Author: Steven Sahiounie

In an interview for Sputnik, the Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia, Dang Minh Khoi, said the Russian Direct Investment Fund reached a purchase agreement with the Vietnamese T&T Group on Russia’s Sputnik V, although the vaccine did not receive official recognition from the World Health Organization. As per the agreement, Vietnam would obtain COVID-19 vaccines from Russia throughout 2021. “T&T Group and the Russian Foreign Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) have reached an agreement to supply Vietnam with the Sputnik V vaccine in 2021,” Khoi told Sputnik. The ambassador revealed that the two sides are working to develop a delivery schedule that suits…

Oil made gains on Monday, its fifth day in a row, with Brent nearing $80 a barrel amid an increase in demand around the world as restrictions around the pandemic are easing. Brent crude made a $1.14 gain, a 1.5% increase that put it at $79.23 per barrel. This makes for its third consecutive week on the rise. US oil made a $1.11 gain, a 1.5% increase that put it at $75.09, making for its highest price in 2 months after making gains for five consecutive weeks. “Supply tightness continues to draw on inventories across all regions,” ANZ Research said…

China’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges have barred new accounts and clients from investing and trading cryptocurrencies in mainland China upon the government’s latest ban on cryptocurrencies.  China’s top regulators stepped up their crackdown on cryptocurrencies on Friday, 24th of September, imposing a blanket ban on all crypto transactions and mining and putting pressure on Bitcoin and other major coins, as well as crypto and blockchain-related companies. Overseas exchanges, as part of the ban, are prohibited from providing services to users in China, as all virtual-currency activities became illegal. Huobi, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, said Sunday that all already-existing accounts…

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, criticized the IAEA’s report on the TESA Karaj complex, saying “it is not accurate and goes beyond agreed terms of the joint statement.” Gharibabadi’s statement came in response to the IAEA’s report presented by the Secretary-General on Sunday regarding Iran “not allowing the IAEA to replace its cameras” in the TESA Karaj complex. “The (IAEA) Director General (Rafael Grossi) stresses that Iran’s decision to not to allow agency access to the TESA Karaj centrifuge component manufacturing workshop is contrary to the agreed terms of the joint statement issued on…

The Austrian Communist Party topped the results of the municipal elections in Graz, the second-largest city in Austria, according to preliminary results. Communist Party candidate Elke Kahr, 59, won 28.9% of the vote, compared to 25.7% for outgoing conservative mayor Siegfried Nagel, who held the post for 18 years. According to opinion polls, the result was not expected, Kahr told reporters. Addressing this success, she said that some people make promises a few weeks before the elections, but her party was always there to serve the people, especially the poor. Graz is Austria’s second-largest city with over 220,000 voters, many…

The new Israeli “Shin Bet” security service chief is Ronen Berezovsky, revealed a source in the Palestinian resistance to Palestine Now. The successor of the current chief, Nadav Argaman, whose identity was censored by the occupation and Israeli media, was only symbolized by the letter “R.” Argaman’s term as “Shin Bet” chief will end in October. The source confirmed that Berezovsky is monitored by the resistance and is on its wanted list. He also revealed that Berezovsky was born on December 24, 1965, lives on “Agnon Street in the Hod Hasharon area,” and his house number is 6. Berezovsky served as…

Associated Press reported that President Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan would head to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the war on Yemen. “Besides seeing the crown prince, often referred to by his initials, MBS, Sullivan is expected to meet with deputy defense minister Khalid bin Salman, a brother to the crown prince,” the AP quoted two US senior US administration officials as saying. Mahdi al-Mashat, the President of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen, reiterated two days ago the unwavering Yemeni stance regarding self-defense. Al-Mashat had previously said Oman is still…

The Jordanian Ministry of Interior announced the reopening of the Jaber border crossing with Syria, starting next Wednesday. The ministry said that the decision aims to activate trade and tourism between the two countries, taking into account the required security and health measures. Yesterday, Sunday, the Director-General of the Land Transport Regulatory Commission, Tariq Habashneh, said that till now, most of the land border crossings with Jordan have resumed their work, except the Jaber border crossing. He pointed out that meetings will be held with Syrian officials this week to discuss the problems preventing exchanging goods between the two countries.…

Judge Tarek Bitar, the judicial investigator probing into the Beirut Blast, was notified Monday of a lawsuit regarding his neutrality in the investigation, putting the probe on hold. The lawsuit was a result of former minister and Future Bloc MP Nohad Machnouk suing judge Bitar, questioning his impartiality in the investigation. Machnouk is a suspect in the Beirut Port explosion and was to be interrogated this week by Bitar. The Beirut Blast was a massive explosion that shook the Lebanese capital and Lebanon as a whole, killing nearly 220 people and injuring over 7,000. The explosion is seen as one…

Snow Lilly, the oldest polar bear in zoo captivity in North America, has died, announced the Milwaukee County Zoo. According to a Facebook post from the zoo on Saturday, she was “mercifully killed” on Sept. 24 due to declining health. Polar bears in zoo captivity have a typical life expectancy of around 23 years, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, whereas they live an average of 15 to 18 years in the wild, according to Polar Bears International. Snow Lilly was diagnosed with heart disease and other age-related changes at a recent health test – in 2005, she was…