Author: Steven Sahiounie

 Fifty-one percent of the Dutch think there is apartheid in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. This finding comes from a Dutch survey carried out by I&O Research for the peace organization PAX. Only six percent disagree. The research, according to the PAX press release, shows that most Dutch people hold Israel and Hamas responsible for the persistence of the conflict, are opposed to the construction and expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and expect the Dutch government to take action accordingly. “This picture of how Dutch people view the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories has never been given…

Turkish forces brought tankers and pickup trucks equipped with heavy machine guns to Azaz, as well as more than 2,500 militants from surrounding areas. A Syrian field source confirmed Tuesday that the Syrian army is reinforcing its positions and forces and strengthening its fortifications, as Turkish forces bring military reinforcements to the city of Azaz in the northern countryside of Aleppo. The source told Sputnik that the Turkish forces brought tankers and pickup trucks equipped with heavy machine guns to Azaz, adding that the forces included more than 2,500 militants from the city of Afrin in the northern countryside of Aleppo and several other…

Mikhail Podolyak has told journalists it is easier to “find cover” in cities Taking up positions in cities is the Ukrainian military’s calculated tactic to minimize their own losses and maximize those of Russian forces, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed. In an interview with the New York Times published on Tuesday, Mikhail Podolyak argued that the “Russians fight poorly in the cities.” The Ukrainian official went on to explain that “in the cities, it is possible to maneuver, and find cover, and you minimize losses; you can resist a longer time and inflict significant casualties on the Russians.”…

Moscow could officially recognize the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan The Russian Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, believes there is hope for recognition of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan. “These prospects definitely exist, the conditions are outlined by both the president of Russia and the foreign minister. The first step in this direction is an … inclusive government,” Kabulov told Russia’s First Channel. The Russian official went on to say that Moscow will not be swayed by Washington’s stance on the issue. Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved in principle the allocation of a certain amount of grain to Afghanistan, if…

The US Federal Reserve is currently struggling to tackle the country’s soaring inflation, which started reaching heights not seen for decades in November 2021. US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Dereck Hogan has pledged that over “the next four to five months”, the Biden administration will allocate about $1.5 billion monthly for support of the Ukrainian government, in a statement that comes as inflation has shown no sign of easing in America. Speaking at a conference of the Washington-based Wilson Centre think tank on Monday, Hogan said that since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation in…

The 500 wealthiest individuals lost a combined $1.4 trillion this year The world’s 500 richest people have lost a cumulative $1.4 trillion since the beginning of the year, according to Bloomberg’s ‘Billionaires Index’. According to their calculations, the globe’s most wealthy became poorer by $206 billion on Monday alone. Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the globe’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance, suffered the biggest losses, with his fortune shrinking by $85.6 billion since the beginning of the year to $10.2 billion. Tesla and Space X founder Elon Musk ranks second in terms of money losses, having said goodbye to some $73.2…

The Russian delegation to be headed by Russia’s Special Presidential Envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev All negotiating parties for the Astana-format Syrian peace talks have confirmed their participation in the event, which is scheduled to be held in the Kazakh capital on June 15-16, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Aibek Smadiyarov told reporters on Tuesday. “All parties to the Astana process on Syria have confirmed their participation in the talks to be held in the capital of Kazakhstan on June 15-16. Delegations from the guarantor countries: Russia, Turkey and Iran, as well as the Syrian government and the Syrian armed opposition…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Suleyman Soylu, Turkish Interior Minister, announced on Saturday new measures affecting Syrians living in Turkey. Firstly, Ankara has banned all Syrians from visiting their relatives in Syria during the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which will take place in mid-July. A similar ban had been applied earlier in the year for the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Refugees can lose their protected status if they travel back to Syria. Secondly, as a sign of growing social discontent, Ankara has taken new measures to restrict the movement of Syrians…

President Erdogan will tell fellow NATO leaders in Madrid that his country won’t compromise on Sweden and Finland’s membership Ankara maintains its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, the office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday. The president is expected to reiterate the position to the leaders of NATO states during an upcoming summit in Spain. Erdogan will say that “Turkey will not compromise its stance towards countries that support terrorism and terrorist organizations” during the key meeting on June 28-30, the message from his office said, as cited by Turkish media. The office said it will hold…

US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser has raised concerns with China’s top diplomat over Beijing’s veto of a United States-led push at the United Nations to impose more sanctions on North Korea, a senior US official said. During the four-and-a-half-hour meeting between Jake Sullivan and Yang Jiechi in Luxembourg on Monday, the Biden administration conveyed the belief that Beijing and Washington could cooperate on the North Korea issue, the official told reporters during a briefing. “Jake raised concerns, in particular, about the veto, which comes following a significant series of ballistic missile launches in violation of previous UN Security…