DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ The ex-Navy SEAL who says he killed Osama bin Laden was arrested on charges of assault
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

O'Neill previously had a run-in with the law for a DUI charge that was later dropped. O'Neill gained public notoriety in 2014 after he claimed to have fired the shot that killed bin Laden, the notorious Al Qaeda leader. AdvertisementAdvertisementOne source disputed O'Neill's story to Reuters and said another team member entered the room bin Laden was in before O'Neill. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, O'Neill claimed he was banned from Delta Air Lines because he refused to wear a mask during a flight. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn 2016, Montana prosecutors dropped a DUI charge against O'Neill.

Persons: Robert O, Neill, Al, O'Neill, Osama, Laden, Robert O'Neill, bin Laden, stuff's Organizations: Service, Navy, Dallas Morning News, Frisco Police Department, Delta Air Lines, US Navy, Navy Digital Ambassador, The Montana Locations: Al Qaeda, Wall, Silicon, Frisco , Texas, Collin, Montana

CNN —The African Union has suspended Niger following the takeover of the West African country by a military junta on July 26. The council will review an assessment of the “economic, social and security implications of deploying a Standby Force in Niger,” it said. ECOWAS chiefs had initially given the junta a seven-day ultimatum to restore power or face consequences, including military action. That planned action did not happen as many attempts at dialogue and diplomacy have been made by ECOWAS and allies such as US and the European Union. The African Union affirmed its “solidarity” with ECOWAS’s efforts to restore constitutional order in Niger “through diplomatic means,” it said.

Persons: –, “, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, Mohamed Bazoum, ” Organizations: CNN, African Union, Security, West, Economic, West African States, Force, European Union, Political Affairs, Peace, Union Locations: Niger, West, Republic of Niger, ”, Ghana

☆ ECOWAS sets ‘D-Day’ for possible military intervention in Niger
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The West African regional bloc ECOWAS says it has chosen an undisclosed “D-Day” for a possible military intervention to restore Niger’s democratically elected president following last month’s coup. Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace & Security of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc, said that military forces are “ready to go anytime the order is given” for military intervention in Niger. “The D-day is also decided, which we are not going to disclose,” Musah told journalists after the two-day meeting of West African defense chiefs in the Ghanaian capital of Accra. Last week, ECOWAS ordered the “activation” of a regional standby force to prepare itself to enter Niger, which was taken over by a military junta on July 26. Leaders ECOWAS responded to the coup by enacting sanctions and issuing an ultimatum to the ruling military junta: stand down within a week or face a potential military intervention.

Persons: Abdel, Fatau Musah, ” Musah, Musah, ”, Mohamed Bazoum, Stringer Organizations: CNN, West African, ECOWAS, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Economic, West African States, West, Nigerien, Getty Locations: Niger, Accra, Niamey, AFP, France

☆ West African militaries meet to finalise possible Niger intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Military personnel gesture as the ECOWAS anthem is played during a meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff on the deployment of the ECOWAS standby force in the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Acquire Licensing RightsACCRA/NIAMEY, Aug 18 (Reuters) - West African army chiefs were due to hold a second and final day of talks on Friday in Ghana's capital Accra, where they have been hashing out the details of a possible military intervention in Niger if diplomacy fails to reverse a military coup. Military officers deposed Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, the West African bloc ECOWAS and others to reinstate him, prompting regional powers to order a standby force to be assembled. He said most of the bloc's 15 member states were prepared to participate in the standby force excepting those also under military rule - Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea - and tiny Cape Verde. Any escalation would further destabilise West Africa's impoverished Sahel region, which is already battling a decade-old Islamist insurgency.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Alessandra Prentice, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: ECOWAS, Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, West African, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Rights ACCRA, NIAMEY, Ghana's, Niger, West Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cape Verde, Sahel, al Qaeda

[1/3] ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense staff meet on the deployment of its standby force in the Republic of Niger, in Accra, Ghana. Niger military officers deposed President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and have defied calls from the United Nations, ECOWAS and Western powers to reinstate him, prompting West African heads of state to order the standby force to be assembled. "Let no one be in doubt that if everything else fails, the valiant forces of West Africa...are ready to answer to the call of duty," ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security Abdel-Fatau Musah said. Musah accused the Niger coup leaders of "playing cat-and-mouse" with ECOWAS by refusing to meet with its envoys and seeking justifications for their takeover of power. He said most of the bloc's 15 member states were prepared to participate in the standby force that could intervene in Niger.

