
US Capital Area Braces for Economic Hit From Government Shutdown
The Washington, DC region is bracing for disruption to the local economy when federal funding lapses at midnight
1970-01-01 08:00

Billionaire Louis Vuitton owner Bernard Arnault and Russian oligarch investigated in money-laundering probe
French prosecutors have launched an investigation into a billionaire who is the world’s second-richest person over his links to a Russian oligarch. Bernard Arnault, co-founder and chief executive of luxury-goods group Louis Vuitton (LVMH), is being investigated amid allegations of money-laundering. The Paris public prosecutor’s office says it is investigating financial transactions involving the French billionaire and businessman Nikolai Sarkisov. Mr Arnault’s spokesperson declined to comment. The inquiry is centred on property purchase in Courchevel, a ski resort in the French Alps known for being a playground for the ultra-rich, the prosecutors said. Mr Sarkisov acquired property there via a transaction in which Mr Arnault, through one of his companies, had provided a loan, according to French daily paper Le Monde, citing the Tracfin financial-intelligence unit. It said the 55-year old Russian billionaire had acquired 14 housing units from a single seller in 2018 for €16m (£13.9m) in a complex deal involving companies based in France, Luxembourg and Cyprus. Tracfin, part of the French justice system focused on combating money-laundering, has yet to determine whether any crime had been committed, a source close to the investigation said. Mr Arnault’s LVMH group owns handbag brand Louis Vuitton, Moët champagne, Hennessy cognac, the jeweller Tiffany’s and the watchmaker Tag Heuer, among many others. His fortune is thought to be worth $164bn (£134bn), according to financial experts at Bloomberg. Mr Sarkisov’s RESO-Garantia insurance company in Moscow could not be immediately reached for comment. Le Monde cited a person close to Mr Arnault as saying the transaction had been carried out in full respect of French law. In 2019, the French tycoon, who is the richest person in Europe and second-richest after Elon Musk, pledged 200 million euros (£173m) for the restoration of Notre Dame after it was devastated by fire. Breaking news: more follows Read More First Abrams tanks arrive from US in boost for Kyiv – live Europe sweeps opening session in Ryder Cup to put USA in 4-0 hole Putin recruits former Wagner commander ‘Grey Hair’ Troshev First Abrams tanks arrive from US in boost for Kyiv – live Europe sweeps opening session in Ryder Cup to put USA in 4-0 hole Putin recruits former Wagner commander ‘Grey Hair’ Troshev
1970-01-01 08:00

Renewable Energy Champion Kenya Plans Africa’s Biggest Wind Farm
Kenya Electricity Generating Co., the East African nation’s main power producer, plans a 1,000 megawatt wind farm that
1970-01-01 08:00

Factbox-European countries who put curbs on Huawei 5G equipment
Germany last week became the latest European country to propose restrictions or bans on the use of equipment
1970-01-01 08:00

UK Tax Relief Helps Deliver 9.2% Boost to Business Investment
Businesses invested more in the UK over the past year than previously thought as they took advantage of
1970-01-01 08:00

Quirk of Bond Futures Threatens to Accelerate Surge in US Yields
A rare, relatively unknown technicality in the Treasury futures market stands to unleash fresh momentum in the selloff
1970-01-01 08:00

Riksbank’s Next Move Uncertain Despite Inflation Concern: Floden
The Riksbank’s next move in its battle to curb inflation remains shrouded in uncertainty, with a decision to
1970-01-01 08:00

ABBA's Agnetha Faltskog and Gary Barlow share new version of I Should’ve Followed You Home
Agnetha Faltskog and Gary Barlow first released the song a decade ago.
1970-01-01 08:00

Exclusive-Deutsche Boerse has started CEO search, chairman says
By Tom Sims FRANKFURT (Reuters) -German stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse has begun the search for a new chief executive
1970-01-01 08:00

