Author: Steven Sahiounie

More than half of Libya’s oil production, or about 700,000 barrels per day, was offline on Thursday and exports were halted at several ports as a standoff between rival political factions over the central bank and oil revenue threatens to end a four-year period of relative peace. Libya’s National Oil Corp, which controls the country’s oil resources, said on Thursday that the average oil output stood at 591,024 barrels on Wednesday Aug. 28. Libya pumped about 1.18 million bpd in July. Total losses in the past three days following the oilfields closures were at 1,504,733 barrels, worth about $120 million, NOC added. The crisis…

An Indian tax agency has found that British insurer Aviva breached local regulations capping commissions to sales agents with a system of fake invoices and clandestine cash payments, according to a notice seen by Reuters. In an attempt to grow operations, Aviva’s India business paid about $26 million between 2017 and 2023 to entities who purportedly provided marketing and training services, according to the tax notice sent to Aviva, dated Aug. 3. But the vendors, who did not perform any work, were actually a front for channeling funds to Aviva’s agents, said the Directorate General of GST Intelligence, which is…

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has promised to unveil a plan that will make America the world cryptocurrency capital.

The Russian economy is growing at a faster pace than projected, with GDP expected to soar 3.9% this year, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov announced on Friday.

Elon Musk believes that the X social platform will be subjected to the same attacks in the United States as in Brazil, if Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris wins the upcoming presidential election. “The attacks this year on free speech are unprecedented in the 21st century. It will happen in America too if Kamala [and her running mate Tim] Walz gain power,” Musk said on his X page. Previously, Brazil Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes ruled to immediately suspend the operation of the X social platform in the country. The ruling was reportedly issued after Musk refused to appoint…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the composition of the Russian delegation to the 79th session of the UN General Assembly to be held in September. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was appointed as the head of the delegation, according to the decree published on the official website of legal information. The Russian delegation also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Grigory Karasin, Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations in New York Vasily Nebezya, and Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky. In addition, Putin…

Brazil Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes ruled to immediately suspend the operation of the X social platform in the country, Reuters reported citing a court document. According to the report, the court ruling was issued after X owner Elon Musk refused to appoint its legal representative in Brazil. On august 17, X announced that it would shut down its office in Brazil due to threats to its employees. The company claimed that it was able to obtain a secret order by de Moraes, who threatened to arrest the office’s legal advisor unless the social platform bans certain accounts. The…

Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said today that the Israeli government is purchasing advertisements on Google to defame the agency and prevent users from making donations. Lazzarini stated that the Israeli government’s campaign aims to undermine and tarnish the reputation of UNRWA by using Google ads to discourage contributions and spread negative propaganda against the agency. He emphasized that these actions not only damage the agency’s reputation but, more critically, endanger the lives of its staff. In a post on X, Lazzarini called for an immediate halt to these deliberate efforts to spread…

During the call, President El-Sisi and Chancellor Scholz also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and the efforts to restore regional peace and stability, according to a presidential statement. The Egyptian president stressed to the German chancellor the crucial need for the international community to play a decisive and effective role in achieving the desired ceasefire deal and the exchange of captives and detainees, while actively participating in mediation efforts. President El-Sisi further highlighted the importance of a comprehensive political process to establish an independent Palestinian state based on the two-state solution following the relevant international resolutions. For his part,…

Jordan’s foreign minister and his Iranian counterpart on Friday discussed increased Israeli aggression in the occupied West Bank as well as measures to end hostilities in Gaza. Ayman Safadi and Abbas Araghchi spoke over the phone, Jordan News Agency reported. During their conversation, Safadi emphasized that halting Israeli aggression in Gaza was the first step in preventing a regional war. Safadi also congratulated Araghchi on his appointment and wished him well in his new position. The two ministers followed up on the talks held by Safadi with the Araghchi’s acting predecessor Ali Bagheri Kani in Tehran on Aug. 4. They also…