Displaying items by tag: British Isles

Former government energy minister, Lord Barker, has resigned as chairman of EN+, the aluminium giant founded by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. The Conservative peer's resignation came as he faced pressure to cut ties with Russia. Mr Deripaska has close ties to Vladimir Putin and is now sanctioned by the UK. Lord Barker earned £3m in 2020 from EN+. Although he has resigned, he plans to restructure the business to distance the company from Russia. Mr Deripaska is one of the richest associates of Putin having billions from Russia's aluminium industries, and 45% ownership of EN+.

The CofE's Diocese in Europe has joined forces with mission agency USPG to launch an emergency appeal to support Christian charities and churches carrying out humanitarian work both in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. They have partners on the ground providing food, medicine, shelter, care for children and people internally displaced in Ukraine. With refugees they are supplying care at the border and beyond, including attention to those from Africa and Asia as well as Ukrainians who are fleeing the war. The archbishop of Tanzania has called on the UN to take urgent action to support over two million displaced people, particularly children, the elderly, and those most vulnerable. He has urged all member states to do what they can to support the UN in its vital work caring for those forced to flee.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace confirmed the UK had delivered 3,615 anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, and will provide a ‘small consignment’ of Javelin anti-tank missiles. ‘The international community has donated 900+ manned portable air defence missiles, thousands of anti-tank guided weapons of varying type and various small arms, but the capability needs strengthening,’ he told MPs. Britain will now consider the donation of Starstreak high-velocity manned portable anti-air missiles at the request of the Ukrainian government. Supplies of rations, medical equipment and other non-lethal military aid is also being stepped up. Mr Wallace added, ‘President Zelensky's people are fighting for their very survival and are united against the aggression, it is indeed Ukraine’s darkest hour.’ He continues to rule out a no-fly zone over Ukraine on the grounds that it would disadvantage its military. But Ukraine's president said the international community will be responsible for a ‘mass humanitarian catastrophe’ if it does not agree a no-fly zone to protect his country.

With inflation rising, young people are feeling the pinch more than ever. In a national poll conducted at the beginning of 2022, which involved more than 11,000 people, London came out bottom - with just 37% of Londoners saying they felt their rent was affordable. There is also a gender gap, with 1/3 of women in London spending over 50% of their salary on rent, compared with 1/4 of men. See The Resolution Foundation said the dramatic increase in global oil and gas prices was forecast to push UK inflation above 8% this spring, causing average incomes across Britain to fall by 4% in the coming financial year. That is worth £1,000 per household, the biggest annual decline since 1975. It warned chancellor Rishi Sunak that urgent steps were required to help the poorest families in Britain with soaring living costs, adding that weak wage growth and high inflation would drive more children into poverty.

The Government is failing to tackle an alarming growth in fraud nationwide. An updated draft of the Online Safety Bill will address laws covering harmful user-generated posts, adverts, and promotions. Images of celebrities are regularly used to advertise fraudulent scams, and a consultation is being launched over rules for online advertising to end the increase of consumer harm; there could be a new online advertising regulator to block and ban advertisers that repeatedly break the rules. The Government will leave it to Ofcom to decide whether the systems and processes are proportionate. Search engines may have to pay compensation to people duped by scams advertised through their platforms.

The Government has been facing growing calls to waive visa rules for all Ukrainians seeking sanctuary in the UK. On 2 March Boris Johnson said the UK could take in 200,000 or more Ukrainian refugees.The scheme allowing close relatives of Ukrainian people settled in the UK to come over will be widened to include adult parents, grandparents, children over 18, and siblings. UK firms will also be able to sponsor a Ukrainian entering the country.

A Warwickshire town kicked off its ancient Shrove Tuesday ball game following a two-year break due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 822nd Atherstone Ball Game involved hundreds of people competing on the streets for ownership of a heavy, leather ball. Rob Bernard, chairman of the organising committee, said. ‘We are absolutely delighted that it is back on now.’ The winner is the person who has the ball at 17:00 GMT. This year’s winner said it had been easy to hold on to the ball at the end - as he hid it under his T-shirt. ‘It had popped and then I quickly took it and put it under my T-shirt and me and my friend were just in a deep hug,’ he said. People were ‘extremely excited’ about the return of the game, which has international attention.

There are several individuals being sanctioned by other nations but not by the UK. Oleg Deripaska was sanctioned by America for money laundering, ordering the murder of a business rival, illegally wiretapping government officials, extortion, racketeering and bribing government officials. He owns 45% of an aluminium company listed on the London Stock Exchange, and former Conservative energy minister Lord Barker is its executive chairman. The Russian state-owned VTB bank was suspended from the Stock Exchange but Andrey Kostin, president of the bank, is not sanctioned. Victor Zolotov, also on the EU's list but not UK's, leads Russia's national guard. His family is one of the richest in Russia in the real estate sector, with property portfolios in the UK. Pro-Kremlin billionaire Alisher Usmanov founded Russian-based USM which owns major iron, steel and copper suppliers and a telecommunications company, and has commercial ties to Everton Football Club (which has suspended its sponsorship contracts with USM).

The Public Accounts Committee supported the Department for Work and Pensions as it tried to help young people into work at what was expected to be a downturn in employment opportunities. But the £1.9 billion ‘emergency intervention’ Kickstart scheme has supported far fewer young people than predicted. Early delivery was chaotic and DWP ‘neglected to put in place basic management information that would be expected for a multi-billion-pound grant programme’. Also, despite more favourable than predicted economic conditions, many young people who joined Universal Credit when the pandemic started have remained on the benefit. DWP doesn’t know why these people are not in Kickstart jobs.

It was announced on 2 March that Roman Abramovich wishes to sell Chelsea Football Club. He says he will donate the proceeds from the sale to a foundation ‘for the benefit of all victims of the Ukraine war.’ Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss was given the chance to buy Chelsea. MP Chris Bryant revealed that Abramovich is selling his UK home and another flat, telling the House of Commons that he is ‘terrified of being sanctioned’. He is owed £1.5billion by Chelsea after buying it in a £140m deal in 2003, but he will not ask for any of the loans to be repaid; the sale will not be fast-tracked but will follow due process. Onlookers say that although Abramovich may want to sell Chelsea, he may not be allowed to; it depends on what the Government decides to do in the coming days and weeks. If his assets are frozen, he cannot do anything. His company Evraz continues to trade on the stock market: see