Author: Steven Sahiounie

Major US lender Citigroup has made a deal to transfer the credit card portfolio of its Russian unit (Citibank) to commercial bank Uralsib, several media outlets reported on Tuesday, citing Citibank’s press service. Privately-owned Uralsib is among Russia’s top 30 banks by assets. According to a statement from Citibank, the transfer of the credit card portfolio will occur on condition that card holders agree to the action. “Citigroup has entered into an agreement with PJSC Bank Uralsib, under which, subject to their consent, existing credit card holders of JSC Citibank will be offered the opportunity to switch to Uralsib in…

The majority of cross-border transactions are already carried out in national currencies Trade between Russia and China has already reached record levels and should be supported by the further development of economic ties, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Wednesday. Speaking to TASS at a business forum in Shanghai, Siluanov stated that bilateral trade is growing at an unprecedented pace and is on course to surpass a $200 billion target this year. “If recently the figure of $200 billion seemed far off, this year we are likely to exceed it,” the official said. Economic ties have been bolstered by…

Syrian air defenses intercepted two out of six guided glide bombs launched by Israeli fighter jets during the May 28 attack on Damascus outskirts, Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, revealed. According to Gurinov, two Israeli F-16 fighter jets carried the airstrikes from the airspace of the occupied Golan Heights, launching six GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. “The Syrian air defense forces downed two air bombs from Russian-made Buk-M2E air defense systems. As a result of the Israeli airstrike, two warehouses were damaged. No one was hurt,” the Russian…

On Tuesday morning, Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow and the Moscow Region Washington’s statements on the terrorist drone attack on Moscow encourage Ukrainian terrorists, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said. “We have taken note of Washington’s statements regarding the terrorist attack in Moscow involving drones. In fact, they sound like an encouragement for Ukrainian terrorists,” the envoy said, “Just consider the US officials’ attempts to hide behind the phrase that they are gathering information about what happened! And then they immediately switch to a media attack against our country.” “So really, doesn’t the administration understand that no one believes…

During a previously unannounced visit to Kiev, Atlantic Council Chairman John F.W. Rogers and President and CEO Frederick Kempe awarded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the Atlantic Council’s highest honor. Amid heavy losses for Kiev on the battlefield, Atlantic Council Chairman John F.W. Rogers and President and CEO Frederick Kempe awarded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the Atlantic Council’s highest honor, the Global Citizen Award, which is given to individuals who allegedly make significant contributions to improving the state of the world. During a previously unannounced visit to Kiev on Tuesday, Rogers and Kempe were joined by Ambassador John Herbst, senior director of the…

Milos Vucevic noted that the Serbian president had repeatedly warned the international and the Serbian communities that Pristina’s unilateral actions may lead to the worst-case scenario The authorities of the unrecognized Kosovo are trying to occupy the north of Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic said on Wednesday. “The security situation is extremely difficult due to Pristina’s unilateral, illegal, illegitimate decisions, and, above all, [due to the attempt], let’s call it as it is <…>, to occupy the north of Kosovo and Metohija by the Albanian administration of Pristina,” Vucevic said. The top military official recalled that Serbian…

Russia has renewed the warning of new US schemes to establish terrorist organizations as tools in its plans to target Syria and carry out criminal operations. “There are new subversive US plots against Syria through Washington’s establishment of a new terrorist organization in the vicinity of Raqqa province, northeastern Syria, to use it again for terrorist operations against the country,” Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, was quoted by Sputnik as saying. Nebenzia’s remarks came during a Security Council session Tuesday on humanitarian and political affairs in Syria. “We would like to refer once again to the…

Italian media reveal the survivors were swiftly escorted out of hospitals and hotels “so as not to leave a trace.” Italian media reported on Tuesday that 10 Israelis who survived a boat capsize on an Italian lake over the weekend were rushed to “Israel” aboard a military jet, amid circulated reports that the majority of those on board were former or present intelligence officers. On Sunday, Italian media said a tourist boat on Italy’s Lake Maggiore capsized reportedly due to a sudden whirlwind, killing four passengers, including a 50-year-old Israeli. The Israeli news website Walla cited Italian reports as saying that 18 of the 20…

Palestinian prisoner Walid Daqqa’s case was transferred to Parole Board which looks into life imprisonment cases, despite the prisoner having already finished his sentence. Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that the Israeli Occupation Court held, on Wednesday, at 8:30 am, in “Maasiyahu” prison in the central city of Ramla, the second session to review the possibility of an early release for cancer-stricken Palestinian prisoner novelist and activist Walid Daqqa, who has been deprived of his freedom for more than 37 years. Our correspondent added that Prisoner Walid Daqqa’s case was transferred to Parole Board, which looks into life imprisonment cases, despite the prisoner…

The agency said the rocket disappeared from radar screens before it reached the area where its fragments were expected to fall The South Korean military are considering the possibility that the North Korean rocket launched earlier on Wednesday could have exploded during the flight, the Yonhap news agency reported citing sources. The agency said the rocket disappeared from radar screens before it reached the area where its fragments were expected to fall. At the same time, Japan’s Kyodo news agency wrote citing Japanese governmental sources that the rocket, presumably carrying North Kora’s first spy satellite, failed to cover the required distance, which…