Foreign news

With the current geopolitical developments and the new processes of re-configuration, seriously affecting the landscape of economic cooperation, the basic question many researchers and observers are monitoring is to understand why Russia after the Soviet collapse aspired to transform into an European country. Russia wanted to develop and extend Europe down to the Pacific. In linguistics, phrases appeared in the direction, such as “developing solid economic cooperation from Lisbon to Vladivostok” and transform the entire vast region into European.

On different occasions, Kremlin has held several exclusive interactive meetings with European corporate business people. Those meetings raised various issues of fundamental importance for broadening economic cooperation. Throughout the 2000 to 2010, and at one point, Russian and EU business-people called on the Russian and EU authorities to resolve the issue of Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and begin work on a new basic agreement. President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, took part in the discussions.

Interesting and worthy to note that during his presidency, Dmitry Medvedev sent his greetings to the participants in the second European-Russian Forum held on December 8, 2008. The message read in part: “This big event has an important part to play in resolving issues concerning Russia and Europe. I am sure that this forum will help to bring Russia and Europe closer together and create opportunities for promising new business and humanitarian projects.”

Participants in the forum, which took place in Brussels, included associations of Russians living abroad, Russian public organisations, and also representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council. The forum’s theme was ‘The European Union and Russia: New Challenges’.

As far back on November 24, 2006, President Vladimir Putin and the European Union leadership held an extensive meeting with participation of the members of the Russia-EU Business Cooperation Council. Taking part in the meeting with Russian and EU business community leaders were Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, and Javier Solana, secretary general of the EU Council and EU high representative for the common foreign and security policy.

The meeting between Putin, the European Union leadership and the business leaders took place behind closed doors just before the start of the Russia-European Union summit. The Russia-EU Business Cooperation Council was created in October 2005 and brings together the Russian and EU business leaders most interested in developing economic relations between Russia and the EU.

The Business Cooperation Council acts as a coordinator for practical action to develop new forms and vectors for cooperation between Russian and European business-people. The Council sets the objective of ensuring that the business community plays an active part in work to draft a new basic agreement between Russia and the European Union to replace the current partnership and cooperation agreement that expired in 2007.

The Council is responsible for coordinating work by industry and business associations to implement the project for creating a common economic space between Russia and the EU and advancing major forward-looking projects that can have a considerable impact on the structure and level of economic relations between Russia and the European Union.

Projects of this kind include cooperation in the energy sector, joint operation of satellite communications and navigation systems and the formation of mechanisms for cooperating in sectors such as aviation, car making, metals production, energy and machine building.

The Business Cooperation Council is a ‘union of equals’ and has no strong link to any one organisation. The principles on which the Council is formed enable it to expand and involve interested parties in its work. At that time, the Council was co-chaired by Anatoly Chubais, chairman of the board of RAO Unified Energy Systems, for Russia, and by Jukka Harmala, head of Finnish company Stora Enso, for Finland.

Back in 2015, Vladimir Putin took part in the plenary session of the Delovaya Rossiya celebrating the 10th year Russian Entrepreneurs’ Day, praised European business presence in the Russian Federation.

Precisely that year on May 26, Putin said “Entrepreneurship has come to be considered one of the most important factors of Russia’s confident development. We clearly need to ensure the influx of the largest possible number of self-motivated business-minded people to production companies, people who are ready to take on responsibility for both the work of their companies and their employees. Society and the state are interested in the appearance of a large number of successful, promising foreign companies. Their creation will become a worthy response to the challenges that are currently facing the Russian economy.”

Nevertheless, it would be important to note that during these years both Medvedev and Putin spoke at the plenary session of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. In these platform, Medvedev and Putin have paid special focus on European businesses compared to Asian counterparts. In fact, Africa was completely not known those earliest formative years of SPIEF.

But today, with the global changes and the war on Ukraine that necessitated the imposition of stringent sanctions, Russia has gunned down the post-Soviet dream of becoming purely European. What remains in this emerging new world, despite the sharp differences among them Russia might only and eventually become Greater Eurasian.

We are therefore urging the individual nations of the world to embrace negotiations on delicate issues rather than the confrontational approach in order to foster global peace and progress.

The U.S. Department of Justice and eight states have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of monopolising the market for digital advertisements.

“We allege that Google has used anti-competitive, exclusionary and unlawful conduct to eliminate or severely diminish any threat to its dominance over digital advertising technologies,” said the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in an announcement on Tuesday.

To curtail Google’s monopoly over the digital sphere, the American government prayed the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to order the tech giant to sell some of of its digital advertising products.

“One industry behemoth, Google, has corrupted legitimate competition in the ad tech industry by engaging in a systematic campaign to seize control of the wide swath of high-tech tools used by publishers, advertisers, and brokers, to facilitate digital advertising,” the suit further alleged.

