Author: Steven Sahiounie

A fire at the Syrian port of Latakia has been extinguished, according to state media, after a reported explosion sent black smoke billowing above the city. Some workers required oxygen and further treatment. On Tuesday, a fire broke out on a commercial vessel during maintenance operations in Syria’s Latakia port, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), a state-controlled news agency. In photos and videos shared online, black smoke can be seen emerging from a docked ship. Some reports suggested that there was an initial explosion. SANA reported that the fire had been extinguished by the city’s fire brigade…

Remote workers at one of the world’s largest call center firms are reportedly being pressured to allow AI-powered camera surveillance to monitor their workspaces at home – even in bedrooms. In March, Teleperformance issued an addendum to its employment contracts that required workers to let the company put in cameras – apparently to record and track their work performance at home in real-time. The contract also allows data collected from workers’ family members, including minors, to be stored and subjected to video and voice analysis. As well, employees had to agree to share biometric data including fingerprints and photos. There…

A Chinese-backed hydroelectric dam built in the north-east of Cambodia has been condemned by Human Rights Watch (HRW) for displacing and destroying the lives of thousands of indigenous people in a new report released on Tuesday. The Lower Sesan 2, a 400-megawatt project and one of the widest dams in Asia, has come under criticism since its completion in 2018, including for flooding large areas of the Sesan and Srepok rivers. The construction project itself forced the displacement of around 5,000 people, according to HRW, with those affected “coerced into accepting inadequate compensation.” Tens of thousands are believed to have suffered devastating losses…

About 400,000 Afghans have been internally displaced by the ongoing conflict with the Taliban, and many are seeking asylum in Iran, the EU has warned. A senior EU official has told Brussels media on Tuesday that it is estimated about 400,000 Afghans have been displaced as a result of a surge in conflict within the war-torn country. The official also said that over the last 10 days, there has been an influx of Afghan immigrants fleeing to Iran. It has been increasingly difficult for foreign states and institutions to deliver humanitarian aid to people suffering in Afghanistan due to the unstable…

The trial of an Iranian citizen suspected of playing a role in the execution of thousands of political prisoners during a 1988 purge in Iran has opened in the Swedish capital of Stockholm. The court case began in Stockholm District Court on Tuesday, with the 60-year-old standing trial for his alleged involvement in “intentionally taking the life of a very large number of prisoners”. The Iranian national is suspected of playing a role in the 1988 government-sanctioned massacre of an estimated 5,000 dissidents who were sympathetic towards the Mujahedin during the eight-year war between Iraq and Iran. While Swedish prosecutors declined to disclose the…

North Korea refused to answer a routine call on the inter-Korean hotline on Tuesday, after Kim Jong-un’s sister accused South Korea of behaving deceitfully by proceeding with a planned annual joint military drill with the US. South Korea and the United States are due to begin computer-simulated exercises next week, as part of annual joint military drills, with initial training kicking off on Tuesday morning. Pyongyang refused to participate in the regularly scheduled call with Seoul after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the North Korean leader, accused South Korea of engaging in “perfidious behavior” by holding the military exercises. In a statement…

Members of the German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) have voted to strike starting Tuesday evening, after their demands for better pay were rejected. Deutsche Bahn state rail company called the strike “an attack on the whole country.” GDL head Claus Weselsky said on Tuesday that 95% of the union members who voted on the action backed the strike, which will last from August 10 until August 13. The union boasts over 37,000 members, according to its website. “That is more than we expected… This result shows very clearly the mood among Deutsche Bahn’s personnel,” Weselsky said. The strike on freight trains…

The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, announced that his country is “closely monitoring the suspicious behavior of the US, Britain, and “Israel” in the region.” During a meeting with Fouad Hussein, Iraqi Foreign Minister, Shamkhani stressed that “the continued dangerous and evil presence of the US Army, along with its interference in internal affairs of the region would continue to worsen conditions in the area.” Shamkhani assured that countries in the region are able to maintain their security without external interference. He stressed that “Iran is fully aware of the goals and objectives that ae taking place…

As economists predicted Manila’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to surge up to 10% in the second quartile of 2021, the record pace of 11.8% raises eyebrows as the Phillippines recovers from a recession caused by the pandemic. This represents the fastest expansion since the fourth quarter of 1988. As the economy contracted 17% in 2020, the 11.8% growth surpassed the expectations of 11 analysts surveyed by Reuters. Meanwhile, total investment increased 75.5% as private investment doubled. “The robust performance is driven by more than just base effects. It is the result of a better balance between addressing COVID-19 and the…

Instagram has sent a cease and desist letter to the company “LikeUp.Me” that sells fake likes and fake engagement on the platform, according to Motherboard, which other apps and companies that provide similar social media services won’t be happy with. This comes as part of Instagram’s severe measures to restrict the undesirable behavior of fake influencers by cracking down on them. It is worth noting that the company site appears to have used a Chrome extension that promises users free likes and followers and is also called LikeUp. Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, has launched a campaign of cracking down…