Block Russian oligarch from spending frozen funds, High Court told Kleptocrats The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) is seeking to block sanctioned Russian billionaire Petr Aven from using £1.5m in frozen funds stored in bank accounts linked to two companies responsible for managing his central London properties and Surrey estate. The £1.5m funds were frozen by the NCA in May after HSBC and Monzo Bank raised [...]
Russians flee en masse to escape Putin’s mobilisation with few flights out of Moscow costing £10,000 Domestic crisis deepens Tens of thousands of Russians are fleeing their country to escape the mass military mobilisation that is currently underway. As a result, international flights out of Moscow now cost more than £10,000 per seat for a single ticket. The Kremlin ordered last week that up to 300,000 reservists across Russia should report for duty in [...]
Polymetal shares plummet as troubled miner scraps dividend Polymetal Polymetal shares fell 11.5 percent today after the Anglo-Russian precious metals mining company announced it was scrapping the full-year 2021 dividend due to dwindling cash flows and a lack of new sales channels. It also suggested cancelling the interim 2022 dividends “to allow the Group to strengthen its cash position and enhance its resilience in [...]
Ex Russian president and PM: Nuclear weapons may be used to defend land seized from Ukraine September 22, 2022 Strategic nuclear strikes may be used to defend territories seized by Russia, its former Prime Minister and President Dmitry Medvedev has said. The threat was made on Thursday ahead of referendums due to be held in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces, about being incorporated into the Kremlin’s reach. This comes after Vladimir Putin [...]
Von der Leyen sets out £120bn energy windfall plan and says Ukraine may join single market September 14, 2022 The European Union has set out plans to raise more than £120bn with a windfall tax and revenue cap on energy suppliers, as its commissioner reiterated the bloc’s backing for Ukraine. The body announced it would cap revenues for non-gas energy suppliers in a bid to reverse the fuel problem in Europe, sparked in part [...]
Mothercare shares surge as baby goods seller returns to profitability September 13, 2022 Shares in Mothercare surged by more than 60 per cent today after the British baby-care products retailer said it had swung back into profitability over the past financial year. The Watford headquartered company posted profits of £12.1m for the financial year 2022, compared to a £21.5m loss in FY 2021. The retailer said the “significant [...]
Wave of optimism and excitement across Ukraine as Russian Army suffers defeat after defeat in dozens of villages September 13, 2022 The sombre mood that has dominated Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, at the beginning of February, is rapidly making way for a wave of optimism and excitement after days of successes by the country’s army. Reports yesterday from the Ukrainian military stated that home forces successfully freed more than 20 settlements in [...]
Ukraine reports major gains in counteroffensive against Russia September 10, 2022 Ukraine has reported major gains in a counteroffensive against Russian forces, officials have claimed today. Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko suggested troops had retaken Kupiansk, cutting off supplies to the Russian front line. The Security Service of Ukraine, known as the SBU, posted a message which it said showed its forces in Kupiansk, further [...]
Solicitors watchdog to crack down on SLAPP lawsuits, SRA chief says September 8, 2022 The head of the UK’s Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has vowed to crack down on the use of spurious lawsuits to silence legitimate criticism. In an article in The Times, SRA chief executive Paul Philip said the watchdog is “committed to cracking down” on law firms using so-called ‘strategic lawsuits against public participation’ (Slapps). The [...]
World heading towards a ‘perfect’ cybercrime storm, cybersecurity experts warn September 6, 2022 THE COMBINATION of mounting geopolitical tensions, the looming economic downturn and the push to digitalise business processes is creating a “perfect storm” for hackers, cybersecurity experts told City A.M. NCC chief executive Mike Maddison said the digitisation agenda on the back of the global pandemic has created new opportunities for hackers in opening up new [...]