Author: Steven Sahiounie

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan says the former US President will have to make the trial date work, regardless of his schedule. A federal court in Washington ruled on Monday that Donald Trump’s attorneys would not be given the time they wanted to prepare for a criminal trial accusing the former US President of illegally attempting to reverse his 2020 election defeat. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan considered that Trump will have to balance his legal defense with his ambitions to secure the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Trump’s attorneys had asked for a trial date of April 2026, far after the…

It will become a member of the association from January 1, 2024 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov played a colossal diplomatic role on the issue of Ethiopia’s accession to BRICS, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Monday. “Yes, I can confirm this. This is true indeed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov played a colossal diplomatic role on the matter of Ethiopia’s full-fledged membership in BRICS,” she said in an interview with an evening program on the Rossiya-1 television channel. The 15th BRICS summit was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 22 to 24, 2023 and was chaired by South…

While expressing an understanding for Russia’s decision, Narendra Modi thanked the Russian president for the country’s consistent support to all initiatives under India’s G20 Presidency Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he will not be able to attend the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi from September 9-10, so the Russian delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the Indian prime minister’s office said in a statement. “President Putin conveyed his inability to attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi on 9-10 September 2023 and informed that Russia…

Jordan is anchoring the social protection strategy to administrative, economic and political modernization, minister says AMMAN: Jordan’s Minister of Social Development Wafa Bani Mustafa and UAE Ambassador Khalifa bin Mohammed Al-Nahyan on Monday discussed cooperation in social care, Jordan News Agency reported on Monday. Mustafa highlighted the government’s efforts to improve social protection services, including anchoring the social protection strategy to administrative, economic and political modernization. The minister emphasized the part played by UAE humanitarian projects in Jordan in alleviating hardships faced by vulnerable groups, particularly refugees. Al-Nahyan lauded the Jordanian government for its cooperation and outstanding services offered to…

The public will be informed about the details of the Russian leader’s trips in due time, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said There are foreign visits on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s schedule this autumn, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has announced. Journalists asked Peskov on Monday if Putin was planning to make any foreign trips soon, considering there’s an arrest warrant issued for him by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Such visits have been “planned, yes – for the fall,” the spokesman replied. However, he declined to name any specific destinations, saying that “we will inform you about it in due time. For obvious…

Europe’s central bank says that July numbers revealed that money supply in the EU dropped to 0.4 percent in July. Europe slipped into its latest economic red zone as data revealed that the money supply shrunk for the first time since 2010 due to falling private sector lending and declining deposits. The European Central Bank follows money supply as one of the main metrics to monitor market reaction to financial policy tightening. The newest figures indicate the economy is likely to slow down while inflation is expected to cool. Despite forecasts of inflation ease, the 5.3 percent inflation rate recorded…

Saxony’s minister-president argues that if restored, the pipeline could secure Berlin’s energy imports within five or ten years The leader of the German state of Saxony has argued that the Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline linking to Russia, which was ruptured in an underwater explosion last September, should be repaired. Minister-President Michael Kretschmer warned that unless action is taken soon, sea water will damage the conduit beyond repair. In an interview with Germany’s WirtschaftsWoche magazine published on Monday, Kretschmer said: “It is important because this infrastructure can secure our energy supply in five or ten years.” He insisted that…

Euro’s global payments usage via the SWIFT system plummets, favoring the US dollar and Chinese yuan, with the Euro at a historic low of 24.4%. The Euro has experienced an unprecedented decline in its usage for international payments via the SWIFT system. Recent data from SWIFT, reported by various media outlets this week, has shed light on a remarkable shift towards the US dollar and the Chinese yuan in global financial transactions. According to a report from RIA Novosti, the July 2023 statistics indicate a stark decrease in the global share of transactions involving the Euro, the world’s second-most popular currency.…

The Bank of Russia projects that consumer prices will rise by 5-6.5% in 2023. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in a Saturday interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that he expects the Russian economy to grow by 2.5% this year. “We are making efforts to offset these consequences, the consequences of sanctions… They are bearing fruit. While the economy contracted 2.1% last year, we expect it to bounce back this year and grow 2.5% or even more,” he said. Although inflation is projected to reach 6% by the end of the year, Russian authorities are working to return the target…

Proposed bilateral agreement reportedly would come into force after the conflict in Ukraine ends The UK and Ukraine have been discussing the possibility of a free-trade agreement between the countries, British outlet inews reported on Monday, citing sources in the Ukrainian government. According to the report, the deal is expected to build on the Digital Trade Agreement London and Kiev signed in March this year. It covered trade in digital goods and aimed to smooth flows of cross-border data between the two countries, allowing Ukrainian businesses to trade more efficiently and cheaply with the UK through electronic transactions, e-signatures, and e-contracts.…