Author: Steven Sahiounie

Turkish army sent large military reinforcements to Syrian territory through the Tal Abyad and Bab al-Salama crossings on Wednesday night. Amid a major military escalation in northern Syria, Turkey is planning a new incursion against US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria, a move which comes amid Ankara’s reservations about a NATO expansion bid and projects to relocate vast numbers of Syrian refugees. A military commander in the so-called National Army affiliated with the Syrian opposition said, “On Wednesday evening, large military reinforcements belonging to the Turkish army entered the Bab al-Salama border crossing in the city of Azaz in the northern…

Following the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, some foreigners answered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to join the foreign legion. However, stories of the unit’s poor management and “disorganise mayhem” quickly emerged as volunteers were captured by Russian troops or fled the warzone. Several Britons who travelled to Ukraine to fight have told Channel 4 News they suffered from poor equipment and poor management by Ukrainian commanders. One of the soldiers, 18-year-old Ben Atkin, who only underwent basic training as a military cadet, said he nearly ended up in the frontline without equipment, weapons or any additional training just…

The infamous nationalist unit has stopped using the controversial Wolfsangel symbol, The Times reports The infamous Azov nationalist regiment, which is being revived by Ukraine after it surrendered to Russian forces in Mariupol, has removed the Nazi-linked Wolfsangel symbol from its insignia, The Times reported on Monday. According to the British paper, the unit’s new recruits in the city of Kharkov were sporting patches with a golden trident, which is Ukraine’s national emblem, thereby replacing the Wolfsangel or ‘wolf’s hook’ which had been used by the Azov Battalion since its formation eight years ago. However, the commander of the new…

White House aides frequently find themselves needing to clarifying the US president’s statements for the public and the press, especially when they are rich in gaffes and slip-ups. US President Joe Biden is reportedly frustrated with his White House aides for launching a “clean-up campaign” in efforts to “rush and explain” something that he says or does, according to NBC News. The report shed light on the presidential grievances such as low poll numbers that seem to be petrified around 40%, and managerial breakdowns. Besides the fact that Biden is frustrated with how he “cannot catch a break” as it is…

Mevlut Cavusoglu also recalled that Ankara “said from the very beginning that it would only join the UN sanctions” if they were officially imposed on Russia Turkey has cancelled or postponed some planned NATO drills in the Black Sea due to the requirements of the Montreux Convention amid tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with the Anadolu Agency on Tuesday. “If we had joined the sanctions, we would not have been able to fulfill the mediation role that we have now. We applied the Montreux Convention to warships, but the airspace, that…

Presidential aide Alexey Arestovich has threatened Washington with an ‘exemplary tantrum’ over non-supply of rocket artillery systems Kiev will resort to hysterical outbursts, if the US fails to deliver multiple rocket launchers to fight Russia, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday. Alexey Arestovich was responding to remarks by US President Joe Biden, who said the US won’t send to Ukraine long-range rockets that can hit Russia. Washington is reportedly on the brink of stepping up the arming of Ukraine with heavier weapons. Arestovich, a key figure in Ukraine’s messaging on military affairs, outlined Kiev’s response to a…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Yesterday, thousands of Israelis have pushed through the Muslim quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem in a Flag March, marking its occupation by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The march was organized by Jewish settler groups who demanded to perform religious rites in the Al Aqsa Mosque, which had been prohibited by an agreement in place since 1967 allowing non-Muslims onto the site during visiting hours, but they were barred from praying there. “Death to the Arabs…we will demolish Al-Aqsa” was chanted by the Jewish settlers in the Flag March yesterday. According…

The conflict in Ukraine will drag on and Kiev will require more help from Brussels, the EU foreign policy chief says The conflict in Ukraine is likely to last for a long time but will eventually conclude with peace talks between Kiev and Moscow, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Monday. Borrell said in an interview with France Info that he expects the Russian military offensive to drag on. According to the foreign policy chief, Moscow will act more aggressively, requiring the EU to keep arming Ukraine and apply further sanctions against Russia. The Russian economy is already…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has so far been informed about 257 confirmed monkeypox cases and about 120 presumed ones in 23 countries worldwide, according to a bulletin released in Geneva. “As of 26 May, a cumulative total of 257 laboratory confirmed cases and around 120 suspected cases have been reported to WHO. No deaths have been reported,” the organization said, TASS reported. Cases have been mainly reported amongst “men who have sex with men (MSM),” WHO said. Since May 13, monkeypox was reported in 23 countries that are not endemic for the virus. WHO expects new cases to resurface…

The HQ of the UN’s fund for reconstruction of Ukraine should be located in Poland, deputy PM Jacek Sasin says The headquarters of the UN’s fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine after its conflict with Russia should be situated in Poland, the country’s deputy prime minister Jacek Sasin has insisted. Jacek, who attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos last week, told Polish Radio on Sunday that the issue of rebuilding Ukraine was “extremely present” at the high-profile gathering. “Poland was mentioned practically everywhere as the country that provides the most assistance to Ukraine,” he said. Poland, which accepted some 3.7 million…