Author: Steven Sahiounie

Saudi oil conglomerate Aramco says its profits were down by nearly 30% in the first half of 2023 Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil and gas giant, Aramco, has reported a substantial drop in its net income for the first half of 2023. According to the company’s financial report released on Monday, Aramco witnessed a nearly 30% decrease in its net income, amounting to $61.961 billion, as compared to the same period in the previous year. The decline in profits has been primarily attributed to several factors, with lower crude oil prices and weakening refining and chemicals margins topping the list. The…

The bank’s numbers are based on data forecasts provided by the Congressional Budget Office. The United States’ debt will grow by a whopping $5.2 billion daily for the next ten years, Bank of America said in a memo to clients on Thursday just days after Fitch downgraded US credit rating. The research note, released by the bank’s chief financial advisor Michael Hartnett, relied on data from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a nonpartisan federal agency, which forecasted that American debt will hit $50 trillion by 2033. According to Hartnett, the number will be equivalent to giving every US citizen $15…

Damascus countryside, SANA- Cooperation ties and ways of strengthening them in various fields and the implementation of development projects in Syria were the focus of the meeting of the delegation of Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) with Nasr Eddin Al-Obaid, Director-General of the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD). During the meeting, held at the headquarters of ACSAD in the countryside of Damascus, Dr. Al-Obaid, considered that the visit of this delegation, headed by Director General of AOAD, Ibrahim al-Dukhairi, is a translation of the decisions of the Higher Coordination Committee for joint…

Damascus, SANA- Finance Minister, Kinan Yaghi, discussed with Bahraini Ambassador to Syria, Waheed Mubarak Sayyar, means of enhancing cooperation ties in the financial, banking and custom domains. The bilateral agreements were also touched upon during the meeting. Yaghi said that the bilateral agreement on avoidance of double taxation is still in force, adding that there is another one been inked since 1994 stipulating on exempting all imports of national origin between the two countries from all customs duties and taxes. He stressed the importance of developing the draft convention on cooperation being discussed by the two parties to increase the…

“I am sure that Zelensky will not throw away this trump card,” Aleksandar Vucic noted Kiev will throw away everything it has built with Serbia if it recognizes Kosovo’s independence, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday. “We consider Ukraine to be our friend. We have never had any conflicts or problems with Ukraine and I hope we will never have any,” he told a news conference when asked about Kiev’s possible recognition of Kosovo’s independence. “Just imagine that Ukraine recognizes Kosovo. It will lose everything it used to have in no time – political trust, it will lose everything.”…

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates today welcomed the announcement of the Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong before the Australian Parliament in which she said that her government will return to using the term “Occupied Palestinian Territories,” including East Jerusalem, in all its literature, in addition to deeming Israeli settlements illegal as per international law. “The Australian government is strengthening its opposition to settlements by affirming they are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace,” Wong told the Parliament, also indicating that the government would return to explicitly referring to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. “In…

The Democratic representative had previously called Trump a “scared puppy” following his latest indictment The US will cease to exist if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned New York Magazine on Monday. “Don’t even think of that,” Pelosi implored the reporter who asked her about the possibility of Trump becoming president again. “Don’t think of the world being on fire. It cannot happen, or we will not be the United States of America,” she insisted. “If he were to be president, it would be a criminal enterprise in the White House,” the ex-speaker told…

It is reported that people are receiving necessary medical assistance Three civilians were killed and eleven more were wounded in Donetsk as a result of shelling attacks by Ukrainian troops, acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin said on Tuesday. “During the day, Donetsk was heavily shelled by Ukrainian troops. As of now, we have data about three people who were killed in the Kievsky district. Eleven people, including a child born in 2012, were wounded. They are receiving necessary medical assistance,” he wrote on his Telegram channel. According to Pushilin, among those wounded was a team…

According to deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria Vadim Kulit, the Russian taskforce and the Syrian army are taking measures to eliminate the terrorist threat Sabotage groups of terrorists are seeking to infiltrate Syria’s Aleppo and Latakia governorates from the Idlib de-escalation zone, Vadim Kulit, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria (a division of the Russian defense ministry), said on Tuesday. “Reports are coming in that sabotage and reconnaissance groups of terrorists are trying to cross the engagement line from the Idlib de-escalation zone…

The United Nations welcomed Syria’s decision to extend the permission for UN agencies to use Bab al-Salama and al-Rae’ crossing points to deliver humanitarian aid to those in need for three extra months. This period ends on November 13th. “We received a letter from the Syrian government stipulating the extension of the opening of Bab al-Salama and al-Rae’ crossing points, and we warmly welcome the decision which allows us to continue the tasks to bring in humanitarian aid until the November 13th, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq, said during a press conference Tuesday in New York, Syria permitted…