The U.S. government accused Google of linking technology tools such as publish ad server, advertiser ad network and ad exchange as a ploy to keep controlling the digital advertising market
The eight states that joined the antitrust suit against Google are Virginia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Tennessee.

The Bank of England on Thursday jacked interest rate from 0.75 percent to 3 percent to fight soaring inflation, the highest hike since 1989.

This is despite the prediction that higher interest rates would push the economy into the longest recession since the 1930s.

In a split vote, the central bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) voted by a 7-2 majority for the biggest increase in rates since 1989 to combat an inflation rate that hit 10.1% in September, The Guardian reports.

The last time rates increased by more than 0.5% was in 1989. John Major’s government was forced into a 2% hike during the exchange rate mechanism crisis in 1992, though for less than 24 hours before it was scrapped.

Former Prime Minister Liz Truss’ “mini” budget in late September — with its promise of £45 billion ($51.6 billion) of unfunded tax cuts — crashed the pound, collapsed bond prices, sparked mayhem in mortgage markets and prompted an emergency intervention by the Bank of England to save pension funds from insolvency.

The CNN reports that while Truss’ tax-cutting plans have since largely been ditched, restoring calm to markets and easing expectations for inflation in the medium term, rising food and energy costs are keeping prices high. The annual rate of inflation rose to 10.1% in September, from 9.9% in August, returning to the 40-year high hit in July.

The Guardian explained that the Bank expected inflation, which hit 10.1% in September, to peak at 11% by the end of 2022, and then to fall “probably quite sharply” from the middle of 2023.

The severity and length of the recession is expected to crush consumer spending and hit business confidence, leading to a two-year recession that will be longer, if not deeper, than the slump in the 1930s.

Trump, in the lawsuit filed in a US District Court in Florida, accused CNN of waging a campaign of “libel and slander” against him because it “fears” he will run for president again in 2024.

“CNN has sought to use its massive influence — purportedly as a ‘trusted’ news source — to defame the plaintiff in the minds of its viewers and readers for the purpose of defeating him politically,” Trump’s lawyers said in the 29-page complaint.

“As a part of its concerted effort to tilt the political balance to the Left, CNN has tried to taint the plaintiff with a series of ever-more scandalous, false, and defamatory labels of ‘racist,’ ‘Russian lackey,’ ‘insurrectionist,’ and ultimately ‘Hitler,’” the complaint said.

Angola held a state funeral for ex-president José Eduardo dos Santos in the capital Luanda after his death in Spain in July.

Several African leaders and Portugal’s president were in attendance.
His death sparked a political row after his daughter, Tchizé dos Santos, opposed holding the funeral in Angola.
Mr Dos Santos, a veteran of the independence war, was a dominant figure in Angolan political history having ruled the country for 38 years.

However, his legacy has been soiled by allegations of high levels of corruption and human rights violations while he was in power.

Aside from the political class and foreign leaders, Angolan citizens outside the funeral have been paying tribute to Mr Dos Santos, with some wearing t-shirts with his face on them.

“He was a great example for the people who did a lot for us,” Adilson Quaresma told the BBC.
His funeral comes just days after national elections, with the governing party, the MPLA, expected to return to power. However, the opposition, Unita, has rejected the preliminary results from the National Electoral Commission.

Due to the presence of foreign leaders at the funeral, on what would have been Mr Dos Santos’ 80th birthday, authorities have asked local people not to protest amid tensions over the expected election result.
“The national police appeals to all citizens, civil society and organised groups that intend to organise activities on Saturday and Sunday, to contain themselves out of respect for the former head of state,” local media quoted Angolan police as saying.

Several foreign leaders were pictured at the funeral including President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa
Mr dos Santos wanted to be buried in Spain his family says. It is also thought he was afraid his death would be politicised because his children would not be able to travel to Angola for his funeral or to visit his grave.
A Spanish court eventually ruled that he should be repatriated to his widow in Angola.

Isabel and Tchizé dos Santos currently live in exile in Europe after the current President, João Lourenço, pursued a vigorous anti-corruption campaign, which some members of the Dos Santos family have been linked to.

Isabel dos Santos has been charged with mismanagement and embezzling public funds when she headed the state oil firm, Sonangol. She has denied the charges and says she is the victim of a political witch-hunt.
Meanwhile Zenu dos Santos, a son of the former president who attended the funeral to the surprise of many, has been jailed for five years for fraud.

José Eduardo dos Santos died aged 79 after a cardiac arrest while undergoing medical treatment at a clinic in Barcelona, Spain.
He stepped down in 2017, bequeathing power to Mr Lourenço who was then defence minister.

The UN has called for an immediate stop to hostilities in Libya following a day of deadly clashes between political factions in the capital, Tripoli.

At least 32 people were killed and dozens more wounded during the fighting, the health ministry said.
Among the dead was young comedian Mustafa Baraka, an official said.

