Author: Steven Sahiounie

Source told the newspaper the West needs “to close loopholes” The US and the EU are stepping up pressure on Turkey’s financial sector to prevent Ankara from helping Moscow evade sanctions. The issue is particularly about Turkish banks that are integrated into Russia’s domestic payments system Mir, the Financial Times wrote on Thursday citing sources. The US is focusing on Turkish banks that have integrated into the Mir processing system, the newspaper said. Brussels is also preparing a delegation to Tukey to express its concerns to the country’s officials directly, according to the publication. The EU’s financial services commissioner Mairead…

Turkey has informed the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, commonly known as the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), that it should leave its territory before the end of the year, Sputnik reported on September 13. Sources informed on the matter told the Russian news agency that the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made the decision to close the SOC offices in Turkey before the end of the year. “A number of SOC members were informed by Turkish security services that they should find another place outside Turkish territory to conduct political activities related to the Syrian…

China accused the US of violating its commitment to the “One China” principle and interfering in internal Chinese affairs Thursday, after the US Senate Foreign Relations committee approved a new bill that could significantly increase American defense support for Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing that China had “lodged serious complaints” with Washington over the legislation, which still needs US House and President Joe Biden’s approval to become law, AP reported. “The one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US relations,” she said. “If the bill continues to be deliberated, pushed forward or even signed into law,…

Afghanistan has never recognized the 2,790-kilometer-long Durand Line as the official border with Pakistan. Since storming to power in Kabul last August, the Taliban* has opposed Pakistan’s efforts to fence the Durand Line. Taliban fighters and the Pakistani Army have also clashed with each other over differing perceptions of the boundary line. Taliban border guards have cut the fence at the Durand Line and crossed over into Pakistan, as per a recent video circulating on social media. The footage surfaced amid renewed tensions following deadly clashes between the two sides on Tuesday that left three Pakistani soldiers dead. Taliban deputy…

The United States will be dragged into a military confrontation with Russia if Ukraine receives longer-range missiles or strikes Russian territory, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said. “Of particular concern is the fact that for many months Ukraine has been soliciting the supply of ATACMS operational-tactical missiles, which are designed to strike targets at a distance of up to 300 km (187 miles). If Kiev obtains such weapons, large Russian cities, as well as industrial and transport infrastructure facilities will fall into the area of possible destruction,” Antonov told Sputnik. “Such a scenario would mean direct involvement…

The CSTO page went down for several hours while attempts were made to edit some informational messages on the site The Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has reported that its website has been targeted by hackers who tried to take the site down via a DDOS attack, the organization said on Wednesday. The military bloc, which includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, announced on its Telegram channel that the attack on the website began on Tuesday night at around 11pm and lasted until at least 7am the next day. While the website has since partially regained functionality,…

The leaders will address the Ukraine crisis and Taiwan tensions during their sit-down in Uzbekistan, the Kremlin has said  Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will discuss the Ukraine conflict in depth, as well as the Taiwan issue, when they meet in Uzbekistan later this week, presidential aide Yury Ushakov said on Tuesday. The two leaders will hold talks on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the city of Samarkand on September 15. “Given the current international situation, this meeting, of course, has special importance,” Ushakov said, adding that the leaders would address…

Belarusian President says he would like the aid to be available to ordinary European households first and foremost Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has promised not to stand aside and let Europe die from the cold and said that he was even ready to share some firewood. A video of Lukashenko saying he would help the EU pull through the winter was uploaded on Wednesday to Telegram, on a channel close to the Belarusian leader’s press-service. In the video clip, Lukashenko, with his trusty axe in hand, gets down to chopping wood in the yard of his countryside retreat with businessman…

An explosive device planted by unidentified persons in a private car went off in Daraa city, which causes to catch fire in the car. SANA reporter stated that a car parked in al-Sad Road neighborhood in Daraa city was burnt as a result of the explosion of an explosive device in it planted by unidentified persons last night. Daraa Fire Brigade Commander, colonel Mohammad Mahamid, said in a statement to the reporter that the fire brigade had put out the fire, no casualties were reported and losses were limited to materials. Source: SANA

The Saudi-led coalition of aggression continues to breach the armistice agreement and seizes another fuel ship despite having been searched and greenlit by the UN. The Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) announced in a statement Tuesday that the Saudi-led coalition continues to pirate Yemeni fuel ships while the UN remains silent, adding that UN officials’ assertions of calm and truce are “false.” The YPC revealed that another ship carrying tons of diesel fuel and headed for Yemen was intercepted by the Saudi-led coalition, in clear violation of a UN-sponsored ceasefire. According to the statement, “The aggressor coalition’s insistence on intensifying the…