Author: Steven Sahiounie

The Yemeni minister of oil and minerals has called upon the United Nations to pressure the Saudi-led coalition involved in a campaign against his country into allowing the offloading of crude oil from a tanker afloat off the coast of Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Yemen’s official Saba news agency on Sunday, Ahmed Daress said Safer tanker, loaded with nearly 1.1 million barrels of oil, has turned into a time bomb that threatens the marine environment. He noted that the Saudi-led alliance is adamantly preventing the unloading of the consignment or maintenance work. “Despite attempts by…

Late in April, Standard & Poor’s downgraded the debt collection company Intrum AB from BB+ to BB, warning that the rating may be cut even further as the COVID-19 crisis shows no sign of ceasing. The Stockholm-based consumer debt collection company Intrum AB has unnerved investors after it spent cash on a share buyback, amid the industry’s efforts to adapt to national coronavirus lockdowns across much of Europe, Bloomberg reported on Sunday. The news outlet quoted Lucror Analytics experts as saying earlier this week that one of Europe’s biggest debt collectors, Intrum AB repurchased stock worth 490 million kronor ($50 million) in the…

Russia recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in WWII, in which the country participated as a part of the Soviet Union. The USSR, which was suddenly attacked by Germany in 1941 lost 27 million people in the fight against fascism. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview with the broadcaster Rossiya 1, has assured that the nation is “absolutely reliably defended” against any possible invasions from abroad or attempts to disrupt its territorial integrity. The president gave the interview on 12 September 2019, but it was aired only now. At the time, he was visiting Russia’s Republic…

Last month, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that Tehran had successfully launched its Noor (Light) satellite into orbit 425 kilometres above the Earth’s surface via a two-stage carrier. Iran recently launching a satellite into outer space indicates a major “intelligence defeat and scandal” for the Islamic Republic’s foes, including the US, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri was cited by the Tasnim news agency as sayintg during a military gathering in Tehran on Saturday. He touted the satellite launch as something that might be followed by a shift in the balance of power…

The eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) downed two Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles as they attempted to attack its al-Watiya military airbase in the southeastern part of Tripoli, Al Arabiya broadcaster reported on 8 May. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has stated that Ankara will deem military commander Khalifa Haftar’s forces “legitimate targets” if attacks against its interests and diplomatic missions continue. “In Libya, illegal groups linked to Haftar have intensified attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in recent days, especially in Tripoli. On 9 May alone, they launched more than 100 rockets and actively shelled residential areas in central Tripoli”, the…

The Iraqi Military Intelligence and their airborne forces carried out a military operation in the desert of the Al-Anbar Governorate on Friday. In a statement, the Iraqi Military Intelligence stated: “With a qualitative operation carried out through a joint airborne force consisting of the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Regiment in the leadership of the First Division and a force from a Commando Regiment, terrorist dens were attacked in the areas of ​​Al-Husayniyat and Dagdaghah, northeast of the Rutbah District of the Al-Anbar Province.” The statement added: “One of our fighters was able to kill a suicide bomber before detonating himself on…

The Syrian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that the European Union countries did not grant permission to Syrian aircraft to land at their airports to return the Syrians to their countries. The semi-official Al-Watan newspaper quoted Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Ayman Sousan as saying that the ministry had taken measures to return Syrians from European Union countries, but that the latter had not been granted permits due to “inhuman and illegal” sanctions. Sousan said that the union states, with these unjust measures, did not leave any choice for the Syrian citizens, except to go to one of…

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) began a military operation in the Daraa Governorate on Friday that targets two towns where several militants are holed up and refusing to surrender. Led by Division 15 (special forces), the Syrian Arab Army kicked off their operation on Friday by storming the town of Mazrib in an effort to arrest the militants that killed nine soldiers earlier this week. According to the latest field report from the Daraa Governorate, the Syrian Army’s operation has resulted in the death of more than ten militants and the arrest of a few others. The report said the…

Syrian Arab Army (SAA) captured at least two militants near the city of Saraqib in the southeastern Idlib countryside. Opposition sources said the militants, both are field commanders in the Turkish-backed Ahrar Army, fell in an ambush set by the SAA after getting lost on a road leading to Saraqib. The army targeted the militants’ van with machine guns and managed to capture them alive. The captured commanders were identified by activists as Safuan Kulish and Hassan al-Shamat, both from the town of Salqin. The two commanders were reportedly on their way to a military position in the southern Idlib…

U.S. forces have established a new base in the eastern Syrian governorate of Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on May 8. According to the UK-based monitoring group, the new base was established near the town of al-Jazarat in the northern Deir Ezzor countryside. U.S. forces shipped loads of supplies to the new base over the last few days. “More than 300 [supply] trucks entered Syria’s territory in the last few days and headed to the al-Omar oil fields in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, later a large number of these trucks headed to al-Jazarat,” the…