Author: Steven Sahiounie

A report shows the lack of funding and the continued support for Ukraine have made it difficult for Berlin to fulfill its commitment to the alliance. An internal appraisal by Germany’s Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, stated, as cited by the media outlet Bild, that due to the continued support for Kiev, as well as a lack of funding, the nation has failed to fulfill its NATO commitments. A 14-page analysis put forward early in March and published on Tuesday noted that the combat readiness of the German NATO division that was pledged for 2025 will only be “limited”. The analysis, which was…

The collection of US leaked documents includes accusations that Washington has been spying on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s national security advisors in order to gain arms shipments for Ukraine. On Wednesday, South Korea’s opposition urged the government to investigate alleged US espionage after leaked papers appeared to reveal Washington snooping on its important Asian partner. A new batch of recently leaked classified US documents suggests that Washington has been eavesdropping on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s national security advisors in order to gain arms shipments for Ukraine. Despite confirming the legitimacy of the documents, defense officials have claimed that some of the files…

The action was taken prior to a neck-and-neck race between the ruling New Democracy and opposition Syriza parties. Greek MPs voted to ban the far-right National Party-Greeks from running in elections that will take place on May 21, as per local media. According to the state-run AMNA news agency, the main opposition Syriza party abstained while the center-right ruling New Democracy and center-left opposition Psaok parties both voted in favor. Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras accused the administration of systemic amateurism in an address to the parliament. “In the end, you manage to become the best sponsors of the Kasidiaris party (Greeks-National Party).…

The primary aim of the drill was to test the “advanced combat equipment of intercontinental ballistic missiles.” Russia has successfully test-fired an “advanced” intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), as per the Russian Ministry of Defense. The ministry said in a statement that a “combat crew successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) of a mobile ground-based missile system” from its Kapustin Yar test site on Tuesday. “The missile’s training warhead hit a mock target at the Sary-Shagan training ground (Republic of Kazakhstan) with given precision,” it added. Although the type of missile used in the launch on Tuesday was not specified by…

The decline in prices for export goods affected revenues, according to the central bank Russia’s current-account surplus shrank by a whopping 73% over the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, according to central bank data released on Tuesday. The surplus in January-March of this year stood at $18.6 billion, which is $51 billion less than in 2022, the regulator said in a statement published on its website. The central bank attributed the drop to a “significant decrease in the value of exports mainly due to the drop in prices,” and a “decrease in the amount of dividends declared by…

Over a hundred cargo ships are reportedly set to be constructed in the next three years The Russian government is planning to have about 150 cargo ships built by 2027 as part of a preferential leasing project, Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov has revealed. “Another area that has been given particular attention under the sanctions regime is cargo ships for various purposes and deadweight,” Manturov told the Federation Council on Wednesday. Those will include tankers, grain carriers, container ships, barges, tugboats and dry cargo ships, including icebreaking Arctic class ships, according to the official. “This will contribute to the reorientation of…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The shifting sands of the Middle East were caught up in a whirlwind last month, as the deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran in China was announced. The two rival powerhouses of the region have decided to work towards peace and prosperity for both nations. How will this new relationship affect Syria, the US, Israel, Turkey and the Arab League? To gain insight into this surprising development in the region, Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse interviewed Elijah J. Magnier, a veteran war-zone correspondent and political analyst with over 35 years of experience covering the Middle…

Today, Qatar Energy signed a partnership agreement with China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) in the Northeast Field Expansion Project, which is the largest single project in the history of the LNG industry. Under this agreement, Qatar Energy will transfer to Sinopec a 5 percent stake in the equivalent of one production line of the project with a capacity of 8 million tons per year, while maintaining the shares of other partners unchanged. This agreement represents a milestone in the entry of “Sinopec” as a partner in one of the joint venture companies that own the North East Field Development Project, which…

Traders are likely taking profits ahead of Wednesday’s CPI report and Ethereum’s Shapella upgrade. Bitcoin (BTC) slipped under the crucial $30,000 level in early European hours on Wednesday, with overall market capitalization falling 1.2% in the past 24 hours. Ether (ETH) traded just over $1,860, leading the drop among major tokens. Solana’s SOL remained in the green, while BNB, Cardano’s ADA and XRP gave up gains from Monday night. The so-called Liquid Staking tokens slumped. Lido’s LDO governance tokens fell as much as 10%, while Rocket Pool’s RPL dropped 8%. Both protocols lock billions of dollars to provide yields on…

The upgrade, scheduled for later Wednesday, will enable validators to withdraw staked ether. Analysts differ on the amount of ether (ETH) selling pressure that could result from the Ethereum blockchain’s Shanghai upgrade, scheduled for later Wednesday. The Shanghai upgrade (aka Shapella), will enable validators to withdraw staked ether and rewards that have been locked up. JPMorgan (JPM) says ether will likely face some selling pressure from the upgrade as more than one million ether staking rewards become instantly available this week. If you add potential additional selling from staked ether balances that belong to “troubled entities,” then the selling pressure may…