Storm eases in Greece but flood risk remains high amid rising river levels
Bad weather eased in central Greece on Friday leaving widespread flooding and infrastructure damage across the farming region, which has been battered by two powerful storms in less than a month. Municipal workers were handing out bottled water in the storm-hit city of Volos, where power and water outages remained in some districts for a third day, while rescue crews used excavators to clear debris-strewn roads blocking access to remote nearby areas. The two storms, Daniel and Elias, struck central Greece and the island of Evia over three weeks in September, killing several hundred thousand farm animals and damaging highways, secondary roads and the rail network. Despite the improving weather, the risk of additional flooding remains high in several central cities and towns as river banks remain vulnerable to high water levels, authorities said. The government said more than 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) in damages had been caused before the latest storm hit. It has promised residents emergency aid while seeking financial assistance from the European Union. The search for a missing pilot continued Friday, a day after a helicopter flying in the bad weather went missing. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide
1970-01-01 08:00

Putin recruits former Wagner commander ‘Grey Hair’ Troshev to oversee Ukraine mercenaries
President Vladimir Putin recruited a former aide of late Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin to oversee mercenary fighter units in Ukraine. The Russian president met Andrei Troshev, who is known by his nom de guerre "Sedoi" or "grey hair", along with deputy defence minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov on Thursday night, the Kremlin said in a statement. Mr Putin reportedly said that they had spoken about how "volunteer units that can perform various combat tasks, above all, of course, in the zone of the special military operation". "You yourself have been fighting in such a unit for more than a year," the president said. "You know what it is, how it is done, you know about the issues that need to be resolved in advance so that the combat work goes in the best and most successful way." The meeting appeared to be the Kremlin's attempt to show that Mr Putin had regained control over the mercenary group since Prigozhin's death in a plane crash in August following a failed mutiny against Moscow. Prigozhin had claimed that the mutiny, which was aborted before reaching Moscow, was not aimed at toppling Mr Putin but at settling scores with defence minister Sergei Shoigu and chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov. The president in recent months ordered the Wagner mercenaries to sign an oath of allegiance to the Russian state – a step Prigozhin had opposed. Mr Troshev “betrayed” Prigozhin's short-lived mutiny against Moscow after earning Mr Putin’s favour by transferring inside information to the Russian defence ministry, investigative outlet Gulagu.net claimed in July. It is believed that Wagner will now be overseen by Mr Troshev and M Yrevkurov, who have travelled to several countries in recent months where the mercenaries worked. Mr Troshev was born in Leningrad – the Soviet-era name for Mr Putin's home town St Petersburg – and has earlier been pictured with the president. He fought in Afghanistan during the Soviet Union's decade-long war. After the fall of the Soviet Union, he served in the North Caucasus with the Russian army and then in SOBR, a quick reaction special forces unit of the Russian interior ministry. He was a commander in the unit. For his service in Afghanistan, Mr Troshev was awarded the military decoration Order of the Red Star twice. He was awarded Russia's highest medal – Hero of Russia – in 2016 for the storming of Palmyra in Syria against Islamic State militants. Several hundred fighters of the Wagner group have returned to the battlefield in Ukraine to fight for Russia, Kyiv claimed. “We have recorded the presence of a maximum of several hundred fighters of the former Wagner PMC (private military company),” spokesperson for the eastern military command Serhiy Cherevatyi said. These Wagner fighters were scattered in different places and were not part of a single unit, and had no significant impact, he said. “They do not constitute any integral, systematic, organised force,” the spokesperson said. “As they say – game over. These are pathetic remnants, nothing good awaits them here.” Read More Ukraine war - live: Kyiv ‘strikes power substation in Russia’ as Putin meets ‘Grey Hair’ commander Ukraine says hundreds of Wagner fighters back on battlefield months after failed coup A month after Prigozhin’s suspicious death, the Kremlin is silent on his plane crash and legacy The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
1970-01-01 08:00

Cellnex Agrees to Sell Nordics Stake for €730 Million
Cellnex Telecom SA agreed to sell a stake in its businesses in Denmark and Sweden for about €730
1970-01-01 08:00