Author: Steven Sahiounie

In what could potentially be a new front in the conflict, the Israeli military has said that shells launched from Syria have landed in open areas within Israel. While there have been no reports of damage or injuries, Israel has now said that it is responding to the reported shelling by firing mortars and artillery towards Syria. No further details have been provided by the Israeli military, and there has been no confirmation of the reports by Syria or any other party. Source: Aljazeera

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rebounded on Tuesday after two days of backward trend as it edged up 64.72 points, or 0.61 percent, to close at 10,640.06. The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.88 billion ($1.30 billion) as 67 of the listed stocks advanced while 150 declined. The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu shed 145.38 points to close at 22,278.01 while the MSCI Tadawul Index gained 13.07 points to settle at 1,369.64. The best-performing stock on the main index was Thimar Development Holding Co. The company’s share price soared by 6.26 percent to SR17.32. Other top firms…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has ambitions to be the world leader when it comes to hydrogen exports, according to the general director of the Clean Hydrogen and Circular Carbon Economy National Program at the Kingdom’s Ministry of Energy. Speaking during a panel discussion at the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week 2023 in Riyadh, Zeid Mohammed Al-Ghareeb said Saudi Arabia is charting a new course in the global energy landscape by shifting its focus from oil exports to renewables. The event brought together experts and decision-makers to delve into Saudi Arabia’s plans to supply the global economy with clean energy. …

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Monday launched a mechanism allowing companies to purchase credits offsetting greenhouse emissions as part of its efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. The Kingdom’s Clean Development Mechanism Designated National Authority unveiled the initiative at MENA Climate Week 2023 in Riyadh. The Greenhouse Gas Crediting and Offsetting Mechanism, set to launch in early 2024, “aims to increase cooperation among national entities seeking to fulfill their climate ambitions by helping to mobilize finance in all sectors for a variety of projects and activities,” according to its website. The contours of the project were first announced by Saudi…

The country’s economy is projected to grow 2.2% this year The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has again raised its growth forecast for the Russian economy in 2023, issuing revised figures in its World Economic Outlook report released on Tuesday. The IMF now expects Russia’s GDP to grow 2.2% this year, a sharp increase from its April prediction of 0.7% and July projection of 1.5%. “The rise in growth reflects a substantial fiscal stimulus, strong investment, and resilient consumption in the context of a tight labor market,” the IMF said. The Russian Economy Ministry expects GDP to expand 2.8% this year.…

Riyadh has said it will actively cooperate with regional actors in an effort to bring a “swift end” to the violence between Hamas and Israel Saudi Arabia continues to support the “legitimate rights” of Palestinians, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a phone call on Monday, Saudi media reported. The latest escalation in Gaza, which broke out after a surprise attack on Israel by the Hamas militant group over the weekend, poses a threat to security and stability in the entire Middle East, the crown prince said, according to the Saudi Gazette. The kingdom plans to take “proactive…

Denying Gaza water, food and electricity is not appropriate, Josep Borrell has said Israel has the right to self-defense, but some of the decisions its government has made are contrary to international humanitarian law, EU foreign policy commissioner Josep Borrell said on Tuesday. “Israel has the right to defend, but it has to be done in accord with international humanitarian law. And some decisions are contra this international law,” Borrell said in Oman, where he attended the joint meeting of foreign ministers from the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Both the EU and the GCC have condemned attacks by Hamas,…

The Israel Defense Forces said that Jawad Abu Shamala and Zakaria Abu Ma’amr directed strikes on the Jewish state Hamas’ economy minister and another senior political bureau member were killed by Israeli forces on Monday evening, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. Their deaths were reported shortly after the IDF launched more than 100 airstrikes on Gaza. Hamas later confirmed the deaths of both men on its official website, saying that they had been “martyred as a result of the Zionist occupation’s bombing of the Gaza Strip.” Jawad Abu Shamala served as economy minister in Hamas’ political wing, while…

The international body has said it already has “clear evidence” of violations by both sides The UN has announced an investigation into potential war crimes committed during the latest escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The international body stated on Tuesday that it had “clear evidence” of serious violations by both sides, and called on them to adhere to international human rights law. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which is tasked with investigating violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said in a statement that it “has been collecting and preserving evidence of war crimes committed by all sides since…

By Karin Brothers Why is no one asking what would make thousands of young men commit suicide, in effect, and bring what they know will be horrific death and destruction to hundreds of thousands of their families? Commentators appear mystified: surely everyone knows that Hamas fighters have no chance, ultimately, against the country with the fifth largest military in the world. Why would they risk every Palestinian’s future by such an act? The reality — censored by our media and ignored by our governments — is that Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip have no future to look forward to. No…