Author: Steven Sahiounie

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today called for stopping “vile” attacks by Israeli occupation forces at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. “I condemn the vile acts against the first qibla of Muslims and call for the attacks to be stopped as soon as possible,” Erdogan stated while condemning the Israeli occupation forces’ raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque and expressed his “sadness and anger”. “Türkiye cannot remain silent in the face of attacks. Reaching out to Al-Aqsa Mosque and trampling on the sanctity of the Haram al-Sharif is our red line,” Erdogan said after an iftar dinner with retired people in the capital…

Israeli police Wednesday night stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem for the second consecutive night during Ramadan. Dozens of heavily-armed Israeli police barged their way into the al-Qibli prayer hall at the mosque compound, while nearly 20,000 worshippers were still performing the Ramadan Taraweeh night prayer. Police brutally assaulted Palestinian worshippers, beating them with clubs and targeting them with concussion grenades, tear gas canisters and rubber-coated steel bullets as a means to forcefully expel them from the Muslim holy site. Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) confirmed that a number of worshipers suffocated from tear gas and that its…

The Arab League Council today called on the United Nations (UN) and its Security Council to halt the Israeli occupation aggression against the Al-Aqsa Mosque. During an extraordinary session at the level of permanent representatives in Cairo, the Council of the League of Arab States urged the UN and the Security Council (UNSC) to uphold their legal, moral and humanitarian responsibilities towards the aggression against the mosque compound, ensure international protection for the Palestinian people and safeguard their right to freedom of worship. Discussion in the session focused on the sacrilegious Israeli attacks against the mosque compound and affirmed that such…

The PMI index for the Russian services sector continued to rise, and the PMI for this sector rose in March 2023 to 58.1 points, according to a study by S&P Global. Thus, the index recorded a significant increase in March from the level recorded in February, at that time, when it reached 53.1 points. The institution indicated that the PMI index of the Russian service sector rose last month at the fastest pace in nearly two and a half years, supported by improved demand conditions and increased growth in new orders. A PMI value above 50 points indicates an increase…

Bitcoin price is consolidating gains below the $28,800 resistance. BTC must clear $29,000 to start a fresh rally and clear the $30,000 resistance zone. Bitcoin Price Consolidates Gains Bitcoin price remained well supported above the $27,550 zone. BTC formed a base and started a fresh increase above the $28,000 resistance zone. There was a clear move above the $28,200 and $28,500 resistance levels. However, the price struggled to clear the $28,800 resistance zone. A high is formed near $28,792 and the price is now consolidating gains. It is trading above $28,200 and the 100 hourly simple moving average. Bitcoin price…

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has seized crypto worth more than $112 million linked to several crypto-related scams. The seizure targeted six cryptocurrency accounts, and was based on warrants authorized by judges in the District of Arizona, the Central District of California, and the District of Idaho, according to an announcement from the DOJ. According to court documents, the virtual currency accounts were used to launder proceeds from what the prosecutor called cryptocurrency confidence scams, scams where fraudsters cultivate long-term relationships with victims met online, eventually enticing them to make fraudulent investments. Instead of going to legitimate crypto projects, the money…

Major Swiss bank PostFinance has partnered with digital asset services provider Sygnum Bank to offer its customers cryptocurrency trading and storage services. As part of the partnership, the Swiss state-owned bank will provide its 2.5 million customers access to buy, sell, and store Bitcoin and Ethereum, two of the world’s largest cryptocurrencies, with more tokens expected to be added in the future, according to a Wednesday press release.  The bank will tap Sygnum’s institutional business-to-business (B2B) banking platform, which allows financial institutions to enter the crypto markets in a regulated and compliant manner to offer crypto services. Sygnum’s B2B network includes…

Peer-to-peer crypto marketplace Paxful became another victim of this particularly freezing crypto winter.  “Today, Paxful will be suspending its marketplace. We are not sure if it will come back,” said on Tuesday Ray Youssef, Paxful Founder and CEO.  The Paxful Wallet, however, will remain in service for customers to retrieve their funds. Safeguarding customer funds is the main priority, said the CEO, adding that,  “All customer funds are all accounted for. Please withdraw them and if you can — self-custody.” Users soon complained, however, that the transfers were taking longer than usual. The CEO assured them that this will be resolved as well, saying that…

Asia-Pacific markets were mixed on Wednesday as Wall Street digested a key U.S. labor report that showed job openings dropped to their lowest level in nearly two years in February. New Zealand’s central bank raised its benchmark cash rate by 50 basis points to 5.25%, with the New Zealand dollar strengthening by nearly 0.9% following the decision. Stocks in Wellington erased earlier gains and the S&P/NZX 50 traded 0.27% lower to end at 11,866.83. Japan’s Nikkei 225 led losses in the region, closing 1.68% down at 27,813.26, while the Topix lost 1.92% to end at 1,983.84, even as the economy saw its services sector expanding for the seventh straight month.…

The Egyptian pound has plunged almost 20% against the greenback since the start of the year — with some analysts predicting that the currency may still have room to plummet further. Egypt’s pound currently ranks as the sixth worst performing currency since Jan. 1, extending a decline that saw it lose more than half its value during 2022. The currency was trading at around 30.85 per dollar on Wednesday. As of the end of March, the Lebanese pound places as the top of the most troubled currencies since the start of the year, depreciating by as much as 70%, followed by the Venezuelan bolivar and the…