April 11 (Reuters) - Russia will take legal action if the West tries to force it to default on its sovereign debt, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper on Monday, sharpening Moscow's tone in its financial wrestle with the West.
"Of course we will sue, because we have taken all the necessary steps to ensure that investors receive their payments," Siluanov told the newspaper in an interview.
"We will present in court our bills confirming our efforts to pay both in foreign currency and in roubles. It will not be an easy process. We will have to very actively prove our case, despite all the difficulties."
Siluanov did not elaborate on Russia's legal options.
Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, eeff, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Besame, jck and Rise above the swamp. . Alumni editors include (but not limited to) Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man, wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw.
Since 2007 the OND has been a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time.
- Some stories for tonight:
- War to cut Ukraine’s economy by nearly half.
- Sri Lanka nearly out of medicine as doctors warn toll from crisis could surpass Covid
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Civil unrest due to rising energy bills ‘isn’t far away’, says Martin Lewis
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Spain investigates private taxidermy collection with more than 1,000 animals
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Mexicans vote on whether president stays or goes
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Zelenskyy warns that Russian aggression will not stop with Ukraine
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Russia threatens legal action if forced into sovereign debt default
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Musk polls followers on converting Twitter HQ to homeless shelter; Bezos likes idea
Israel army raids West Bank town as tensions soar
At least 67 guests test positive for covid after Washington gala
BBC
War to cut Ukraine's economy by nearly half.
The World Bank says it expects Ukraine's economy to shrink by 45% this year as a result of the war.
It's also forecasting that there will be greater economic damage than was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic across eastern Europe and central Asia, with unprecedented sanctions leading to a steep recession in Russia too.
Much of Ukraine's workforce has been forced to flee or fight.
Businesses have closed, while roads, factories and other infrastructure has been destroyed and the World Bank says many years of progress have been undone.
Ukraine was a major source of crops such as sunflowers and wheat but with exports brought to a halt global food prices have risen and Ukraine has lost an important earner.
Sanctions against Russia mean the World bank is forecasting its economy to shrink more than 11% this year.
The Guardian
Sri Lanka nearly out of medicine as doctors warn toll from crisis could surpass Covid
Sri Lanka’s doctors have warned they are almost out of life-saving medicines and say the country’s economic crisis threatened a worse death toll than the coronavirus pandemic.
Weeks of power blackouts and severe shortages of food, fuel and pharmaceuticals have brought widespread misery to Sri Lanka, which is suffering its worst downturn since independence in 1948.
The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) said all hospitals in the country no longer had access to imported medical tools and vital drugs.
Several facilities have already suspended routine surgeries since last month because they were dangerously low on anaesthetics, but the SLMA said that even emergency procedures might not be possible very soon.
The Guardian
Civil unrest due to rising energy bills ‘isn’t far away’, says Martin Lewis
Britain’s self-titled money saving expert Martin Lewis has warned that civil unrest over rising energy bills “isn’t far away”, as he repeated his call for more government intervention to protect people.
Lewis said he was the most scared he has been for people’s finances since he founded his popular website in 2003. It has traditionally offered advice on which bank accounts or phone providers may be cost-effective, and has been a regular port of call for people looking to switch energy provider and save money.
However, after the recent increase in the price cap for household energy bills to £1,971, it took the step of publishing a Heat the Human guide for people on how to keep themselves and their homes warm as they face a choice between heating and putting food on the table.
NPR
Spain investigates private taxidermy collection with more than 1,000 animals
The Spanish Civil Guard says it is investigating a person who owned a private taxidermy collection with more than 1,000 animals, including some that are protected or extinct species.
Species of cheetah, leopard, polar bear, rhinoceros, along with nearly 200 ivory elephant tusks, were among the extensive collection, valued at 29 million euros — more than $31 million.
Officials identified 1,090 stuffed animals in two warehouses that cover more than 50,000 square meters in Bétera, a town north of Valencia, Spain. Of the animals, 405 are considered protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Editor Note: In 2013 we read a novel by Lydia Millet called Magnificence. It is the exact same plot of the above story. She must be in shock. Review
NPR
Mexicans vote on whether president stays or goes
MEXICO CITY — Mexicans voted Sunday on whether their popular president should end his six-year term barely midway through or continue to the end.
Strangely, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was the one who pushed for the first-ever referendum of its kind in Mexico.
