Author: Steven Sahiounie

More than 60% of the country’s crude and petroleum products will be shipped to Asia this year, Deputy PM Aleksandr Novak has said Russia will reroute more than 60% of its oil and petroleum products exports from the EU to Asia this year, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak revealed on Thursday. Russia has been diversifying its energy supplies in response to Western sanctions after the EU stopped accepting the country’s oil transported by sea. In December, the EU, G7, and allied countries imposed an embargo and a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian crude. Similar restrictions were introduced in February…

Kristalina Georgieva says there are no viable alternatives for a global reserve currency The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said the US dollar is gradually losing its status as the world’s main reserve currency. Speaking on Monday, Kristalina Georgieva noted that there is no viable alternative among global currencies to replace the greenback in the near future. “There has been gradual shift away from the dollar, it was 70% of reserves, now it is slightly under 60%,” Georgieva stated at the 2023 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California. According to the IMF chief, the euro…

The polls show an increase in support for former Security Minister Benny Gantz’s “National Unity Party.” Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition would lose its majority in the Israeli Knesset if elections took place today, three new public surveys found, Israeli media reported. The polls showed an increase in support for former Security Minister Benny Gantz’s “National Unity Party.” A poll published by the Israeli Channel 13 found that Netanyahu’s coalition would win as few as 49 seats in a vote; a remarkable decrease from its current 64 seats. On the other hand, Gantz’s “National Unity Party” would win as many as 30…

Al Mayadeen correspondent says the damage resulting from the Israeli airstrikes put Aleppo International Airport out of service. Al Mayadeen correspondent reported late Monday night that more than five airstrikes targeted the vicinity of Aleppo. Our correspondent said the Israeli aggression targeted the vicinity of Aleppo International Airport and the town of As-Safirah in the southern countryside of Aleppo. Syrian-state news agency SANA said the Syrian air defenses intercepted the Israeli aggression on Aleppo and successfully shot down several missiles. Al Mayadeen correspondent further stated that the damage resulting from the Israeli airstrikes put the airport out of service. This comes two days after Israeli airstrikes hit…

The Tavini huiraatira party, led by the previous head of the overseas territory Oscar Temaru, will hold an absolute majority in the regional assembly. Pro-independence forces won elections on France’s Pacific territory of French Polynesia, which means they will have control of affairs on the archipelagos for the upcoming five years and paving the way to a possible referendum on their status, as per results published Monday. After receiving 44.3% of the vote in the second round of voting on Sunday, the Tavini huiraatira party, led by the previous head of the overseas territory Oscar Temaru, will have an absolute…

Dmitry Medvedev has claimed the social media platform blocked his last post, treating him much like Donald Trump in 2021 Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has claimed that Twitter blocked his last post, thereby bowing to pressure from the US State Department and Ukraine. The official, who currently serves as the deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, compared this treatment to the ban imposed by Twitter on former US president Donald Trump in January 2021. Medvedev’s Twitter account is accessible as of Monday. However, his last post is not, with a note reading “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules” displayed…

Israeli occupation forces this evening sealed off the two northern entrances to Jericho city with a metal gate and cement blocks, WAFA correspondent reported on security sources. Israeli forces erected a metal gate on the road leading to al-Maarajat to the west of Jericho, and placed cement blocks on the way to the village of al-Oja. Forces further blocked the city’s eastern entrance with cement blocks. To be noted, Israeli forces placed two metal gates on the southern entrance of the city on March 22. The city of Jericho has been under tight Israeli military siege for ten consecutive days,…

Ebrahim Raisi’s trip will mark a “turning point” in the region and beyond, Tehran’s ambassador to Damascus has claimed Ebrahim Raisi will become the first Iranian president to visit Syria in over a decade when he travels to Damascus this week for talks that Tehran’s ambassador to Damascus has touted as a “turning point” in regional relations. The two-day trip to Damascus will foster closer ties between embattled nations that oppose Western world dominance, Ambassador Hossein Akbari claimed on Sunday in an interview with Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, apparently alluding to America’s hegemonic foreign policy. “This trip will not only be beneficial for Tehran…

The Kuwait News Agency confirms the issuance of an Emiri decree to dissolve the Kuwaiti National Assembly. The Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported Monday that Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issued a decree to dissolve the parliament, known as the National Assembly. Sheikh Meshal, who inked Monday’s Emiri decree, was handed most of the mandates of the ruling emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, in late 2021. The cabinet had submitted the decree to Sheikh Meshal earlier in the day, as reported by KUNA. Last month, Sheikh Meshal said that the “will of the people required new elections that would be accompanied…

The Ukrainian Defense Minister says Kiev understood Tokyo’s refusal to send lethal weapons to the country. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has called on Japan to provide Ukraine with “vitally” needed electronic warfare equipment to neutralize Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), confirming that Ukraine was preparing for an upcoming offensive against Russian forces. “You are a very, very modern country with electronic warfare. We need it vitally,” Reznikov told the Japanese Kyodo news agency, urging Tokyo to provide this electronic warfare equipment to Kiev. The Ukrainian Minister said Kiev understood Tokyo’s refusal to send lethal weapons to the country. He also confirmed that Ukraine…