Author: Steven Sahiounie

Turkey has slammed Egypt’s proposal for a ceasefire in Libya as not sincere, saying the initiative aims to save renegade general Khalifa Haftar, whose fighters are losing ground in the war-torn country. Ankara supports the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj against rebels commanded by military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, among other countries. Egypt recently proposed a ceasefire that would have started on Monday and an elected leadership council as Haftar’s offensive to capture Tripoli, the seat of the Libyan government, collapsed and as the…

Qatar’s Ambassador to Turkey Salem bin Mubarak Al Shafi says Doha welcomes any genuine initiative that would end the economic and diplomatic blockade Saudi Arabia and a number of its allies imposed on the gas-rich kingdom in June 2017. “Qatar has always been keen on maintaining the unity of Persian Gulf littoral states to face challenges in the region. Qatar’s doors are always open to any real initiative to lift the blockade, respect the country’s sovereignty, prevent interference in its internal affairs and respect international law and the principle of equality between states,” he said in an exclusive interview with…

News / Economy Iran, Iraq reach initial deal on building 354km highway: Minister Wednesday, 10 June 2020 4:11 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 10 June 2020 4:11 PM ] Iran and Iraq have finalized initial plans to build a 354-kilometer highway connecting the two neighbors. Iran’s minister of transportation says an initial deal has been reached with the neighboring Iraq to build a long highway that would ease traffic across the border and would help boost trade between the two neighboring countries. Mohammad Eslami said on Wednesday that the 354-kilometer highway would connect the city of Mehran on the western Iranian border to the…

After seizing control over the coastal enclave in 2007, the Islamist group has improved its attack capabilities, says a former security officer who witnessed the bloody events that paved the way for Hamas’ control, adding that getting rid of the organisation, deemed terrorist by Israel, will be a mission impossible. Mohammed Ibrahim will never forget that hot summer day in mid-June when Hamas, an Islamist group deemed terrorist by Israel, took control of Gaza, ousting the Fatah officials that had governed the enclave since 1993. Back then, Mohammed, who is now 36, was serving as a police officer in the…

The EU, unlike the US, earlier stopped short of promising to take any action against Beijing over its decision to introduce a new piece of legislation in Hong Kong. The law would ban activities directed at dividing China. EU Foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell has stated that the EU is not going to launch a “cold war” with China, noting that Beijing has been notified about Brussels’ position. “I told [Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi]: ‘Don’t worry, Europe is not going to embark on any kind of Cold War with China'”, Borrell said. Borrell’s statement comes as Brussels and Beijing…

The island of Taiwan’s defence authority said fighter jets of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) approached the island on Tuesday, the day a US military aircraft flew over the island that’s bound to further raise cross-Straits tensions following a series of US arms sales to the island, and a US warship transit through the Taiwan Straits. The US warplane’s rare flight over Taiwan showed the increasing collaboration between the US military and Taiwan secessionists, and the Chinese mainland’s fighter jet sorties and approaches sent them a powerful warning and demonstrated how much the PLA was determined and prepared for…

Linick was removed from his post by President Donald Trump in mid-May, claiming that he had lost complete confidence in him. The official was reportedly looking into possible misconduct by Trump administration officials, including Pompeo himself. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the former inspector general for the Department of State, Steve Linick, as a “bad actor” and argued that he shouldn’t have been allowed to keep his post for as long as he did. Pompeo’s remarks were preceded by Linick testifying before a Democrat-led Congressional probe in which he said that the Department of State had discouraged him from looking into…

The European Parliament may veto any trade deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union that lacks strong safeguards in the field of fair competition, environment and workers’ rights, The Guardian reported on Wednesday, citing a leaked draft resolution that is expected to be put to a vote on Friday. According to the newspaper, the document calls on the UK government to “revise its negotiation position”, noting that ensuring a level playing field — common standards on environment, workers’ rights and state subsidies for companies — is the key condition for Brussels to accept a trade deal. Although EU’s chief…

As George Floyd’s brother addressed the US House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, pleading to end “the pain” of injustice, the US President, who recently suggested that Floyd was “looking down” happy at the fallen unemployment rate in the country, took to Twitter with a concern of his own. Donald Trump tweeted yet again, this time to comment on the broadcast of the hearing at the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on racial inequality and policing. Mr. Trump lashed out against Fox News for taking the hearing off air “prior to important witness statements.” The Judiciary Committee was addressed by…

Last week, the OPEC+* group of nations led by Saudi Arabia and Russia tentatively agreed to extend oil production cuts for another month, in what was preceded by a climb in black gold prices. Wednesday saw a drop in oil prices amid a report by the American Petroleum Institute (API) which indicated an increase in crude and fuel inventories in the US. Earlier in the day, the benchmark Brent crude futures LCOc nosedived 57 cents, or 1.4%, to cost $40.61 a barrel after gaining almost 1% on Tuesday. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures, in turn, plummeted by 68 cents, or 1.8%, to…