Author: Steven Sahiounie

Germany’s federal government intends to issue a record volume of debt next year to fund costs associated with the energy crisis, the German Finance Agency has revealed.According to the plan released on Wednesday, debt issuance will balloon to about €539 billion ($573 billion) in 2023 from €449 billion ($477 billion) this year. The previous record was in 2021, when the government was attempting to offset the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.Borrowing next year will reportedly include federal bonds worth €274 billion ($291 billion) and a further €242 billion ($257 billion) to be sold on the money market. In addition, between…

The bloc has been boosting purchases from Russia while banning their own exports to the country, the Russian president saysEU countries have been ramping up imports of Russian goods this year despite the numerous rounds of sanctions the bloc has introduced against Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.During his meeting with the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects, Putin argued that the EU continues to consume Russian goods, but holds back on supplying its own products to Russia. According to the president, this situation “cannot continue indefinitely” so Russia will be looking for new partners.“It’s interesting to observe…

Canada to reintroduce sanctions on Nord Stream turbinesOttawa plans to revoke a waiver that exempted the pipeline parts for Russia’s oil and gas industryCanada is revoking the waiver that facilitated the repair of turbines in Montreal for Russia’s Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, and their subsequent return to Germany. The move was announced late on Wednesday in a joint statement by Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.The decision was made after consultations with Ukraine, Germany and other European states, according to the statement.“Canada is making this decision recognizing that the circumstances around granting the waiver have…

Ruble’s share in Russian trade has doubled – PutinDecember 15, 2022The president calls the currency “one of the strongest in the world”The share of ruble transactions in Russia’s foreign trade has doubled since the start of the year and now accounts for one third of the country’s settlements, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects.According to the head of state, the use of national currencies instead of the US dollar and euro in trade with Russia’s international partners continues to grow.“We see the development of a convenient and independent…

Microsoft has release the third edition of Cyber Signals, a report spotlighting security trends and insights gathered from Microsoft’s 43 trillion daily security signals and 8,500 security experts. The report provides new insights on wider risks that converging IT, Internet of Things (IoT), and operational technology (OT) systems pose to critical infrastructure.OT is a combination of hardware and software across programmable systems or devices that interact with the physical environment (or manage devices that interact with the physical environment). Examples of OT can include building management systems, fire control systems, and physical access control mechanisms, like doors and elevators.As OT systems…

Travel insurance comparison site Squaremouth.com analyzed data from thousands of travelers to determine the world’s most expensive destinations in 2022.Trips to Africa, Antarctica, and the islands of Oceania cost the most. This year, travelers spent 44% more on trips to these 25 destinations compared to any other countries.Travelers Spend Over $133 Million on Expensive Destinations Alone, Up Nearly Half from 2021Over 21,000 travelers spent over $133 million to visit the 25 most expensive nations.This year, Squaremouth saw a 57% increase in travelers and 44% increase in spending to expensive destinations compared to 2021.The average individual trip cost to these destinations…

A New Study Links COVID-19 With This Debilitating DiseaseNew research published in the Nature Cardiovascular Research journal has linked postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS for short) with COVID-19 infection.The study confirms the connection between the two diseases, which had been observed by many cardiologists, including Aneesh Tolat, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist with the Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute.Dr. Tolat explains POTS and its potential link to COVID.> Connect with the Heart & Vascular InstituteWhat is POTS and how is it treated?POTS affects a part of the nervous system that regulates involuntary functions like heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion and sexual arousal.…

France, Argentina set for World Cup final as Morocco’s run halted; Messi, Mbappe chase Golden BootDecember 15, 2022 by ESPNThe stage is set for the 2022 World Cup final, and it’s going to be a doozy. Lionel Messi and Argentina will take on Kylian Mbappe and defending champions France on Dec. 18 at 10 a.m. ET.Will Messi equal the feat of Argentina icon Diego Maradona while cementing his status as the GOAT? Or will Mbappe and Co. become the first back-to-back champs since Pele and Brazil did it 60 years ago? However it goes down, we cannot wait for Sunday’s…

Defending world champions end Morocco’s World Cup dreams and book their place in the final.France have beaten Morocco 2-0 at Al Bayt Stadium to claim a place in Sunday’s World Cup final.They will play Lionel Messi’s Argentina who booked their spot with Tuesday’s win over Croatia.In an end-to-end game on Wednesday, the defending world champions took their chances but Morocco did not make life easy for France, with notable periods of attacking possession on either side of the halftime break.Theo Hernandez spoils Morocco’s partyMorocco pressed high early but left gaps at the back. When Antoine Griezmann found one such space…

Changes in ‘fundamentals’ no longer explain commodity price volatility. Meanwhile, more commodity speculation has resulted in greater price volatility and higher prices for food, oil, metals and other raw materials.These prices have been driven by much more speculation, often involving indexed funds trading in real assets. The resulting price volatility especially affects everyone, as food consumers, and developing countries’ agricultural producers.Sharp increases in commodity prices since mid-2007 were largely driven by speculation, mainly involving indexed funds. With the Great Recession following the GFC, most commodity producers in developing countries faced difficulties.Since then, nearly all commodity prices fell from the mid-2010s…