Persons: Francis Kokoroko, Mohamed Bazoum, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Russia's Wagner, I'm, Omar Yaye, Musah, Bazoum, Anait Miridzhanian, Edward McAllister, Estelle Shirbon, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Chiefs, Defense, REUTERS, West, ECOWAS, United Nations, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, European Union, Media, Thomson Locations: Republic of Niger, Accra, Ghana, Niger, Niamey, ACCRA, NIAMEY, West Africa, Gambia, Liberia, Sahel, Mali, Niger's, France, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cape Verde

☆ Niger’s coup leader faces a deadline to cede power. Will military action come next?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The leaders of a coup in Niger are digging in their heels as they face a looming deadline from neighbors to give up power or face possible military action. President Bazoum’s election win in 2021 marked a relatively peaceful transfer of power, capping years of military coups following Niger’s independence from France in 1960. ECOWAS has shown a willingness to take action in cases where leaders refuse to relinquish power or when political crises escalate. The US and France consider Niger a critical ally and both countries have military bases in Niger. That kind of sentiment suggests that even if the stated goal is to restore democracy, a military intervention may not be welcomed across the country.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, “, Bazoum’s, Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Security Abdel, Fatau Musah, Oluseyi, ” Adetayo, Jammeh, Nigeriens, Russia, Wagner, ” Ali Sounama Organizations: CNN, Regional, Economic, West African States, Nigerien, The Washington Post, ECOWAS, Local, Political Affairs, Peace, Security Locations: Niger, Sahel, Mali, Burkina Faso, France, Nigeria, Senegal, Bazoum, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, West Africa, Niamey, Nigerien

☆ Niger: As critical deadline for military coup expires, the country's airspace closes due to 'threat of intervention'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Josh Pennington | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Niger’s airspace closed on Sunday, the day imposed as a deadline by a group of African countries for Nigerien military coup leaders to release power and reinstate the country’s democratically-elected president. As that deadline expired, Niger’s airspace closed due to “the threat of intervention from neighboring countries,” according to a video statement by Nigerien coup leader Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane. The military coup in Niger was launched late July. But outside Niger, the coup leaders’ actions were quickly condemned by the United States and some Western nations, as well as group of western African countries, which threatened force. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc, warned that if the military junta does not stand down, it could face possible military intervention and gave coup leaders until Sunday to cede power.

Persons: Major Amadou Abdramane, Mohamed Bazoum, “, ”, Abdel, Fatau Musah Organizations: CNN, Nigerien, West African States, ECOWAS, European Union, Political Affairs, Peace, Security Locations: Niger, United States, France, Niamey, Niger’s, Nigeria

CNN —France said it backs efforts by members of an African regional bloc to thwart the coup in Niger, as the clock ticks closer to a deadline for the new military junta to stand down or face possible military intervention. “The future of Niger and the stability of the entire region are at stake,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. ECOWAS defense chiefs met in Nigeria this week to organize a collective response to the coup and plan a potential military response, which they say is a last resort. “We are determined to stop it, but ECOWAS is not going to tell the coup plotters when and where we are going to strike. “While this coup attempt is a tragedy for Nigeriens, its success would have devastating consequences far beyond our borders.”

Persons: CNN —, Mohamed Bazoum, ”, Security Abdel, Fatau, “, ” Bazoum Organizations: CNN, French Foreign Ministry, Economic, West African States, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Washington Locations: CNN — France, Niger, Nigeria, ”, Niamey, Niger’s, ” France, France, United States

☆ Niger's ousted prime minister hopes talks can end military coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/5] Niger's Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou speaks about the situation in Niger during an exclusive interview with Reuters, in Paris, France, August 5, 2023. Niger's military takeover, the seventh in West and Central Africa in three years, has rocked the western Sahel region, one of the poorest in the world, which has strategic significance to global powers. Still, as the deadline loomed, Bazoum's Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou believed a last-minute intervention was possible, he said in an interview in Paris. France said on Saturday it will support efforts to overturn the coup, without specifying whether its backing would entail military assistance for an ECOWAS intervention. Niger's neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, where military juntas have also seized power in recent years, said they would support Niger in the event of military intervention.

