March 15 2022 - 12:55
Britain to ban exports of luxury goods to Russia, impose new import tariffs
Britain said on Tuesday it would ban the export of luxury goods to Russia and impose a new 35% tariff on 900 million pounds ($1.2 billion) worth of Russian imports, including vodka, metals, fertilisers and other commodities.
The move follows a series of economic sanctions announced by the government to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine. Further sanctions against wealthy Russians are expected to be announced later on Tuesday.
"Our new tariffs will further isolate the Russian economy from global trade, ensuring it does not benefit from the rules-based international system it does not respect," finance minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement.
Russia says it is carrying out a "special operation" to disarm and "denazify" Ukraine, which Kyiv and its allies call a baseless pretext to invade a democratic nation of 44 million people.
The government said the export ban would come into effect shortly and it would soon set out which products were affected, but added they would likely include high-end fashion, works of art and luxury vehicles.
Many British firms including carmakers Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin and luxury fashion label Burberry have already said they are temporarily shutting their outlets in Russia or suspending the supply of goods.
The government said the goods subject to an additional tariff of 35% had been chosen to minimise impact on Britain while maximising impact on the Russian economy.
The goods include iron, steel, fertilisers, wood, tyres, railway containers, cement, copper, aluminium, silver, lead, iron ore, residue/food waste products, beverages, spirits and vinegar glass and glassware, cereals, oil seeds, paper and paperboard, machinery, works of art, antiques, fur skins and artificial fur, ships and white fish.
The government also said it was cutting off all export finance support to Russia and Belarus, meaning it will no longer issue any new guarantees, loans or insurance for exports. Existing British exposure to Russia through its export credit agency is around 100 million pounds.
Reuters
UKRAINE WRAP | Nearly 100 children have died since Russia's invasion, Ukrainian president says
March 15 2022 - 19:34
ANC government Russia's useful idiot, says FF+ leader Pieter Groenewald
Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald has accused the ANC government of being Russia’s “useful idiot” over the party’s wishy-washy stance on the war in Ukraine.
Groenewald was speaking in parliament during a debate on the impact of the military operation by Russia in Ukraine.
Groenewald said the conflict would undoubtedly affect the lives of each and every South Africa citizen.
March 15 2022 - 18:53
Oil plunges over 7% on easing supply concerns, China Covid cases
Oil prices tumbled more than 7% to their lowest in almost three weeks on Tuesday as supply disruption fears eased and surging Covid-19 cases in China spurred demand concerns.
Brent futures fell $7.89, or 7.4%, to $99.01 a barrel by 11:51 a.m. EDT (1551 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude dropped $8.11, or 7.9%, to $94.90 a barrel.
March 15 2022 - 18:45
WATCH | SA politicians hold fiery debate on Russia's invasion of Ukraine
“As the government of SA, we urge South Africans not to take a side in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as this could go against our principles,” deputy minister of international relations and co-operation Candith Mashego-Dlamini said during the heated debate in parliament on Tuesday.
MPs weighed in on SA’s response to the invasion by Russia which has affected the global community for close to a month.
March 15 2022 - 17:54
Nearly 100 children have died since Russia's invasion, Ukrainian president says
Nearly a hundred children have died in the war that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Canadian lawmakers on Tuesday.
The southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol was left without means of communication and was nearly running out of food, Zelenskiy said in a virtual address to Canadian lawmakers.
March 15 2022 - 17:31
Russia bars entry to Biden, Blinken and other top US officials
Russia said on Tuesday it had put U.S. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top officials on a "stop list" that bars them from entering the country.
Their names, together with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA chief William Burns, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and others, were included on a list of 13 individuals banned from Russia in response to sanctions imposed by Washington on Russian officials. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also named.
But the foreign ministry said it was maintaining official relations with Washington and if necessary would make sure that high-level contacts with the people on the list could take place.
-Reuters
March 15 2022 - 14:39
Long refugee-shy, Japan prepares to welcome Ukrainians
Japan said on Tuesday Ukrainian evacuees will be able to convert short-term entry visas into longer-term ones allowing them to work, the latest move by Tokyo, long refugee-shy, to welcome Ukrainians fleeing their war-torn land.
The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24 reached more than 2.8-million on Monday.
March 15 2022 - 12:55
Britain to ban exports of luxury goods to Russia, impose new import tariffs
Britain said on Tuesday it would ban the export of luxury goods to Russia and impose a new 35% tariff on 900 million pounds ($1.2 billion) worth of Russian imports, including vodka, metals, fertilisers and other commodities.
The move follows a series of economic sanctions announced by the government to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine. Further sanctions against wealthy Russians are expected to be announced later on Tuesday.
"Our new tariffs will further isolate the Russian economy from global trade, ensuring it does not benefit from the rules-based international system it does not respect," finance minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement.
Russia says it is carrying out a "special operation" to disarm and "denazify" Ukraine, which Kyiv and its allies call a baseless pretext to invade a democratic nation of 44 million people.
The government said the export ban would come into effect shortly and it would soon set out which products were affected, but added they would likely include high-end fashion, works of art and luxury vehicles.
Many British firms including carmakers Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin and luxury fashion label Burberry have already said they are temporarily shutting their outlets in Russia or suspending the supply of goods.
The government said the goods subject to an additional tariff of 35% had been chosen to minimise impact on Britain while maximising impact on the Russian economy.
The goods include iron, steel, fertilisers, wood, tyres, railway containers, cement, copper, aluminium, silver, lead, iron ore, residue/food waste products, beverages, spirits and vinegar glass and glassware, cereals, oil seeds, paper and paperboard, machinery, works of art, antiques, fur skins and artificial fur, ships and white fish.
