Author: Steven Sahiounie

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…

Moscow backs mutual recognition of vaccines approved at a state level, said Saturday Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly. “COVID-19 is our enemy. We support mutual recognition of vaccines approved by national oversight bodies, in the interests of lifting restrictions on international travel of citizens as soon as possible,” Minister Lavrov said. Russia primarily uses its indigenous Sputnik V vaccine, which is also used in several other countries. On August 11, 2020, Sputnik V was the first COVID-19 vaccine applied for registration in the European Union and the World Health Organization.…

Huawei’s current rotating chairman and CEO, Xu Zhijun, announced that the company will continue in its cellphone business. At a press conference during the Huawei Connect 2021 event, Xu explained that the company’s cellphone business is facing huge challenges as a result of the US-imposed sanctions. However, the chairman assured that “Huawei will never give up on the cellphone business.” The tech giant still owns its Huawei cellphone brand, but has sold its budget smartphone brand, Honor, last November to a consortium. The company struggled for months with lack of key chips and software exports which were cut by the…

According to the Head of the Climate Change Department at the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Li Gao, China has sold 418 million yuan (approximately $64.6 million) worth of carbon dioxide emission quotas to companies over a span of two months. To promote less pollution – low carbon and ‘greener’ policies – China launched the Emission Trading System (ETS) in 2016 which sets limits, or gives quotas, for just how much a company can emit CO2 and greenhouse gases. According to a report by South China Morning Post, the carbon trading scheme may be able to reduce emissions by 30-60%…

After yesterday’s release of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer, the US goes on to arrest her counterpart in Novatek, Russia’s second-largest natural gas producer. According to the Department of Justice, Mark Gyetvay was arrested in the United States on tax charges regarding $93 million hidden on offshore accounts. From 2005 to 2016, according to the indictment, Gyetvay “engaged in a scheme to defraud the United States by concealing his ownership and control over substantial offshore assets and by failing to file and pay taxes on millions of dollars of income.” In 2005 and onward, the businessman allegedly opened two…

Former US President Donald Trump revealed how the head of the Taliban political bureau, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, reacted when he learned of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan last year. Trump told his supporters during a rally in Georgia, Saturday, that Baradar was informed through a phone call or message that the US military left, so his first reaction was saying “you are crazy” in his language. The former US President also stressed that the reason why the Democrats are always after him is that they believe he has a “big mouth” and talks a lot. He defended himself, saying…