On Wednesday, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon announced that pubs and restaurants would close in five areas in the central belt of the country for 16 days from 9 October to stop the number of COVID-19-infected people from rising. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a full-blown Tory war as he considers closing hospitality venues in northern England to tackle the spread of COVID-19, following Scotland’s 16-day ban on drinking indoors in pubs, The Sun reports. The newspaper cited former Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry as claiming during an address in the Commons that Johnson is falling into the […]
Mulls
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The Latin American state has been facing increasing economic woes since 2017, which have been exacerbated by US sanctions against oil trade and a domestic political conflict supported by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Caracas has imported some 71 tons of security paper with the aim of printing 100,000 new sovereign bolivar bills, in an attempt to deal with cash shortages caused by hyperinflation, Bloomberg reported, citing anonymous sources. The paper was reportedly supplied by the printer Fedrigoni SpA, under a 2018 contract, which came before the White House introduced new sanctions against the country. Neither the Venezuelan central […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107730/90/1077309090_0:0:2882:1620_1200x675_80_0_0_fb22899da2aee5d571352a8fc51ea517.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Andrei Dergalin. Sputnik International https://sputniknews.com/us/202009171080490013-ag-william-barr-mulls-criminal-charges-against-seattle-mayor-amid-blm-protests-media-says/ The attorney general also reportedly told federal prosecutors to consider charging rioters and protesters who’d committed violent crimes with sedition. United States Attorney General William Barr has recently asked prosecutors in the civil rights division of the US Justice Department to “explore” the prospects of bringing criminal charges against Jenny Durkan, the Mayor of Seattle, for her allowing protesters to establish a “police-free” zone in the city this summer, The New York Times reports citing two people “briefed on those discussions” as saying. The zone in question, known as the Capitol Hill […]
Late last month, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak reportedly signaled the Treasury’s readiness for a $40 billion tax hike on the wealthy aimed at filling the gap in the country’s finances caused by the coronavirus crisis. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak have agreed to cut personal taxes before the next general election scheduled for 2024, according to The Sunday Times. The newspaper reported that the two arrived at a consensus on the issue after they thrashed out a deal on the government’s economic strategy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “The chancellor will tell […]
Earlier on Sunday, British business leaders berated Health Secretary Matt Hancock for “scaremongering” talk about a possible second national lockdown that they said risks “untold damage” to businesses trying to recover from the first one. UK Treasury officials are considering a £30 billion ($40 billion) tax raid on the wealthy to fill a gap in the country’s finances caused by the COVID-19 crisis, The Sunday Times reports. The newspaper cited Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak as saying that “the political reality is that the only place you can get the money is from the better-off; the polling shows this would […]
President Donald Trump has said that he will “probably” take a trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, the city beset by deadly riots in the aftermath of a black man being shot in the back by police seven times last week. “Probably so,” Trump told the media on Saturday, when asked if he considered visiting Kenosha, which has been at the centre of both national and international media attention due to the wave of protests that have spiraled into violence, looting and arson in the aftermath of the Jacob Blake shooting last Sunday. Also on rt.com ‘Clear case of self-defense’: Pundits argue video […]
In May, Caracas accused the Trump administration of “criminal” aggression against Venezuela with its sanctions policies, in place since 2018. Bloomberg has cited unnamed sources as saying that Washington is considering imposing additional sanctions on Venezuela to stop the remaining fuel transactions permitted with Caracas. The sources claimed that the sanctions may target crude swaps with European and Asian companies, and that the White House has debated the measures for at least five months, initially prioritising sanctions against Iran over its gasoline supplies to Venezuela. More sanctions against the South American country have yet to be finalised and the talks are […]
OKEx has confirmed a loss of approximately $5.6 million in Ethereum Classic (ETC) from two recent 51% attacks and is considering removing ETC from its exchanges. Yet, as the cryptocurrency exchange with the highest trading volume of ETC, OKEx acknowledged that removing ETC from trading would not be an easy decision to make, according to Jay Hao, chief executive of the exchange. “Given ETC’s popularity and standing, we are not rushing into delisting,” Hao told CoinDesk in a Telegram message on Aug. 17. “However, they need to implement significant upgrades to the network to reduce the chances of another 51% attack […]
Germany is looking at bringing in the UN over Washington’s threats of sanctions against the Russian-led pipeline, saying the US pressure runs contrary to international law. Klaus Ernst, the chairman of the Bundestag Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy, signaled during an interview with RT Deutsch that it is unacceptable when one country, for example, the United States, prescribes to another sovereign country or the European Union how to resolve the issue of its own energy supply. The politician said that this “is contrary to any reasonable relationship.” He added that if sanctions were imposed by the United States, it would […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo-itemprop.png Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/world/202008161080184460-snowdens-lawyer-calls-for-termination-of-his-persecution-as-trump-mulls-pardon-for-whistleblower/ Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that he would seriously consider the possibility of pardoning ex-National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden. All persecution of former US intelligence officer Edward Snowden should be stopped, the lawyer representing his interests in Russia, Anatoly Kucherena, said on Sunday following Trump’s statement on a possible pardon for the whistleblower. According to Kucherena, a “pardon” is not applicable in Snowden’s case, as his client committed no crime. DETAILS TO FOLLOW Source link
