Reporting on war is rearely objective:
Here, an injured child receives frontpage coverage, a name, age, and a photo to accompany the story.
Other children, though, no names, no faces, no stories--just a number: 15.
The European Union said on Monday it had submitted a "final" text after four days of indirect talks between US and Iranian officials in Vienna.
A senior EU official said no further changes could be made to the text, which has been under negotiation for 15 months. He said he expected a final decision from both parties within "very, very, very few weeks."
The news agency quoted the Iranian diplomat, who was not identified, as saying that Tehran is reviewing the proposal, adding, "The proposals of the European Union can be acceptable if they provide Iran with reassurance regarding protection (measures), sanctions and guarantees."
The Islamic Republic has sought guarantees that no future US president would withdraw from the deal if it was revived, as former President Donald Trump did in 2018 and reimposed US sanctions on Iran.
However, President Joe Biden cannot make such strong assurances, because the agreement is a political understanding rather than a legally binding treaty.
Washington has said it is ready to quickly reach an agreement to revive the nuclear deal, based on European Union proposals.
Iranian officials said they would pass on their "other views and opinions" to the European Union, which is coordinating the talks, after holding consultations in Tehran.
Assistant for Political Affairs in the Office of the Presidency of the Iranian Republic, Mohammad Beheshti, commented on the recent Western media leaks on issues related to the safeguards system in the nuclear agreement, saying that these leaks show which party is suffering from pressure and needs a quick agreement.
Jamshidi said that he did not want to comment on the content or authenticity of the text published in the media on issues related to the safeguards system at the IAEA, but these coordinated media leaks show which party is under pressure and needs an immediate agreement, and that the study of the issue is continuing.
It is noteworthy that some media outlets, as well as some social media, have published news on issues related to the safeguards system and the proposed text of the agreement between Iran and international powers on the nuclear deal.
The Wall Street Journal had claimed that it had seen the text and added that the European proposal included making major concessions to Iran aimed at ending the IAEA investigation.
The Wall Street Journal claimed on Thursday that the European Union had proposed making major concessions to Iran in order to revive the nuclear deal.
According to the newspaper, the proposal submitted by the European Union indicates that Iran is expected to answer the International Atomic Energy Agency's questions "with a view to clarifying them," and adds that if Tehran cooperates, the other parties in the talks will urge the agency to close the investigation.
An EU spokesman has previously stated that the text submitted after recent talks in Vienna is in keeping with the usual confidentiality in such diplomatic processes, he said.
The Russian Embassy in Cairo criticized Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid's calls to bomb the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, noting that he adopted allegations related to the "Bucha massacre committed by Ukrainian Nazis."
The Russian Embassy in Egypt published a message on its Twitter account, accusing Lapid of double standards, comparing Lapid’s attempts, last April, to blame and blame Russia for the Bucha massacre, and his calls this August for “bombing and strikes on Palestinian Territories in the Gaza Strip.
And the Russian diplomatic mission asked: "Isn't that double standards, complete disregard and contempt for Palestinian lives?!"
Last April, the Russian presidency rejected any accusations of involvement in the killing of people in the Ukrainian Bucha, and called for an investigation into this "at the highest possible level." The Russian Defense Ministry also considered that the photos and videos in the Ukrainian city of Bucha were specially prepared for Western media, Considering that these actions "are nothing but a new provocation."
The Russian Defense confirmed that the residents of the Ukrainian city of Bucha "were allowed to leave it in the north direction during the control of the Russian forces over it, and none of the local residents was harmed by any violence during the period of the Russian armed forces' control of this city."
Relations between "Israel" and Russia have been tense in recent months. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador to Russia, Alex Ben-Zvi, against the background of a statement by Yair Lapid, last April, in which he condemned Russia's actions in Ukraine, describing them as "war crimes."
The war in Ukraine has unmasked the double standard and racism of Western nations in irrefutable ways. Nonetheless, the dehumanization of people who are not part of Western societies continues.
For example, on BBC’s Newshour program, Monday August 8, when pressed about the killing of Palestinian children, an Israeli ambassador claimed that the children were killed by Palestinian fighters because Palestinians “don’t care about children”. The false claims created and promoted by Israeli officials have been widely documented.
Turkish media revealed that President Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, may hold a phone call, during the coming period, at the suggestion of Putin.
And the newspaper "Turkey" published a report, in which it was based on private sources, that Erdogan, who recently visited Sochi, Russia, exchanged views on Syria with President Putin, and the Russian President suggested that he meet Assad and Erdogan, in order to solve the problem of terrorism in Syria.
But Ankara made it clear that it is "too early" for a meeting between the two presidents, while a phone call is still possible.
The newspaper pointed out that there are diplomatic contacts from a Gulf country and an African one with Syria and Turkey, in order to arrange a meeting between Presidents Assad and Erdogan.
During their bilateral summit in Sochi, Putin and Erdogan confirmed their support for preserving the unity of Syria.
During this meeting in Sochi, Putin was accompanied by the president of the Chechen Republic, R. Kadyrov, who might be called upon to nudge Turkey further in the direction of Russia.
