French leader Emmanuel Macron, speaking at the closing session of a conference on the future of Europe at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, called for a return to EU food independence and a reassessment of European production strategy in the face of events in Ukraine. He noted that the situation in Ukraine has deeply destabilized food supply chains and global markets. "We need to reassess...

The US administration will collect commercial bids in the autumn to buy 60 million barrels of oil to replenish strategic reserves, CNN reported, citing an unnamed Energy Department official. US authorities are now conducting large commodity interventions at the expense of strategic reserves in an attempt to bring down fuel prices rising on the back of anti-Russian sanctions. "The administration...

After a long break, the US Embassy in Havana has resumed processing immigrant visa applications for Cuban nationals, with plans to expand consular services in the future. "We're glad to report that our limited resumption of immigrant visa processing (applications) in Havana has gone well. In the future, we aim to be able to process even more immigrant visas and increase consular services in...

According to the World Health Organization (WHO)'s weekly epidemiological report on COVID-19, the number of nations where different subspecies of the omicron strain of the coronavirus have been detected is growing. "BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.12.1 have gained various new mutations that may impact their properties. The number of cases and nations reporting detection of these three variations is...

According to The Guardian, public organizations in the United Kingdom are intending to bring class action lawsuits on behalf of hundreds of Ukrainian refugees against the country's Home Secretary, Priti Patel. The decision was made due to the bureaucratic red tape that migrants experience while attempting to secure a British visa, according to the statement. The international group Save the...

According to China's Ministry of Finance, tariffs on coal imports would be temporarily eliminated beginning May 1 in order to support the economy's development. "China's State Council Tariff Committee has agreed to introduce a zero tariff rate on coal imports from May 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023, in order to safeguard energy supplies and boost qualitative growth," the ministry said in a statement...

The Bank of Japan has cut its prediction for fiscal year 2022 GDP growth to 2.9 percent from 3.8 percent. In a statement, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) lowered its GDP growth prediction for fiscal year 2022 (1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023) to 2.9 percent. In January, a growth rate of 3.8 percent was expected. The Bank of Japan forecasts 1.9 percent growth in the coming fiscal year, up from 1.1 percent...

The world's reliance on coal is growing as a result of the Ukraine situation. Coal-fired power facilities that were previously dismantled in Germany and Italy will now be relaunched, reports Bloomberg. Increasingly more coal-laden ships are leaving South Africa for Europe. As the agency points out, coal is seeing its strongest recovery in a decade in the United States, while China is reviving old...

Bloomberg has discovered that the EU intends to resume trade discussions with India in order to reduce the country's reliance on Russia. The European Union is to relaunch free trade talks with India in order to provide the country with a "genuine alternative" to its trading connections with Russia, says Bloomberg citing a senior EU official familiar with the plans. In addition, the EU intends...