Business
EU states buying Russian energy ‘on the sly’ – Moscow
The EU continues to import Russian oil and gas despite vows to abandon it, the speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament has said
Sweden halts investigation into Nord Stream blasts – media
Swedish prosecutors have stopped their inquiry into the likely sabotage of Russia’s Nord Stream gas pipelines due to a lack of suspects
Russia to resume buying foreign currency – Finance Ministry
Russia’s higher than budgeted energy revenues have prompted purchases of FX
Russian seaborne oil shipments rebound – Bloomberg
Russia’s maritime oil exports surged by almost 900,000 barrels per day after two weeks of disruptions
UK bypassing own ban on Russian oil – study
The UK has continued importing millions of tons of Russian oil in the form of jet fuel and diesel via third countries, a report claims
McDonald’s and Starbucks say Gaza conflict is hurting business
The conflict between Israel and Gaza and related boycotts have seen McDonald’s and Starbucks miss their fourth-quarter revenue targets
Lack of growth making Germany poorer – FM
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner says that the country’s competitiveness has suffered because of its inability to generate growth
EU can’t ban Russian aluminum – Politico
Brussels is unlikely to prohibit aluminum imports from Russia despite pressure from several member states
Boeing’s standards ‘progressively declining’ – top airline boss
The US plane maker’s manufacturing processes need a thorough review in light of safety concerns, says Tim Clark
Russian gasoline production fell in January – Kommersant
Fuel production in Russia reportedly dropped last month after a refinery accident and Ukrainian drone attacks
Ukrainian refugees in Germany aren’t working – Bild
Berlin’s drive to get more Ukrainians into the workforce has so far been unsuccessful
Russian drone production soaring – official
Moscow is making a significant investment in producing more drones for its military, Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov has said
Kremlin hails repatriation of tech giant
Yandex’s Dutch-registered parent company has been seeking to divest its Russian business since 2022
EU scouring for new Russian sanctions targets – media
The EU’s forthcoming package of sanctions on Russia will reportedly not include any new bans on imports
Gold demand soaring in China – report
China was the world’s largest consumer of the precious metal in 2023, according to an industry group
Russia restricts banana imports from South American country
The Russian food safety regulator has suspended the certification of bananas from five Ecuadorian suppliers