Author: Steven Sahiounie

Using the funds could jeopardize the euro’s reputation, the bank’s vice president has said The EU should not use frozen Russian assets in order to help rebuild Ukraine, the European Central Bank (ECB) vice president, Luis de Guindos, said in an interview with De Standaard and La Libre Belgique news outlets published on Wednesday. According to the senior official, such an action could have serious implications for Europe’s single currency. “We have to be careful because this could lead to reputational damage. We have to look beyond this conflict in isolation, and there could be implications for the euro as…

State borrowing grew by 11.6% between January and September Russia’s state debt grew by 11.6% in the first nine months of the year as the government borrowed funds to plug a budget gap, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday. State borrowing between January and September soared, with debt reaching 17% of Russia’s GDP, data showed. Officials pointed out that even with a noticeable rise, national debt remains below 20% of GDP, placing Russia among the countries with the lowest level of state arrears. By comparison, state debt in the US and Italy exceeds 100% of GDP, while in Japan it…

Xi Jinping marks International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People Emphasizing “common security,” China’s President Xi Jinping called for the realization of a legitimate independent state of Palestine. To mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Xi said: “The bitter lessons of the cycle of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict fully demonstrate that only by upholding the concept of common security can sustainable security be achieved.” “The Palestinian question is at the heart of the Middle East issue, and the crux of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the long overdue realization of the legitimate national right of the Palestinian…

The war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli occupation in its aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip have been sponsored and supported by the US and its allies in the NATO, which made it a partner in this aggression, Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Dr. Fayssal Mikdad, has affirmed. Mikdad’s remarks came in a message to the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, which held a special session last night in commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People The Foreign Minister expressed regret over the failure of the…

The US president said that he was “deeply gratified that she [Beinin] will soon be reunited with her three children and her father”, before adding that he was determined to secure the release of her husband, Aviv, and the other captives still in Gaza. Beinin – a dual Israeli-American national – was among the captives released by Hamas on Wednesday. Biden also praised the ongoing truce deal between Israel and Hamas, saying that it had “delivered meaningful results”. Source: AlJazeera

Prominent Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi has arrived in Ramallah after being released from Ofer Prison. The 22-year-old Palestinian icon was arrested during Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank on November 6. Tamimi was one of 30 prisoners released in this sixth prisoner-captive exchange. We’ll bring you more on the scene as families and crowds greet them in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank soon. Source: AlJazeera

The importance of this initiative in supporting the State’s efforts to create jobs and reduce unemployment by developing mechanisms to support young entrepreneurs and finance their projects: official Tunisia – The Prime Ministry announced on Tuesday the launch of the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Youth and Employment, which aims to support employment efforts, finance and accompany young entrepreneurs, under partnership between the United Nations and Tunisia.(The Prime Ministry said in a statement that the launch of this fund comes at the end of the holding of a conference at the Dar Dhiafa in Carthage, which brought together and a number of…

These investments led to the creation of 65,726 jobs, up 0.4% at the end of October 2023 in terms of job creation compared with the same period in 2022 Tunisia – Reported investments in all sectors fell slightly by 3.2% between 2022 and 2023 (first 10 months), to TND 4,905.9 million, according to data published on Tuesday by the Tunisian Investment Authority (TIA). These investments led to the creation of 65,726 jobs, up 0.4% at the end of October 2023 in terms of job creation compared with the same period in 2022. At the end of October 2023, the volume of…

The January to April import scheme was approved by Morocco’s finance and agriculture ministries, with subsidy details to be published separately, ONICL said PARIS – Morocco will offer subsidies to import up to 2.5 million metric tons of soft wheat between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2024, state grains agency ONICL said, as the North African country pursues an import programme to offset drought-affected local production. The January to April import scheme was approved by Morocco’s finance and agriculture ministries, with subsidy details to be published separately, ONICL said in a note on its website. After drought reduced its domestic…

Gaza City mayor Yahya al-Sarraj has told Al Jazeera that the extent of the damage by Israeli attacks is only just being discovered due to the truce. “When we move around Gaza, we feel very angry and sad. We are discovering now how much damage has been inflicted on the infrastructure of the city – on cultural centres, libraries and main public squares,” he said. “The headquarters of the main municipality has been hit hard with two attacks, damaging three stories of one building and destroying thousands of documents of important historical value. The damage is unbelievable around the city.…