Author: Steven Sahiounie

The US branch of the Brazilian meat processor company JBS has paid $11 million worth of bitcoin to cyber-criminals who breached its computer systems and held them for ransom, its chief executive has revealed. “It was very painful to pay the criminals, but we did the right thing for our customers,” Andre Nogueira, the CEO of JBS USA Holdings Inc, told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. He added that the ransom payment was made after the majority of JBS plants had resumed operations. The ransomware attack on JBS delayed meat shipments to wholesale customers across the US for several days…

The United States reinstated crushing banking and energy sanctions against Tehran after unilaterally withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018. The Biden administration has publicly stated its intent to return to the agreement, but negotiations on the matter have yet to reach a breakthrough. The US Treasury Department removed three Iranian nationals from its sanctions blacklist on Friday, while stressing that their removal was not an indication of any change in overall US sanctions policy toward the Islamic Republic. A Treasury spokesperson also emphasised that the removals had nothing to do with the ongoing negotiations in Vienna between the US and…

Bagram Air Base, one of the largest military sites in Afghanistan, has been fully vacated by the US and other foreign troops, news agencies reported. The base was a crucial element of the NATO-led mission. Located 40km north of Kabul, Bagram was extensively used by NATO troops during the two-decade presence in the country. The various facilities of the small city-sized locality served to launch air surveillance and bombing missions. A major logistical hub, it provided medical services, hosted visiting US presidents and other senior officials, and was used to hold and interrogate people captured by the US and allies.…

Paul A. Nuttall is a historian, author and a former politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament between 2009 and 2019 and was a prominent campaigner for Brexit.Few in the UK will shed any tears at the imminent departure of German chancellor Angela Merkel, the ‘Queen of Europe’ who has taken a hard-line stance against the UK over the years – particularly since the Brexit vote. Merkel has been visiting Britain for the last time as Chancellor, meeting Prime Minister Boris Johnson at his country residence, Chequers. No doubt Johnson had a number of issues on the agenda, most particularly her…

Following multiple reports indicating that a full withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan was imminent, President Joe Biden said there is no immediate scheme for the remaining troops to leave, but insisted plans are “on track.” Major news outlets had reported earlier on Friday that troops leaving the Bagram Air Base, one of the largest military sites in Afghanistan, would be followed by a full withdrawal within days. However, Biden dismissed those reports while speaking to reporters at the White House. Asked if a full withdrawal was taking place in the next few days, the president said “no.” “We’re on track exactly as to…

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran does not have any information that would link the recent death of an American soldier in Qatar to the assassination of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, IRGC spokesman Ramadan Sharif told Sputnik on Thursday. The US Department of Defense reported Lt. Col. James Willis’ death late last week, saying it was due to a “non-combat related incident” at an air base in Qatar. While Iranian media alleged that the 55 year old was among those who killed Soleimani in early 2020, the Pentagon did not mention the airman’s role in the high-profile assassination.…

The Israeli military has long touted its cutting-edge air defences, with the Iron Dome, Arrow 3, Barak 8, and David’s Sling designed to protect the country from threats ranging from small rockets to long-range ballistic and cruise missiles. However, the ongoing firefight with Hamas in Gaza has shown that no air defence system is perfect. The technical limitations of the Iron Dome, combined with the improving range and speed characteristics of Hamas’ rockets, are making it increasingly difficult for Israel’s advanced air defences to counter the militant group’s attacks, Iranian defence journalist Seyed Mohammad Taheri suggests. “Several days have passed…

Israeli company Rafael, one of the leading arms manufacturers in the country, has unveiled a new Sea Breaker cruise missile in an animated video where it destroys a Soviet-made missile corvette. According to the developer, Sea Breaker is an “autonomous, precision-guided missile system, enabling significant attack performance against a variety of high-value maritime and land targets.” The missile is capable of destroying targets at a distance of up to 186 miles against strong electronic countermeasures, the manufacturer specified. An animated video on the Rafael website shows the destruction of a missile boat with the tail number 962. According to open…

Dmitry Rogozin, general director of the Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos, expressed the belief on Monday that the United States could hit Roscosmos with new sanctions before the end of this year. “The bans that I mentioned do not apply to launches that are carried out before 31 December 2022, which means the bans will be introduced on 1 January 2023. However, we have information that the package of the restrictions that are currently under consideration envisions the possibility of speeding up the introduction of these restrictions, which means they could be introduced this year,” Rogozin told Russia’s lower chamber…

On 23 June, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet together with border forces of the Federal Security Service (FSB) expelled the UK destroyer Defender which had entered into Russian territorial waters. The Russian forces had fired warning shots. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has warned that anyone who carries out provocations similar to the UK HMS Defender incident, that occurred on 23 June, would face dire consequences, according to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Ryabkov also told reporters that the security of Russia comes first, adding that the country can appeal to common sense and call on other countries to respect international…