Erdogan announced, earlier, that his country intends to launch a military operation inside Syrian territory to combat “terrorism” and establish what he described as a “safe zone,” noting that his country “will not ask permission before launching a military operation in Syria.”
While Ankara says that its military presence in Syria aims to prevent the threat from the Kurdish factions, Damascus considers the Turkish military presence in the country an occupation and a threat to regional and international peace.
In a letter sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to both United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council, Syria protested Turkey's intention to launch a military operation inside its territory.
Last May, an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates confirmed that "Syria's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity will not be the object of blackmail or bargaining by the Turkish regime."
Reacting to the latest media report about possible talks between the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is Syrian sources, off the record, rejected the the idea of such event happening, characterizing it as "totally incorrect."
...
The American "Newsweek" magazine said today, Tuesday, that the Turkish company "Baykar", which produces the "Bayraktar" unmanned combat aircraft, is currently building a factory on Ukrainian soil.
The magazine quoted Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, as saying that the Turkish company had already purchased a plot of land in Ukraine and developed the station project. Bodnar added that "Baykar" intends to build the plant in fulfillment of the personal commitment of the company's owners to make this production in Ukraine.
The magazine pointed out that the Bayraktar TB2 drones were considered one of the most valuable weapons for Ukraine in the first months of the war, especially before the arrival of the American "HIMARS" missiles.
She noted that Ukraine had more than 20 unmanned aircraft produced by the "Baykar" company when the war began, and acquired them during the past two years.
Because Kyiv currently has a limited supply of these planes, and given that Russia has learned a lesson from weakness during the first phase of the war, it is unlikely that Ukrainian forces would risk losing their TB2s from unmanned aerial vehicles, by pushing them forward in areas where Russian air defenses could easily fall."
She added that "a TP2 aircraft factory can fundamentally change the situation in Ukraine," noting that the time required for the construction of the factory is still unclear.
...
Editors' Note: This story was updated to include the Syrian government's rection to the news about the phone call between the two presidents.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Israel, Yevgeny Kornichuk, expressed his “great” sympathy with the Israelis, which a prominent Saudi prince considered “hypocrisy.”
In a tweet published by the Ukrainian embassy in Israel, Cornicheuk said: “As a Ukrainian whose country is under a long-term brutal attack by its closest neighbor, I feel great sympathy for the Israeli people.”
Cornichuk added, “Terrorism and attacks against civilians have become a daily routine for Israelis and Ukrainians. We have to put an end to this. We pray for peace and hope for an end to the escalation soon,” before the shooting stops between Israel and the “Islamic Jihad.”
It is a good sign that even the Saudi ruling family is moved by the plight of vulnerable peoples and outraged by the disproportionate use of force. But it is not clear if the Saudi ruling family would have the same sympathy and concern for civilians living in Yemen, a country that has been under Saudi armed attack, sanctions, and isolation killing thousands of children and pushing poverty in that country to record levels.
A day after Pelosi's trip, on Thursday, the influential GCC state, UAE, reiterated its support for China's "sovereignty" over Taiwan and condemned "provocative visits" after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi landed on the island earlier this week.
"The UAE affirmed its support for China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the importance of respecting the 'One China' principle... the UAE indicated its concern over the impact of any provocative visits on stability and international peace," the Emirati foreign ministry said in a statement.
Pelosi landed in Taiwan as part of a wider Indo-Pacific tour on Tuesday - enraging China, which regards Taiwan as a breakaway province.
The UAE is a key US ally in the Middle East, but also has burgeoning ties with China. It has previously expressed strong support for China's sovereignty over Taiwan.
A Sky News investigation found earlier this year that the UAE was providing China with "black sites" to detain and forcibly disappear Uighur activists.
Abu Dhabi and Washington have taken differing stances on some key global issues, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine - with the UAE failing to follow the US in condemning Moscow for its actions.
The US reportedly intervened last year in Beijing's construction of a Chinese military base in the UAE.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Aug. 5 that he discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the steps to be taken against terrorist organizations in Syria and agreed to take necessary steps to protect Syria’s territorial integrity.
Erdoğan has also confirmed that Türkiye will start paying for some of its Russian natural gas imports in rubles.
"As Türkiye, our door is open to everyone. One good thing about this Sochi visit is that we agreed on the ruble with Mr. Putin," Erdoğan said.
"Since we will conduct this trade in rubles, it will of course bring money to Türkiye and Russia."
Neither Erdoğan nor Russian officials have said what portion of the gas will be covered by ruble payments.
Putin and Erdoğan on Aug. 5 adopted a statement pledging to boost political and economic cooperation including in energy and trade.
At the start of the talks Putin also praised the TurkStream natural gas pipeline project, saying Europe should be grateful to Türkiye for uninterrupted supplies of Russian gas.
"I believe that (today’s meeting) will open a whole different page in Turkish-Russian relations," Erdoğan said.
Putin and Erdoğan last met for a three-way summit in Iran in July.
Read original story.
"Gas supplies to Turkey were discussed, which is supplied in fairly large quantities: 26 billion cubic meters annually. During the negotiations, the two presidents agreed that part of the gas supplies would be paid for in rubles," Novak said.
