Vladimir Putin replaces defence minister in surprising shake-up

Good morning. We begin with a significant cupboard shake-up in Russia that implies Vladimir Putin is dissatisfied with the dealing with of the battle in Ukraine.

Russia’s president has moved Sergei Shoigu, the defence minister since 2012, to turn into head of Russia’s safety council, the higher home of parliament introduced yesterday. Shoigu had beforehand been seen as a near-untouchable determine because of his closeness to Putin and for his success in seeing off the problem from a mutiny by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin final yr.

Andrei Belousov, a deputy prime minister and longtime financial adviser to Putin, is to exchange him, whereas Nikolai Patrushev, a hawkish former spy and certainly one of Putin’s closest aides who has led the safety council since 2008, will take up an unspecified new place. Right here’s why Putin has made the largest shake-up of his safety officers in a decade and a half.

• Andrei Belousov: The appointment of a pliant, technocratic, Soviet-trained economist with no navy background as defence minister marks a significant shift.

• Navy briefing: Russian forces have pushed additional into Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv area, in a transfer aimed toward drawing Kyiv’s troops away from the jap frontline, analysts say.

• Inside Enterprise: Austrian lender Raiffeisen, which has continued to make huge income in Russia after the invasion, has been a rogue operator for too lengthy, writes Patrick Jenkins.

Right here’s what I’m preserving tabs on in the present day:

• UK: Forward of elections, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will promise “daring concepts” for a Britain “at a crossroads” in a speech in London. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Improvement has its labour market outlook.

• Europe: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will focus on safety points and the battle in Ukraine together with his Nordic counterparts in a go to to Sweden, whereas French President Emmanuel Macron hosts a global enterprise convention in Versailles aimed toward attracting international funding.

• Invoice Hwang trial: The founding father of Archegos is about to seem in a Manhattan courtroom on fraud prices for his function within the collapse of the $36bn fund.

• Corporations: Bridgestone and SoftBank report outcomes, whereas 888 Holdings shareholders will vote on altering its title to “Evoke” on the firm’s annual assembly.

5 extra prime tales

1. Unique: The proprietor of Pret A Manger and Krispy Kreme is pivoting to insurance coverage after its shopper and meals empire has struggled lately. JAB Holding will announce in the present day that it has employed Anant Bhalla, a US-based insurance coverage veteran, to turn into its chief funding officer and a senior associate to construct its new insurance coverage platform. Learn the total story.

2. The worth of bids for London-listed corporations this yr has exceeded $78bn, the best stage since 2018, with the bulk coming from abroad patrons. Targets have to date ranged from huge worldwide corporations resembling miner Anglo American to teams together with Worldwide Distributions Companies, the proprietor of Royal Mail. Right here’s why dealmaking is recovering within the UK.

3. The US shale oil business faces a barrage of lawsuits alleging a few of its largest corporations colluded to constrain manufacturing, after comparable claims have been made by US antitrust regulators. Not less than 10 class actions allege the teams conspired to drive up petrol costs. Listed here are a few of the corporations named within the lawsuits.

• Local weather targets: Emissions discount objectives at BP and Shell have anxious shareholders, however analysis by the Monetary Instances reveals such targets needn’t impede returns, writes Matthew Vincent.

4. Unique: Chinese language authorities have kicked off plans to promote Rmb1tn ($140bn) of long-dated bonds as policymakers increase spending to stimulate the economic system. The Folks’s Financial institution of China has requested brokers for recommendation on pricing the sale of the primary batch of sovereign bonds, in response to individuals who obtained requests. Cheng Leng has extra particulars on Beijing’s transfer.

• ‘Transnational repression’: Chinese language college students overseas have accused Beijing of harassment and intimidation, together with photographing them at protests and pressuring members of the family again dwelling.

• Luxurious ambitions: China needs to show Hainan, a tropical island province roughly the scale of Belgium, into the world’s largest duty-free procuring zone to stimulate its lagging economic system.

5. Israel battled Hamas in northern Gaza yesterday after ordering tens of 1000’s extra folks to flee Rafah because it expanded its assault on the densely populated southern metropolis regardless of worldwide condemnation. The UN estimates that about 300,000 folks have fled Rafah since Israel despatched floor troops to the jap fringe of the town on Could 6 and seized the border crossing with Egypt. We’ve the newest updates on the battle.

• Biden’s gamble: The US president paused a weapons cargo to Israel, piling stress on Benjamin Netanyahu to alter course. Will it work?

The Huge Learn

Europe’s financial underperformance has surged to the highest of policymakers’ agenda because the hole with the US has widened additional following the dual shocks of the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s battle in Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that Europe faces a “mortal” risk from financial decline. With deep-seated issues in its economic system, can the area ever hope to rival America once more?

We’re additionally studying . . . 

• Rates of interest: An easing of Eurozone financial coverage earlier than the US might increase the price of imported items and providers, writes Mathilde Lemoine of Edmond de Rothschild.

• EVs as job perks: Extra employers are permitting employees to lease electrical autos for private use via wage sacrifice schemes, driving up EV gross sales within the UK.

• GPS warfare: Navy exercise has pushed a surge in jamming and spoofing incidents, affecting civilian smartphones, planes and vessels on three continents.

• Musk and HR: The billionaire’s firings supply classes on assessing employees accurately and pretty, and eliminating bias, writes Anjli Raval.

Chart of the day

Within the UK in 1965, the commonest age of demise was within the first yr of life. At the moment the commonest age to die is 87 years outdated. In his newest column, Martin Wolf explores the profound social adjustments that elevated longevity will carry — not simply the challenges of an “ageing” society, however its alternatives.

Take a break from the information

The BBC’s time-travelling sci-fi sequence Physician Who is a British cult traditional, and its immediately recognisable theme track is equally iconic. Just like the Docs, the piece has lived a number of lives, writes David Honigmann. Take heed to the remixes by musicians resembling Pink Floyd and Hank Marvin on this week’s Lifetime of a Tune column.

Extra contributions from Benjamin Wilhelm