Author: Steven Sahiounie

A plaintiff in an existing suit wants to add new charges against the bank for its alleged complicity in the late financier’s sex-trafficking scheme The US Virgin Islands is seeking to add a new obstruction charge to its lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase, claiming that the banking giant benefited from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation, US media reported on Wednesday, citing a new filing in Manhattan federal court. The Monday filing referred to a recent deposition by JPMorgan employee Mary Erdoes, who runs an asset management division of the bank where Epstein was a client. According to the…

High energy costs have been blamed for “staggering” closure rates since last year Thousands of pubs in the UK may be forced to shut down this year due to soaring gas prices, the Daily Mail has reported. More than 1,000 pubs closed in the UK in 2022, including 485 in the first six months of the year and another 554 between July and December – “a staggering rate of 21 per week,” the Mail reported on Sunday, citing figures from consumer organization the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). The British pub industry was hit hard by Covid-related restrictions in 2020 and 2021.…

The government seeks to offset the negative impact of cheap imports on domestic prices The Polish government is starting to buy grain with state funds to cope with the influx of supplies from Ukraine, Agriculture Minister Henryk Kowalczyk announced on Wednesday, before resigning from his post amid growing public discontent. “The purchase will be launched immediately after the Easter holidays. Today, the State Finance Commission allocates the first 600 million zlotys [$140 million] for this purchase,” the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic quoted Kowalczyk as saying. The minister reportedly added that the Polish authorities will now…

Gold prices hit their highest since March 2022 on Wednesday, extending gains above $2,000 per ounce, amid safe-haven demand and disappointing US economic figures. Spot gold was up 0.1% to $2,030 per ounce by 12:40 GMT, while US gold futures were unchanged at $2,038.10. Analysts say the precious metal will sustain gains above the $2,000 threshold due to weaker prospects for the US economy. “The ‘third time’s the charm’ for gold, having probed above the $2,000 level in both August 2020 and March 2022. This time, it appears to be able to sustain the momentum, as dark clouds gather within…

Germany reduced exports to Russia in February by 14.3% to €900 million ($984 million) compared to the previous month, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Data showed on Tuesday that imports from Russia plummeted by 67.2% month-on-month to €300 million ($328 million). The overall volume of German exports to Russia in January-February was nearly 60% lower than during the same period a year ago, while imports declined 82.8%. In 2022, the supply of German products to Russia stood at around $16.3 billion. Imports of Russian goods amounted to almost $39 billion. Back in 2021, Russia accounted for 2.3% of total German…

The Israeli occupation police chief is facing racism accusations over statements he made about Arabs and Palestinians during a phone call. The commissioner of the Israeli police, Kobi Shabtai, was accused of racism after saying that it was in the nature of Arabs to kill each other, said a record of his phone call published by Israeli media. The Israeli official was discussing oppressive security measures taken by the Israeli police to tackle “violence in Arab communities” with extremist Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israeli media said. “There is nothing to do. They kill each other. It is in the…

The United Nations Security Council has agreed to discuss the Israeli occupation forces’ raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque that took place on Wednesday dawn at the request of the UAE and China. The UN Council will hold a closed meeting on the Israeli occupation forces’ raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Al-Quds, which took place at dawn and saw the IOF terrorizing Palestinian worshippers. The meeting will be taking place at the request of the United Arab Emirates and China, a UN source told Russian news agency Sputnik on Wednesday. “As far as I know, close consultations have been requested for tomorrow morning.…

The Israeli occupation forces once again raid Al-Aqsa Mosque and assault the worshippers there amidst the holy month of Ramadan. The Israeli occupation forces once more raided on Wednesday night Al-Aqsa Mosque, marking the second day in a row for such a raid, assaulting the worshippers and the Palestinians stationed at the holy site as part of the religious rite of Itikaf, an Al Mayadeen correspondent reported Wednesday. The Israeli occupation forces brutally assaulted the Palestinians, using rubber bullets and smoke grenades against the unarmed worshippers, the correspondent added. The Israeli occupation forces chased down the Palestinian worshippers and assaulted them in the…

It is reported that the French president said that at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping he was not going to threaten China with sanctions French President Emmanuel Macron said while visiting China that it was not in China’s interest to provide weapons to Moscow, Reuters reported on Wednesday, quoting Macron as saying. “China’s interest isn’t to have a lasting war,” Macron said, adding that should China send any arms to Russia, it “would be complicit in a breach of international law.” According to Agence France-Presse, the French president said that at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping he was…

On Thursday, the Belarusian head of state will take part in the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Belarus and Russia Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has arrived on a working visit to Moscow, the BelTA news agency reported on Wednesday. “Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has arrived on a working visit to the Russian Federation,” the statement said. It was earlier reported that the Belarusian leader was to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Belarusian head of state will take part in the meeting of the Supreme State Council of the…