Author: Steven Sahiounie

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing the border with a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. As warning sirens sounded across southern and central Israel, including in Jerusalem, Israel’s military said it was on a war footing as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an emergency meeting of security officials. Saturday’s incident marked an unprecedented infiltration by Hamas gunmen into Israel from Gaza, and was the most serious escalation since Israel and Hamas fought a 10-day war in 2021. Israeli media…

The League of Arab States condemned the terrorist attack that targeted the graduation ceremony of military Academy cadets in Homs, stressing the necessity of eliminating terrorism. “The League strongly condemns the shameful terrorist attack that targeted the Academy, resulting in a large number of casualties and injuries, in a blatant violation of Syria’s stability” the League’s General Secretariat said in a statement on Friday. The Secretariat expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery for the injured, and stressing the need to continue all efforts aimed at eliminating terrorism in all its…

oreign and Expatriates Minister, Fayssal Mikdad, received on Thursday a telephone call from Iranian Foreign Minister, Hussein Amir Abdollahian who affirmed that President Ebrahim Raisi condemns the terrorist attack that targeted a graduation ceremony for the Military Academy cadets in Homs. President Raisi also condemned the powers and states that support terrorism. The Iranian President also offered his heartfelt condolences to President Bashar al-Assad, the government and Syrian people, over the loss of the civilians and soldiers. Abdollahian also offered his condolences and the Iranian people’s condemnation of the criminal attack. Mikdad, for his part, said Syria and President al-Assad…

The People’s Assembly condemned in the strongest terms the malicious and cowardly terrorist act that targeted the graduation ceremony at the Military Academy cadets in Homs. This terrorist attack is a heinous crime carried out by low, despicable, and cowardly terrorist hands, with unlimited support from the Zionist enemy, the treacherous US and Turkish occupations, and those in their orbit, SANA quoted the People’s Assembly as saying in a statement. The statement called on all Arab, regional and international parliamentary unions and organizations, as well as national councils and parliaments, to denounce and condemn this attack based on their humanitarian,…

The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned the terrorist attack that targeted the Military Academy in Homs city. The Emirates News Agency (WAM) quoted the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying in a statement on Thursday: “The UAE expresses its strong condemnation of those criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism that aim to destabilize security and stability and are inconsistent with humanitarian values and principles.” The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the government of the Syrian Arab Republic and its brotherly people, and to the families of the victims as…

The Syrian defense minister tells journalists that the large number of martyrs sustained by the army is a price paid for the country’s dignity. Al Mayadeen’s correspondent to Syria reported that the funeral processions of the Homs military academy martyrs have commenced at the military hospital in Homs. The funeral procession of the 28 martyrs was also reportedly attended by the Syrian Minister of Defense Ali Abbas. The Defense Minister, who was attending the graduation ceremony yesterday, told journalists, commenting on the terrorist attack: “We pay this price for our country’s dignity, may god have mercy on the Martyrs.” In the…

Family members of some of the victims of a deadly drone attack on a crowded military graduation ceremony that killed scores gathered outside a military hospital in the central city of Homs on Friday to collect the bodies of their loved ones, who died in one of Syria’s deadliest single attacks in years.Thursday’s strike on the Homs Military Academy killed scores of people, including more 31 women and atleast five children according to the health ministry. The death toll could rise as some of the wounded are in critical condition. Syria announced a three-day state of mourning starting Friday.Syria’s military…

The Joint Task Force was established in 2013 to promote trade, investment and economic ties between India and the UAE The 11th meeting of the UAE-India High Level Joint Task Force on Investments (‘the Joint Task Force’) was held today in Abu Dhabi, co-chaired by H.H. Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), and Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Textiles, Government of India. The Joint Task Force was established in 2013 to promote trade, investment and economic ties between India and the UAE.…

Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s largest economy, has cut its oil production in a preemptive move it says is intended to stabilise the oil market DUBAI – The World Bank expects Saudi Arabia’s economy to contract by 0.9% in 2023, it said in a report on Thursday, revising its growth forecast for the world’s top oil exporter sharply lower on the back of production cuts and lower prices. Overall growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is also expected to slow, now forecast at 1.9% in 2023, down from 6% last year and lower than the 3%…

Shari’ah compliant banking assets make up only around 2% of Africa’s global Islamic banking assets Despite having around 28% of the world’s Muslim population, Africa’s Shariah compliant banking assets make up only around 2% of global Islamic banking assets, Moody’s Investors Service said. African Islamic banks face obstacles to growth, including high level of competition from conventional banks in some countries and a lack of product awareness in some other jurisdictions. While the industry’s nascent legal and regulatory landscape has been among the constraints, there is noticeable progress now being made in jurisdictions such as Morocco, Nigeria and across the West African Economic…