Sunak in China row over Confucius Institute U-turn Beijing Downing Street has refused to elaborate on Rishi Sunak’s decision not to ban controversial Confucius Institutes from operating in the UK. The Prime Minister previously pledged during his leadership bid to bar the 30 Beijing-linked organisations from running on UK soil. Confucius institutes are Chinese cultural and language outposts. But he has now walked back [...]
Finland officially joins NATO as security bloc’s border with Russia doubles Finnish line Finland has officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in a move that doubles the Western alliance’s border with Russia. The historic realignment was triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. It has sparked warnings from Moscow that it will seek to bolster defences along its border. Finland shares a 832-mile border with [...]
Advantage Putin? Wimbledon U-turns to let Russia and Belarus stars like Sabalenka and Medvedev compete Russian and Belarusian players will be allowed to compete at Wimbledon this year, the All England Club has announced. Athletes from the two countries must sign declarations of neutrality and must not express support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while players who receive funding from the Russian or Belarusian states, including sponsorship from state owned [...]
Four ex bankers convicted over accounts with Putin-linked man who’s ‘part of system that managed his offshore wealth’ March 30, 2023 Four former bankers with the Swiss affiliate of a key Russian bank have been found guilty of failing to properly check accounts opened in the name of a Russian cellist with long-time ties to President Vladimir Putin. The defendants were handed suspended sentences in Zurich district court that, if violated, could lead collectively to hundreds [...]
Ed Warner: Is China about to bring Russia and its athletes in from the sporting cold? March 30, 2023 The war in Ukraine doesn’t look like ending any time soon. Just as Russia is recalibrating its geopolitical and industrial relations, so the prospect of a conflict stretching years into the future will necessitate a realignment of its place in the sporting world. Asia’s warmth towards the Kremlin points a way back into the international [...]
Ukraine war ‘second front’ as Putin moves to store nukes in Belarus March 27, 2023 The world should prepare for a “second front” to open up in the Ukraine war as Vladimir Putin moves to store nuclear weapons in Belarus. Russia’s president claimed he agreed with Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko to station tactical nuclear warheads on its territory. Ukraine has accused the Kremlin of “nuclear blackmail” and demanded an emergency [...]
Russian artist to project ‘human blood’ sculpture onto St Paul’s in protest of Prince Harry’s kill claims March 26, 2023 A Russian artist says he will project a sculpture filled with human blood onto the facade of St Paul’s to protest Prince Harry’s comments about killing Afghan soldiers. Conceptual artist Andrei Molodkin says he will fill an acrylic royal coat of arms with 1,250ml of human blood donated by Afghan refugees and project the image [...]
Putin the boot in: Vladimir takes swipe at Britain over Russian sport ban lobbying March 23, 2023 Vladimir Putin has accused Russia’s critics including the UK of “using sports for unseemly purposes”. Putin said calls, led by Britain, for Russian athletes to remain banned from international sport were politically motivated. “Western countries are trying to use sports for unseemly purposes as a tool of pressure,” the Russian president told news agency TASS. [...]
‘No limits friendship’: Why is China premier Xi in Moscow – and can he help end Russia’s war in Ukraine? March 20, 2023 Chinese leader Xi Jinping has arrived in Moscow on a three-day visit that shows off Beijing’s new diplomatic swagger and offers a welcome political lift for Russian President Vladimir Putin as the fighting in Ukraine slows to a grinding war of attrition. China and Russia have described Mr Xi’s trip as part of efforts to [...]
UK hosts crunch talks on Putin ‘war crimes’ investigation March 20, 2023 International justice ministers are meeting in London to discuss support for the investigation into war crimes in Ukraine. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s arrest, accusing him of bearing personal responsibility for the abduction of children. It is the first arrest warrant to be issued against a [...]