Persons: Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou, Stephanie Lecocq, Niger's, Mohamed Bazoum, Mahamadou, Bazoum, General Abdourahamane Tiani, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Mahamadou shrugged, Julitte Jabkhiro, Michel Rose, Clotaire Achi, Louise Dalmasso, Edward McAllister, Jan Harvey Organizations: Niger's, Reuters, REUTERS, Economic, West African States, ECOWAS, Sunday, Bazoum's, Thomson Locations: Niger, Paris, France, Stephanie Lecocq NIAMEY, West, Central Africa, Niamey, Rome, China, Europe, Russia, Nigeria's, Abuja, Mali, Burkina Faso

☆ Niger junta says it will not back down despite 'inhumane' sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

In a televised address, Abdourahamane Tiani said the junta "rejects these sanctions altogether and refuses to give into any threats, wherever they come from. Nigeria cut power supplies to Niger, a Niger state utility document showed on Wednesday, while truckers in Niamey were stranded by border closures - early signs of fallout from the bloc's sweeping sanctions that Tiani described as "illegal, unjust, and inhumane." "The task of restoring democratic governance in Niger is fraught with potential hurdles and complications," said General Christopher Musa, Nigeria's Chief of Defence and Chairman of the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs. In a further sign of the mounting pressure on the junta, the World Bank on Wednesday suspended disbursements to Niger until further notice. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Abdourahamane Tiani, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Christopher Musa, James, Bola Tinubu, Annalena Baerbock, Camillus Eboh, Felix Onuah, Christophe Van Der Perre, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Alessandra Prentice, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie, Grant McCool Organizations: Islamists, West African, West African States, ECOWAS, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Defence, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs, REUTERS, British, World Bank, European Union, Islamic, Union, Thomson Locations: Niger, Abuja Niger, Islamists Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, West Africa, Mali, Guinea, Bissau, Nigerian, Abuja, Nigeria, Niamey, Nigeria's, Nigerien, disbursements, States, France, Italy, Paris, Rome, United States, Germany, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ West African bloc sends mission to Niger to negotiate with coup leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nigerien security forces prepare to disperse pro-junta demonstrators gathered outside the French embassy, in Niamey, the capital city of Niger July 30, 2023. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed sanctions on Niger and threatened to authorise the use of force if the coup leaders do not reinstate elected President Mohamed Bazoum within a week from last Sunday. "There is a need to demonstrate that we cannot only bark but can bite," he told reporters, as regional defence chiefs started a two-day meeting in the Nigerian capital Abuja. "The task of restoring democratic governance in Niger is fraught with potential hurdles and complications," said General Christopher Musa, Nigeria's Chief of Defence and Chairman of the ECOWAS Defence Chiefs. Niger is the world's seventh-biggest producer of uranium, the radioactive metal widely used for nuclear energy and treating cancer.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Abdel, Fatau Musah, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Abubakar, Christopher Musa, Abdourahmane Tiani, Bazoum, James, Bola Tinubu, Annalena Baerbock, Charles, Camillus Eboh, Felix Onuah, Christophe Van Der Perre, Ingrid Melander, Nellie Peyton, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Abuja Junta, Islamists, African, ECOWAS, West African States, Political Affairs, Peace, Security, Defence, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs, British, European Union, Reuters, Islamic, Union, Thomson Locations: Niamey, Niger, Abuja, Islamists Mali, Burkina Faso, NIAMEY, ABUJA, Nigerian, West Africa, Mali, Guinea, Bissau, Nigeria's, France, Italy, Paris, Rome, United States, Germany, al Qaeda, Islamic State

☆ 'Many may die' warns UN after end of Black Sea grain deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Russia quit the Black Sea grain deal on Monday, saying that demands to improve its own food and fertilizer exports had not been met, and that not enough Ukrainian grain had reached the poorest countries. The Black Sea grain deal was brokered a year ago by the United Nations and Turkey to combat a global food crisis worsened by Russia's invasion. The impact of the grain deal in terms of provisions of Ukrainian grain to global markets is "essentially not very significant," he said. Before Russia withdrew from the Black Sea deal on Monday, the U.N. had "brokered a concrete proposal" with the European Commission to connect a Rosselkhozbank subsidiary to SWIFT. "We remain open to explore solutions with the U.N. that would contribute to the resumption of the grain deal," EU envoy to the U.N. Olof Skoog told the council.

