
Putin keeps the ruble surging as Russia makes 11th-hour effort to avoid default
CNN
Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to support the ruble continue to pay off — and then some.
Russia's currency hit a two-year high against the US dollar Friday. The ruble gained ground after the country said it managed to pay back creditors with dollars as Russia tries to avoid a default.
The country's finance ministry said in a statement that it made a $565 million eurobond that was due this year, as well as an $84 million eurobond that was set to mature in 2024. Both payments were made in US dollars, the finance ministry claimed, as required by the bond's contract stipulations.

Friday featured yet another drop in the drip-drip-drip of new information from the Jeffrey Epstein files. This time: new pictures released by House Democrats that feature Donald Trump and other powerful people like Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon and Richard Branson, culled from tens of thousands of photos from Epstein’s estate.