Libya has been in chaos since the Nato-backed uprising in 2011 that ousted long-serving ruler Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

Despite this, the country had enjoyed a relatively calm period over the past two years.
On Saturday, armed forces of the internationally recognised government tried to push back a convoy of militia loyal to Fathi Bashagha – the man who is recognised as prime minister by a rival, eastern parliament and is vying for control of the country.

There were reports of small-arms fire and explosions in several areas of the capital. Black smoke could be seen rising across the city.

Emergency services said a number of hospitals had been hit. People were also evacuated from areas around the fighting.

On Sunday, there was quiet in the capital.
The UN’s Libya mission said the fighting had included “indiscriminate medium and heavy shelling in civilian-populated neighbourhoods” and called for an immediate ceasefire – which was backed by the US ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland on Saturday.

The oil-rich country once had one of the highest standards of living in Africa, with free healthcare and free education.

But the stability that led to its prosperity has been shattered and Tripoli has seen frequent fighting between rival forces since 2011.

There are indications that the failure of Emirates Airlines to repatriate its trapped ticket sales fund in Nigeria back to its home country in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may have led to the carrier’s decision to stop all flights in and out of the country.

The airline in a statement on Thursday morning said that it would suspend flights from Nigeria effective September 1, 2022.

At least, $600 million of over 20 foreign airlines has been blocked in Nigeria since the beginning of the year.
Emirates had about two weeks ago said that out of these funds, it had about $85 million in Nigeria.
The airline had on Monday cut its 11 weekly frequencies into Lagos Airport to just seven.

A statement by the media consultant to the airline in Nigeria alleged that all efforts to repatriate the funds had proved abortive and it was compelled to take the decision of suspending all flights into the country.

The airline’s statement on Thursday said: ”Emirates has tried every avenue to address our ongoing challenges in repatriating funds from Nigeria, and we have made considerable efforts to initiate dialogue with the relevant authorities for their urgent intervention to help find a viable solution.

”Regrettably, there has been no progress. Therefore, Emirates has taken the difficult decision to suspend all flights to and from Nigeria, effective September 1 2022, to limit further losses and impact on our operational costs that continue to accumulate in the market.

”We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our customers, however the circumstances are beyond our control at this stage. We will be working to help impacted customers make alternative travel arrangements wherever possible.

”Should there be any positive developments in the coming days regarding Emirates’ blocked funds in Nigeria, we will of course re-evaluate our decision. We remain keen to serve Nigeria, and our operations provide much needed connectivity for Nigerian travellers, providing access to trade and tourism opportunities to Dubai and to our broader network of over 130 destinations.”

The United States on Saturday in a drone strike killed al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, President Joe Biden said Monday in a speech from the White House.

“I authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield, once and for all,” CNN quoted Biden as saying.

Al-Zawahiri, who just turned 71 years old, was a close ally and personal physician of Osama bin Laden.
According to Biden, Al-Zawahiri “was deeply involved in the planning of 9/11, one of the most responsible for the attacks that murdered 2,977 people on American soil. For decades, he was the mastermind of attacks against Americans.”

“Now, justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more. People around the world no longer need to fear the vicious and determined killer,” he added.

The American leader noted that the US will continue to protect its citizens from harm and will take out whoever poses a threat to it (US) regardless of how long it takes.
Al-Zawahiri execution comes 11 years after the US killed Osama bin Laden.

He was in downtown Kabul where he was reuniting with his family and was killed in what a senior administration official described as “a precise tailored airstrike” using two Hellfire missiles.
The Saturday drone strike was conducted at 9:48 p.m. ET following r Biden’s authorisation after weeks of meetings with his cabinet and key advisers.

No American personnel were on the ground in Kabul at the time of the strike, an official said.
Mr Biden had last year ordered the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan thereby allowing the Taliban to take over the war-torn state.

According to CNN, an official said senior Haqqani Taliban figures were aware of Mr Al-Zawahiri presence in the area, in “clear violation of the Doha agreement,” and even took steps to conceal his presence after Saturday’s strike, restricting access to the safe house and rapidly relocating members of his family, including his daughter and her children, who were intentionally not targeted during the strike and remained unharmed.
The US did not alert Taliban officials ahead of Saturday’s strike.

The killing of Al-Zawahiri has been praised by former US President Barack Obama.
“More than 20 years after 9/11, one of the masterminds of that terrorist attack and Osama bin Laden’s successor as the leader of al-Qaeda – Ayman al-Zawahiri – has finally been brought to justice,” Obama wrote on Twitter.

“It’s a tribute to President Biden’s leadership, to the members of the intelligence community who have been working for decades for this moment, and to the counterterrorism professionals who were able to take al-Zawahiri out without a single civilian casualty.

“Tonight’s news is also proof that it’s possible to root out terrorism without being at war in Afghanistan. And I hope it provides a small measure of peace to the 9/11 families and everyone else who has suffered at the hands of al-Qaeda.”