Author: Steven Sahiounie

Maria Zakharova pointed out that Western countries “riding the wave of Russophobia” had insisted on canceling several rounds of consultations under false pretexts Moscow is hoping that Tbilisi will adopt a more constructive approach to the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus because progress on this track is in the interests of all countries in the region, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in her commentary on the 15th anniversary of the onset of Georgia’s military aggression in South Ossetia. “Together with [our] Abkhazian and South Ossetian allies, we will continue to strive for…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Israeli airstrikes on Syria have become routine and deadly. On Monday, Israeli airstrikes on Damascus at 2:20 am local time killed four Syrian soldiers and wounded four others. Damascus residents were awoken from sleep to sounds and flashes of bright lights from the attacks.  Regardless of the numerous attacks,

London says that assets of the sanctioned entities and individuals will be frozen and will be banned from conducting operations with local business. London imposed sanctions on 9 entities and 10 individuals from multiple origins for allegedly helping Russia or destabilizing Ukraine, the UK Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. “[A total of]19 entries have been added to the consolidated list and are now subject to an asset freeze and trust services sanctions,” the statement read. The sanctions targeted personnel and businesses from Iran, Turkey, Belarus, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the UAE, as well as Russia. A number of senior Islamic Revolution…

Amir-Abdollahian says Iran’s membership in an expanded BRICS will be of huge benefit to the organization. The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, revealed that Iran is working closely with BRICS founding members China and India ahead of Tehran’s expected accession into the organization, adding that Iran will provide huge benefits for the economic group. During his address at the “Iran and BRICS” conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Amir-Abdollahian expressed his pleasure in regard to the work done between BRICS and the Iranian government, particularly that of cooperation and mutual consultation between the two. Amir-Abdollahian praised the organization for the economic…

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned today an Israeli court’s decision to release an extremist Israeli terrorist accused of killing a young Palestinian in the village of Burqa, near Ramallah. In a statement, the ministry condemned the release of Elisha Yarda, who was arrested by the Israeli police as one of the two suspects in the killing of Qusai Maatan in Burqa on Friday. The ministry said the court released the terrorist settler and placed him under house arrest disregarding the fact that he attacked the town of Burqa and his public incitement to kill Palestinians while…

Damascus, SANA- Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Mohammed Hassan Qatana, discussed with AOAD Director General, Ibrahim al-Dukhairi, and WFP Representative and Country Director in Syria Kenneth Crossley, prospects of the existing cooperation and supporting farmers and agricultural sector in general in the country. Qatana, during a meeting held at the Damascus-based WFP office, attached great importance to the cooperation and networking among the organizations operating in Syria to carry out development and early recovery projects as well as achieving integration and sustainability. Al-Dukhairi, for his part, hailed the existing cooperation and the MoU been inked between WFP office and…

According to the report, the price of Brent in November and December will increase to $88 per barrel, and in 2024 price will average $86 per barrel MOSCOW, August 8. /TASS/. The US Department of Energy raised its forecast for the cost of Brent crude in 2023 by almost 4% to $82.62 per barrel from $79.34 in the previous forecast, according to a report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the department. The Department of Energy also expects Saudi Arabia’s voluntary cut of oil production by 1 million barrels per day (bpd), along with rising demand, to continue pushing…

Ukraine has become a world leader in black-market trafficking, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has claimed Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has alleged that members of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s administration are personally engaged in, and are covering up, the illicit export of human organs. In an article published on the Foreign Ministry’s website, Maria Zakharova cited media reports suggesting that the organs of killed Ukrainian soldiers, such as hearts, kidneys and livers, have been appearing on some of the biggest marketplaces of the dark net, with prices starting at €5,000 ($5,500). One dealer allegedly claimed that it takes 48-60 hours to…

Italy has unexpectedly approved a 40% levy on lenders’ “excess” profits this year The Italian government’s announcement of a one-off windfall tax on bank profits saw the country’s financial stocks tumble on Tuesday, wiping out some €10 billion ($11 billion) from their combined market value. Shares in Italy’s biggest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, and Finecobank, which focuses on online brokerage, had both plunged 8% by the afternoon, while BPER Banca was 10% lower. Verona-based Banco BPM saw shares drop 9% as UniCredit sank 7%. Italy’s FTSE MIB fell 2.6%, while the Stoxx Europe 600 index declined 0.7%. The drastic…

At the end of the day, the dollar-to-ruble rate rose by 1.92% to 97.1 rubles, the euro rate went up by 1.1%, to 106.45 rubles MOSCOW, August 8. /TASS/. The Russian stock indices showed mixed dynamics on Tuesday. By the end of the trading session on the Moscow Exchange, the MOEX index edged up by 0.04% to 3,085.31 points, the dollar-denominated RTS index fell by 1.69% to 999.8 points. At the end of the day, the dollar-to-ruble rate rose by 1.92% to 97.1 rubles, the euro rate went up by 1.1%, to 106.45 rubles, the yuan rate rose by 1.35%,…