The government also said it was cutting off all export finance support to Russia and Belarus, meaning it will no longer issue any new guarantees, loans or insurance for exports. Existing British exposure to Russia through its export credit agency is around 100 million pounds.
Reuters
March 15 2022 - 12:30
German investor morale suffers record slump on Ukraine crisis
German investor sentiment suffered a record slide in March due to the war in Ukraine and economic sanctions on Russia, a survey showed on Tuesday, with collapsing expectations making a recession in Europe's largest economy "more and more likely".
The ZEW economic research institute said its economic sentiment index dropped to -39.3 points from 54.3 in February. The fall was the biggest since the survey began in December 1991. A Reuters poll had pointed to a reading of 10.0 for March.
"A recession is becoming more and more likely. The war in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia are significantly dampening the economic outlook for Germany," ZEW President Achim Wambach said in a statement.
An index for current conditions fell to -21.4 from -8.1. The consensus forecast was for a reading of -22.5.
Reuters
March 15 2022 - 10:29
Ukraine hopes to open 9 humanitarian corridors, get aid to besieged Mariupol
Further talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators to ease the crisis were expected on Tuesday after discussions on Monday via video ended with no new progress announced.
Thousands have been killed in intense fighting and bombardments since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Russia calls its actions a “special military operation” to “denazify” the country and prevent genocide, a claim the US and its allies reject as a pretext for an unjustified and illegal attack.
March 15 2022 - 09:52
China says G20 is not an appropriate forum to discuss Ukraine issue
The G20 grouping of nations is not an appropriate forum to discuss the Ukraine issue, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry told a regular news conference in the Chinese capital on Tuesday.
The G20, or Group of 20, consists of 19 countries, including China and the European Union. Its next summit is set for October on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.
Reuters
March 15 2022 - 09:46
'Stop the war': Protester in studio disrupts live Russian state TV news
An anti-war protester interrupted a live news bulletin on Russia's state TV Channel One on Monday, holding up a sign behind the studio presenter and shouting slogans denouncing the war in Ukraine.
The sign, in English and Russian, read: “NO WAR. Stop the war. Don't believe propaganda. They are lying to you here.” Another phrase, which looked like “Russians against war”, was partly obscured.
The extraordinary act of dissent took place on day 19 of the war which began when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24 in what he called a special military operation.
March 15 2022 - 09:45
Russia says its forces have taken control of Ukraine's Kherson region
Russia's defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov on Tuesday said Russian forces had taken full control of all territory in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, Russian news agencies reported.
Russian forces shot down six Bayraktar TB-2 drones in the last 24 hours, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the ministry.
Reuters could not verify the reports independently.
Reuters
March 15 2022 - 08:00
Pregnant mother and baby die after Mariupol hospital attack
When a pregnant mother was filmed being pulled out of a hospital attacked by Russian forces, Russia’s government called it ‘fake news’. Doctors in Mariupol have now confirmed that the woman, and her baby, have died.
March 15 2022 - 07:38
French NGOs threaten court action unless TotalEnergies leaves Russia
Two leading French NGOs plan to take legal action against TotalEnergies over possible human rights abuses unless it cuts its business ties with Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine, they said in a letter to the energy major's CEO.
Greenpeace France and Les Amis de la Terre (Friends of the Earth) France, in a registered letter to CEO Patrick Pouyanne, said the company must comply with a 2017 French law requiring multinationals to be vigilant about violations of human rights associated with their commercial activities in countries affected by armed conflict.
As a French legal entity, TotalEnergies and its directors may be held criminally liable for any offence under the French criminal code, particularly complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity, the letter said.
March 15 2022 - 07:00
Ukraine turmoil leads to drastic price increases for mealie meal and flour in Zimbabwe
Zimbabweans are taking flak from the Ukraine/Russia conflict.
On Monday, the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) announced a 15% increase in the price of mealie meal and bread flour.
March 15 2022 - 06:55
Japan imposes new sanctions on Russian billionaire, 16 others
Japan has decided to freeze assets of an additional 17 Russian individuals, bringing the total number targeted by sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine to 61, the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday.
The step was taken after the US on Friday imposed sanctions on a slew of Russian individuals including billionaire Viktor Vekselberg and 12 members of the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament.
March 15 2022 - 06:51
Wheat rises as Russia restricts exports; corn, soybeans drop
Corn and soybeans fell on fears that demand from top consumer China could moderate because of rising Covid-19 cases.
The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) rose 1.4% to $10.85 a bushel, as of 0401 GMT, after falling 15% in the last four sessions.
March 15 2022 - 06:25
Power supply restored to Ukraine's Chernobyl plant -TV station
Power supply has been renewed to Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Ukraine 24 television station said on Tuesday, adding that authorities had notified the International Atomic Energy Agency.
On Monday, state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo said the Chernobyl plant was relying on electricity from diesel generators after its external power supply had again been damaged.
Reuters
March 15 2022 - 06:10
Russian-Ukrainian couple restart life in Hungary
A Russian-Ukrainian couple, who started dating only weeks before Moscow's invasion, fled Kyiv before settling in Budapest. They say they find it difficult to put their traumatic journey behind them.
March 15 2022 - 06:00
Trump's track record shows support for Russia, not Ukraine
CNN's Jake Tapper examines former President Donald Trump's track record on Russia and Ukraine, as some of his former foreign advisers wonder if Trump may have empowered Putin on the world stage.