Kemp, a former member of the Joint Intelligence Committee, said there appears to have been a policy of systematically killing civilians to spread terror. Asked if video footage [...]
Eastern Ukraine holds its breath for fresh ‘large scale assault’ by Russian Army April 5, 2022 Ukrainian foreign affairs minister Dmytro Kuleba warned of a “large-scale” assault on the east and south of his country as Russian troops regroup, having been pushed back from the capital. He told reporters, during a joint press briefing with Ms Truss, that there had been “some hesitation” in the West about providing Ukraine with “all [...]
Germany resists EU ban on Russian gas as it continues to be Putin’s customer: ‘We would inflict damage on ourselves’ April 5, 2022 Germany has rejected calls for an EU embargo on Russian gas imports, despite mounting civilian deaths in Ukraine.
Housebuilders goose London indexes after dodging £4bn cladding bill April 4, 2022 Reports of the UK government footing most of the bill for fixing the cladding scandal strengthened sentiment toward London-listed housebuilders today. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index added 0.28 per cent to reach 7,558.92 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, climbed 0.53 [...]
UK poised to hit Russia with more sanctions in light of Bucha war crimes April 4, 2022 The UK will soon hit Russia with more economic sanctions in light of recent war crimes committed by Vladimir Putin’s troops, with a ban on Russian gas and coal set to come. Foreign secretary Liz Truss today said evidence of mass civilian graves in Ukraine was “truly horrifying” and that “Britain has helped lead the [...]
The SEC proposal that could ‘cripple’ DeFi, and EU lawmakers vote to outlaw anonymous crypto transactions April 4, 2022 Bitcoin ended March with a move toward the $48,000 mark but quickly plunged to $44,000 as April began. It has since recovered to $46,000.
Russia to resume flights with 52 ‘friendly’ countries April 4, 2022 Russia is set to resume flights with 52 “friendly countries,” according to Moscow news agency TASS. The Kremlin said today it would end its ban – imposed as a retaliation against the West – and would resume routes to and from countries such as Argentina and South Africa. The decision comes after the Russian Government announced [...]