Ukraine Financial News

Moscow concert attack: US warned Russia about risk of ‘extremists’. 10-point One of the most active regional affiliates of the Islamic State militant group, ISIS-K has seen its membership decline since peaking around 2018. The Taliban and U.S.

U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a security alert March 7, warning that its personnel were «monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts.» The statement warned Americans that an attack could take place in the next 48 hours. The warning was related to the attack Friday, according to people briefed on the matter. But it was not related to possible Ukrainian sabotage, U.S. officials said, adding that the State Department would not have used the word «extremists» to warn about actions ordered from Ukraine.

(Reuters) — Slovaks vote in a presidential election on Saturday that could strengthen Prime Minister Robert Fico's grip on power as he seeks more control over public media, softer anti-corruption laws and a dissenting voice to EU support for Ukraine.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) has mandated a vetting process for Russian and Belarusian athletes who have qualified successfully for the Paris 2024 Olympics. This decision comes following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 after which the IOC worked on issuing a ban from participating in IOC-affiliated competitions including the upcoming Paris Olympics. However, the IOC later allowed them for qualifying at the Paris Olympics but they will be allowed to participate after following a vetting process. They will also be called for participation on the basis of individual neutral athletes which will see them participating in the Olympics without their country's flag, emblem or anthems.

US Fed's plan to slash benchmark rates by the end of 2024. "The oil price has begun to appreciate since the International Energy Agency (IEA) on 14 March increased its demand forecast and reduced its supply forecast.

By Max Hunder and Tom Balmforth

The European Union’s executive arm is proposing to member countries to impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus

The European Commission wants to prevent Russia from using agriculture products as a tool to wreak havoc on the EU market and will impose tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus

Russia's newly appointed ambassador to Japan has warned Tokyo of serious consequences and retaliatory steps if Patriot missile systems manufactured under U.S. licence in Japan end up in Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported on Friday. RIA cited the new envoy, Nikolai Nozdrev, as saying that Moscow would be watching closely to see where Japanese arms exports ended up after Tokyo softened its export rules at the end of last year. In particular, he said, Russia would be watching to see if and when any Patriot missile complexes and missiles made in Japan under U.S. licence are exported to the United States and then to Ukraine.

Change in trade route: Container ships routing through the Suez Canal are shunning and rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope. By the first half of February 2024, container tonnage crossing the Canal fell by 82 per cent, and vessel tonnage passing through the Cape of Good Hope increased by 60 per cent. • Increase in the distance and operational shift due to rerouting of ships: The extra miles travelled and days lost due to trade diversion has translated into additional costs such as fuel costs and lost value of time-sensitive cargo.

NEW DELHI : Robust investment activity and strong private consumption demand will drive the Indian economy in FY25 amid sluggish global growth, the finance ministry on Friday said in its economic review for February. However, challenges such as the impact of the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea and rising crude oil prices loom over the outlook. "Sustained increases in shipping costs due to disruption can drive up inflation.

BRUSSELS—In a big shift, the European Union is planning to impose tariffs on Russian grain, part of an effort to curb Moscow’s export revenue and appease European farmers who are angry about imports of cheaper agricultural products. The plan—the bloc’s first push to restrict food products from Russia during the war—comes amid protests over Ukrainian agricultural imports by farmers who have at times set up blockades at border crossings.

Russian crude carried on PJSC Sovcomflot tankers due to US sanctions, further complicating the trade that has flourished since the invasion of Ukraine two years ago. Private and state-run processors including the biggest — Indian Oil Corp. — have stopped taking cargoes if they’re on Sovcomflot tankers, said people familiar with the matter. Refiners are scrutinizing the ownership of each ship to make sure they’re not affiliated with the company, or other sanctioned groups, they added, asking not to be named because the information is private. The broader pushback follows a similar move by India’s biggest private refiner, Reliance Industries Ltd., reported earlier this week. The heightened scrutiny on the tanker giant appears to have also swept up other oil ships carrying Russian oil, with two vessels waiting several weeks off the South Asian coast without any indication of when they will unload.

Australia and Britain said in a joint statement on Friday there were potentially devastating consequences of an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah in Gaza. «Given the large number of displaced persons taking refuge in the area and lack of safe spaces in Gaza, ministers shared deep concern at the potentially devastating consequences for the civilian population of an expanded Israeli military operation in Rafah,» the statement said. Israel says a ground invasion of Rafah is necessary to eliminate Hamas, despite countries including the United States warning of dire consequences for the more than a million Palestinians who have sheltered there since being displaced elsewhere in the Gaza Strip during the five-month-old war.

By Sinead Cruise and Alexander Marrow

Russian strike Friday severed one of two power lines supplying Europe's largest nuclear power plant in southeast Ukraine as Moscow launched a major assault on energy infrastructure. «The enemy is now carrying out the largest attack on the Ukrainian energy industry in recent times,» Energy Minister German Galushchenko said on Facebook, adding that shelling had knocked out «one of the power transmission lines feeding» the Zaporizhzhia power plant. The facility, Europe's largest nuclear energy site, was seized by Russian troops in the first days of the war but is powered by Ukrainian lines.

By Niket Nishant and Echo Wang

The Czech power company CEZ says its 2023 net profit reached 29.6 billion Czech crowns ($1.27 billion), down more than 63% from the previous year, which saw record profits

Also Read: US Fed keeps benchmark rates steady at 23-year high-mark, projects 3 rate cuts in 2024: 5 key highlights The study investigates the impact of pandemic-induced fiscal expansions on inflation in select advanced economies (AEs) and emerging market economies (EMEs), controlling for supply-side factors. The empirical analysis suggests that countries with larger fiscal stimulus, on average, experienced higher post-pandemic inflation.

By Emily Chow and Jeslyn Lerh

(Reuters) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a scion of the famed Kennedy family, initially sought the Democratic Party's nomination for president but dropped that effort in October and re-entered the race for the White House as an independent.