Author: Steven Sahiounie

A top South Korean official said Monday that North Korea is increasingly targeting the South with its nuclear arms program, and urged China and Russia to persuade the North not to conduct a widely expected nuclear test. Unification Minster Kwon Youngse’s comments came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un re-emphasized his nuclear ambitions in a key military meeting last week and approved unspecified new operational duties for front-line army units, AP reported. Experts say North Korea could be planning to deploy battlefield nuclear weapons along its tense border with South Korea. During a prolonged stalemate in nuclear diplomacy, North…

NATO will increase the strength of its rapid reaction force nearly eightfold to 300,000 troops as part of its response to an “era of strategic competition,” the military alliance’s secretary-general said Monday. The NATO reaction force currently numbers around 40,000 soldiers which can deploy quickly when needed. Coupled with other measures including the deployment of forces to defend specific allies, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the move is part of the “biggest overhaul of collective defense and deterrence since the Cold War.” Stoltenberg made the remarks at a press conference ahead of a NATO summit later this week in Madrid…

North Korea has accused the United States of setting up a military alliance like NATO in Asia, saying the unwavering US aim to oust North Korea’s government compelled it to develop stronger defenses. The North Korean criticism comes amid concern it could be preparing its first nuclear test in five years and after a recent agreement between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and US President Joe Biden to deploy more US weapons if deemed necessary to deter the North. “While blatantly holding joint military exercises with Japan and South Korea, the United States is making a full-fledged move to establish…

By David Randall With U.S stocks on track to mark their worst first half of the year in more than 50 years, investors are studying a range of metrics to determine whether the coming months could bring relief, or more of the same. By any stretch, the first half of 2022 has been a challenging one for investors. The S&P 500 is down around 18% year-to-date, on track for its worst first half of any year since 1970, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices, as the Fed tightens monetary policy in its fight against the highest inflation in decades. Bonds, which…

According to Maria Zakharova, the West is doing its utmost to continue the conflict in Ukraine as long as possible Western countries are reluctant to answer Russia’s questions about their mercenaries in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday. “As [Russian Ambassador to London Andrey] Kelin said, they [Western countries] are writing some provocative, boorish things. They don’t want to answer the question we ask about their activities,” she said in an interview with the Voskresny Vecher (Sunday Evening) with Vladimir Solovyov on the Rossiya-1 television channel, when asked whether the United States and the United Kingdom…

Thousands are protesting against the NATO summit that is set to decide Finland and Sweden’s memberships. Thousands of people protested in Madrid on Sunday, carrying the former Soviet Union’s hammer and sickle flags, against a NATO summit scheduled for next week in the Spanish capital. Leaders of member countries will meet in Madrid on June 29-30, amid tight security, as the organization faces the unprecedented challenge of the war in Ukraine. NATO is expected to consider Finland and Sweden’s membership bid, which is opposed by alliance member Turkey. “Tanks yes, but of beer with tapas,” sang demonstrators, who claimed that an increase…

Nationalists plan to blow up a levee in the town of Kurakhovo in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR)to accuse Russia of flooding farmlands and destroying crops. According to existing reliable information, in the town of Kurakhovo in the DPR, in the next few days, Ukrainian armed formations plan to blow up a dam of a water reservoir they rigged with mines earlier, head of Russia’s National Defense Control Center Mikhail Mizintsev was quoted by RT website as saying. Mizintsev added “As a result of this cynical act, the area of possible flooding will encompass the populated localities of Maksimilyanovka, Georgievka…

On June 25, the Russian Ministry of Defense released footage showing the elimination of an ISIS cell responsible for the recent deadly ambush in central Syria. In a statement, the MoD said that the terrorist cell was one of many trained by the US at al-Tanf garrison in Syria’s southeastern region. “The terrorist cells, that have been trained in al-Tanf area by Daesh [ISIS] terrorist organization, and whom the US considers as one of the tools of achieving its foreign policy priorities in Syria, are attacking the civilians and the Syrian civil facilities, including oil facilities,” the statement said. The MoD added…

Boris Johnson and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau joked about exposing their “pecs,” in an apparent attempt to mock Vladimir Putin UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the opportunity on Sunday to jokingly argue over whether they should undress, with Johnson saying that showing off his “pecs” would make him appear “tougher than Putin.” As Johnson and Trudeau sat down for talks with US President Joe Biden and the rest of the G7 leaders at a summit in Krun, Germany, the British PM asked whether the Western leaders should “take our clothes off.” Amid mild laughter, Johnson quipped “we have…

The US held a secret meeting with top military officials from Israel and Arab countries in March to explore how they could coordinate against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported on June 25. Officials from the Middle East and the US told the New York-based newspaper that the secret meeting was focused on countering Iran’s growing missile and drone capabilities. The meeting was held at Sharm El Sheikh, a resort city in Egypt. This was the first time the US gathered Israeli and Arab military chiefs to discuss how to coordinate against Iran, which is seen as a common threat. Following the…