Author: Steven Sahiounie

February purchases were reportedly made above the price limit agreed by Tokyo and its Western allies Japan purchased Russian crude oil at $68.5 per barrel in February, TASS news agency reported on Thursday, citing calculations based on statistics from the Japanese Finance Ministry. The figure is above the $60 price cap that Tokyo agreed to with its Western allies, in an effort to punish Russia over the conflict in Ukraine. Last month, Japanese importers reportedly bought 232,700 barrels of oil from Russia with a total value of 2.125 billion yen ($15.945 million). The average cost of a barrel from the…

A German company has been fined €1.3 million ($1.38 million) for violating sanctions against Russia, German television news service Tagesschau reported on Wednesday. An unnamed company from Schleswig-Holstein province delivered a machine to Russia that was used to build the Crimean Bridge, thus violating EU sanctions against the country, the report says. The equipment in question is reported to have been a hydraulic hammer that is used to ram piles into the ground. The company’s employees are also said to have traveled to the construction site to oversee the use of the equipment. The District Court of Kiel imposed the…

The Chinese National Defense Ministry spokesperson emphasizes that Japanese remilitarization jeopardizes regional peace and stability. The Chinese Defense Ministry stated Thursday that Japan had accentuated “external threats” in recent years, and as a result, its defense budget was amplified amid re-militarization attempts which China considered “very dangerous”. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Senior Colonel Tan Kefei explained that Beijing believed Japan should refrain from taking actions that would threaten regional peace or stability. “We urge the Japanese side to earnestly learn from the lessons of history, be cautious in words and deeds in matters of military security,” Tan told a press briefing. Moreover, the…

The foreign ministers of Iran and Sri Lanka weighed plans to enhance relations between the two nations and carry out the previous bilateral agreements. In a telephone conversation on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Sri Lankan counterpart Ali Sabry talked about plans for closer cooperation between Tehran and Colombo. Highlighting the history of friendly ties between Iran and Sri Lanka, Amirabdollahian stressed Tehran’s resolve to strengthen and expand cooperation between the two nations. The top Iranian diplomat also stressed the necessity of implementing all provisions of the memoranda of understanding signed by the two sides in the past.…

A source in the emergency services earlier told TASS about the fire in the territory of the Border Service’s administration in Rostov-on-Don A fire broke out on Thursday in the Federal Security Service’s Border Service building in Rostov-on-Don, Emergencies Ministry units have already left for the site. “Units left for Sivers Street, 20. The information is being clarified,” the press service of the Emergencies Ministry’s regional department reported. This is the address of the regional FSB’s Border Service. A source in the emergency services earlier told TASS about the fire in the territory of the Border Service’s administration in Rostov-on-Don.…

Cathie Wood’s Ark Investment has raised more than $16 million for two new private crypto funds as digital assets continue rallying amid banking worries. According to recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Ark Invest has raised $16.3 million for a crypto fund split between a domestic and a Cayman Islands-based version. The ARK Crypto Revolutions U.S. Fund LLC raised $7,281,630 from nine investors, while the ARK Crypto Revolutions Cayman Fund LLC raised almost $9 million from one backer.  For the overall target, Ark checked “Indefinite,” meaning the fund is open-ended. These two new funds are private and open only to a…

A mysterious helicopter crash in northern Iraq has claimed the lives of several people, including alleged fighters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), according to a statement from the counter-terrorism services of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region on March 16. The helicopter, identified as a Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil, crashed in the district of Chamanke in Dohuk province in Kurdistan late on March 15. Seven people who were aboard the helicopter at the time of the crash were killed. In its statement, the counter-terroism services of Kurdistan said that the helicopter was carrying fighters of the PKK. Iraq’s government, the United States-led…

The Pentagon has released a video filmed by MQ-9 Reaper which crashed in a close proximity to the Russian borders over the Black Sea. The video shows that the drone’s propeller was bent as a result of the maneuver. On March 16, Russian specialists detected the UAV in the Black Sea. According to the sources close to the Russian Defense Ministry, the drone was found at the bottom of the sea, 60 kilometers from Sevastopol, at a depth of 850–900 meters. “An underwater robot discovered the MQ-9 Reaper at a depth of about 850-900 meters. A deep–water branch of the…

New YorkCNN — First Republic Bank, facing a crisis of confidence from investors and customers, is actively discussing options for a lifeline — including a takeover, according to the Wall Street Journal. Participating in the discussions Thursday are massive Wall Street banks, including JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, the Journal reported. A First Republic spokesman declined to comment to CNN. Both Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings downgraded First Republic Bank’s credit rating on Wednesday on concerns that depositors could pull their cash from the bank. That sent shares plunging 26% Thursday, and the stock tripped several automatic circuit breakers designed to prevent…

Credit Suisse shares soared more than 30% at Thursday’s market open after the bank said it will borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs ($54 billion) from the Swiss National Bank. The Swiss-listed stock’s rally cooled slightly during the day’s trading, but the shares were still up 17.3% at 2 p.m. London time (10 a.m. ET). The embattled lender announced late Wednesday that it would exercise its option to borrow from the Swiss central bank under a covered loan facility and a short-term liquidity facility. The Swiss National Bank and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority said in a statement Wednesday that Credit Suisse “meets…