Author: Steven Sahiounie

By Andrew Korybko The Port Of Discord Georgian banker Mamuka Khazaradze, the co-founder of the country’s largest universal bank and the man behind the Anaklia Port project, recently had a falling out with the government after being charged with money laundering and thus decided to form his own political party called “Lelo” in an attempt to unseat his opponents during next year’s parliamentary elections as revenge. This in and of itself wouldn’t be an event worthy of international attention had it not been for the fact that the US Embassy in Georgia signaled its support for him after the charges were made and reiterated that it…

by Tim Korso While only one country in the region possesses the cutting-edge Russian defence system, other regional actors have also expressed interest in it. Conflicting media reports suggest that one of Israel’s key rivals, Iran, might have also sought to obtain such systems. Pilots in modified Israeli F-35I “Adir” jets, participating in Blue Flag war games, have tested their skills to conduct operations in areas covered by modern air defence systems, such as Russia’s S-400s, which were delivered to Turkey this year. Due to the absence of actual S-400s, Israel and other participants in the war games from the US,…

Egypt is to reduce the prices of subsidized food staples from next month, the supply ministry spokesman said Saturday as the country’s economy shows signs of recovery. “Prices of cooking oil, sugar, rice and flour will be reduced starting the first of December,” said supply ministry spokesperson, Ahmed Kamal. He stressed that the measures aimed to make goods available “in suitable quantities and prices.”Last month, the government reinstated 1.8 million Egyptians to a food subsidy program, as instructed by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.Also in October, fuel prices were cut by 25 piastres (0.015 US cents) a liter following several rounds…

More than 615 members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group have surrendered to the government forces in Afghanistan in the past two weeks due to a ramp-up in the army’s anti-terror operations in the Asian country, the Afghan military says. According to a statement by Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry on Saturday, carried by the country’s Tolo News television channel, the total number of Daesh members who surrendered to Afghan government forces during the past two weeks had been “over 615.” It also attributed the recent mass surrenders to increased counter-terrorism operations by security forces against “terrorists”, particularly in the eastern Nangarhar…

Steven Sahiounie, political commentator Turkey and Russia began joint patrols in the northeast conflict zone in Syria beginning November 1.  The Russian military police, formed in 2012, is tasked with convoy protection, area security, restoring law and order, and resettlement operations. Russia recently sent about 300 more military police and more than 20 armored vehicles to Syria. Russia landed attack helicopters and troops at a sprawling air base at Qamisli in northeast Syria, recently vacated by US forces. Armed Russian military police flew into the Syrian airbase in northern Aleppo province near the border with Turkey and fanned out to…

A Palestinian journalist lost his eye after being hit by an Israeli rubber-coated bullet. Moath Amarneh was mutilated despite wearing a ‘Press’ vest while covering a protest in the West Bank’s Hebron governorate. The incident happened on Friday near the town of Surif in Hebron, where dozens of Palestinians were protesting against the latest confiscation of land for the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied territory. Amarneh, who was covering the protest, was rushed to a hospital in Hebron after sustaining the injury. But doctors could not save his left eye. Speculation immediately erupted over whether the working member…

Earlier this month, an explosion in Syria’s Tal Abyad, near the Turkish border, claimed the lives of 14 people, including seven civilians. 18 civilians were killed and 27 people were injured in a car bomb attack on Saturday in the Syrian city of al-Bab, 30 kilometres south of the Turkish border, according to Anadolu agency. The Turkish Defence Ministry earlier wrote on Twitter that 10 people were killed, while 15 people were wounded in the incident. According to the ministry, Kurdish militants are responsible for the attack. ​Earlier, a local source reported that thirteen civilians were killed and more than…

The Russian military police continued on Friday to patrol communities in the northern Syrian provinces, said Major General Yuri Borenkov, head of the Defence Ministry’s Reconciliation Centre in Syria. He cited four routes between towns in the Aleppo province and one route in the northeasternmost Hasakah region. Army aviation patrolled the route between the Kuweires and Metras airfields. The patrols are part of last month’s pact between Russia and Turkey that designated areas for Russian patrol missions outside of the Turkish-held “safe” border zone that Ankara wanted to be cleared of Kurdish fighters to move in refugees. On 9 October, Turkey launched…

Iran’s deputy defense minister says Iran is producing a laser air defense system and plans to increase the range and precision of its cruise missiles. “We have acquired laser air defense technology that can be used against small aircraft and quadcopter drones,” General Qassem Taqizadeh said on Saturday. The system has undergone testing and is now under production, he added. The deputy defense minister also said that new mapping and digital systems were being used to increase the range and precision of cruise missiles as part of a project that would see its testing stages concluded in the near future. Speaking about…

A senior aide to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the country is determined to go on with the purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense systems, despite threats of sanctions by the United States. Ibrahim Kalin made the remarks on Friday, two days after Erdogan and US President Donald Trump met in Washington and discussed differences between the two countries, including over Turkey’s purchase of the S-400s. Ankara and Washington have been at loggerheads over Turkey’s purchase of the Russian systems, which the US says are not compatible with the military hardware owned by the other countries of the Western…