MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s economic growth this year is likely to come in at the top end of the central bank’s forecast range of between minus 1% and 1%, a senior bank official said on Tuesday. In an interview broadcast on state TV, Deputy Governor Alexei Zabotkin said operational data from the first quarter of…
(Reuters) – Russian lawmakers voted on Tuesday to introduce life sentences for those convicted of treason, part of a concerted drive since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine to step up punishment of dissenters and perceived traitors. The lower house of parliament, the State Duma, also voted to increase maximum sentences for a range of terrorism and…
By Dan Peleschuk and Guy Faulconbridge KYIV/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has met his commanders in two regions of Ukraine that Moscow claims to have annexed, while Russian forces stepped up heavy artillery bombardments and air strikes on Tuesday on the devastated Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meanwhile, visited troops…
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s leading opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, faces the prospect of new criminal charges after in effect being forced to break the rules of the maximum security penal colony where he is being held, one of his lawyers said on Tuesday. Vadim Kobzev said on Twitter that a foul-smelling inmate with poor hygiene…
By Gwladys Fouche and Victoria Klesty OSLO (Reuters) – Norway’s $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund on Tuesday welcomed a government request that it consider investing in unlisted equities and said it will make a recommendation by December. The Norwegian Finance Ministry said last month it had asked the fund, the world’s largest single stock market…
BERLIN/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Volkswagen is investing around 1 billion euros ($1.10 billion) in a new development and procurement centre for electric vehicles in Hefei, China, the company said on Tuesday, in a bid to better adapt its cars to Chinese customers’ tastes. The aim of the centre, dubbed “100%TechCo”, will be to reduce development times…
By Robert Muller PRAGUE (Reuters) – The Czech government needs to dig deeper than it plans to shore up the state budget which has fallen to record deficits, and must act fast as the next election approaches, a senior budget watchdog official told Reuters. The centre-right government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala plans to cut…
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Top shareholder of HSBC renewed its call for breaking up of the Asia-focused bank on Tuesday, saying the lender has failed to address key business model challenges which has resulted in deterioration in its operating performance. Ping An Asset Management Company (Ping An AMC) said in a statement HSBC has “drained”…
ROME (Reuters) – British American Tobacco and Amazon are under investigation in Italy over what regulators say is potentially misleading advertising for the Glo Hyper X2 tobacco heater, the Italian Competition Authority said on Tuesday. “It is not made clear, or it is inadequately stated” in the advertising that Glo Hyper X2 is a nicotine-based…
LONDON (Reuters) – More companies in England and Wales entered insolvency during March than at any point since monthly records started three years ago, according to official data on Tuesday that showed a 16% increase on a year ago. The Insolvency Service Agency reported 2,457 corporate insolvencies last month, up from 1,784 in February. The…
