Author: Steven Sahiounie

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees says Israel’s new evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip have shrunk to only 11 percent of the so-called humanitarian zone for Palestinians in the besieged territory. UNRWA released the figure in an X post on Saturday, a day after the Israeli military gave Gaza residents sheltering in the safe zone in north Khan Yunis and east Deir al-Balah an order to leave in just a few hours. The occupation’s army also issued another evacuation order for Maghazi and Zawayda refugee camps in central Gaza. “Thousands of families continue to be displaced in…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken left Saturday on a mission to the Middle East to push ahead a Gaza ceasefire deal, as cautious optimism rises.The top US diplomat, who is putting off vacation plans for his ninth trip to the Middle East since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, will fly to Tel Aviv ahead of expected meetings with the Israeli leadership.He has routinely visited Arab states on previous trips but no further stops were immediately announced.Blinken flew out of Andrews Air Force Base after two days of ceasefire talks urged by President Joe Biden brokered with Egypt and…

The United States should immediately sit at the negotiating table with Russia, Ukraine and other stakeholders, said Jill Stein, who was approved as the Green Party’s US presidential candidate earlier in the day. “We need to decompress this conflict as quickly as possible, and we need to get back to negotiations with Russia, Ukraine and other players. What Russia essentially wanted was neutrality from Ukraine. That is absolutely simple,” she said at a new conference following her nomination. “We need to engage in basic diplomacy. This is not rocket science. This is basic diplomacy. It’s basic conversation that could readily…

Multiple forest fires continue to burn in western Türkiye’s Aydin, Izmir, and Manisa provinces, with firefighters working tirelessly to contain the spreading flames. In Aydin’s Bozdogan district, aerial and ground teams are combating a fire that broke out in the upper parts of Alhisar neighborhood on Friday. The blaze has intensified near the border of Mugla’s Kavaklidere district, affecting several villages. Authorities have evacuated some homes in Ormepinar neighborhood as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, Izmir province is battling fires in three districts. A major blaze in Karsiyaka, which started on Thursday, has spread to residential areas and an industrial zone,…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to meet with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy during his visit to “Israel” on `saturday, a decision provoked by Labour’s recent decision to renounce the United Kingdom’s objections to the Internationcal Criminal Court’s arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his Security Minister, Yoav Gallant. The UK reportedly requested several meetings with Netanyahu, all of which were rejected under claims of “scheduling conflicts”. According to Israeli Channel 13, Lammy’s visit primarly aimed at discussing the impending retaliatory attacks by Hezbollah and Iran, as “Israel” hoped to gain London’s support in countering any response. Last month, Labour premier Keir Starmer…

Former US President Donald Trump has rehired key members of his 2016 campaign staff, dug down for debate prep with ex-Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, and named his sons and significant funders to run his formal transition team, as polls show the Republican is tied with Vice President Kamala Harris. Corey Lewandowski, who led Trump’s victorious 2016 campaign, will return to assist Trump in his attempt at victory again in November, according to a statement from campaign co-managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita on Thursday. Lewandowski will be joined by Taylor Budowich, Alex Pfeiffer, Alex Bruesewitz, and Tim Murtaugh, all of whom were…

Germany has stopped providing military help to Ukraine, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Saturday, citing the government’s budget. The report stated that considering that Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, has ordered austerity measures, the military ministry would not be able to approve any fresh requests, but previously agreed aid to Ukraine will still be provided as originally planned. According to the report, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner sent a letter to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on August 5 with a related request. As per the report, the suspension is already in place and could make things worse for Ukraine on the…

In his first high-level meeting with Dhaka on Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his support for a “democratic, stable” Bangladesh. Modi made the remarks while receiving a phone call from Muhammad Yunus, the chairman of Bangladesh’s interim administration. It is the first time the two leaders have spoken since Yunus took the oath of office on August 8, three days after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s administration, India’s longstanding ally. Hasina fled to New Delhi following a month of demonstrations against her government. Modi wrote on X that he “Exchanged views on the prevailing situation” with Yunus and “Reiterated…

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his recent cabinet line-up represents all the Iranian people, describing it as a “national consensus government” during a parliamentary session on Saturday. “The government that has been introduced to the parliament today is a government of national consensus, and as I said in the inauguration ceremony, the government of national consensus considers itself as representative of all the Iranian people,” Pezeshkian said while vetting his list of ministerial nominees. “The national consensus government is obliged to ensure the citizenship rights of all Iranian people and is committed to securing national interests,” he added. The newly-inaugurated President highlighted the…

During a meeting with French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné in Cairo, El-Sisi warned that the ongoing conflict will push the region into a destructive cycle of instability. He reaffirmed the international community’s responsibility to exert pressure to reduce escalation and address the root causes of the conflict by establishing a Palestinian State and implementing the two-state solution. For his part, Séjourné commended Egypt’s vital role as a mediator, alongside Qatar and the United States, to reach a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip and facilitate the exchange of hostages. He also affirmed his country’s steadfast support for de-escalating efforts and its…