Author: Steven Sahiounie

The first day of major airpower drills by the various branches of Iran’s Armed Forces sees the forces successfully laying into medium-altitude targets using completely indigenous military hardware. Codenamed ‘Modafean Aseman Velayat 1400’ (Guardians of ‘Velayat Sky’ 1400), the exercise kicked off in the country’s sprawling Central Desert on Tuesday, with the goal of practicing defensive maneuvers in the service of the country’s “sensitive and vital” spots and testing the operational maneuverability of the Armed Forces’ new-generation defensive equipment among other things. The drills have so far recruited the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) and Air Defense Force…

MOSCOW, October 12. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov at a meeting with the visiting US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland invited the United States to lift all restrictions from the operation of Russian and US foreign missions in a reciprocal move. “The current condition and prospects of bilateral relations were discussed. Special attention was paid to the operation of Russian and US foreign missions on each other’s territory. The Russian side stressed that hostile anti-Russian actions would not remain without retaliation, but Moscow did not seek further escalation. We suggest lifting all restrictions that have…

A massive trove of records, the Pandora Papers, have recently unmasked numerous facts regarding the hidden wealth of the global elite, subjecting them to public scrutiny. More than 600 journalists from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists(ICIJ) compiled the files. Over 12 million files disclose how hundreds of world elites have hidden billions of dollars in assets over the last two and a half decades.Among global statesmen mentioned in the papers are Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Jordanian King Abdullah II. The “leaks “debunk how considerable sums of wealth have been amassed through tax evasion and offshore accounts.It seems like good…

Hasaka, Turkish occupation troops and their mercenaries of terrorists have shelled several villages in the vicinity of Tal Tamir area in Hasaka northwestern countryside, causing damage to a number of houses and to the infrastructure. “The Turkish occupation troops in collusion with their mercenaries of terrorists deployed along the borders with Turkey launched a heavy artillery attack on the villages of al-Dardara, Tal Jumaa, Hamra and Tal Shannan in the northwestern countryside, causing damages to three houses in addition to a huge damage to the infrastructure”, local sources from Tal Tamir township. The sources referred to the tragic situation of…

By : Richard Gale and Dr. Gary Null No doubt, none of us can recall a time when the world at large has faced so many problems and crisis that impinge upon the well-being and mortality of billions of people. For over a year and a half, we have been overwhelmed with anxiety, dread, depression and anger, desperately seeking solutions to ameliorate an all-pervading angst as society is completely being reconfigured in the image of those who hold power, influence and wealth. There was a time in the past when we believed our elected officials would enact laws to protect the citizenry and…

France won the Nations League on Sunday after coming from a goal down to beat Spain 2-1 in Milan. Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe struck to claim the title for world champions France after Mikel Oyarzabal put Spain ahead midway through the second half. The win will ease some of the pain created by an early exit from Euro 2020 at the hands of Switzerland and highlighted just how powerful France are going forward. Les Bleus came out on top of a match at the San Siro which came to life after Oyarzabal slid home the opener in the 64th minute. As well as the two goals from their superstar attackers, France…

Oil prices rose on Monday, continuing a trend that has been in place for weeks amid supply constraints from major producers and rising fuel demand as economies try to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Brent crude rose 81 cents, or 1%, reaching $83.20 a barrel, after rising nearly 4% last week. American crude oil rose $1.15 or 1.5% to $80.5 a barrel, the highest level since late 2014, noting that it had already increased 4.6% until Friday. Oil prices continue to rise as more vaccinated residents leave the lockdown, initiating economic activity. Consequently, Brent continued to rise for five weeks…

Amid the escalating war of words between Beijing and Taipei, the Chinese military posted a video of its troops practicing beach landings and building beachheads, in “recent” drills conducted right across the straits from Taiwan. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily posted a video on its Weibo account on Monday, showing soldiers “in multiple waves” practicing “capturing the beach.” The video shows soldiers storming the beach using small craft, breaking through barbed wire and other obstacles, digging trenches in the sandbar, and practicing fighting through a forest. The drills were carried out “in recent days,” according to the PLA, at a range in Fujian province, the…

A large blaze broke out at a fuel storage tank near the Zahrani power station in southern Lebanon, just days after the country was plunged into complete darkness after the same facility, as well as one other, shut down. The Lebanese army rushed to evacuate the area on Monday due to concerns that the inferno could trigger an explosion, Al Jadeed TV channel reported, as firefighters scrambled to control the flames. The Lebanese government later announced on Twitter that the fire had been contained Traffic on the Al-Zahrani Highway was also cut off in both directions as a result of…

According to the industry association, the ongoing crisis may force plants into expensive shutdowns, which could damage equipment, increase costs and ultimately lead to “poorer environmental performance with higher emissions”.UK Steel warned on Monday that spiking electricity prices could result in skyrocketing emissions and lead to chaos in supply chains.”These extraordinary electricity prices are leading to smaller or wiped-out profits and thus to less reinvestment,” UK Steel said in a briefing document. “With winter approaching, demand for gas and electricity will rise, and prices could get higher, which will make it impossible to profitably make steel”.According to the association, some plants may…