END OF AN ERA: Mikhail Gorbachev, last Soviet leader who ended cold war without bloodshed, dies aged 91 August 31, 2022 Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet Union president and Nobel Peace Prize winner, credited with ending the Cold War, has died aged 91 Gorbachev ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, while introducing Russia to western brands like Pizza Hut and McDonald’s. Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, [...]
Ukraine war: Russia kills 22 in missile strikes on rail station August 25, 2022 At least 22 people are said to have been killed during two missile strikes on a Ukrainian rail station, as Kyiv marked its 31st annual day of independence from Moscow. The attack on Chaplyne, 90 miles west of Russian-occupied Donetsk, was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a video address to the United Nations yesterday. [...]
Britain cuts off all Russian fuel imports for first time on record August 24, 2022 Britain has bought no fuel from Russia for the first time since records began, driven by the country shunning energy from President Putin in response to the invasion of Ukraine, official figures published today show. Fuel imports from Russia plummeted to zero in June, the first time Britain has ever recorded a complete weaning off [...]
Boris Johnson makes surprise Kyiv visit on Ukraine independence day August 24, 2022 Boris Johnson has made a surprise visit to Kyiv today to mark Ukraine’s independence day. Johnson said that “I believe Ukraine can and will win this war” in what will be his final trip to the country as UK Prime Minister. Johnson also said higher energy bills were worth paying to support Ukraine and that [...]
Candy floss and burnt out tanks: Ukraine marks independence day and six month anniversary of Russia’s invasion August 24, 2022 Ukraine celebrated its 31st independence day and six months since the country was invaded by Russia, by displaying charred Kremlin tanks on the streets of Kyiv. Residents of the capital were pictured eating candy floss and celebrating the national holiday, three decades on after freeing itself from Moscow, as the remains of the Kremlin’s military vehicles [...]
Ukraine: Insurers provide first policy for grain shipment out of war-torn country August 23, 2022 Lloyd’s of London broker Ascot and insurer Marsh have written their first insurance policy for a ship carrying Ukrainian grain out of the country’s Black Sea ports following the signing of Russia and Ukraine’s safe passage deal last month. The shipping insurance policy is set to reinforce the UN brokered deal to reopen Ukraine’s seaports [...]
Lloyd’s of London tells insurers to halt covering state-backed cyberattacks August 18, 2022 Lloyd’s of London has said its insurers will be required to stop covering state-backed cyberattacks in their standard cyber insurance policies. The centuries-old insurance marketplace told its underwriters to make exclusions for cyberattacks launched by governments and state actors, over concerns such attacks could expose the market to unmanageable losses. “If not managed properly [a [...]
High commodity prices boost bin collector Biffa’s recycling revenues August 17, 2022 Waste collection company Biffa today posted “strong” financial results as high commodity prices bolstered the firm’s recycling business whilst offsetting far-reaching inflationary pressures. The High Wycombe headquartered firm said it had cut its statutory losses by 57 per cent from £40.5m in 2021 to 17.6m in 2022. The stronger financial performance came as Biffa’s [...]
Russian economy shrinks by four per cent due to impacts of Western sanctions August 13, 2022 The Russian is now four per cent smaller than it was a year ago, according to new figures from the country’s state statistics agency. Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) for Q2 2022 equals a sum equivalent to 96 per cent the value of the country’s economy in Q2 2021, the preliminary Rosstat statistics show. The [...]
Four million Russians to lose their jobs due to Western sanctions August 11, 2022 Four million Russians are set to lose their jobs due to the impacts of Western sanctions, according to new research from the Kyiv School of Economics. The sanctions are set to see Russia’s economy contract by up to 9.5 per cent this year, the study shows. High oil and gas prices have shielded Russia from the [...]