Author: Steven Sahiounie

During a phone call with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, Raisi requested an OIC emergency meeting for the sake of making a joint decision on defending the rights of the Palestinian people. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the recent developments in the occupied Palestinian territories in light of the recent Israeli occupation storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque. This comes after Israeli occupation forces raided Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Al-Quds and assaulted the Palestinians who were stationed there for the second day in a row as part of the religious practice of Itikaf, which…

The country’s economy is expected to do much better this year than bank had earlier predicted The Russian economy is doing considerably better than expected, according to the latest report from the World Bank, which anticipates a 0.2% GDP decline in 2023. That’s a significant improvement from the 3.3% contraction forecast in its January outlook. In its Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, released on Thursday, the World Bank reported that the Russian economy contracted by only 2.1% in 2022 in the face of severe sanctions. According to the report, after a steep contraction in the second quarter of 2022,…

After diagnosis and readmittance into the hospital, Berlusconi remains in intensive care. After being hospitalized in Milan this week, ex-Italian PM and leader of the Forza Italia party, Silvio Berlusconi has been diagnosed with a severe blood disorder and remains in intensive care, according to local media reports. Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that the recent complications he has been suffering in the past month, including his episode of pneumonia, were found to have been caused by the disease – leukemia, according to CNN. The 86-year-old former prime minister was readmitted to Milan’s San Raffaele Hospital after complaining of cardiovascular problems and…

The office of Sweden’s prosecutor also noted various “influence attempts” associated with the high-profile incident The Swedish prosecutor investigating the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines has said that an attack by a state actor remains the “absolute main scenario” in its probe of the crime. This contradicts claims by some Western media, which have pointed the finger at a “pro-Ukrainian group” not linked to any government as a likely culprit. “We believe it will be rather difficult to determine who did this,” Mats Ljungqvist told Reuters in a phone interview on Thursday. The people behind the sabotage “took care so that the evidence would not…

Xi Jinping also noted the importance of strictly adhering to international humanitarian law and refraining from attacks on civilians and civilian facilities The Chinese authorities are ready together with the French government to call on the international community to the settle the Ukrainian conflict by diplomatic means, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Beijing. “Regarding the Ukrainian crisis, China will be firmly committed to promoting peaceful dialogue and a political settlement,” he said, “We are ready, together with France, to appeal to the international community to maintain restraint,…

Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko started their communication during a tete-a-tete meeting in the Kremlin on Wednesday evening A meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Russia-Belarus Union State kicked off in the Kremlin on Thursday. The event is being chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko. The Kremlin announced earlier that the implementation of the key document, namely the Basic Guidelines of the Implementation of the Provisions of the Union State Treaty for 2021-2023, would be discussed at the meeting. The document envisages joint efforts on 28 sectoral programs. The meeting is expected…

On April 6, a large barrage of rockets was launched from southern Lebanon at Israel’s northern region in a major escalation. Rocket sirens were first sounded in the towns of Betzet and Shlomi in the Western Galilee close to the border with Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said one rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system. Shortly afterward, sirens continued to sound in other towns across the region. Footage circulating online showed the launch of several rockets from southern Lebanon as well as trails of smoke from Iron Dome interceptor missiles over northern Israel. Material losses…

Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee, Hussein al-Sheikh, urged today the US administration and the countries of the world to intervene and actively to stop the Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy sites in occupied Jerusalem. “We call on the USA and the countries of the world to intervene directly and actively to stop the Israeli crimes against the sanctities, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque, and not to suffice with statements of condemnation and denunciation,” said al-Sheikh in a tweet. He added, “What is happening against sanctities and worshipers has crossed all red lines and pushes the situation to an…

JFK’s nephew has made his candidacy official, challenging Joe Biden for the Democratic Party’s 2024 nomination Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched a longshot bid for the US presidency, entering the 2024 race as a Democratic candidate who will challenge his party’s stance on issues ranging from vaccines to foreign policy and censorship. Kennedy, the son of 1968 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy – both of whom were assassinated – filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday. He and self-help author Marianne Williamson have become the…

Sanna Marin will remain Finland’s prime minister until a new cabinet is formed Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Sanna Marin just days after the country became the 31st member of NATO, the president’s office has announced. Marin submitted her request to step down during a meeting with Niinisto at the Mantyniemi presidential residence in Helsinki on Thursday. The president asked her to continue in a caretaker role until a new government is formed, the statement read. Marin’s resignation follows the defeat for her Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the parliamentary election last weekend. The…