It was considered a safe bet. The referendum is only binding if at least 40% of the country's electorate votes — something experts believe unlikely — and López Obrador has maintained approval ratings around 60%.
With that in mind critics have decried the exercise as a waste of money — almost $80 million — and just a way for López Obrador to rally his base midway through his time in office. For someone known as an eternal campaigner the expected reaffirmation of support makes sense, but for a president outspoken about austerity it raised questions.
NPR
Zelenskyy warns that Russian aggression will not stop with Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is targeting all of Europe with its aggression, and that stopping the invasion of Ukraine is essential for the security of all democracies.
In his late night address to Ukrainians on Saturday, Zelenskyy said that Russian aggression "was not intended to be limited to Ukraine alone" and the "entire European project is a target for Russia."
"That is why it is not just the moral duty of all democracies, all the forces of Europe, to support Ukraine's desire for peace," he said. "This is, in fact, a strategy of defense for every civilized state."
His address came as civilians continued to flee eastern parts of the country before an expected onslaught and firefighters searched for survivors in a northern town no longer occupied by Russian forces.
Several European leaders have made efforts to show solidarity with the battle-scarred nation. Zelenskyy thanked the leaders of Britain and Austria for their visits Saturday to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, and pledges of further support.
Reuters
Russia threatens legal action if forced into sovereign debt default (Moral High Ground?)
April 11 (Reuters) - Russia will take legal action if the West tries to force it to default on its sovereign debt, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper on Monday, sharpening Moscow's tone in its financial wrestle with the West.
"Of course we will sue, because we have taken all the necessary steps to ensure that investors receive their payments," Siluanov told the newspaper in an interview.
"We will present in court our bills confirming our efforts to pay both in foreign currency and in roubles. It will not be an easy process. We will have to very actively prove our case, despite all the difficulties."
Siluanov did not elaborate on Russia's legal options. Russia faces its first sovereign external default in more than a century after it made arrangements to make an international bond repayment in roubles earlier this week, even though the payment was due in U.S. dollars.
Reuters
Musk polls followers on converting Twitter HQ to homeless shelter; Bezos likes idea
April 10 (Reuters) - Two of the world's richest people are pitching in ideas to tackle the issue of homelessness, suggesting that Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) convert its headquarters to a shelter home.
Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) founder Jeff Bezos on Sunday backed an idea put forth by Elon Musk, who recently became Twitter's largest shareholder, to convert the social networking firm's San Francisco headquarters into a homeless shelter as few people are working there during the pandemic.
Bezos tweeted an article by technology-focused blog GeekWire from May 2020 about Amazon's eight-floor family homeless shelter attached to its Seattle headquarters, saying the initiative worked out great and makes it easy for employees who wish to volunteer.
Deutsche Welle
Israel army raids West Bank town as tensions soar
Israeli forces on Sunday carried out fresh raids in Jenin, a West Bank district that is home to gunmen who launched a spate of recent deadly attacks.
"Troops are currently operating in the city of Jenin," the Israeli army said.
The military operation came after a gunman in his 20s from Jenin went on a shooting rampage on Thursday evening, killing three Israelis and injuring several others in a crowded Tel Aviv bar.
Attacks in recent days have claimed the lives of a total of 14 people, marking one of the deadliest bursts of violence against Israelis in years.
Over the same period, at least 10 Palestinians have been killed, including assailants, according to AFP news agency.
On Sunday, Israeli soldiers shot dead two Palestinian women, one of them unarmed, in separate incidents in the West Bank, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.
Israeli troops opened fire at a woman who the army said failed to heed to calls to stop at a checkpoint near Bethlehem.
Washington Post
At least 67 guests test positive for covid after Washington gala
The number of attendees who have tested positive for the coronavirusafter last weekend’s Gridiron dinner has risen to 67, organizers say, including Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who became the third member of Biden’s Cabinet in attendance who was infected.
The new figures, released Saturday evening by the organizers of the dinner, do not include the many staff members at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington who worked the event. Renaissance officials did not respond to repeated requests for information about the health status of workers or how many were assigned to the event.
Organizers said the annual white-tie marquee dinner, held in person on April 2 after a two-year hiatus, attracted 630 guests this year.
The latest tally means more than 10 percent of guests in attendance have tested positive in the aftermath of the event. Most of the employees who worked the dinner wore masks, but most of the attendees did not.