Author: Steven Sahiounie

Taliban insurgents have captured the city of Zaranj, the capital of Afghanistan’s southwestern Nimroz province. The city is the first provincial capital to fall amid the ongoing Taliban offensive against government troops. The militants entered the city on Friday afternoon, according to media reports corroborated by footage circulating online. The development was confirmed to Reuters by Nimroz’s police spokesperson, with the official, who remained anonymous for security reasons, blaming the fall of the city on a lack of reinforcements from Afghanistan’s central government. Footage shared online purports to show Taliban militants entering the city en-masse, on foot as well as…

The Japanese government covered up the detection of the highly infectious Lambda variant of the Covid-19 virus after finding it during an airport screening three days before the Tokyo Olympics began, according to the Daily Beast. On July 20, the country’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) reported the discovery to international virus database GISAID. But an unnamed researcher from the institute, the news outlet writes, claimed that it was decided to withhold releasing this information to the public – until after the Games. While the NIID researcher told the outlet that previous official announcements about new variant discoveries had been made…

The EU’s drugs watchdog has recommended that the possible side effects of tinnitus, dizziness, and low blood platelets be added to the product information of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine, after studying data on the jab. In an update on Covid vaccine safety issues published on Friday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) advised that tinnitus, more commonly known as ringing in the ears, as well as dizziness, should be included among the list of possible side effects of the single-shot vaccine, after finding the conditions were linked to the jab. The EMA said that updating the product information was necessary “to alert healthcare…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator On August 6, 40 terrorists in Deraa set up a booby-trapped ambush on seven soldiers of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA). Two SAA soldiers were killed, and five were injured as a result of the battle. They put up a heroic fight to defend themselves despite overwhelming odds. Syrian state media, reported that there is an ISIS leader in hiding in downtown Deraa. The presence of a high ranking ISIS official may be one of the reasons the terrorists are refusing to vacate the city and allow for searches to ensure the safety of…

According to the Mexican Foreign Minister, Mexico has filed lawsuits against the top US arms manufacturing companies in a federal court in Boston, on Thursday. The main goal, according to Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, is to get the companies that are being sued to compensate the Mexican government for the damages caused by their practices. He went on to say that it is up to the court to decide the amount of compensation and to set and apply verifiable standards to monitor the marketing businesses and, if necessary, inflict penalties. Ebrard also voiced confidence in his country’s ability to…

What are the drills for? For the next two weeks, thousands of soldiers from Indonesia and the United States will take part in the largest joint training ever held between the two countries. The exercises, which are centered on “Islands Defense Strategy”, will take place from August 1 to 14 in three locations: Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi, according to the Indonesian military. The drills, which have been part of the annual Garuda Shield exercises organized since 2009, involve around 2,100 Indonesian military troops and 1,500 US army soldiers. According to Indonesian Army Chief of Staff Andika Perkasa, these drills are…

Months after hailing China’s strategy to reduce the corona outbreak, since the virus first erupted in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year, China has faced its most challenging task: the contagious Delta variant, which is swiftly spreading throughout the country. According to The New York Times newspaper, although the Chinese government has restored strict closures and testing, and even preventing people in some cities from leaving their homes, Chinese officials have acknowledged that containing this outbreak will be much more difficult than the others, due to the variant’s rapid and asymptomatic spread. Yanzhong Huang, Senior Fellow for Global Health at the…

The reason behind oil prices increase Oil prices increased on Thursday, against the backdrop of the tensions in the Middle East, but failed to recoup much of the previous day’s losses following a surprising increase in crude stocks in the United States, the world’s largest oil user. Brent crude oil futures were up 14 cents, or 0.2 %, at $70.52 per barrel at 04:38 GMT, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 18 cents, or 0.3 %, at $68.33 per barrel. On Wednesday, both benchmarks declined by more than $2 a barrel. The tension is rising Edward Moya,…

In a letter to the United Nations, Iran denied the accusations made by the United Kingdom, Liberia, and Romania that it was involved in the alleged attack on a vessel near Fujairah. Al Mayadeen received a copy of Iran’s letter to the United Nations, which Majid Takht Ravanchi, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the UN, handed in the UN Secretary-General and the Head of the UN Security Council. Iran’s UN Representative stated that these accusations are based on mere speculations and false implications, noting that “Israel’s” record is littered with violations of international law and fabrications of accidents, thus holding it responsible…

The South Korean president’s office has announced plans to elevate the country to be one of the world’s largest vaccine producers with an investment of 2.2 trillion won ($1.92 billion) over the next four years. On Thursday, President Moon Jae-in disclosed his intention to develop South Korea’s vaccine production base, his office said. The project will receive 2.2 trillion won ($1.92 billion) in investment until 2025 and will see South Korea become one of the top five countries in the world by vaccine manufacturing capacity. Moon’s remarks were made during a committee meeting, featuring both public and private sector representatives,…