Crude oil prices traded above $80 per barrel for the first time since last November, largely supported by easing concerns over the negative impact of the omicron COVID-19 variant and signs of robust oil demand in major oil-consuming countries. But will this level remain throughout the year? Current temporary factors …

Top U.S. and Russian diplomats expressed little optimism Sunday that tensions between their countries would be eased at high-level discussions this week in Europe over Moscow’s massive troop buildup along its Ukraine border and Russian demands for Western security guarantees. “It’s hard to see we’re going to make any progress …

What began as peaceful protests that quickly enveloped Kazakhstan in major upheaval just after the new year seems to have spawned something quite different — a battle for control of the upper echelons of power in the country. Mass protests in recent days in dozens of cities over poor socioeconomic …

In the past, US dollar and Chinese yuan used to move inversely. Recently, that has not been the case. Dollar is appreciating, and so is yuan. Are the bilateral currencies decoupling? In early December, Chinese business and finance media Caixin reported that Chinese yuan has “broken its traditional relationship with …

American intelligence agencies have revealed that Saudi Arabia is now actively working on manufacturing its own ballistic missiles with the help of China, according to what was announced by the American “CNN” network. New satellite images obtained by CNN indicate that the Saudis are already manufacturing ballistic missiles at a …

Since its independence in 1991, Kazakhstan, a Central Asian Republic, witnessed its biggest public protest on 2 January 2022. The people of the western town of Zhanaozen stormed the streets, protesting against the halt of state subsidies on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), one of the primary vehicle fuels. The surge …

The Albanian capital of Tirana was rocked by protests on Saturday (8 January) as one warring faction of the opposition Democratic Party (PD) used force to enter their own headquarters. Police special forces dispersed demonstrators, and several arrests were made. The conflict came after the founder of the party and …

Bitcoin’s market capitalisation reached new peaks in November 2021. This column suggests it is hard to find arguments supporting the cryptocurrency’s current valuation. Even if the financial stability risks of a Bitcoin collapse could be contained, the burst of the bubble would imply painful losses for many retail investors and …

Riyadh and Doha are united in their opposition to normalization with the Damascus regime, according to al-Hal Net. Political researcher Darwish Khalifa, who is close to Saudi Arabia, says that there is a conciliatory diplomatic movement in the region. It seeks to resolve the problems and overcome the differences that …

Russian forces are targeting the livelihood of people in Northeastern Syria, as attacks focus mainly on infrastructures and farms, according to Shaam. The Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, said that northwestern Syria has been witnessing a Russian escalation for a week. Warplanes do not leave the skies …