Author: Steven Sahiounie

US President Donald Trump’s move to freeze America’s funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) — the body leading the global fight against the new coronavirus pandemic — has drawn global censure. China, where the virus first emerged, said on Wednesday that the US had to fulfill its obligations to the WHO at a time when some two million people were ill with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian also said at a regular press briefing that the US’s refusal to contribute funding came at a critical stage and would affect all…

Turkey is ready to purchase Patriot surface-to-air missile systems and other similar systems from its NATO allies, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday during an online seminar organized by the Washington-based Atlantic Council. “Turkey’s decision to purchase the S-400 system is a result of US reluctance to meet our urgent needs for many years, for 10 years. And this is also acknowledged by [US] President [Donald] Trump,” TASS quoted the Turkish top diplomat as saying. “We are ready to purchase [US-made] Patriot systems if we have a good offer. And our stance on the resolution of the S-400…

The Egyptian Armed Forces announced that their new S43 submarine has left Germany and is currently on its way to the Arab Republic of Egypt in preparation for joining the Egyptian Navy. The official page of the military spokesperson for the Egyptian Armed Forces said: “The S43 submarine left Germany after completing its receipt and completing the final preparations for its crew and carrying out the journey back to the homeland.” BREAKING NEWS Syria faces critical shortage of ventilators amid coronavirus crisis: report Israeli and Lebanese armies nearly come to blows at border: report Disgruntled jihadists threaten to behead Turkish…

The Egyptian Ministry of Interior revealed in a statement that a terrorist cell was eliminated on Tuesday after the military learned of a plan to launch attacks in conjunction with the Eastern holiday According to the Egyptian Interior Ministry’s statement, “Information was received by the National Security Sector about the existence of a terrorist cell whose elements embrace the Takfiri concepts of using several shelters in east and south Cairo as a starting point for carrying out terrorist operations in conjunction with the holidays of the Christian community. The statement said, “The elements of that cell were monitored and dealt…

On Tuesday North Korea fired multiple suspected cruise missiles from both the ground and air off the country’s east coast, South Korea’s military said. The missiles flew for over 93 miles (150km) at a low altitude according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, coming days after Kim Jong Un’s visit to an airbase to observe defense drills involving attack aircraft over the weekend. The timing of the missile tests also comes on the eve of the celebration of the country’s late founder, Kim Il Sung – the current leader’s grandfather. The Associated Press described it as “a major show of force” on the occasion of the national holiday.…

the Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) released its information bulleting, in which it claims that since January 17th the country has lost $4 billion from blocked oil exports. The blockade is attributed to Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) which has repeatedly rebuked claims saying that the citizens themselves decided to block it, in order to pressure the Government of National Accord into surrendering Tripoli. Total oil production inside Libya is down to 80,510 barrels per day, as of April 13th, 2020. Before the blockade it produced up to 1,2 million barrels per day, so it is a massive reduction. On…

The US-led coalition is compensating the public damage caused by the surrender of its proxies in al-Tanf to the Syrian Army by posting photos of F-35 jets over northeastern Syria. At least, now taxpayers know that they can fly.

German anti-terrorism police have arrested four Tajik nationals suspected of plotting terrorist attacks against American military bases in Germany. The members of an alleged Islamic State cell were picked up in dawn raids at various locations in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The men, all citizens of Tajikistan, were identified only by their first names: Azizjon B., Muhammadali G., Farhodshoh K. and Sunatullokh K. The group’s alleged leader, a 30-year-old Tajik man identified only as Ravsan B., has been in prison for the past 12 months on firearms charges. German federal prosecutors allege that the men swore allegiance to…

More than two million people have contracted Covid-19 globally since the lethal outbreak began last December, passing another dark milestone as the World Health Organization is pulled into a war of words between the US and China. The worldwide coronavirus case count now stands at over two million, the latest figures from AFP showed on Wednesday. More than half of this number relates to outbreaks in European nations, but globally the worst-hit country is the United States, with almost 610,000 identified Covid-19 patients. The US death toll stands at over 26,000 or over 28,300, depending on whether revised numbers that…

Even after members of OPEC+ and other oil-producing countries signed an agreement to cut global crude output, black gold prices have continued to fall, with Brent blend losing almost 7% since the deal was inked. Riyadh might resort to selling international bonds in the near future, as its government coffers remain unfilled due to oil prices continuing their fall after the signing of a new OPEC+ deal, Reuters reported, citing several anonymous banking sources. The sources noted that Saudi Arabia will be monitoring the oil markets’ reaction to the new output cuts before making a decision on borrowing money. “It’s the logical…