Author: Steven Sahiounie

Japan and the US armed forces announce conducting drills “amid an increasingly severe security environment.” The Japanese Joint Staff announced on Thursday that Japan and the US have conducted joint air force drills following the recent missile launch by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). In a statement, the Joint Staff noted that the “Japan Self-Defense Forces and US Armed Forces conducted a bilateral exercise on Thursday, April 13 amid an increasingly severe security environment surrounding Japan, including North Korea’s suspected high angle ICBM-class Ballistic Missile launch.” According to the statement, the drills entailed four Japanese F-2 fighters and an equal number…

According to the top diplomat, “everything that is happening in and around Ukraine is part of the unfolding fight for the future international order” Russia appreciated the decision of Latin American countries not to join the West’s sanctions, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in the article entitled “Russia and Latin America: Forward looking partnership and cooperation” posted on the Foreign Ministry’s website on Thursday. “It is no coincidence that the efforts to abandon the US dollar in foreign trade and to create an infrastructure of transport, logistics, interbank, financial and economic ties that are not controlled by the West have…

PIJ Secretary-General Ziyad Al-Nakhalah and his accompanying delegation tackled the latest developments in the Palestinian, regional, and international arenas with top Iraqi officials. PIJ Secretary-General Ziyad Al-Nakhalah told Al Mayadeen that the significance of the movement’s visit to Iraq is that it comes as a response to the Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa mosque. This comes as a delegation of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement visits Baghdad on Wednesday at the invitation of top Iraqi officials. “The presence of the Islamic Jihad in Iraq is a strong message that carries clear implications in terms of Iraq’s position in support of our people and their resistance,” Al-Nakhalah added. The…

This comes after Syria laid down three conditions for the meeting. In light of the upcoming Syria-Turkey-Russia-Iran talks confirmed by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, an agenda may not have been set, but Turkey already has four points set to discuss: 1- Reviving the political process: Turkey intends to maintain contact with what it dubs the “Syrian opposition” in hopes of bringing them and the government together on the Astana platform. 2- The return of asylum seekers: Given that Turkey, Russia, and Iran are guarantor countries of the Astana process, it is expected that they will play a guarantor role in this process, with a…

The statement comes in light of the recent attacks against worshippers in the Al-Aqsa mosque, describing the attacks as a portrayal of the “vicious face of this apartheid regime before the global public opinion.” In a statement issued on Thursday to mark International Quds Day, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the US’ “shameful” silence vis-a-vis the IOF’s crimes against the Palestinians, and called on Muslim nations to stand up and support the people of Occupied Palestine. “Now, Palestine and holy Quds have turned into the symbol of unity in the Muslim world and represent the cause of the world’s right-seeking oppressed…

Beijing announces that ships will be banned from sailing in a region north of Taiwan due to the possibility of “falling wreckage.” According to a provincial marine official, China would prohibit ships from sailing in a region north of Taiwan on Sunday due to “possible falling rocket wreckage.” The region roughly 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Taipei will be closed from 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) until 3 p.m. (0700 GMT), according to the marine safety agency of China’s eastern Fujian province, with ships “forbidden to enter.” Last week, China launched its 3-day Operation “United Sharp Sword” where Chinese jets and warships reportedly…

The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visits China and stresses that Europe is united in its stance regarding China after comments by the French President created confusion among Western allies. The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, during her trip to China, stressed that Europe continues to be united in its policy toward Beijing. The comment followed allegedly controversial remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron, which angered some of the collective-West countries. Baerbock told reporters in Tianjin, “We not only have a common position with regard to the European stance, but if we share a common internal market, then we cannot have different positions…

On the occasion of Al-Quds Day, the leaders of the Axis of Resistance affirm that Al-Quds Day is a day to mobilize confrontation in the course of liberating Palestine from the Israeli occupation. The leaders of the Axis of Resistance in Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, and Bahrain stressed, during the “Al-Quds Podium” event, today, Thursday, the option of confrontation and fighting until the liberation of Palestine from the Israeli occupation, calling on the people of the Islamic nation to commemorate International Quds Day. During the event, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziyad Al-Nakhalah, said, “Al-Quds is a title…

Tens were saved and 25 bodies were recovered following the shipwreck of a migrant boat off the coast of Tunisia. The Tunisian coastguard reported on Thursday that 25 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa had drowned in the Mediterranean after a boat capsized, on Tuesday, off the coast of Sfax. On Wednesday, the coastguard reported having recovered 10 bodies, and on Thursday, another 15 were recovered after having been trapped beneath the boat according to the spokesperson for the court of Sfax, Faouzi Masmoudi. The recovered bodies included that of the boat’s captain, six women, as well as other men. Off the coast of Sousse,…

Data of the Russian Central Bank showed that Russia’s external debt amounted to $357.9 billion as of April 1, which is 5.9% less than it was at the beginning of 2023. According to the data of the Russian Central Bank, the Russian external debt will have decreased this month by $22.2 billion from its level at the beginning of this year 2023. And the Russian Central Bank announced on March 29 that Russia’s external debt recorded on January 1, 2023 the level of $380.5 billion, and during the year 2022 the index decreased by $101.8 billion. Yesterday, the International Monetary…