Author: Steven Sahiounie

A Palestinian child was shot dead by Israeli occupation forces this evening in the Al-Arroub refugee camp, in the southern West Bank province of Hebron, according to local and medical sources. WAFA correspondent said Israeli occupation soldiers fired live ammunition and toxic tear gas canisters at a group of young people and children during a raid into the camp, resulting in the critical injury of Milad Munther Al-Ra’i, 16 years old. Al-Ra’i was rushed to hospital for medical treatment, before he was pronounced dead about an hour later. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the child was shot in the…

The death toll from the devastating earthquake in Morocco has climbed to 1,305, while over 1,832 people have been injured, the Hespress news agency reported on Saturday, citing data of the Moroccan Interior Ministry. Earlier reports put the death toll at 1,037, with 1,204 people injured. As many as 1,220 people among those injured are in critical condition, the news agency said. Late Friday, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Morocco 77 kilometers (48 miles) southwest of the city of Marrakesh. King of Morocco Mohammed VI on Saturday declared three days of national mourning following the disaster, with the national flag to…

King of Morocco Mohammed VI on Saturday declared three days of national mourning following a devastating earthquake that killed over 1,300 people and left more than 1,800 injured in the North African nation, media reports citing the Kingdom’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. Earlier in the day, the king chaired a meeting in the royal palace in Rabat in connection with the disaster and instructed officials to take measures to address the situation, the Hespress news outlet reported. During the mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-staff on all public buildings throughout the country, the report said. The…

Russia is implementing all of its plans and advancing despite multiple challenges, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday, adding that no development programs had been scaled down. “[Moscow] does not budge one step from the implementation of its large-scale development programs. I would like to stress this. Just like the rest of our country. We do have many challenges that we are overcoming, but we are moving forward, developing, implementing all our plans, nothing has been cut,” Putin said in his congratulatory remarks as the Russian capital celebrated its 876th anniversary. The president added that Russia “is firmly defending…

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs offered sympathy for the people affected by a powerful earthquake that hit Morocco on Friday night. In a statement released on Saturday morning, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani expressed his condolences to the Moroccan people and government over the earthquake fatalities. He also expressed sympathy for the families of victims of the temblor and wished a speedy recovery for the people injured in the disaster. A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Morocco on Friday night, killing at least 630 people, injuring more than 320, damaging buildings, and sending terrified residents fleeing their homes into the streets…

Algeria’s suspension of its two-year flight ban to aid earthquake-stricken Morocco highlights Algiers’ steadfast commitment to supporting its Moroccan neighbors in times of need. Algeria has announced the suspension of its two-year ban on flights to Morocco, allowing aircraft carrying vital humanitarian aid to pass through its airspace. This decision comes in response to a devastating earthquake that struck with a magnitude of 7.2 in the southwestern mountainous region of Morocco, claiming the lives of at least 1,037 people, injuring more than 1,204 others, including 721 in critical condition, and causing extensive damage. Algeria’s authorities have officially declared their willingness…

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) confirmed in a statement on Friday, a member of the plane’s crew was dead as a result of the accident. GCAA reported search and rescue operations are still underway to search for the crew members of the AeroGulf helicopter that fell in the sea off the coast of the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain during a night training flight that took off Thursday evening from Al Maktoum International Airport. The GCAA extended its sincere condolences and sympathy to the family of the deceased and affirmed its commitment to publishing developments on the incident as soon as they…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Saturday announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding between India, the Middle East, and Europe for the construction of a new economic corridor, the Kingdom’s state TV reported. The corridor will include pipelines for electricity and hydrogen. Addressing the G20 Summit in New Delhi, the crown prince said the project seeks to achieve the common interests of “our countries by strengthening economic interdependence.” He said it will contribute to developing and rehabilitating the infrastructure that includes railways, and ports and will help increase the exchange of goods and services. The…

LONDON: Oil prices hovered above $90 a barrel on Friday, on track to end the week higher as investors chose to focus on tighter supply, despite broader macroeconomic uncertainty. Both oil benchmarks hit 10-month highs earlier this week after Saudi Arabia and Russia extended their voluntary supply cuts of a combined 1.3 million barrels per day to the end of the year. However, both benchmarks ended Thursday slightly lower amid volatile trade on multiple signals warning of weaker demand in the coming months. Traders who took some profit on Thursday were back as they believe that the path of least resistance…

NEW DELHI: The African Union was made a permanent member of the G20, comprising the world’s richest and most powerful countries, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the bloc’s summit in New Delhi on Saturday. The African Union, a continental body of 55 member states, now has the same status as the EU — the only regional bloc with a full membership. Its previous designation was “invited international organization.” Modi, in his opening remarks at the summit, invited the AU, represented by Chairperson Azali Assoumani, to take a seat at the table of G20 leaders as a permanent member. “We welcome the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 and…