Author: Steven Sahiounie

The Turkish official also stated that Ankara strictly complies with the Montreux Convention ISTANBUL, August 19. /TASS/. Ankara is working on restoration of the grain deal, which ended on July 17, Turkish presidential advisor Akif Cagatay Kilic said Saturday, adding that there has been no cooling in Moscow-Ankara relations over the Black Sea grain initiative. “Our Foreign Ministry works on restoration of the grain deal. There has been no cooling in the Russian-Turkish relations. There are no problems in relations between President Putin and our president [Recep Tayyip Erdogan], who is the only NATO national leader who maintains a direct…

During the recent talks, Tchiani urged for the lifting of economic and travel sanctions imposed by the West African bloc against the country. The Associated Press cited an official as saying that Niger coup leaders are under pressure from regional sanctions against the country as they refuse to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and claimed that they are “fearful of attacks from France.” Speaking on condition of anonymity after Saturday’s meeting between Niger’s new leaders and a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the official indicated that the two-hour talks, which were aimed at finding a peaceful…

The first six reaching Ukraine before the end of 2023 Copenhagen is ready to supply 19 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, with the first six reaching Ukraine before the end of this year, the Danish defense ministry said on Sunday. “Denmark will donate 19 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine,” the Danish defense ministry said, adding that along with the Netherlands, Denmark is heading the international training coalition on F-16 combat aircraft. According to the Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, this decision is supported by the majority of Danish parliamentary parties. The ministry noted however that the transfer of the F-16 jets…

An F-35 fighter jet of the US-led coalition operating in Syria flew dangerously close to a Russian Su-35 aircraft near Al-Tanf in southeastern Syria, a senior Russian military official said Sunday. “Russian pilots acted highly professionally taking timely action to avoid a collision. The coalition’s behavior continues to create dangerous aviation conditions and escalate tensions in the Syrian airspace,” Rear Adm. Vadim Kulit told a news briefing. The incident was reported to the Russian Defense Ministry’s center for Syrian reconciliation at around noon on Saturday. The flyby happened at the altitude of some 9,000 meters (5.6 miles). The official said…

A bus carrying fans of Brazil’s Corinthians football club overturned on a local highway, killing at least seven people, Brazilian media reported on Sunday. The accident occurred on the highway in the southeastern metropolitan area of Belo Horizonte, the Globo news agency reported. The bus was carrying 46 Corinthians fans, who were returning to Sao Paulo after a 1-1 away match against Cruzeiro. Seven people died on the spot, while 10 people were trapped under the overturned bus, the report said. Emergency services already arrived at the scene. One of the victims who sustained several fractures was transported to a…

Supplying US-made fighter jets to Kiev would only benefit the defense industry, RFK Jr. says The looming delivery of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will not prevent the “collapse” of the country’s military and will only benefit the military-industrial complex, Democrat presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Junior has claimed. The Ukrainian conflict should be resolved through negotiations, RFK Jr. argued in a thread on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating that supplying F-16s to Kiev was a “great decision for the defense industry, but a disaster for Ukraine and humanity.” “F-16s won’t stop the collapse of the Ukrainian military (which some…

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez said on Sunday that he will attend the upcoming BRICS summit in South Africa, adding that it will be the first time that Cuba will participate in the event. “Cuba will participate in the BRICS summit for the first time,” Diaz-Canel wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. The president said he will also visit Angola, Mozambique and Namibia. The BRICS summit in Johannesburg is expected to be attended by the leaders of Russia, China, India, Brazil and South Africa. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to participate in the summit via video link. In July, South African Foreign…

Voting has begun in Ecuador’s presidential election on Sunday, with eight candidates running and only five projected to advance to the second round, according to pre-election polls. Pollsters have put left-wing politician Luisa Gonzalez as the frontrunner, followed by former Ecuadorian President Otto Sonnenholzner and Indigenous candidate Yaku Perez. Other candidates include Christian Zurita, who replaced assassinated candidate Fernando Villavicencio, and Jan Topic, who claims to have fought in Syria, Africa and Ukraine. The election is being held under a state of emergency that was declared after Villavicencio, an investigative journalist, was gunned down at a campaign rally on August…

German police arrested two American servicemen over the weekend on suspicion of stabbing a local to death in an altercation at a fairground in the western town of Wittlich. The suspects were visiting the funfair together with two other people on Saturday night. The four were seen fleeing the scene of the crime, the Rhineland-Palatinate state police said. “The suspicion against two men in this group, aged 25 and 26, was later confirmed. They are US military servicemen… The state prosecutor’s office in Trier handed over the case to American prosecutors in accordance with NATO statute,” police said. The two…

Israeli forces Sunday evening detained a Palestinian child at the northern entrance of the occupied West Bank city of Jericho. Local sources told WAFA that Israeli soldiers arrested Ameen al-Sajdi, 13, from the refugee camp of Aqabat Jabr after detaining him at the said location. Source: WAFA