According to internal sources, a temporary ban on political ads is designed to eliminate misleading political content that could affect the choices made by American voters. Facebook is considering a ban on political ads on the social media platform in the run-up to the US presidential election this November, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The sources, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the decision has not yet been made. Though the ban is designed to prevent the spread of misleading information ahead of the national vote, there are concerns that eliminating political agitation could potentially […]
You pay to kill our troops—we won’t invite you to our meeting of world leaders. That’s the scenario being mulled by senior officials in the upper echelons of the Trump administration, who are scrambling for a way to respond to Russia after news broke that Moscow paid bounties to the Taliban to kill U.S. forces. One idea these officials have raised with President Donald Trump in recent days: not inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin from attending the G7 summit of global powers later this year. President Trump told reporters in late May that he wanted to invite Russia to the meeting […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107918/06/1079180662_0:0:3069:1727_1200x675_80_0_0_3302eb80897e8c9c16972230e5a2dd70.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/us/202006231079699890-battle-of-wits-trump-reportedly-mulls-challenging-biden-to-a-cognitive-test/ While a number of social media users appeared to express a desire to see Biden accept Trump’s challenge, at least one person wondered aloud what would happen if both candidates were to “lose”. With the presidential election in the United States looming on the horizon, US President Donald Trump has delivered a fresh verbal barb against his likely Democratic rival Joe Biden. According to the Washington Post, during a Cabinet Room meeting this month that was “intended as a general update” on Trump’s reelection campaign, the US president mentioned a cognitive screening test he […]
Russian IT firms may enjoy significantly lower income tax and insurance payments, according to a plan laid out by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The tax break envisages a nearly twofold reduction of insurance payments – from 14 percent to 7.6 percent – while income tax could be cut to three percent from the current level of 20 percent, Russian business daily Vedomosti said, citing two government officials. Additionally, the prime minister reportedly offered to cancel value-added tax (VAT) on software and IT development ads on foreign digital platforms and provide special subsidies for developers. Also on rt.com Most Russian companies face […]
US President Donald Trump wants to personally “get involved” with advertiser boycotts that have hit American conservative speakers and outlets amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests and make them illegal. Trump touched upon the hot topic on Friday, speaking exclusively with the Daily Caller. The president accused activist groups calling for advertising boycotts of outlets they don’t agree with of playing “a much dirtier game.” “A friend of mine bought a couple of conservative sites,” Trump said. “And he said, anybody that advertises on the site is being harassed.” Trump added he perfectly understands those hit by the boycotts, stating […]
Earlier reports claimed two of Britain’s biggest mobile operators, BT and Vodafone, warned the government that parts of the country might face mobile blackouts if they were to pull Huawei gear out of their networks following US pressure to ban the Chinese tech giant. British security officials have reportedly urged UK telecom operators such as BT and Vodafone to replenish their stockpiles of Huawei equipment amid concerns that fresh US sanctions targeting the Chinese telecom giant might disrupt its ability to maintain critical supplies, writes Reuters. The outlet cites a letter by officials at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) who […]
Reports have emerge amid another book-related issue that resulted in a lawsuit – this involving former national security adviser John Bolton’s to-be-published tome “The Room Where It Happened”. A federal lawsuit against Bolton suggests that the book would reveal classified information. US President Donald Trump is said to be weighing the possibility of a legal confrontation with niece Mary Trump who is set to publish a “harrowing and salacious” book about her uncle in late July, The Daily Beast reported. Citing two people familiar with the situation, the outlet said that Trump may get his lawyers to “look into the Mary Trump […]
Viral 02:07 GMT 05.06.2020Get short URL The ‘dual tariff’ regime will allow different levels of duty on imported foods and meats, depending on whether they meet current UK standards. Opening up the UK to the lightly-regulated US agriculture market has been a contentious issue in US-UK trade talks. The UK government is set to open British markets to allow imports of US chlorine-dipped chicken, as part of London’s planned trade deal with US President Donald Trump, according to the Financial Times. Downing Street has said that UK PM Boris Johnson is considering allowing the importation of US farm products that are […]
US 03:41 GMT 21.05.2020Get short URL The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), the only agreement limiting the number of nuclear weapons in Russia and the US to remain in effect, is set to expire in 2021, as the Trump administration keeps avoiding the extension, insisting instead that China must also take part. The White House is planning to prolong the New START treaty by several months, pursuing the combined goals of keeping the agreement in force, limiting the nuclear arms extension for both countries and encouraging China to join the agreement, Politico reported, citing unnamed administration officials. Under US President […]
World 06:47 GMT 14.05.2020Get short URL Last week, London and Washington launched formal talks on a free trade deal in the wake of the UK’s departure from the European Union. There are many things at stake in this process, which promises to be a “hard bargain”, including criticisms over American food and environmental standards that Britain may now be forced to accept. The UK’s Department for International Trade is planning to cut tariffs on US farming imports in a “big concession package” to Washington which is purported to advance trade negotiations, the Financial Times reported, citing government officials familiar with the […]
Europe 16:58 GMT 10.05.2020Get short URL Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki praised the ruling by Germany’s Constitutional Court on the EU’s mass-bond buying scheme, which he called “one of the most important rulings in the history of the European Union”. Head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc may take legal action against Germany after the country’s highest court came with harsh criticism against the European Union’s top court. The row may strengthen Eurosceptic sentiments, especially in eastern member states, which have previously accused of the bloc of interfering in their internal affairs. “The Commission is now […]