Tuesday, October 31, 2023

1106 GMT — The Kremlin has said there would be no "free exit" for Western companies selling their Russian assets and they would have to abide by strict rules dictated by Moscow.

The Russian government has tightened restrictions on foreign companies trying to sell their Russian subsidiaries, placing de facto caps and deadlines on transactions, the Financial Times reported earlier on Tuesday, citing people involved in recent deals.

Hundreds of Western companies have left Russia in the 20 months since Moscow launched its assault on Ukraine, with many taking steep discounts or writing-off assets entirely.

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1057 GMT — UN rights office links Russia to deadly Hroza strike

The United Nations human rights office has found "reasonable grounds" to conclude a missile strike that killed 59 people in a cafe in the Ukrainian village of Hroza was launched by Russia's armed forces, the office said.

"Today, we are publishing a report into the events of Oct 5 that concludes there are reasonable grounds to believe that the missile was launched by Russian armed forces," Liz Throssell, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters in Geneva.

She added that "there was no indication of military personnel or any other legitimate military targets at or adjacent to the cafe at the time of the attack."

1020 GMT — Presidential election campaign not yet under way: Kremlin

The Kremlin, asked about President Vladimir Putin's political ambitions, said the campaign for next year's presidential election in Russia had not yet begun and that there could be a varying number of candidates in the contest.

Putin, in power as either president or prime minister since 1999, is widely expected to seek and win another six-year term next year at a time when his country is locked in what he has cast as an existential struggle with the West over Ukraine and the future world order.

When asked when the 71-year-old Russian leader would officially announce his candidacy for next year's presidential race, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: "There is no first candidate yet, there will be a first candidate after they are registered. There may be a varying number of candidates."

0939 GMT — Putin discussed beefing up measures to counter external interference after airport riot: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and top government and security officials discussed strengthening measures to counter external interference, including information-related interference, the Kremlin's spokesman said.

In a statement to a meeting of members of his Security Council and the government and the heads of law enforcement agencies, Putin had on Monday accused the West and Ukraine of stirring up unrest inside Russia after rioters in the Dagestan region stormed an airport to "catch" Jewish passengers on a flight from Tel Aviv.

Kiev denied any involvement.

0745 GMT — Russia's envoy uses the stage at a military forum in China to accuse the US of fuelling tensions

Russia’s defence minister accused the United States of fuelling geopolitical tensions to uphold its "global dominance by any means" and warned of the risk of confrontation between nuclear-armed countries.

Speaking at a defence forum in Beijing, Sergei Shoigu also accused NATO of trying to expand its footprint in the Asia-Pacific under the pretence of seeking dialogue and collaboration with regional countries.

"Washington for years has deliberately undermined and destroyed the foundations of international security and strategic stability, including the system of arms control agreements," Shoigu said at the Xiangshan Forum, China's biggest annual event centred on military diplomacy.

0404 GMT — Biden's Cabinet secretaries will push a divided Congress to send aid to Israel and Ukraine

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make the case that the United States should immediately send aid to Israel and Ukraine, testifying at a Senate hearing as the administration's massive $105 billion emergency aid request for conflicts in those countries and others has already hit roadblocks in the divided Congress.

President Joe Biden's Cabinet secretaries will be advocating for foreign aid to a mostly friendly audience in the Senate, where majority Democrats and many Republicans support tying aid for the two countries together.

But it faces much deeper problems in the Republican-led House, where new Speaker Mike Johnson has proposed cutting out the Ukraine aid and focusing on Israel alone, and cutting money for the Internal Revenue Service to pay for it.

For our live updates from Monday (October 30), click here.