NEWSLETTER
Thursday / September 29Sep 29
Thursday / January 13
Russia-NATO tensions
The meeting of the Russia-NATO Council held on Wednesday for the first time since 2019 did not yield a satisfactory result for both sides.
Russia still expects a written response from the United States and other NATO members as a guarantee that Ukraine and Georgia will never become members of NATO.
Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko, who met with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, told reporters that Moscow cannot accept Moscow's approach to NATO's indivisible security principle because the alliance sees it as "the indivisible security of NATO member states", ignoring the interests of other countries. He said that doing so and trying to establish an "anti-Russian" security system without Russia would yield no results.
According to the Tass news agency, Russia will use all the means at its disposal to ensure its security, including political and military, Grushko said.
American CNN television said that the Biden administration was ready to release and implement fresh economic sanctions on Moscow in case of Russia's reoccupation of Ukraine.
Northern Ireland talks
UK foreign secretary Liz Truss will host EU commissioner Maros Sefcovic at her official country house on Thursday, trying to give impetus to negotiations with the European Union to resolve disputes over post-Brexit trade rules.
Truss last month took over the long-running negotiations between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland on the implementation of rules governing trade.
"The EU has a clear responsibility to help fix the myriad problems caused by the Protocol," Truss said in a statement ahead of negotiations with Sefcovic. "As fellow believers in liberty and democracy, we should be capable of reaching an agreement that delivers for Northern Ireland and allows us to unleash the full potential of our relationship."
US inflation
US consumer prices peaked in December with the biggest annual inflation increase in nearly four decades, supporting expectations that the Federal Reserve will start raising interest rates in March.
CPI rose 7.0% year-on-year in December, according to the Labor Department's report on Wednesday. This was the largest annual increase since June 1982, following November's increase of 6.8%.
On a monthly basis, the consumer price index increased by 0.5% last month, after increasing 0.8% in November.
Last month's inflation readings were in line with expectations. Rising inflation is also eroding wage increases. Average weekly earnings, adjusted for inflation, fell 2.3% year-on-year in December.
US President Biden said that while the global economy is recovering from the pandemic, almost every country has been affected by inflation. "The report "underscores that we still have more work to do, with price increases still too high and squeezing family budgets," Biden said in a statement.
US-China flight restrictions
The Biden administration has criticized China's decision to cancel a growing number of flights from the US to China, citing passengers who have tested positive for COVID-19, warning that it may take action in response.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Transportation said Wednesday, "China's actions are inconsistent with its obligations under the U.S.-China Air Transport Agreement. We are engaging with the PRC on this and we retain the right to take regulatory measures as appropriate," a Transportation Department spokesperson said in a statement.
China most recently affected two United Airlines flights from San Francisco to Shanghai and four China Southern Airlines suspended flights from Los Angeles to Guangzhou.
Sanctions on North Korea
The Biden administration on Wednesday sanctioned North Korea's weapons programs, which had launched two missiles since last week.
The sanctions targeted six North Koreans, one Russian, and a Russian firm that Washington says is responsible for sourcing goods from Russia and China for the programs.
The U.S. Treasury said the steps were aimed both at preventing the progress of North Korea's programs and thwarting attempts to replicate its weapons technologies.
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has tried but failed to engage in dialogue to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear bombs and missiles since taking office in January last year.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington remains committed to maintaining diplomacy with North Korea.
The meeting of the Russia-NATO Council held on Wednesday for the first time since 2019 did not yield a satisfactory result for both sides.
Russia still expects a written response from the United States and other NATO members as a guarantee that Ukraine and Georgia will never become members of NATO.
Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko, who met with NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, told reporters that Moscow cannot accept Moscow's approach to NATO's indivisible security principle because the alliance sees it as "the indivisible security of NATO member states", ignoring the interests of other countries. He said that doing so and trying to establish an "anti-Russian" security system without Russia would yield no results.
According to the Tass news agency, Russia will use all the means at its disposal to ensure its security, including political and military, Grushko said.
American CNN television said that the Biden administration was ready to release and implement fresh economic sanctions on Moscow in case of Russia's reoccupation of Ukraine.
Northern Ireland talks
UK foreign secretary Liz Truss will host EU commissioner Maros Sefcovic at her official country house on Thursday, trying to give impetus to negotiations with the European Union to resolve disputes over post-Brexit trade rules.
Truss last month took over the long-running negotiations between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland on the implementation of rules governing trade.
"The EU has a clear responsibility to help fix the myriad problems caused by the Protocol," Truss said in a statement ahead of negotiations with Sefcovic. "As fellow believers in liberty and democracy, we should be capable of reaching an agreement that delivers for Northern Ireland and allows us to unleash the full potential of our relationship."
US inflation
US consumer prices peaked in December with the biggest annual inflation increase in nearly four decades, supporting expectations that the Federal Reserve will start raising interest rates in March.
CPI rose 7.0% year-on-year in December, according to the Labor Department's report on Wednesday. This was the largest annual increase since June 1982, following November's increase of 6.8%.
On a monthly basis, the consumer price index increased by 0.5% last month, after increasing 0.8% in November.
Last month's inflation readings were in line with expectations. Rising inflation is also eroding wage increases. Average weekly earnings, adjusted for inflation, fell 2.3% year-on-year in December.
US President Biden said that while the global economy is recovering from the pandemic, almost every country has been affected by inflation. "The report "underscores that we still have more work to do, with price increases still too high and squeezing family budgets," Biden said in a statement.
US-China flight restrictions
The Biden administration has criticized China's decision to cancel a growing number of flights from the US to China, citing passengers who have tested positive for COVID-19, warning that it may take action in response.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Transportation said Wednesday, "China's actions are inconsistent with its obligations under the U.S.-China Air Transport Agreement. We are engaging with the PRC on this and we retain the right to take regulatory measures as appropriate," a Transportation Department spokesperson said in a statement.
China most recently affected two United Airlines flights from San Francisco to Shanghai and four China Southern Airlines suspended flights from Los Angeles to Guangzhou.
Sanctions on North Korea
The Biden administration on Wednesday sanctioned North Korea's weapons programs, which had launched two missiles since last week.
The sanctions targeted six North Koreans, one Russian, and a Russian firm that Washington says is responsible for sourcing goods from Russia and China for the programs.
The U.S. Treasury said the steps were aimed both at preventing the progress of North Korea's programs and thwarting attempts to replicate its weapons technologies.
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has tried but failed to engage in dialogue to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear bombs and missiles since taking office in January last year.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington remains committed to maintaining diplomacy with North Korea.
