Author: Steven Sahiounie

US Congresswoman Betty McCollum has expressed optimism that more and more Americans are rejecting their government’s complicity in Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinian children and families. McCollum said in a tweet, “More than ever before, Americans do not want the U.S. to be complicit in Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinian children & families. Not $1 of U.S. aid should be used to imprison Palestinian children in military detention facilities, or used to tear down their homes.” The US Rep. was commenting on a recent poll by Gallup News which has found that 49% of US Democrats sympathize more with Palestinians compared with…

The Arab Republic of Egypt is hosting a five-party meeting today to promote dialogue between the Palestinian and Israeli sides and to stop all unilateral measures and the escalation to pave the way for an atmosphere that contributes to the resumption of the peace process. Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, a spokesman for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, said that the five-way meeting will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, with the participation of high-profile political and security officials from Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Jordan and the United States, within the framework of regional and international efforts aimed at achieving calm in the Palestinian…

The banking coalition reportedly argued in a letter to federal regulators that it would bring stability to the banking industry and reduce the chances of “more bank failures.” The Mid-Size Bank Coalition of America (MBCA) has reportedly asked United States federal regulators to extend insurance on all deposits for the next two years. According to a March 18 Bloomberg report, the MBCA — a coalition of mid-size U.S. banks — sent a letter to the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), asserting that extending insurance on “all deposits” would “immediately halt the exodus” of deposits from smaller banks. The MBCA also reportedly…

Three terrorists were killed in a counter-terror operation by security forces in the Awaran district of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province. From March 15 onwards, an intelligence-based operation was initiated to intercept a terrorist group operating in parts of the district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan Army, said in a statement cited by Xinhua News Agency. The terrorists were linked with firing and improvised explosive devices incidents in parts of the province, said the ISPR. Source: SANA

The head of state listened to the reports of the Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and a number of military leaders President Vladimir Putin has held a meeting with Russia’s top brass in the command post of the Russian special military operation in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, the Kremlin press service said on Sunday. “The head of the state heard reports from Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov and a number of military commanders,” the Kremlin said. Putin previously visited the command post on December 17, 2022. He was accompanied by Russian Defense Minister Sergey…

Buoyant demand from abroad is reportedly making the products less affordable domestically Spaniards are facing surging prices for tomatoes and pork amid burgeoning demand for the products from abroad and geopolitical tensions, the Financial Times reported this week, citing the billionaire owner of Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona. According to the businessman, who is ranked as Spain’s fourth-richest person, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has heavily weighed on tomato prices as it resulted in sharp surge in prices for natural gas, forcing farmers to shut down production of vegetables in greenhouses in Northern Europe due to high heating costs. As a result, buyers…

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russia’s Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova on Friday Chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin has requested providing the legal assessment of German Justice Minister’s statements on arrest of Russian citizens on German territory, the press service of the Investigative Committee said in a statement. “Chairman of the Russian Investigative has tasked its central office within the framework of the ongoing inspection with providing the required legal assessment of statements by German Justice Minister on fulfilling the International Criminal Court’s unlawful requirement to arrest Russian citizens on German territory,” the statement…

Deputy PM Marat Khusnullin noted that he visited the hospital right after the city’s liberation and witnessed with his own eyes that refugees lived, patients remained and surgeries were performed in adjacent buildings Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the actions of the Ukrainian troops, which mined medical facilities in Mariupol, saying that it is “not the way normal people do it.” Russian President visited the city together with Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, inspecting new residential quarters among other things. Deputy PM said that he visited the hospital right after the city’s liberation and witnessed with his own eyes…

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the statement by US Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland that “the hearts of Americans bleed for Ukraine, but also for all Russian families affected by this war” The US administration is supplying weapons to the Kiev government and has no pity for Russians and Ukrainians alike, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram, commenting on recent remarks by a senior US diplomat. Earlier, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said that “American hearts bleed for Ukraine, but we also bleed for all…

Shares of First Republic Bank and Credit Suisse dive back deep in the red and stock prices of other major banks also fall, with JP Morgan, Citigroup and Bank of America down at least three percent. Stocks markets have tumbled again as fears of a banking crisis resurfaced despite massive financial lifelines thrown at embattled lenders to prevent contagion across the sector. Markets had rallied on Thursday after Wall Street titans including JP Morgan, Bank of America and Citigroup pledged to inject $30 billion into First Republic Bank. Credit Suisse had also rebounded after it said it would borrow up…