Author: Steven Sahiounie

Consumers in the United States and the United Kingdom are spending more time on the short videos platform than on Google’s video streaming giant, according to a report by App Annie, an app analytics firm. As per the report, which only accounts for Android phones, US TikTok users have watched over 24 hours of content per month as of June 2021, compared to the 22 hours and 40 minutes they watched on YouTube during the same time period. The difference in time spent on the two platforms is much more striking; Tiktok consumers have watched over 26 hours of content…

Russian-Chinese trade in 2021 is expected to reach new record levels, Alexey Dakhnovsky, Russia’s trade representative in China, said. “For [the first] eight months [of 2021], the volume of bilateral trade amounted to almost $89 billion, this is an increase of almost 30 percent compared to last year, and today we can already say that this year we will reach new record trade figures,” Dakhnovsky said at the opening of the Russian-Chinese forum on investment cooperation in the Chinese city of Xiamen. He pointed out that “in the 30% growth, of course, there is a share of high-tech products, and…

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will fly to Moscow on Wednesday to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Thursday. Al Mayadeen correspondent in Moscow learned from Russian diplomatic sources that the talks will address bilateral relations and a number of regional issues. According to press sources, Moscow will inform Lapid that Russia will firmly confront Israeli attacks on Syria and will demand Washington to end the Israeli attacks on Damascus. The visit comes following recent reports of Israeli-Russian tensions over policies toward Syria. The sources also confirmed that an essential part of the talks will be closed and…

Syria’s Oil Minister, Bassam Tohme, announced the need to activate Syria’s gas grid to ensure the transfer of Egyptian gas to Lebanon. Lebanon’s Energy Minister, Raymond Ghajar, stated during a Syrian, Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian meeting in Amman on Wednesday, held to solve Lebanon’s energy crisis, that “we are working with the World Bank to secure finance” for the energy scheme, hoping to secure enough Egyptian gas to generate 450 MW of electricity. Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum, Tarek El-Molla, said there is a need to inspect the gas transfer infrastructure to supply Lebanon. Jordan’s Energy Minister, Hala Zawati, stated that…

Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani apologizes to the Afghan people for his failure to secure a better future for them after his resignation on August 15th allowed the fall of the capital, Kabul, and the takeover of the Taliban. Ghani said in a statement today, Wednesday, “It is with a deep and profound regret that my own chapter ended in a similar tragedy to my predecessors.” “I apologize to the Afghan people that I could not make it end differently,” he added. The Taliban, which controlled large parts of Afghanistan, pledged to develop relations with countries within the framework of…

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stressed during a phone call he received from the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, that the continuation of sustainable relations with the EU depends on observing mutual respect between the two sides, and not the influence of some external elements, especially US unilateral policies. Raisi said that all countries should cooperate to form an Afghan government capable of achieving security, stability, development and peace, and to gain the confidence of the Afghan people. The Iranian president pointed out that the absence of an inclusive Afghan government, with the participation of all nationalities, threatens the future of…

Today, Wednesday, Egypt and Turkey stressed the need for both sides to take additional steps to facilitate the normalization of relations between them after the second round of bilateral consultations in Ankara aimed at ending a political crisis between the two countries. A joint statement was published by the foreign ministries of both countries, following the second round of consultations between the two delegations headed by Ambassador Sedat Onal, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, and Ambassador Hamdi Sanad Loza, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, in Ankara on September 7…

The Naqab Prison, also known as “Ktzi’ot” Prison, is in a state of alert after a large number of Israeli occupation soldiers raided it. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said the detainees in Section 6 set their cells on fire in response to the Israeli occupation’s brutal suppression campaign against them. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said that Naqab Prison is in a state of chaos after Section 6 caught on fire, which was done in protest of the prison administration’s violations, harassment, and mistreatment. Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that the Israeli occupation is also assaulting the Palestinian detainees in Megiddo Prison.…

A new analysis published by the civilian harm monitoring group, Airwars, estimated that US drones and airstrikes have killed at least 22,000 civilians and as many as 48,000 since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US in 2001. According to The Guardian, the published analysis revealed that the US military has directed almost 100,000 airstrikes since 2001 under the pretext of the so-called “War on Terror.” The released data comes ahead of the 20th commemoration of September 11, with US president Joe Biden’s promise to end the “forever wars” led by his country, amid the US troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. Since the…

Germany’s largest motor show is about more than just cars, aiming to focus on mobility in general, from bikes to e-scooters to cars. This year’s IAA show is considered the world’s first major motor industry event since the COVID-19 pandemic. Climate-friendly engines, and the digital connectivity of transport – that’s what this fair is about. At a pre-event press conference last week, the President of Industry Association VDA, which organizes the bi-annual show, stated that “the goal of climate protection is guiding us.” Furthermore, the show has moved from Frankfurt to Munich this year, with “Mobility of the Future” as…