Author: Steven Sahiounie

Negotiations over the EU’s 11th package of sanctions on Russia have stalled due to opposition from Athens and Budapest, which want their companies removed from a list of ‘war sponsors’ compiled by Kiev, according to Politico. Two rounds of talks in Brussels this week ended with no deal in sight, the publication reported on Saturday, citing multiple anonymous diplomatic sources. The main roadblock is said to be Kiev’s notorious list of “sanctions-evaders” and “international sponsors of war,” which features many European companies simply because they refused to cut all business ties with Russia. Compiled by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), the list includes companies such as German…

Poor families used “extreme” heating methods that compromised their wellbeing and safety, research has found Growing fuel poverty amid surging energy prices forced many households in the UK to resort to energy rationing over the winter, compromising their health and wellbeing, the government-sponsored Committee on Fuel Poverty said in a report published on Thursday. According to the study, many households could not afford to heat their homes sufficiently in winter, which led to massive rationing across the UK. To stay warm and save energy, people used “improvised fuels” such as clothes, books and waste as well as alternative means of light such…

A key adviser to Prime Minister Modi says the assessments are having a direct impact on trade and investment Indian authorities will push back against country rankings compiled by global agencies that are promoting the interests of a tiny group that is driving a real-world agenda, according to a top adviser to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as quoted by Reuters. The South Asian nation has been placed lower than Afghanistan and Pakistan in the latest World Press Freedom Index. Published every year by Reporters Without Borders, the index analyzes legal and physical threats to journalists to rank the level…

The multinational lender keeps expanding its global reach, aiming to help member states reduce dependence on the US dollar and euro The New Development Bank (NDB) of the BRICS group of major emerging economies is currently in talks with Saudi Arabia on admitting the kingdom as its tenth member, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The move is expected to cement ties between the Shanghai-based lender, established by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) back in 2014, with the world’s second biggest producer of oil. “In the Middle East, we attach great importance to the Kingdom of Saudi…

The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation noted that Moscow’s opponents encroach even on what previously seemed sacred Western countries are waging their war against Russia in all domains, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” TV show on Sunday. “War is being waged in a broader sense. A war is being waged against us on all fronts, be it the economy, international relations, or in terms of ownership,” he explained. Source: Tass

Local websites say Israeli occupation forces failed to arrest Palestinians from the Tulkarm refugee camp amid confrontations with Palestinian Resistance fighters. A Palestinian youth was wounded by Israeli occupation forces’ gunfire after they stormed the Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Local websites said occupation forces failed to arrest Palestinians from the Tulkarm camp amid confrontations with Palestinian Resistance fighters who targeted the raiding forces with an explosive device. Israeli occupation forces, accompanied by police dogs, raided a number of homes in Al-Rabay’a neighborhood and subjected their residents to interrogation. Coinciding with the continuation of the incursion, occupation…

Andrey Kelin said that Russia needs Ukraine not to pose a threat to it, and that Russians and Ukrainians are treated as representatives of the rest of the world Russia is ready for peace talks with Ukraine but it will not give up its conditions, Russian Ambassador to Great Britain Andrey Kelin said in an interview with the BBC on Sunday. “We want peace, but on certain conditions, of course. For us, two things are important. That there will be no threat from Ukraine to Russia – this is one thing. And second, that Russians in Ukraine will be treated like all…

The Turkish Supreme Electoral Commission says it will hold a meeting after the polls close and will set a date for lifting the broadcasting ban on the results of the presidential runoff. The head of the Turkish Supreme Electoral Commission, Ahmed Yanar, said on Saturday that the commission is considering lifting the broadcasting ban on the results of the second round of the Turkish presidential election earlier after the polls are closed. Yanar indicated that the Commission will hold a meeting after the polls close and will set a date for lifting the ban. The official confirmed that the electoral…

Polling stations in Turkey will be open from 8:00 to 17:00 (coincides with Moscow) The second round of presidential election will be held on Sunday in Turkey, with Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdgoan and the opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu taking part. Erdogan has said that on May 28 Turkish voters will have to make “the most important choice in their lives, to take a decision concerning the future of the country and children.” In turn, Kilicdaroglu has noted that “Turkish citizens would have to make a choice between two candidates and two world views for the first time ever.” The…

Syria’s Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman, Dr. Idris Mayya, discussed with Saudi Ambassador to the Sultanate, Abdullah bin Saud Al Anzi, prospects for strengthening relations between the two countries. That came during a meeting that brought together the two sides in the building of the Syrian embassy in Muscat, where they reviewed bilateral relations and ways of upgrading and developing them in all fields to serve the interests of the two countries and the two brotherly peoples. Source: SANA