"We are talking about a gradual transition to national currencies, and in the first stage, part of the supplies will be paid in Russian rubles," he added.
Earlier in the day, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced the end of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the Russian city of Sochi, after they lasted for four hours. Putin and Erdogan discussed several files, most notably the files of Syria, Libya, Ukraine and energy.
It is worth mentioning here that the Russian President issued his instructions to transfer all payments for gas supplies to Europe into the national currency, stressing that "it makes no sense to supply Russian goods to the European Union or the United States of America and to receive payments in euros and dollars."
During the face-to-face talks between Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, I personally met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and head of the Turkish national intelligence organization Hakan Fidan. We had an informal rich and productive conversation, during which we came to a common opinion on the need to establish close cooperation between Turkey and the Chechen Republic on various issues.Historically, our peoples are connected by a lot, especially since a fairly large number of ethnic Chechens currently live in Turkey. Mevlut Cavusoglu expressed hope that this informal meeting would be the beginning of further development of relations and establishing contacts. I agreed with the Turkish Foreign Minister and also noted that both sides would benefit from joint undertakings.At the end of the meeting, the distinguished guests invited me to visit Turkey, during which we could discuss a wide range of cooperation issues, including economic ones. Of course, I accepted the invitation.
Action is the most powerful language, said the Chinese Defense Ministry on Thursday as its spokesperson stressed the sensitivity of the Taiwan question again after China issued six warnings against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's potential visit to Taiwan island over the past few days.
The frequency of Chinese warnings and the remarks different departments use fully demonstrate China's determination to take any necessary military measures to counter US provocations and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, analysts said.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) will not tolerate any "Taiwan independence" moves or interference from external forces, and will resolutely stop such attempts, Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Defense Ministry, said at Thursday's press briefing.
The root cause of a turbulent Taiwan Straits is the collusion between "Taiwan independence" forces and external interfering forces, Wu said, urging relevant parties to learn to adapt to the new reality (PLA operations near the Straits), to reflect on their own deeds and "most importantly, to pull back from the brink."
Though Wu was responding to a question about PLA operations on the Taiwan Straits, analysts interpreted Wu's words as another stern warning against the US government and some US politicians who are pushing Pelosi's possible visit to Taiwan island. [Read GT story here].
China main English language media also added its view warning of serious consequences in an editorial titled, US better clear the ‘mine’ of Pelosi’s Taiwan trip beforehand: Global Times editorial.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has laid a mine where China-US relations and the situation around the Taiwan Straits converge. She lit the match, but it remains uncertain whether she will truly ignite the mine. According to the itinerary of Pelosi's Asia trip as reported by US media, her trip includes Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, and the island of Taiwan was listed as "tentative." Many believe this is a trick by Pelosi, who is very likely to fly to Taiwan island from Japan and make a sudden visit.
This kind of sneaky trick is indeed difficult to predict, but one thing is certain: China will take strong measures to resolutely respond and counteract, and it will let the huge risk created by Pelosi have an impact on herself. This is not only a firm and clear attitude, but will certainly be accompanied by a strong and concrete course of action plan.
China's response has been clear, as always. "Those who play with fire will perish by it." This was said to Pelosi and the Taiwan secessionist forces that support her. A White House official called it a metaphor that China regularly tends to use. He completely misread and misjudged the essence and weight of this sentence. Any act of stepping on the red line will surely hit the iron wall of China's counterattack. China's repeated public warnings are by no means jokes. Washington should turn to history to see that China has always kept its word.
No matter from the perspective of international law or international morality, it is legitimate and necessary for China to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity from provocation. Today, China's will and ability in this regard is without doubt. US President Joe Biden has reiterated that he adheres to the one-China policy and does not support "Taiwan independence." What kind of behavior is a visit to Taiwan island by Washington's "No.3 figure"? If you come to offend me, I will make you bear the consequences. This is not China threatening or intimidating anyone, but safeguarding and defending its own core interests. [read the editorial here].
In Sunday, Chinese intelligence said it has information that US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan on August 4 and meet with Taiwan's president in the capital, Taipei.
This Chinese announcement comes after a statement issued by Pelosi about her Asian tour that includes Asian countries, from which her visit to Taiwan was dropped.
China had warned America against Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, and said that the completion of the visit means a violation of its national sovereignty, and requires a firm response. Chinese government media said that it may reach a military response in response to the American insistence on this provocative visit.
Meanwhile, Chinese national media outlets appear to be preparing for war, replaying videos like this one:
And the official added, today, Friday: “If the strike was from the Ukrainian side, I assure you that they do not want to do that.”
Today, Friday, July 29, fragments of HIMARS ammunition were found at the site of the bombing of the former detention center in Lilinovka, according to the correspondent of the “Sputnik” agency.
According to the regional defense headquarters of the Donetsk Republic, the death toll from the strike by Ukrainian forces on the center in Lilinovka, where Ukrainian prisoners of war are held, has risen to 53.
Eduard Basurin, deputy head of the People's Forces of the Donetsk Republic, also confirmed to reporters that Kyiv knew that there were Ukrainian prisoners at the center in Linovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
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