WASHINGTON – The White House does not believe it currently needs an additional Ukraine aid package from Congress after just tapping a recently approved $40 billion measure. “I don’t think we’re there yet,” John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters on Wednesday. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Leslie Adler)
DUBAI – Iran vowed on Friday to show an “immediate response” to any move against it by the United States and European countries at the U.N. nuclear watchdog IAEA, Iranian state media reported. “Any political action by the United States and the three European countries in the agency (IAEA) will undoubtedly be met with a proportionate, effective and immediate response from Iran,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying by state media. Amirabdollahian also said the IAEA head’s visit to Israel, Iran’s arch-enemy, was in conflict with the agency’s impartiality, the media reported. The United States, France, Britain
DAVOS, Switzerland – Saudi Arabia does not expect an immediate shortage of oil and only a certain shortage of oil products, the country’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on Tuesday when asked why Riyadh has rebuffed U.S. calls to raise production. The Saudi minister was addressing business leaders at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine resort of Davos. (Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov; Editing by Alexander Smith)
By Yousef Saba and Saeed Azhar DUBAI – Saudi Arabia’s finance minister said on Monday there were no immediate plans to transfer more funds to the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund at the centre of the kingdom’s plans to diversify its economy away from oil. The PIF manages over $600 billion in assets, a figure that has doubled in about two years. “I think there is no immediate plan to transfer any funds to PIF,” said Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In 2020, the PIF got a $40 billion
By Francesco Guarascio BRUSSELS – The European Commission is set to propose on Wednesday a new package of financial aid to Ukraine including new loans to provide immediate liquidity to Kyiv and commitments for the long-term financing of the country’s reconstruction, officials said. The size of the short-term financial support is still being defined but two officials familiar with the discussions told Reuters they expected it to roughly cover Ukraine’s financial needs for two months, largely through loans. A third official said the money would come from the EU budget and from EU governments, dismissing earlier talk that the funds
By Jesús Aguado MADRID – Spain’s transition to cleaner energy could bring more notable risks to sectors with higher CO2 emissions, such as transport, manufacturing and agriculture, though any impact on banks would be moderate in the short run, the Bank of Spain said. In an analysis of how increasing prices of CO2 emission rights can affect the banking sector, the central bank said on Wednesday that, on average, they would have a moderate impact on the credit quality of corporate loans. However, if physical climate change risks, such as droughts and wildfires, materialise strongly, that would raise the long-term
‘Lives Of Justices In Danger’: Legal Experts Urge Immediate Ruling On Roe Laurel Duggan on May 3, 2022 A leaked document revealed Monday that the Supreme Court will likely overturn Roe v. Wade, but the decision is not yet final. Legal experts called for an immediate decision, fearing that the court’s integrity and justices’ safety were at risk as the decision hangs in the balance. “Leading Democrat politicians have threatened justices by name, and their left-wing supporters have shown up at justices’ homes,” Mike Davis, former clerk for Justice Neil Gorsuch, told the Daily Caller New Foundation. Legal experts urged
(Reuters) – Oklahoma’s Senate on Thursday passed a ban on all abortions, except in cases of medical emergency, rape or incest, that would take effect immediately if the state’s Republican governor signs it. It was the second abortion ban approved by one of the state’s legislative chambers on Thursday. The House of Representatives earlier passed a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy that relies on civil lawsuits for enforcement, similar to a Texas law that has made abortion nearly inaccessible in that state since September. (Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Chris Reese)
What Will It Mean For The Border If Biden Ends The Immediate Expulsion Of Migrants? Jennie Taer on March 29, 2022 The possible end of the Title 42 pandemic-related public health order could mean a huge surge of migrants crossing the southern border, immigration experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reevaluates the policy every 60 days and is expected to discontinue it as soon as March 30, CBS News reported. “So the result of that not only will act as another incentive, you’re going to see illegal immigration expand to historic highs
HACKENSACK, NJ – Hackensack High School was ordered to shelter in place as emergency responders reported to the scene. The police did not say why but said everyone is safe at this time. All other schools in the district were also placed in a shelter in place. “Parents please do not report to any of the schools until further notification,” the Hackensack Police Department said. “This is an active police investigation and more information will be released soon.”
LONDON – JPMorgan said there was no immediate impact from sanctions on Russia at the month-end rebalancing of its emerging market bond indexes. The indexes are key performance benchmarks for international investors in emerging market debt, so membership can help a country sell bonds and reduce its borrowing costs. In a note published to clients, JPMorgan said there was “no immediate impact from sanctions on the February 28, 2022 rebalance of the JPMorgan Emerging Market indices.” “An updated Index Watch will be published detailing any potential Index composition changes at the March 31, 2022 rebalance due to updated sanctions directives.”
KYIV – Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern part of the country, where clashes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces intensified in recent days. He also said Ukraine supports peace talks within the Trilateral Contact Group, where Ukraine participates along with Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE). “We stand for intensifying the peace process. We support the immediate convening of the TCG and the immediate introduction of a regime of silence,” Zelenskiy said on Twitter. (Reporting by Natalia Zinets and Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by David Goodman)
The World Tennis Association (WTA) announced it would suspend all tournaments in China on Wednesday in support of tennis star Peng Shuai. “Unfortunately, the leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way. While we now know where Peng is, I have serious doubts that she is free, safe and not subject to censorship, coercion and intimidation,” WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon said in a statement. “As a result, and with the full support of the WTA Board of Directors, I am announcing the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong