Author: Steven Sahiounie

Denis Shmygal arrived in Rome on Wednesday for a conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction, organized by the Italian government Ukraine hopes to be “fully prepared” for EU membership in two years, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said in an address published in Italian economic newspaper Il Sole – 24 Ore on Wednesday. “We have an ambitious plan to be fully prepared for EU membership in two years,” the message reads. Shmygal arrived in Rome on Wednesday for a conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction, organized by the Italian government. The authorities and business representatives from the two countries will attend the event. More than…

Tens of thousands have fled their homes, Antonio Guterres said At least 400 people have been killed and over 3,700 injured in the clashes that broke out between the Rapid Support Forces and the armed forces of Sudan earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a UN Security Council meeting on the issue. “At least 400 people have been killed – including four members of the United Nations family. More than 3700 people have been injured, and tens of thousands have fled their homes,” he said. The situation in Sudan escalated amid disagreements between the army chief, Abdel Fattah…

The Syrian-Iranian Business Forum discussed the difficulties facing economic and trade cooperation between businessmen in both countries in light of the unjust measures imposed on both countries, and proposals that would facilitate work of the private sector, increase investment and establish partnerships to promote the level of economic and trade relations between the two countries. During the forum held in Damascus, Chairman of Syrian-Iranian Commerce Chamber, Fahd Darwish reviewed a group of proposals that focused on the necessity of activating the signed Syrian-Iranian free trade agreement to take its role without obstacles and working to solve other problems regarding the…

Moscow would like to see the organization’s HQ relocated to Switzerland or Austria UN member states are against the idea of moving the organization’s headquarters out of New York City mainly due to financial limitations, according to Pyotr Ilyichev, a high-ranking official at the Russian Foreign Ministry. “[Russia] would, of course, like to relocate [the UN HQ] to some other more neutral spot, like Geneva or Vienna, but many member states don’t want to leave New York,” Ilyichev, who heads the Department of International Organizations at the ministry, said on Monday. According to the diplomat, there are “a lot of reasons” why national governments…

The United Kingdom has provided Ukraine with thousands of shells for the donated Challenger 2 main battle tanks, UK minister for armed forces James Heappey said on Tuesday. “We have sent thousands of rounds of Challenger 2 ammunition to Ukraine, including depleted uranium armour-piercing rounds,” he said in a written answer to a parliamentary query. Heappey did not give an estimate of the number of depleted uranium rounds fired by the Ukrainian armed forces, citing operational security reasons. The minister also admitted that the UK was not monitoring the locations from where these rounds were fired and added that his country was…

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said Sweden should have informed Norway of such activities since the experimental rocket could have caused a tragedy on its territories. In a rare incident between the two neighbors, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry voiced irritation with Sweden on Tuesday for not promptly informing Oslo of a research rocket that fell in Norway. The rocket crashed on a mountaintop in the Malselv municipality located in far-northern Norway, some 10 kilometers from the nearest inhabited area, and there were no recorded injuries or property losses. The rocket took off early on Monday from the Esrange Space Centre in Kiruna, located in…

The PLA’s latest warship with its advanced catapult system makes China’s naval force a fierce opponent to Beijing’s enemies. China’s latest aircraft carrier, Fujian, is about to change the sea game, as the cutting-edge warship will soon be equipped with a new aircraft launching system, which is anticipated to push the Chinese maritime power ahead of its rivals. The Asian giant first commissioned its locally-produced carrier, Shandong, in 2019. But Fuijan’s advanced catapult mechanism allows the onboard aircraft to take off more frequently, carry more fuel, and hold more ammo, compared to the ski-jump ramp – an upward-curved ramp that allows…

The Iranian Foreign Ministry imposed retaliatory sanctions on individuals and entities from the European Union and the UK. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the EU and UK individuals and entities were blacklisted because of “supporting terrorism and terrorist groups, instigating and encouragement to terrorist acts and violence against Iranian people, interference in domestic affairs of Iran, fomenting violence and unrest in the country, dissemination of false information about Iran and participation in the escalation of cruel sanctions against Iranian people as an economic terrorism.” It added that Iran condemns the measures of the EU and…

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan said the UN Security Council was “extremely biased”, completely disregarding Israeli massacres against Palestinian since 1948. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan announced that “Israel will not take part” in the UN Security Council session regarding the Palestinian issue, alleging “extreme bias” at a time when “Israel” continues its systematic genocide of the Palestinian people. Before he left the room, Erdan claimed, “If this council refuses to respect their [fallen soldiers] memory, I will dedicate this speech to their memory. I light this candle, Mr. President, to honor them, and may…

“The number of incidents on the Blue Line with Lebanon, including the largest exchange of missile strikes since 2006, has increased,” the top diplomat said The events in the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and along the line of withdrawal between Israel, Lebanon and Syria have brought tensions in the region to a breaking point, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday. He made the statement at a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East. “The events in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and along the line of withdrawal between Israel, Lebanon and…