Author: Steven Sahiounie

Beijing announces that ships will be banned from sailing in a region north of Taiwan due to the possibility of “falling wreckage.” According to a provincial marine official, China would prohibit ships from sailing in a region north of Taiwan on Sunday due to “possible falling rocket wreckage.” The region roughly 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Taipei will be closed from 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) until 3 p.m. (0700 GMT), according to the marine safety agency of China’s eastern Fujian province, with ships “forbidden to enter.” Last week, China launched its 3-day Operation “United Sharp Sword” where Chinese jets and warships reportedly…

The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visits China and stresses that Europe is united in its stance regarding China after comments by the French President created confusion among Western allies. The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, during her trip to China, stressed that Europe continues to be united in its policy toward Beijing. The comment followed allegedly controversial remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron, which angered some of the collective-West countries. Baerbock told reporters in Tianjin, “We not only have a common position with regard to the European stance, but if we share a common internal market, then we cannot have different positions…

On the occasion of Al-Quds Day, the leaders of the Axis of Resistance affirm that Al-Quds Day is a day to mobilize confrontation in the course of liberating Palestine from the Israeli occupation. The leaders of the Axis of Resistance in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, and Bahrain stressed, during the “Al-Quds Podium” event, today, Thursday, the option of confrontation and fighting until the liberation of Palestine from the Israeli occupation, calling on the people of the Islamic nation to commemorate International Quds Day. During the event, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziyad Al-Nakhalah, said, “Al-Quds is a title…

Tens were saved and 25 bodies were recovered following the shipwreck of a migrant boat off the coast of Tunisia. The Tunisian coastguard reported on Thursday that 25 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa had drowned in the Mediterranean after a boat capsized, on Tuesday, off the coast of Sfax. On Wednesday, the coastguard reported having recovered 10 bodies, and on Thursday, another 15 were recovered after having been trapped beneath the boat according to the spokesperson for the court of Sfax, Faouzi Masmoudi. The recovered bodies included that of the boat’s captain, six women, as well as other men. Off the coast of Sousse,…

Data of the Russian Central Bank showed that Russia’s external debt amounted to $357.9 billion as of April 1, which is 5.9% less than it was at the beginning of 2023. According to the data of the Russian Central Bank, the Russian external debt will have decreased this month by $22.2 billion from its level at the beginning of this year 2023. And the Russian Central Bank announced on March 29 that Russia’s external debt recorded on January 1, 2023 the level of $380.5 billion, and during the year 2022 the index decreased by $101.8 billion. Yesterday, the International Monetary…

Customs data showed that China’s exports increased in March for the first time in six months as the second-largest economy in the world resumed its rebound after the onerous coronavirus restrictions were lifted late last year. Total exports increased 14.8% year over year, a significant increase over last March when tight virus lockdowns hindered regular economic activity, as per data. According to Bloomberg News, the first increase since September defied analysts’ predictions, many of whom expected a further decline. “The positive surprise may be partly due to a low base effect as the Covid outbreaks in March last year forced many factories to shut down,”…

When Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took office 20 years ago, Turkey’s economy was barely just recovering from the 2001 economic crisis, but quickly spiraled upwards into growth by tackling poverty and reaching upper-middle-income status, per the World Bank. The country’s GDP per capita jumped from $3,600 when he took office to approximately $12,600 ten years later, but it took a turn for the worst when it started plunging downwards, especially following the Covid-19 pandemic, US sanctions, the global economic collapse, and the devastating February 6 earthquakes. Erdogan began slashing interest rates to keep investment cheaper and growth more possible,…

China has set another precedent in the natural gas sector after Chinese energy giant Sinopec became the first Asian company to partner with Doha’s QatarEnergy (QE) on the expansion of North Field East (NFE) – the world’s largest liquified natural gas (LNG) project. China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) submitted a request to acquire a share in the Qatari LNG project in November 2022, just after the firm signed a 27-year gas purchase agreement with QE – the longest LNG contract recorded in the Industry. So far, Western energy companies have the biggest share in the project, making Sinopec’s share…

Bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency, reversed its modest losses from the previous day and regained traction above the $30,000 level once more. Meanwhile, Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency, broke through the $1,900 barrier and outperformed Bitcoin. In addition, other cryptocurrencies, such as Dogecoin (DOGE), Litecoin (LTC), and Solana (SOL), exhibited strong performance as well. Nonetheless, the driving force behind the ongoing bullish rally can be attributed to positive inflation data and the Ethereum Shanghai upgrade, both of which are contributing to the sustained growth of the crypto market. The global cryptocurrency market has been demonstrating exceptional performance. At the time of writing, the…

U.S. Treasury yields were flat Thursday as investors digested Wednesday’s lower-than-expected consumer price index reading for March and awaited wholesale inflation figures. At 5:41 a.m. ET, the yield on the 10-year Treasury was little changed at 3.426%. The 2-year Treasury was last trading at 3.975%. Yields and prices move in opposite directions and one basis point equals 0.01%. Investors considered what could be on the horizon for the U.S. economy and Federal Reserve policy as the consumer price index published Wednesday indicated that inflationary pressures could be easing. Prices climbed by 0.1% on a monthly basis in March and 5% year over year, just below the…