Persons: Martin Griffiths, Mikhail Khan, Sergei Vershinin, Rosemary DiCarlo, Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Thomas, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Olof Skoog, Michelle Nichols, Sybille de La, Doina Chiacu, Conor Humphries Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Security, United, Security Council, U.S, Russia's Agricultural Bank, SWIFT, European Union, Russia, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, U.S, Chicago, United Nations, Turkey, Afghanistan, Djibouti Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Moscow, Crimea, Russia's, Paris

☆ Ukraine's future in NATO is in a precarious position, and right now, neither Putin nor Zelenskyy is happy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine's future in NATO is up in the air, leaving neither Putin nor Zelenskyy happy. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has expressed frustration and disappointment over NATO's timeline for Ukraine's membership. "It's unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership. "No Russian leader could stand idly by in the face of steps toward NATO membership for Ukraine. And although Zelenskyy softened his criticism of the alliance's membership plans by the end of the summit, the war is dragging on — and Ukraine's NATO future is murky.

Persons: Putin, Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vladimir Putin, Abrams, Serhii Mykhalchuk, William J, Burns, Putin's ramped Organizations: NATO, Service, Ukraine, Alliance, Storm, Soviet Union nations —, Russia Council, Soviet, Ukraine's, The New York Times, decapitate Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Lithuania, NATO, Kyiv, Russian, NATO's, Bucharest, Georgia, Crimea

☆ Timeline: CNN’s 18 Months of Tumult
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Gregory Schmidt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

CNN has endured nearly two years of turmoil as the cable news network has struggled to overcome national scandals, abrupt departures, plummeting ratings and declining profits. The tumult culminated this week with the sudden exit of CNN’s top boss, Chris Licht, whose rocky 13-month run as the leader of CNN came to an end after a string of controversies. He was appointed chief executive and chairman of CNN in February 2022, succeeding Jeff Zucker, who had resigned weeks earlier. Here’s a timeline of 18 months of turmoil at CNN that led up to his ouster. CNN fired Chris Cuomo, a star anchor, on Dec. 4, 2021, over his involvement in the political affairs of his brother, former Gov.

Persons: Chris Licht, Jeff Zucker, . Licht, Licht, Chris Cuomo, Andrew M, Cuomo Organizations: CNN Locations: New York

☆ Analysis: China says it wants peace in Ukraine, but is it only on Russia's terms?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But Li’s trip has also laid bare the divisions between China and Europe when it comes to how peace can be reached — and served to underline Beijing’s close alignment with Moscow. As such, that’s “not on the table for China,” Tsang said. That stance has horrified much of Europe, and Li’s tour comes as China has been attempting to repair relations there. “No one will do anything against us behind Ukraine’s back, because we have built trusting relationships with all our key partners,” he added. “The crucial question is what message from Europe — Kyiv, Warsaw, Berlin, Paris, and Brussels — Li will deliver in Moscow and Beijing,” he said.

☆ Canada summons Chinese ambassador over allegations of political interference
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Paula Newton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Ottawa CNN —Canada summoned China’s ambassador on Wednesday to respond to allegations of political interference and intimidation. However, she admitted Canada’s government was carefully weighing the possibility of retaliation by China, which denies interfering in Canadian political affairs. CNN asked China’s foreign ministry about the allegations, specifically the accusations made by CSIS about political interference and attempts at intimidation made by a Chinese diplomat. “China always opposes any country’s interference in other countries internal affairs. We have never had and have no interest in interfering in Canada’s internal affairs.

“I could never have foreseen him doing that,” said John Powell, a former high school classmate. Teixeira grew up in the suburbs of Providence, Rhode Island, according to public records and graduated from Dighton-Rehoboth High School in neighboring Massachusetts in 2020. He toted around a “dictionary-sized” book on firearms and another about “tanks, planes and submarines,” former classmates told CNN. “A lot of people were wary of him,” said Brooke Cleathero, a former classmate in both high school and middle school. FBI agents interviewed at least one person who said a young man later identified as Teixeira began posting “what appeared to be classified information” on a server in December.

☆ More than twice as many Russian troops as Ukrainians have been killed in Putin's war, leaked estimates show
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Leaked estimates show more than twice as many Russians and Ukrainians have been killed in the war. The documents, which were recently leaked on social media and are currently the focus of a federal investigation, offer estimates for Russian and Ukrainian casualties. The Center for Strategic & International Studies, meanwhile, assessed that same month that between 60,000 and 70,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers of the Aidar battalion training at an undetermined location in Donetsk oblast on April 4, 2023. For example, in some cases, information about Russian casualties appears to have been altered to show a much lower killed in action figure for the Russian forces.

