Author: Steven Sahiounie

The Turkish Defense Minister says his country is in touch with both Ukraine and Russia about extending the Black Sea Grain initiative under its original terms. Turkey is hoping that the grain export deal between Kiev and Moscow can be extended for another 120 days — but time is running out. The current deal expires just before midnight on Saturday, Istanbul time. “The deadline is approaching,” Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Friday, noting that his country is “in touch with both Ukraine and Russia about extending the agreement under its original terms.” The start of the Ukraine war…

Brock was sentenced to two years of jail, followed by two years of supervised release. Larry Brock, a retired Air Force officer, was sentenced to two years in prison for storming the US Capitol on Friday. The retired officer, 55, joined the riots on the Senate floor minutes after Vice President, Mike Pence, senators, and staff members evacuated the chamber to escape the attackers on January 2021. Brock was sentenced to two years of jail, followed by two years of supervised release. US District Judge John Bates also ordered Brock to perform 100 hours of community service. Brock, who refused…

The Israeli occupation forces find a UAV during a search operation near the Lebanese-Palestinian border in light of panic over the Megiddo operation. The Israeli occupation forces conducted combing operations on the Lebanese borders with occupied Palestine, during which it found a UAV on the Palestinian side of the Blue Line, Israeli media reported Friday. This comes days after the Israeli occupation said they were suspicious that the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah was behind an alleged security incident in northern occupied Palestine earlier this week, “in which it infiltrated through the northern borders and detonated an explosive device,” according to…

On Friday, the UN Security Council voted on Friday against the speech of the DPR Ombudsman at a meeting on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine Ukraine’s aggression in Donbas resulted in the death of 4,374 residents from July 2014 to February 24, 2022, and nearly 8,000 were injured. Such data Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Daria Morozova cites in her report to the UN Security Council. “From the beginning of the conflict and as of February 24, 2022, as a result of armed aggression by Ukraine on the territory of the DPR, 4,374 people, including 91 children, have been killed,” according…

On Friday, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he considers the decision of the pre-trial chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague to issue a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin justified. But the United States does not recognize the decision of this court, he added. Biden was talking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before flying to Delaware. His words are quoted by the White House press corps.…

Credit Suisse may have received a liquidity lifeline from the Swiss National Bank, but analysts are still assessing the embattled lender’s prognosis, weighing the option of a sale and whether it is indeed “too big to fail.” Credit Suisse’s management began crunch talks this weekend to assess “strategic scenarios” for the bank, Reuters reported citing sources. It comes after the Financial Times reported Friday that UBS is in talks to take over all or part of Credit Suisse, citing multiple people involved in the discussions. Neither bank commented on the report when contacted by CNBC. According to the FT, the Swiss National Bank and Finma, its regulator, are…

Bagged nickel briquettes were found to not have the weight specified in the contracts The London Metal Exchange (LME) discovered “irregularities” with bagged nickel briquettes at one of its warehouses this week, which forced it to postpone the resumption of nickel trading during Asian hours until March 27. According to a statement from the LME, it had to cancel nine nickel warrants at one of its facilities after finding out that bagged nickel briquettes stored there were found to not have the weight specified in the contracts. “The exchange has received information that a number of physical nickel shipments out…

Gold prices continued to climb on Friday as investors turn their attention to safe haven assets amid concerns of further market turbulence triggered by the banking crisis in the US and Europe. The precious metal has been extending gains since Monday, when it opened trading at $1,879 per ounce, to $1,936 on Friday afternoon, having started the day at $1,921. Investors traditionally turn to gold in times of market uncertainty, to hedge risks. Throughout history, the precious metal has been seen as a reliable investment instrument during periods of economic instability, stock market crises, military conflicts and pandemics. Investors are…

Banks borrowed a record $165 billion from the Fed after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank US banks took out a combined $164.8 billion in loans from two Federal Reserve facilities over the past two weeks, Fed statistics released on Thursday showed. This came as lenders rushed to backstop liquidity in the event of bank runs in the wake of the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. According to the data, US lenders borrowed $152.85 billion from the discount window in the week ending March 15, up from $4.58 billion in the previous week. The figure, which marks an all-time high, topped…

Eurozone’s largest economy won’t escape recession this year, researcher Ifo warns Germany is facing a winter recession as the economy has continued to shrink amid the deepening cost-of-living crisis, the Ifo Institute for Economic Research reported on Wednesday. In the first quarter, gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to fall by 0.2%, the report suggests. The economy contracted by 0.4% in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the previous three months. A recession is defined as two successive quarters of contraction. The Ifo forecasts economic output in 2023 to remain at roughly the same level as the year before, contracting by…