Author: Steven Sahiounie

Following the onslaught of the coronavirus, Scandinavia’s largest airline has gone from 180 aircraft servicing 90 destinations to only “a very limited domestic network in Norway and Sweden”. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) said on Tuesday it would reduce its workforce by as many as 5,000 full-time positions, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on air traffic in the form of travel restrictions and cancelled fights. The dismissals will be distributed as follows: 1,900 full-time employees in Sweden, 1,300 in Norway and 1,700 in Denmark. “COVID-19 has forced SAS to face a new and unprecedented reality that will reverberate not…

Concerns that the United States would likely run out of space to store its oil caused the WTI benchmark to dip to subzero prices last week, for the first time since it was launched 37 years ago. US authorities are floating a range of measures to soften the negative effects of the coronavirus-induced energy industry glut, including a possibility of financial aid to oil companies in exchange for a share in their stock capital, as well as provision of state loans, the Washington Post reported. In particular, the administration is reportedly negotiating with experts to examine the possibility of additional duties on…

The number of confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the US armed forces, including family members, civilian staff and contractors, has exceeded 6,600 with a total of 27 deaths, the Department of Defence said on Thursday. According to the Defence Department’s updates COVID-19 fact sheet, the total number of cases has increased to 6,648 of which 276 are hospitalized and 2,107 have recovered. The Defense Department fact sheet revealed that the death toll from complications due to the COVID-19 infection is 27. The United States has confirmed 988,469 CVID-19 cases, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.

Moscow calls on all parties to the conflict in Libya to immediately cease hostilities and resume dialogue under the auspices of the UN, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. She commented on statements by Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA) and Aguila Saleh, the speaker of the eastern-based Libyan parliament, which supports the LNA. On Friday, Saleh put forward a road map for the Libyan political settlement, proposing to form the presidential council and a commission in charge of drafting the constitution. Saleh also called for a cessation of hostilities in connection with the onset…

Rumours about the North Korean leader being in a coma or even passing away emerged last Saturday, but one thing is certain: it’s actually not the first time that 36-year-old Kim Jong-un has “died,” with the main intrigue being not the trustworthiness of the claims, but how things would play out should it really be the case. On 11 April it first emerged that Kim Jong-un had dropped out of sight, with the South Korean media outlet Daily NK reporting that the politician had undergone heart surgery purportedly due to his obesity, stress and excessive smoking. The starting point of…

The Russian president has called for enhanced self-discipline in the run-up to the May holidays in the country, which are traditionally observed on 1-2 May and 9 May, the Victory Day, so as to halt as quickly as possible the spread of the novel virus. Addressing a meeting on the coronavirus response, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that the country is entering a difficult stage of the pandemic, urging that self-isolation measures should be extended until at least 11 May. He called for maximum self-discipline and concentration at this tumultuous time, arguing that the citizens “must work to succeed…

Ambulances and fire brigades are working on the scene of the explosion, local media reported. At least 40 civilians, 11 children among them, were killed and 47 injured when a fuel truck exploded in the Syrian city of Afrin, the Turkish Defence Ministry said. Earlier, a local source said that 23 people were killed and 26 injured in an explosion in central Afrin. The source added that local hospitals were calling on its residents to donate blood. A video and photos of the aftermath of the alleged explosion were shared online. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR),…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator US President Trump ordered a surprise withdrawal of US troops from Syria in October 2019; however, he bent to pressure from aides and Pentagon officials and soon reversed his decision. He then ordered about 500 US soldiers to occupy the Syrian oil fields to steal the oil, regardless of the violation of international law, or the reflection of state-sanctioned crime on the image of America.  As the US armored vehicles left Qamishli in October, the locals threw rocks and rotten vegetables at them. The US had ditched its local allies, in favor of oil…

Saudi Arabia may have to borrow as much as $58 billion this year to cover a budget shortfall caused by the oil price slump, Bloomberg reports, citing Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan. Al-Jadaan told media this week that the Kingdom might issue bonds worth $26.57 billion (100 billion riyals) this year in addition to an earlier issue of $31.88 billion (120 billion riyals) worth of debt. Saudi Aramco, for its part, is considering a $10 billion sale in part of its pipeline business, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. “The kingdom went through similar crises in its history – maybe even worse – and was…

Brazilian aircraft company Embraer has threatened to seek damages from US aerospace giant Boeing, after the latter “wrongfully terminated” a $4.2 billion merger deal. In a statement issued on Saturday, the Brazil-based jet manufacturer accused its American counterpart of using “false claims” to pull out of the deal, which would give Boeing an 80-percent stake in Embraer’s commercial jet unit. Embraer says Boeing wanted to avoid its commitments to close the transaction and pay the agreed purchase price as the US company faces financial troubles linked to the 737 MAX fiasco Embraer will pursue all remedies against Boeing for the damages incurred…