Russia
COMMENT: Trump’s secondary sanctions on Russian oil are a lose-lose proposition – Carnegie
“Just as certain classes of medication are sometimes in vogue and prescribed to help with all kinds of ailments, it seems that US President Donald Trump and his team have stumbled upon a magical remedy for all the world’s problems: tariffs.”
Russia’s Alrosa cuts record-breaking 200 carat diamond
Russian diamond producer Alrosa showcased the largest diamond ever cut in the country’s history – a 100-carat vivid yellow gem named “New Sun” – on April 4.
Russia to capitalise on Africa’s growing energy demand
Russia has been intensifying its efforts to strengthen energy partnerships with African countries, indicating a broader strategy to enhance its geopolitical influence across the continent.
Trump is an amateur, and his maths mistakes mean his tariffs four times too high
President Trump’s Liberation Day tariff formula makes no economic sense and includes some basic mathematical errors that means the tariff rates are four times higher than they should be, according to several economic experts.
BALKAN BLOG: Putin’s ally pushes Bosnia to the verge of war
The international community will have to step up to prevent new clashes in Bosnia.
HALLIGAN: Trump's tariffs are either madness or genius – it could go either way
Donald Trump has referred to tariffs as “the most beautiful word in the dictionary”. And now the US President has unleashed the most aggressive surge in American trade protectionism in almost a century.
Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs will accelerate BRICS bloc trade cooperation
BRICS avowedly seeks to challenge Western-dominated institutions of global economic governance, as well as to displace the US dollar from its entrenched role in the world economy. Its job just got easier thanks to Trump.
Kremlin envoy Dmitriev says “significant progress” made in talks during Washington trip
Russia and the US have made significant progress in discussing a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO and Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev said during a visit to Washington on April 3.
Arctic warming accelerates to seven times the global average, catastrophic damage “locked in”
The Arctic experienced record high temperatures this winter as warming accelerated again and is now running seven times faster in the North Barents Sea than the rest of the world, researchers have found. Catastrophic damage is now "locked in."
Russian women are marrying soldiers with the aim of claiming a HUGE fortune if they die at war
A viral podcast clip has ignited a political and social firestorm in Russia after a real estate agent openly claimed that Russian women are securing financial stability by marrying men deployed to Ukraine.
Russia, Cuba, Belarus and North Korea exempted from tariffs as already sanctioned
US President Donald Trump dropped a tariffs bomb on the whole world on “Liberation Day” by imposing sanctions on every country the US trades with – with a very few notable exceptions: Russia, Cuba, Belarus and North Korea.
Russia’s real wages up 9 6.5% in January as growth slows
Real wages grew by a handsome 6.5% y/y in January, according to preliminary Rosstat data just as the economy starts to cool, but it also brings down inflation.
Where the world is charging most tariffs - Statista
The Trump administration's recent move to impose tariffs on Chinese, Mexican and Canadian goods as well as steel and aluminium imports in general is once again breaking with long-standing US trade policy, Statista reports.
Russian service sector output nears stagnation in March posting 50.1
Russia’s service sector came close to stagnation in March, according to the latest S&P Global PMI data, posting 50.1, just a tick above the 50 no-change benchmark. (chart)
Russia defies sanctions with record number of billionaires in Forbes rich list
Russia posted a historic 146 billionaires in this year’s Forbes rich list boasting a combined wealth of $625.5bn – a new record.
Russia rushes Iran partnership treaty ratification ahead of US military build-up against Tehran
Russia expedites defence pact with Iran ahead of US military manoeuvres in the Indian Ocean.
Trump threatens extreme secondary sanctions on countries dealing with Russia if Putin doesn’t do ceasefire deal
President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind a sweeping bipartisan bill that could impose 500% secondary tariffs on buyers of Russian oil if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t do a ceasefire deal with Ukraine.
COMMENT: EU’s foreign policy chief Kallas’ releases a white paper on European Defence sector plans
EU foreign policy chief and former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas recently unveiled a controversial White Paper on the “Future of European Defence: Readiness 2030”, but it received a very mixed reception from EU member states.
Russian cult leader nabbed in Argentine human-trafficking swoop
Argentine authorities have dismantled a notorious Russian cult, arresting 15 individuals in a joint operation across two airports that has exposed a sinister network of alleged human exploitation.
Separatist Bosnian Serb leader Dodik meets with Putin to seek support
Dodik met with allies in Serbia, Israel and now Russia after Bosnian authorities issued a warrant for his arrest.