UK offers Ukraine nuclear fuel boost through £192m deal with Urenco August 23, 2023 The government will provide a £192m loan guarantee through the UK's export credit agency to help power Ukraine's nuclear fleet.
Foreign Office staff told not to say ‘hostile state’ for fear of upsetting China August 21, 2023 Government officials have reportedly been told not to use the term “hostile state” by the Foreign Office in case it upsets China. The term cannot be used in documents and internal messages via email and WhatsApp between advisers, civil servants and ministers, The Times reported today. One official in another department was reportedly told by [...]
Coca-Cola HBC faces questions over Russia operations August 20, 2023 Questions are being asked about the extent of Coca Cola HBC’s operations in Russia after a report suggested the firm has not fully withdrawn from the country despite pledging to do so. The London-listed firm, which is the European bottler for the Coca-Cola Company, said in March 2022 that it was suspending all operations in [...]
Russia claims it shot down a Ukraine drone over central Moscow August 18, 2023 Russia shot down a Ukrainian drone over central Moscow early on Friday and some fragments fell on an exposition centre, officials said. The Defence Ministry said in a statement that the drone was shot down about 4am (1am GMT) and there were no injuries or fire caused by the fragments. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said some [...]
British firms face ‘debanking’ for trading with Ukraine, business leaders warn August 16, 2023 UK businesses reportedly face being ‘debanked’ over trading relationships with Ukraine, business leaders have warned. Firms are increasingly “afraid to trade with Ukraine from the UK” due to the risk of having their accounts forcibly closed by overly risk-averse financial institutions, it has been claimed. According to Politico, both the British-Ukrainian Business Council (BUBC) and [...]
Carlsberg ‘shocked’ at Russian capture of business August 16, 2023 The chief executive of Carlsberg has described his “shock” over Russia’s seizure of its business after the brewer left the territory. Last month, Russia took control of the beer maker’s eight breweries and 8,400 employees in the country after it closed a sale of the business to an undisclosed buyer. “We have known from the [...]
Russia hikes rates to 12 per cent as ruble plummets to lowest level since Ukraine invasion August 15, 2023 Russia’s central bank has raised its key interest rate by 3.5% in a move designed to fight inflation and strengthen the ruble after the country’s currency reached its lowest value since early in the war with Ukraine. The decision to hike the key rate to 12% was announced after an emergency meeting of the bank’s [...]
RAF scrambles jets to intercept two Russian bombers near Scottish islands August 14, 2023 The Royal Air Force (RAF) scrambled jets on Monday to intercept two Russian bombers that were travelling north of the Shetland Islands in Scotland. The incident saw the Russian Tu-142 Bear-F and Tu-142 Bear-J maritime patrol aircraft, used for reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare, monitored by RAF Typhoons in international airspace as they passed north of [...]
Unilever will look at Russia business with a ‘fresh pair of eyes’ after criticism August 14, 2023 The new chief of Unilever has vowed to look at the company’s decision to operate in Russia with a “fresh pair of eyes,” after it was criticised for continuing to operate in the country. Hein Schumacher, who took over as head of the Dove soap maker in July, made the claim in a letter to [...]
Coca-Cola bottling firm raises outlook on revenue spike as Russia volumes tank August 9, 2023 Coca-Cola HBC AG, the bottling company of the soft drink giant, reported a 19.3 per cent rise in revenues in its half year results as the group raised its outlook for the year. Operating profit for the bottler rose 15.9 per cent to €170m (£146m) as the group said it benefited from price increases in [...]