Author: Steven Sahiounie

Despite the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied oil producers, known as OPEC+, agreeing to extend historic production cuts by one month, there could still be challenges ahead for the energy market. During their virtual meeting on Saturday, the 23 key global oil exporters decided to continue slashing their combined output by 9.7 million barrels per day (bpd) – roughly 10 percent of global production – through July instead of easing the curbs as planned. According to initial plan signed in April to boost crude prices, the restrictions were set to drop to 7.7 million bpd in…

app that delivers the latest headlines to you.RTLIVE searchMenu mobile facebooktwitteryoutubeinstagram HomeBusiness News Russia to buy $1.5 billion worth of pipes to develop Arctic projects & pump gas to China 7 Jun, 2020 14:39 FILE PHOTO © Gazprom Follow RT onRussia’s energy major Gazprom has announced a record tender to purchase almost 100 billion rubles worth of pipes ($1.5 billion) for its natural gas projects, including the Power of Siberia mega pipeline. Deliveries are expected to start this year and continue till the end of 2022, according to the data published on state trading platforms. They will be overseen by…

The Libyan National Army (LNA) announced on Saturday that their air defense forces shot down two Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) near the port-city of Sirte. According to the Libyan National Army’s official Facebook page, their forces shot down two Turkish drones that were aiding the Government of National Accord (GNA) forces in the Al-Washaka area, west of Sirte. For its part, the Military Information Division of the National Army pointed out that “the army thwarted the attempt by the Turkish-backed reconciliation forces and mercenaries to storm the city of Sirte, earlier in the day.” They said that “the army…

On Saturday, the Turkish-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) forces launched a big offensive to capture the port-city of Sirte and several towns nearby. Backed by Turkish drones, the GNA forces scored a quick advance to start off the offensive, as their troops reportedly captured several areas and entered the city of Sirte. However, hours later, the Libyan National Army (LNA) announced that they had managed to drive back the GNA forces, posting a video of their troops in control of the areas that were previously reported as lost. The LNA said their troops killed and wounded several members of…

The U.S. and its western allies are forming a new anti-China alliance to combat the Asian nation’s influence throughout the world. According to Sputnik, the new group, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, consists of eight countries from across the world, including three U.N. Security Council members. The report said the group will be comprised of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Germany, and the rest of the European Union. In a statement, the group said that it aims to, “construct appropriate and coordinated responses, and to help craft a proactive and strategic response on issues related…

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Sunday that the Tabas and Mersad systems have been able to destroy air targets with complete success. According to the Tasnim Agency, the air defense exercises between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard units and the army of the Islamic Republic of Iran continued, pointing out that the”surface-to-air missiles struck the enemy’s virtual targets and were completely destroyed.” The Revolutionary Guard’s mid-range TPS missile system also tested its readiness during the maneuvers by launching missiles towards targets, which destroyed the enemy’s virtual targets. Spokesman for the “Wilayat 97” maneuvers, Admiral Sayyid Mahmoud Mousavi, confirmed…

A U.S. Navy Poseidon P-8A anti-submarine warplane was spotted conducting reconnaissance flights near the Hmeimim Airbase near the Syrian coast. According to the Interfax Agency, the American plane took off from the Sigonella Airbase in Sicily, and flew towards the Syrian coast at an altitude of 6,000 meters and about 40 kilometers west of Hmeimim Airbase. The U.S. military aircraft later turned around and returned to the Sigonella Airbase in Sicily. It is noteworthy to mention that American anti-submarine planes are conducting periodic flights over the eastern Mediterranean waters, and are approaching the two Russian bases in Syria. The Russian…

On June 6, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) shelled militants’ positons in the southern part of the so-called Greater Idlib region. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the shelling targeted the towns of Hantoteen, al-Ruwaihah and Benin. The three towns are located in the eastern part of the al-Zawiya mount. “[The shelling] coincided with the flight of a Russian warplane and reconnaissance aircraft [drones] in the airspace of Idlib countryside,” the monitoring group said in a report. Several opposition activists confirmed that Russian warplanes and drones were unusually active over Greater Idlib today. Earlier this week,…

After 14 months and hundreds of lives lost, military commander of the ‘Libyan National Army’ (LNA) Khalifa Haftar’s attempt to seize Tripoli is over, for the moment at least. On June 5, forces of the ‘Government of National Accord’ (GNA) captured the city of Tarhuna, the LNA’s last major stronghold in western Libya, a day after the GNA announced that it had retaken the Greater Tripoli area in its entirety. General Khalifa Haftar’s military campaign to capture Tripoli, the seat of the GNA since early 2016, began in April of 2019. The military base at Tarhuna had served as a…

On June 7 afternoon, a suicide attack rocked the border city of al-Qamishli in the northern countryside of Syria’s al-Hasakah. According to the Hawar News Agency (ANHA), a suicide attacker wearing an explosive vest blew himself up in the district of Helkw, in al-Qamishli’s city center. The explosion reportedly took place near a checkpoint of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) security body, Asayish. Both the ANHA and the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) confirmed that the suicide attack didn’t result in any losses. Al-Qamishli city is jointly controlled by the SDF and Syrian government forces. Russian forces also maintain an…