Author: Steven Sahiounie

MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing Expobank to acquire 100% of shares in the Russian arm of international banking giant HSBC Bank, as published on the official website of legal information.

The instruction was given following the meeting of the Council on strategic development and national projects on December 21, 2023

MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. Rosneft’s refining output decreased by 6.8% in 2023 to 88 mln tons, the company reported.

MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. The Bank of Russia still registers high growth rates of prices on a wide range of goods and services, the regulator reported.

China said that it opposes and condemns acts against civilians and international law, and calls on “Israel” to stop military operations as soon as possible, do everything possible to avoid casualties among innocent civilians and prevent a more devastating humanitarian disaster in Rafah. “The Two-State solution is the universal consensus of the international community to settle the Palestinian question, China stands ready to work with all parties to hold a more broad-based, authoritative and effective international peace conference as early as possible, formulate a concrete timetable and roadmap for the implementation of the solution,” Xinhua quoted Mao Ning, Spokesperson of…

Bitcoin, the world’s leading cryptocurrency, has experienced a significant price surge in the last two weeks, breaking above the $52,000 mark. This remarkable rise in value can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the approval of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the Biden administration’s stance on cryptocurrency, and the general outlook for BTC in the future.

Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Saud Al-Sati on Monday met with Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Ahmed Farooq, the ministry reported on X. During the meeting, they discussed their two nations’ relations and topics of common interest. In a separate meeting in the capital, Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar held talks with Ambassador of Syria to the Kingdom Ayman Soussan. source: Arab News

‘Shock therapy’ reforms have propelled prices for basic goods higher and led to a sharp drop in purchasing power, a new study shows

Israel’s economy faced one of the biggest contractions in the Israel in the fourth quarter of last year due to the ongoing war with Hamas, a report from the Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics revealed on Monday.

The Ukrainian army uses toxic substances to carry out terrorist attacks, Chief of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, said. “The Ukrainian armed forces use toxic substances not only during military operations, but also to carry out terrorist attacks. For example, on August 9, 2022, Kherson Region Governor Vladimir Saldo was hospitalized with signs of poisoning. Laboratory tests showed the presence of ricin in biomedical tests, which is listed in Schedule 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention,” Kirillov said. In addition, he said that on December 5, 2023, the head of the Lugansk People’s Republic,…