Author: Steven Sahiounie

Lack of demand, tight monetary policy, and a prolonged energy crisis have prompted a growth downgrade in Germany, a Bloomberg poll indicates  The German economy will remain stagnant in the second half of the year as it continues to grapple with the fallout from a winter recession, Bloomberg reported on Monday. According to a survey conducted by the outlet in early August, economic output in Germany shrank in the second quarter and will stall in the three months through September, marking a deeper-than-expected decline. The EU’s largest economy will be the only G7 member to face a…

A potential cut even threatens financial giants such as JPMorgan, according to an agency analyst The US banking sector could be hit with a spate of rating cuts including for the likes of JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America due to the industry’s deteriorating health, Fitch analyst Chris Wolfe told CNBC on Tuesday. According to Wolfe, Fitch cut its assessment of the industry’s “operating environment” back in June amid pressure on the country’s credit rating, regulatory gaps exposed by regional bank failures, and uncertainty around interest rates. That move went largely unnoticed, Wolfe claims, because it did not lead to downgrades on…

Authorities are discussing the measure in response to the ruble’s fall, the media outlet has reported Russian authorities are considering partial capital control measures to stem the ruble’s slide, Bloomberg has reported, citing four unnamed sources familiar with the discussions. The proposal to mandate sales of export revenues was reportedly debated between the government and exporters on Monday with no breakthrough reached. Another meeting was set to take place later this week. On Monday, the ruble sank to a 16-month low against major currencies, reaching 101 versus the US dollar, and 111 against the euro. The Russian currency strengthened after…

The economy of the Netherlands has contracted for two straight quarters, statistics show  The Dutch economy has entered a recession after falling for two consecutive quarters, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) revealed on Wednesday. The Eurozone’s fifth largest economy shrank 0.3% quarterly between April and June, after a 0.4% contraction in the first three months of the year. The Netherlands is facing its first recession since the pandemic, driven by weak exports and lower household consumption, as surging inflation pushed up food prices and energy bills, according to CBS. Dutch economic growth reached almost 5% per year in 2021 and 2022 in…

Earlier, the Shot telegram channel reported, citing sources, that Putin and Erdogan could meet on August 31 The Turkish side does not have any specific information yet about a possible meeting between Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on August 31, the press service of the Erdogan administration told TASS. “At the moment, we cannot say anything on this issue. If there is such a decision, if details appear, we will notify about it. There is nothing to say yet,” the administration said. Earlier, the Shot telegram channel reported, citing sources, that Putin and Erdogan could…

It is noted that the parties highlighted the need for the two countries to continue close cooperation in order to maintain stability in the Syrian Arab Republic Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin and Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas held a meeting on the sidelines of the Army-2023 International Military-Technical Forum, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. “The parties discussed pressing issues related to bilateral military and technical cooperation. They also exchanged views on the situation in Syria and around Ukraine. The parties highlighted the need for the two countries to continue close cooperation in…

The Palestinian presidency today warned that the Israeli occupation authorities continued tampering with security and stability will lead to an explosion and things will get out of control, holding Israel solely responsible for the explosion. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the official spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas, said in a statement that the far-right Israeli government continues in its policies aimed at dragging the region into the square of violence and tension through incursions into the Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps, the last of which was in Jericho and Nablus, which resulted in the death of two people, the injury of dozens, and…

According to a YouGov poll, more than half of Americans polled believe Trump may not get a fair trial in the voter fraud case in Georgia.  According to a YouGov America poll, more than half of Americans believe former US President Donald Trump would not receive a fair trial in the 2020 election tampering case in Georgia. Former US President Donald Trump, alongside 18 of his allies, is facing a racketeering indictment that lists 161 “overt acts” allegedly committed as part of a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election – 12 of those are tweets from Trump’s own Twitter account. According to the survey issued…

NATO’s Chief of Staff considers that this could be a possible solution to end the war. Kiev giving up territory to Russia in exchange for a NATO membership could be a possible solution to the ongoing war in Ukraine, said NATO’s Chief of Staff Stian Jenssen according to the Norwegian newspaper VG. Addressing Ukraine’s ambitions to join the military coalition on a recent panel in the Norwegian city of Arendal, Jenssen said he believed that, eventually, “it must be up to Ukraine to decide when and on what terms they want to negotiate.”  When asked if this discussion took place between…

The agency said the group had the equipment to stage false-flag operations Russian security forces and the military have thwarted an attempt by a Ukrainian saboteur and reconnaissance group to infiltrate Bryansk Region, the Federal Security Service (FSB) has said. Local governor Aleksandr Bogomaz added that the botched raid took place in the early hours of Wednesday. In a statement, the agency said that the attempted incursion took place in the Starodubsky region bordering Ukraine and was thwarted by FSB operatives and Russian Defense Ministry forces aiding the agency. “Four saboteurs have been taken out,” it wrote. The security service also noted…