Author: M Barbu

SDF Sells Syrian Oil to HTS Company in Idleb

The SDF signed an agreement with an HTS-affiliated company to supply it with oil, according to Athr Press.

Anonymous sources revealed to Athr Press that an oil supply agreement was signed between representatives of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the militants of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, al-Nusra Front and its allies). The latter are responsible for managing the Watad company, which is affiliated with the so-called Abu Muhammad al-Julani in Idleb. It distributes oil derivatives in the areas controlled by al-Nusra in the Idleb countryside.

Ministerial Meeting Soon to Discuss Syria Return to Arab League

The Secretary-General of the Arab League said a ministerial meeting would be held next month to discuss the return of Syria to the organization, al-Watan writes.

On Wednesday, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, announced that an Arab ministerial meeting will be held next month to discuss “the possibility of the return of Syria to the Arab League.” At the same time, King Abdullah II of Jordan emphasized his country’s keenness to support any effort to develop and institutionalize joint Arab action.

The Russians Are Coming: Are Beijing and Moscow at the Cusp of a Formal Alliance?

It should matter little to the Chinese that American diplomats and a handful of their western allies will not be attending the Beijing Winter Olympics in February. What truly matters is that the Russians are coming.

The above is not an arbitrary statement. It is supported with facts. According to a survey conducted by China’s Global Times newspaper, the majority of the Chinese people value their country’s relations with Russia more than that of the EU and certainly more than that of the United States. The newspaper reported that such a finding makes it “the first time in 15 years that China-US ties did not top the list of the important bilateral relations in the Global Times annual survey.”

Divine right of the Empire faces challenge as Putin talks about Russia-China partnership

Vladimir Putin has again made it clear: It’s a different time. The post-Cold War days are over. The Empire’s imperialist arbitrary acts are going to be increasingly difficult to carry on.

Putin penned an article for Xinhua, the state-run media of China. It appears ahead of his Beijing visit to join the Winter Olympic, an event of solidarity and friendship, of pursuit of human endeavor to defy limits.

China, to the Russian president, is Russia’s strategic partner – partner on the arena of global politics and global relations, in resolving global and regional issues, in the area of peace, security and trade.

Ukraine Crisis

The imminent war in one of the eastern European countries has seen the comeback of the cold war situation between Russia and the United States for the last few weeks. Both countries show no flexibility in their stand on Ukraine, which has been in the grip of severe cold, surrounded by arms and ammunition, and mostly, the uncertain future.

In comparison to US invasions in the Muslim countries, the approach of the West has been altogether different. There was fast and furious military action in the past without giving any heed to appeals for a peaceful resolution. Even, the concerns of the United Nations or the non-European international community were ignored. It was not only the war fought inside the Muslim countries, the leadership was eliminated and the whole population annihilated.

US sends another 3,000 troops to Eastern Europe

The United States announced Wednesday it is deploying another 3,000 troops to two East European NATO member states, further escalating the prospect of an all-out war on the continent. The nearly 2,000 paratroopers being sent to Poland will join a 4,000-man NATO force already there, while those dispatched to Romania will more than double the size of military personnel currently stationed in that Black Sea nation. Washington reiterated that it has another 8,500 soldiers on standby. In late January, it emerged that war planners had considered putting 50,000 boots on the ground in Eastern Europe.

The Houthis: Who are they and what do they want?

The Houthis – also known as Ansar Allah, who now control most of Yemen’s north, have launched repeated missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the course of Yemen’s civil war.

Houthi rebels in Yemen on Monday launched a ballistic missile at the United Arab Emirates. The missile was intercepted by the UAE military and no casualties were reported. It was the third Houthi attack on the UAE, a key member of the Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognized government, in less than two weeks, and follows a series of territorial defeats for the Houthis in its years-long battle to control the country. UAE’s Defense Ministry said Emirati forces responded by destroying the missile launch site in Yemen’s northern Al-Jawf region.

In Ukraine, Erdogan emphasizes agreements with Moscow

Striking a different tone from many of his Western counterparts, the Turkish president’s remarks in Kyiv reflect a position that factors in Moscow’s demands on the Ukraine standoff.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underscored the role of existing agreements for a “peaceful and diplomatic solution” in the Ukraine standoff during his visit to Kyiv, in a move that appears to be upholding demands by Moscow.

Turkish inflation hits two-decade high, inches toward 50%

With annual producer inflation reaching 93.5%, further price increases appear in store for Turkish consumers in February and March after consumer inflation sets a two-decade record in January.

Turkey’s consumer prices rose 11.1% in January, bringing annual inflation to 48.7%, the highest rate in two decades, data released Thursday by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) show.

ISIS Leader al-Qurayshi killed in US Special Forces Operation in Syria

US President Joe Biden confirms that US Special Operations forces under US Central Command have killed ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, during a counterterrorism mission in Idlib, northwest Syria. The terrorist, also known as Amir Muhammad Sa’id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla, took over the terrorist organization in 2019 after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in an operation conducted by the US Army’s Delta Force in Syria. He was said to have killed himself with a bomb when the US Forces were closing in on his house.