Author: Steven Sahiounie

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the Turkish ambassador to Baghdad to protest Ankara’s latest deadly aerial raid on a refugee camp in the Arab country’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. The ministry said in a statement on Thursday that Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali al-Hakim called in the envoy and handed him a letter of protest over “Turkish violations of Iraqi sovereignty”. The ministry spokesman, Ahmed al-Sahaf, also said that the Turkish airstrike was unacceptable and violated its sovereignty and the security of its citizens. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns in the strongest possible terms the attack carried out by the Turkish side, which resulted in loss of life and…

Russian Ambassador to Damascus Aleksandr Yefimov has called for the lifting of sanctions against Syria, stressing that the restrictive measures obstruct the war-ravaged Arab country’s fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic. “Even though the national health care system has been severely affected as a result of the war and unjust Western sanctions, Syria has successfully mobilized all its potentials and resources to fight COVID-19,” Yefimov said in an exclusive interview with the Arabic service of Russia’s Sputnik news agency. He noted that Syrian authorities quickly took preventive medical and administrative measures after the new coronavirus hit the country, and praised the sustained efforts by the Damascus…

The French navy has opened a probe into an outbreak of the new coronavirus abroad its flagship aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle, the Defence Ministry has said. “The navy’s chief of staff [Christophe Prazuck] has ordered an investigation into the command to establish how the epidemic was managed within the strike group”, the ministry said in a communique published Wednesday. A third of 1,767 sailors serving with the carrier’s strike group have tested positive for the virus. The ship had been away on a mission since 21 January and had no contact with the outside world after making a brief…

Britain’s leading arms manufacturer is found to have sold above £15 billion ($18.9) worth of arms to Saudi Arabia since the kingdom started a brutal war against Yemen, the Arab world’s most impoverished nation. The Guardian carried a news article on Tuesday, citing data obtained from the BAE (British Aerospace) Systems’ most recent annual report that has also been newly analyzed by Britain’s Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT). The sum includes £2.5 billion in revenues that the company received from Saudi arms sales in 2019. The sales came despite a ruling by Britain’s Court of Appeal in June last…

Iraq’s Prime Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi has expressed his resolve to bring an end to any illegal presence of foreign boots on the ground in the Arab country, saying Baghdad will soon hold talks with Washington in this regard. Speaking to Baghdad Today news website on Wednesday, Kadhimi said that he was “serious” about ending any manifestation of the illegal presence of foreign forces in Iraq. He also noted that Baghdad would, in the near future, discuss with Washington the nature of its presence on Iraqi soil. Iraq should not be used as a field to settle scores, he stressed, adding…

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.…