Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the beginning of his visit to Great Britain noted his gratitude to the British people for the support provided to Ukraine.
“Great Britain was one of the first to come to the aid of Ukraine. And today I’m in London to personally thank the British people for their support and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his leadership,” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram Channel Wednesday.
Earlier, Zelensky landed at Stansted Airport on a Royal Air Force plane. He is scheduled to meet with Britain’s King Charles III, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Ukrainian military.
The owner of the building that houses the headquarters of American Twitter Inc. in San Francisco has sued the company, accusing it of non-payment of rent.
The lawsuit, filed by SRI Nine Market Square LLC, says the site breached its lease agreement in December by failing to pay a monthly rent of about $3.4 million, prompting it to receive a notice of default on its contractual obligations on Dec. 5. The owner of the building received its due amount through a line of credit that Twitter used as a security deposit.
Meanwhile, the company “again breached the lease agreement by failing to pay monthly rent and additional rent under the agreement in January 2023″ of about $3.428 million, the lawsuit notes. SRI Nine Market Square received another $266,000 through a line of credit, so Twitter currently owes $3.16 million.
SRI Nine Market Square wants the company to increase the credit limit to $10 million due to the terms of the agreement, which provide for such an option in the event of a change in its management. In late October, Twitter was acquired by billionaire Elon Musk. The lawsuit says the site refuses to do so.
In addition, the owner of offices in the center of London Crown Estate filed a similar lawsuit, writes MarketWatch. They confirmed that they went to court, but did not specify how much Twitter did not pay.
In December, foreign media reported that the company had stopped paying rent for a number of offices as part of cost-cutting measures after Musk took over. In early January, another landlord in San Francisco sued Twitter.
London has sent Kiev over 1,000 metal detectors and 100 bomb disposal kits to help the Ukrainian authorities in demining, the British Defense Ministry said Friday.
“The United Kingdom has donated over 1,000 VALLON metal detectors and 100 bomb disposal kits to Ukraine to assist it in demining and in making the area, homes and infrastructure safe,” the department said in a statement.
In particular, the kits are designed to disarm unexploded bombs, ammunition and improvised explosive devices.
The Ministry of Defense promised to continue supporting Ukraine in 2023. The ministry recalled that in 2022 it had delivered £2.3bn worth of military aid to Kiev and promised to maintain the same level of support in the coming year.
The cost of London offices may fall significantly in the next two to three years as demand for office space will remain low amid remote working and downsizing in some companies, experts believe Citi.
According to analysts of the investment bank, the cost of offices in the British capital will decrease by 38% over the period specified in the forecast.
Analysts say that the owners of office buildings in the next four years will have to reduce the cost of rent by 43%. Against the backdrop of falling rental prices office buildings will have to sell at a price more than 40% below current market value.
At the same time, analysts note that the duration of such a decline will mainly depend on how soon the inflation rate will slow down.
The first hardcover edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone could go under the hammer in the UK for £150,000 (about $160,000).
Along with the first part of the wizarding saga, the “magic wand” that actor Daniel Radcliffe, in the form of Harry Potter, used during the filming of the film of the same name, will be put up for auction. The props are expected to sell for £30,000 ($32,000).
The auction is organized by Propstore, a collection company that collects movie and TV show props. It will take place from 3 to 6 November in London and is expected to sell about 1.5 thousand lots. The total revenue could exceed 11 million pounds (nearly $12 million).
Among the most expensive items are items such as the Superman costume worn by actor Christopher Reeve during filming in 1978-1987 and the Darth Vader gloves worn by David Prowse in Star Wars. Episode IV: A New Hope”.
The Propstore Auction will sell props from the James Bond movies, the Marvel and DC franchises, as well as movies like The Shawshank Redemption and Gladiator.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss will announce during a trip to the United States this week that London intends to spend at least $2.6 billion to support Ukraine in 2023, the Financial Times reports.
On her first trip abroad as prime minister, Liz Truss will tell world leaders that Britain will spend same $2.6 billion in Ukraine next year as it did in 2022, or even more, the publication writes.
Truss is expected to speak at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. The prime minister is also scheduled to hold talks with U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Downing Street previously stated that the UK ranks second in the world in terms of military aid provided to Ukraine. In particular, the Financial Times reminds, London handed over hundreds of missiles, five air defense systems, 120 armored vehicles, tens of thousands of artillery shells to Kyiv. Also, since 2015, the British have trained 27,000 Ukrainian servicemen.
