World & Politics
China grows oil imports by 11% in 2023 amid economic recovery - 01/15/2024
Chinese oil imports reached 564 million tons in 2023, up 11% from the year before, as reported by the PRC's General Administration of Customs. Simultaneously, the amount spent on raw materials was $337.5 billion, a 7.7% decrease from 2022. China's crude oil supply in 2023 was 1.545 million tons on average per day, compared to 1.393 million tons in 2022. The barrel-release ratio was 11.28...
Macron approves new French government - 01/12/2024
On Thursday night, French President Emmanuel Macron gave his approval to the cabinet that Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had assembled. The new members of the French cabinet were formally announced by Secretary General of the Presidential Office Alexis Kohler. Several prominent ministers from the outgoing administration, led by the resigned Elisabeth Borne, kept their positions. They are Justice...
EU signs 20 contracts to buy shells for Ukraine - 01/12/2024
Less than half of the 1 million shells that the EU agreed to give Ukraine each year have been secured for the end of 2023, as explained by Peter Stano, the spokesperson for EU ambassador Josep Borrell. "More than 20 contracts have been signed for public procurement and, as of December, these contracts allowed for the delivery of at least 180,000 shells," Stano told at a briefing in Brussels on...
Munich Re: Natural disasters brought $250B global damage in 2023 - 01/10/2024
According to preliminary data from Germany's Munich Re, the largest reinsurance firm in the world, the overall damage caused by natural catastrophes to the global economy last year was approximately $250 billion, same as in 2022. In the meantime, insured losses decreased from $125 billion to $95 billion in 2023. $105 billion is the average over the last five years, while $90 billion is the...
China imposes sanctions on five US companies over arms supplies to Taiwan - 01/08/2024
The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that China has protested to the United States and applied penalties against five American businesses for recent arms sales to Taiwan. "The United States (...), by selling arms to the Taiwan region of China and using various pretexts to impose illegal unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals, are causing serious damage to China's sovereignty and...
US, EU suspend Boeing 737 MAX 9 operations after detached hatch incident - 01/08/2024
All Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircrafts were grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States after one of the machines landed with its hatch torn off. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker stated, "The FAA requires immediate inspection of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes before they can return to flight." According to the government, the rule will impact around 171 aircraft...
Argentina to increase denomination of the largest banknotes by 25 times - 12/28/2023
President of Argentina Javier Milei announced issue of new banknotes with a 25-fold increase in denomination. According to La Nacion, which cites President Javier Milei, the Central Bank of Argentina would print banknotes with a face value that is 25 times higher than the biggest banknotes currently in use. This choice resulted from the rising pace of inflation. The issue touches upon printing...
Iran accelerates production of enriched uranium by 60% - 12/27/2023
Iran has increased its uranium enrichment production rate to 60% once more, according to a report from the IAEA. "Iran in recent weeks has tripled the rate of production of uranium enriched to 60%, reaching the level of nine kilograms per month," the report states. It observes that this reverses the former pattern of slowing down Iran’s rate of uranium enrichment. The country has now started...
Biden signs record defense budget for 2024 - 12/25/2023
US President Joe Biden signed the defense budget for the 2024 fiscal year, according to the White House. The agreement sets aside $886.3 billion for intelligence services, the U.S. State Department, and the Departments of Defense and Energy for specialized programs. The sum is $28 billion greater than that in the previous year. The budget includes a $800 million aid package for Ukraine....
EU puts forward new measures on union's cybersecurity - 12/21/2023
The Council of the European Union announced that permanent representatives of the EU in Brussels have come to an agreement on a "cyber solidarity law" that would guard against occurrences and risks related to cybersecurity. “The deal represents a further advancement in Europe's cyber resilience. The EU and its member states will undoubtedly be better equipped to anticipate, stop, respond to, and...