Author: Steven Sahiounie

The volume of mutual trade in agricultural and food products between Russia and Saudi Arabia doubled between January and April, according to the Russian Ministry of Agriculture. The statement was made following a meeting of the ministry’s head, Dmitry Patrushev, with the governor of the Saudi General Food Security Authority, Ahmad Al-Faris. “This year, the positive dynamics continue, while in four months the volume of mutual trade has already more than doubled,” the statement read. The Russian ministry reported that trade turnover in agricultural and food products reached record highs in 2022. About 70% of that trade was in grain, and…

The US Democratic Party candidate has hailed the cryptocurrency as a symbol of democracy and freedom Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will become the first presidential candidate in US history to receive campaign contributions and donations in Bitcoin, according to an announcement on Friday. Kennedy Jr. shared his own experience with the virtual currency, warning that the technology could enable government totalitarianism across the world. He pledged to protect the rights of Bitcoin users if elected. “As president, I will make sure that your right to hold and use bitcoin is inviolable,” Kennedy Jr. said at the Bitcoin 2023 conference. “I am an…

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will pay an official visit to China on May 23-24, the Russian government press service said Friday. “Mikhail Mishustin is scheduled to meet in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping and hold talks with Premier Li Qiang of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China,” a statement from the Russian government said. Regarding the topics to be discussed during the visit, the statement indicated that current issues of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the trade and economic fields will be discussed, and special attention will be paid to cooperation in industry, energy, transport infrastructure, agriculture…

Yandex shares jumped, in Friday’s trading, by more than 11%, after the company that runs the Russian search engine “Yandex” received an offer from two Russian businessmen. And by 14:30 Moscow time, the Yandex share index rose by 8.69% to 2,222.80 rubles, and before that the share rose by 11.74%, according to the Moscow Stock Exchange data showed. The stock rose after a Bloomberg report that Yandex had received an offer from Russian businessmen Vladimir Potanin and Waheed Alekperov to buy a controlling stake in the company (at least 51%). Yandex indicated that its board of directors will discuss the…

First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Central Bank, Vladimir Chistyukhin, suggested the occurrence of an “Iranian scenario” in the Russian stock market, which centers around rapid growth thanks to the investments of the local population. “I think that after a while we will have the Iranian scenario in the sense that with great dependence on the local investor, maybe after some time by attracting foreign investors we will be able to grow very strongly in the capital market,” said Chistukhin. The Russian official’s statement came in response to a question posed by the first deputy chairman of the board of…

The Saudi Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority decided that the value-added tax should be calculated on the profit margin of selling used cars, not on the total sale value. According to a statement published by the authority via Twitter, it confirmed that it had added “the option of calculating the value-added tax on the profit margin of the sale of qualified used cars, without it being on the total sale value, starting from next July 1.” According to the statement, the authority’s availability of this option comes within the framework of its endeavor to “reduce the value added tax on…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was met at the airport by Prince Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz on May 18 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ahead of the Arab League summit. Prince Badr, who is the Deputy Emir of Makkah Province, walked with al-Assad into the reception room, where they sat and exchanged pleasantries. This marks the first Arab League summit attended by al-Assad since 2011, when Syria was suspended after the US-NATO attack on Syria for regime change began. On May 19, Assad was warmly embraced by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as they…

Russia attaches great attention to strengthen ties with countries of the Middle East and North Africa , including that within the framework of the dialogue with the League of Arab States (LAS), Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a message addressed to participants in the Arab Summit which is currently being held in Jeddeh. “Russia traditionally attaches great importance to the development of friendly relations and constructive partnership with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, including within the framework of the dialogue with the League of Arab States (LAS), in order to effectively counter the threats and…

Wallace is urging increased military spending and suggests Britain could be at war with Russia and China by the end of the decade Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has warned that the UK could enter a direct conflict with Russia and China in the next seven years and has called for an increase in military spending to counter the potential threat. Speaking to the Financial Times on Friday, the official claimed that the world will be “a more dangerous, unstable place” by the end of the decade and that “defense will be more critical in our lives.” He explained that the world is seeing “the end of…

The Arab leaders adopted today May 15 of each year as an Arab and international day to commemorate the Nakba (catastrophe), the tragic events of May 1948 when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forcefully expelled from their homes in occupied Palestine or otherwise massacred by invading Zionist militias. Convening in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the 32nd Arab League Summit, the leaders of the Arab countries agreed to take measures at the level of states and international and regional organizations to commemorate the painful memory of the Nakba as a basis for ending the suffering of the Palestinian people, affirming the right…