Less than half of the 1 million shells that the EU agreed to give Ukraine each year have been secured for the end of 2023, as explained by Peter Stano, the spokesperson for EU ambassador Josep Borrell. "More than 20 contracts have been signed for public procurement and, as of December, these contracts allowed for the delivery of at least 180,000 shells," Stano told at a briefing in Brussels on...

According to preliminary data from Germany's Munich Re, the largest reinsurance firm in the world, the overall damage caused by natural catastrophes to the global economy last year was approximately $250 billion, same as in 2022. In the meantime, insured losses decreased from $125 billion to $95 billion in 2023. $105 billion is the average over the last five years, while $90 billion is the...

The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that China has protested to the United States and applied penalties against five American businesses for recent arms sales to Taiwan. "The United States (...), by selling arms to the Taiwan region of China and using various pretexts to impose illegal unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals, are causing serious damage to China's sovereignty and...

All Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircrafts were grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States after one of the machines landed with its hatch torn off. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker stated, "The FAA requires immediate inspection of certain Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes before they can return to flight." According to the government, the rule will impact around 171 aircraft...

President of Argentina Javier Milei announced issue of new banknotes with a 25-fold increase in denomination. According to La Nacion, which cites President Javier Milei, the Central Bank of Argentina would print banknotes with a face value that is 25 times higher than the biggest banknotes currently in use. This choice resulted from the rising pace of inflation. The issue touches upon printing...

Iran has increased its uranium enrichment production rate to 60% once more, according to a report from the IAEA. "Iran in recent weeks has tripled the rate of production of uranium enriched to 60%, reaching the level of nine kilograms per month," the report states. It observes that this reverses the former pattern of slowing down Iran’s rate of uranium enrichment. The country has now started...

US President Joe Biden signed the defense budget for the 2024 fiscal year, according to the White House. The agreement sets aside $886.3 billion for intelligence services, the U.S. State Department, and the Departments of Defense and Energy for specialized programs. The sum is $28 billion greater than that in the previous year. The budget includes a $800 million aid package for Ukraine....

The Council of the European Union announced that permanent representatives of the EU in Brussels have come to an agreement on a "cyber solidarity law" that would guard against occurrences and risks related to cybersecurity. “The deal represents a further advancement in Europe's cyber resilience. The EU and its member states will undoubtedly be better equipped to anticipate, stop, respond to, and...

As tensions in the region continue to rise, British energy giant BP plc. decided to halt tanker shipments of oil products across the Red Sea, the Financial Times writes. "BP will suspend all oil shipments through the Red Sea, in another sign of an escalating crisis sparked by Yemeni rebel attacks on ships in the area and threatening a key route for global trade," the newspaper writes. The...