Author: Steven Sahiounie

The Russian military police and the Turkish border service have started their fourth joint patrol in a new area in Syria’s north, at the border with Turkey, and the route will make around 80 kilometers (49 miles), the Russian Defence Ministry said on Monday. “The fourth joint patrol of the Russian military police and the Turkish border service started on November 11 its operation in a new border region, located 70 kilometers to the west of the Qamishliya settlement,” the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement. The patrol will first head westward and then eastward along the border, and…

Works on the second stage of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant (NPP) officially kicked off in the country as concrete was poured for a new reactor base on Sunday. “Nuclear power provides reliable electricity…and each power plant saves us 11 million barrels of oil or $660 million per year,” said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. “In a long term vision until 2027-2028, when these projects are finished, we will have 3,000 MW [megawatts] of nuclear plant-generated electricity,” he added. The new reactor is one of two officially under construction since 2017 and is located about 750…

The United States has “hijacked” the anti-government protests in Iraq to destabilize the country for defying Washington’s demands, an American scholar says. “The United States occupying Iraq was one of the greatest war crimes of the past century and the occupiers are now calling for immediate new elections,” said Kevin Barrett, an author, journalist and radio host with a Ph.D. in Islamic and Arabic Studies. “When the occupier says it’s time for the current government to step down on the basis of these protests, that’s a sign that the protest has been hijacked and weaponized by the occupation,” Barrett told…

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has reiterated that attempts made by the United States to control Syria’s oil fields are “illegal” and amount to “robbery,” stressing that such attempts only hinder a desperately-needed political settlement there. The Russian top diplomat made the remarks during a press conference with his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in the capital Yerevan on Monday. He said Syria’s oil fields and facilities totally belong to the Arab nation. “Of course, its attempt to put oil fields there under control is illegal. In fact, it’s tantamount to robbery,” Russia’s TASS news agency quoted Lavrov as saying, referring to what Washington “has…

At least seven Syrian civilians have been killed and 70 others wounded as a result of multiple bomb attacks in the northeastern province of Hasakah. The causalities took place on Monday when three explosives-laden cars went off almost consecutively in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli, with two of them having been detonated in a street and the third near a hotel in the city center, according to AFP. The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the report and said the attacks also caused damage to public and private properties including shops and cars. Photos from the scene showed charred cars and…

By Elijah J. Magnier The United States of America, Israel and Saudi Arabia are fed up with Iran and its allies in the Middle East. But despite waging war against Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon, by inviting the Iraqi government to dilute al-Hashd al-Shaabi, by attempting to submit Gaza and to curb the Houthis in Yemen, it was not possible to break the strong alliances of Iran spread throughout the Middle East. Moreover, through democratic elections, Iran’s allies in Lebanon and Iraq managed to be part of the Parliament and have ministers in the cabinets of their respective countries. Also, in…

By Andrea Germanos Pentagon officials asserted Thursday U.S. military authority over Syrian oil fields because U.S. forces are acting under the goal of “protecting Americans from terrorist activity” and would be within their rights to shoot a representative of the Syrian government who attempted to retake control over that country’s national resource. The comments came from Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman and Navy Rear Admiral William D. Byrne Jr. during a press briefing in which the two men were asked repeatedly about the legal basis the U.S. is claiming to control Syrian oil fields. The briefing came less than two weeks after Defense Secretary Mark Esper said, “That’s our mission,…

By Paul Antonopolous The founder of the White Helmets organization is found dead in Istanbul, media says. James Le Mesurier, founder of the Mayday Rescue group, was found dead early on Monday near his home in central Istanbul’s Beyoglu district, his neighbour and a diplomat said on Monday. The diplomat said the circumstances around his death were unclear. Le Mesurier, the former MI6 officer, created the controversial ‘Urban Search and Rescue’ organization in 2014. The White Helmets have been repeatedly accused of staging fake attacks in the Syria in a bid to prompt a Western-backed military intervention in the wartorn…

Masked vandals targeted Hong Kong shopping malls and MTR light rail stations at several locations around the city during the 24th consecutive weekend of violent anti-government protests. The Sha Tin station and the nearby New Town Plaza mall were closed due to the unrest. Hong Kong police used tear gas in a confrontation with protesters in the Tsuen Wan district. In Tuen Mun, protesters erected several roadblocks and set at least one of them on fire. The violence in the Chinese city follows a relatively peaceful Saturday.

By Steve Brown The largest reserve gold traders on the planet are the six bullion banks. A bullion bank is a large multi-national bank authorized to serve as a conduit through which Central Banks – and the Fed primary dealers – loan their gold out into the market. All central banks lease gold, to maintain their balance sheet and to provide sovereign collateral when a currency swap or paper trade won’t work. It’s called the gold carry trade. There are currently six clearing banks on the LBMA handling gold lease transactions: Barclays, Scotia, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, JPM, and UBS all of which are…