☆ Op-ed: Offshoring crypto hurts the financial system and America’s geopolitical standing, says Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Brian Armstrong | Coinbase Ceo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The traditional financial system has served us well for centuries, but it's beginning to show its age. While you might be able to bank online, the way in which the traditional financial system operates behind the scenes has largely gone unchanged for at least 40 years. Nearly seven in 10 Americans believe that the financial system needs major changes or a complete overhaul, according to the most recent research from Morning Consult. It's not a replacement of the traditional financial system, it's an update. While the consumer benefits that crypto could bring to the financial system are myriad, it's also important to recognize the geopolitical benefits.

☆ The average life expectancy of a front-line soldier in eastern Ukraine is around 4 hours, says an American fighting in 'the meat grinder'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Chris Panella | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The average life expectancy of a front-line soldier in eastern Ukraine is just 4 hours, says a former US Marine. He said fighting is especially deadly in the war-torn city of Bakhmut, dubbed "the meat grinder." Fighting in Bakhmut is so bad, Offenbecker said, that it's been dubbed "the meat grinder." Bakhmut, which is located in Ukraine's occupied Donetsk region, has been besieged by Russian forces throughout much of the full-scale war. Despite a months-long attempt by Russian forces to encircle the city, Ukrainian troops have provided a stiff defense and have so far prevented the Russians from capturing it.

☆ Russia's death toll in Ukraine could be as high as 60,000. Western intel says its forces are being ripped apart by artillery and not getting proper care.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Britain's defense ministry said Russian casualties in Ukraine could be as high as 200,000. They are being torn apart by artillery and not getting proper care, it added. Britain's defense ministry shared in a Friday intelligence update that Russian forces have likely suffered between 175,000 and 200,000 causalities on the battlefield. Britain's defense ministry said that between 40,000 and 60,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the fighting. The 200,000 casualty toll offered by Britain's defense ministry echos a similar estimate provided by a top US diplomat earlier this week.

☆ 'No going back' for S.Korea, Indonesia defence cooperation after jet funding dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Josh Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Defence cooperation between South Korea and Indonesia will expand, diplomats from the two countries said on Friday, after a dispute over funding for a joint fighter jet project was resolved last year. "I think both sides are committed and there is no going back on this important initiative." The next-generation aircraft developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (047810.KS) (KAI) is designed to be a cheaper, less stealthy alternative to the U.S.-built F-35, on which South Korea relies. Indonesian Ambassador Gandi Sulistiyanto noted that Indonesian pilots were in South Korea to train with the new jet. President Yoon Suk-yeol has pledged to step up efforts to boost the export of weapons and secure cutting-edge defence technologies as he aims for South Korea to become the world's fourth-largest arms exporter.

☆ Senior US diplomat underwhelmed by Russia's new offensive in Ukraine: 'If this is it, it is very pathetic'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia's new offensive in Ukraine so far appears to be "pathetic," a senior US diplomat said. Victoria Nuland said that Russia has made little progress and was underestimating Ukraine. Both sides are still "grinding," and Ukraine hasn't started its fightback yet, she said. It's likely that Russia will increase its efforts, throwing more troops and weapons at Ukraine. Nuland, who said Ukraine is planning its own counteroffensive for later on, attributed Russia's poor performance to President Vladimir Putin underestimating Ukraine and how much the West would support it.

☆ Paris Club creditors give assurances to back IMF bailout for Sri Lanka
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A woman buys vegetables from a vendor at a market in the rampant food inflation, amid Sri Lanka's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 30 , 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonFeb 7 (Reuters) - The Paris Club of creditors has given financing assurances to support the International Monetary Fund's approval of an extended fund facility for Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan president's office said on Tuesday. The financing assurances from the Paris Club, which includes Japan - Sri Lanka's second biggest bilateral lender - was previously reported by Reuters. "Members further expressed appreciation for the specific and credible financing assurances issued by India on Jan. 16, 2023 and its coordination with the Paris Club," the group's statement added. Sri Lanka has to restructure debt payments of about $13 billion on 11 international bonds.

☆ Exclusive: Paris Club to give Sri Lanka financing assurances amid IMF debt talks - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Jorgelina Do Rosario | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A vendor of a stall exchanges money with a customer at a main market in Colombo, Sri Lanka November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Dinuka LiyanawatteLONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The Paris Club of creditor nations is ready to provide financing assurances to Sri Lanka, a key step needed to unlock a $2.9 billion bailout by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. But it needs financing assurances from key bilateral lenders before the fund's executive board approves the programme. Another source said the informal group is currently reaching out to other non-Paris Club besides China on financing assurances, but did not provide any further details. We need to see credible and specific assurances that they will meet the IMF standard of debt relief," U.S.

Search resuls for: "Political Affairs"

25 mentions found