Author: Steven Sahiounie

Early on March 31, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) raided the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, setting off a gun battle in which two Palestinians were killed and 15 others were wounded, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry said. In a statement, the IDF said that a commando force that entered the Palestinian city to conduct arrests was fired at. According to the IDF, the force “shot back and struck the armed men.” One Israeli soldier was lightly wounded and taken to the hospital for treatment. Videos circulated online showed smoke rising from the center of the…

The decree comes into force on March 31 Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin has ordered the formation of a city administration in Mariupol, according to a decree published on the DPR head’s website on Thursday. “A local administration of the Donetsk People’s Republic is to be formed in the city of Mariupol,” the document reads. Pushilin also handed instructions to the chief of the Mariupol city administration to ensure the development and approval of a regulation related to the city’s administration, its structure and staffing. The decree also orders the creation of district administrations in Mariupol,…

S&P Dow Jones Indices conducted a consultation with market participants S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) said on Wednesday it has decided to remove Russian and Belarusian bonds from its 11 indices. “S&P Dow Jones Indices (“S&P DJI”) conducted a consultation with market participants on the potential removal of Russian bonds and announced the results on March 15, 2022, indicating that all bonds from issuers whose Country of Risk is Russia or Belarus will be removed from the impacted indices,” it said in a press statement posted on its website. According to S&P, the bonds will be removed from the…

The tit-for-tat move comes after Washington placed similar restrictions on Chinese officials, citing “human rights abuses” China has decided to restrict visas for a number of US officials in response to similar measures introduced by Washington earlier this month over alleged human rights abuses. “The Chinese side decided to impose retaliatory visa restrictions on certain US officials who spread lies on the issue of human rights, imposed sanctions against China and harmed China’s interests,” stated Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Thursday. Wang said the move was made “to protect the sovereignty, security and development interests of the PRC. “The spokesperson…

Mateusz Morawiecki says it has become an obvious reality in the country What was once called Russophobia has now become mainstream in Poland, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said during a press conference on Wednesday. The PM claims that in light of the situation in Ukraine, Poland has set “some standards” when it comes to anti-Russian sentiment. “Ladies and Gentlemen, in the context of this terrible event which is the war in Ukraine, Poland sets some standards, and what was previously called Russophobia is now mainstream, it is already accepted as a reality,” Morawiecki said. The statement came as the PM announced Poland’s decision…

Commenting on the most recent round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey’s Istanbul, Wang Wenbin noted “positive signals” demonstrated by both parties Cooperation between Russia and China in the sphere of security and regarding measures to resist global hegemony has no boundaries, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday. “The cooperation between Russia and China has no boundaries. It regards our bilateral measures on maintaining peace and security as well as joint steps to resist hegemony,” the diplomat said at a press briefing in response to a question about how far this cooperation between Moscow and…

Self-propelled heavy artillery pieces were described as one of the options UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson allegedly told his cabinet on Tuesday that he wants to provide Ukraine with “more lethal” military aid to help the country repel the Russian attack, The Times reported on Wednesday, citing a government source. Western countries have been urgently supplying Ukraine with weapons after Moscow launched its military campaign on February 24. Kiev, however, has repeatedly asked for more aid, arguing that the current level of support is not enough. Admiral Tony Radakin, the chief of the Defense Staff, was said to have stated at the…

The US and EU have “tarnished their reputation” by freezing Russia’s central bank reserves, ex-President Dmitry Medvedev has said A new financial order will be negotiated in the world, and the West won’t have the main say in it anymore, ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has claimed. The “hellish” sanctions imposed on Russia by the US, EU, and their allies over the conflict in Ukraine have failed to cripple to the country, but are instead “returning to the West like a boomerang,” Medvedev, the former Russian president who is now the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, wrote on Telegram. “This is hurtful for our…

The former Ukrainian peninsula is part of Russia and not subject to debate, the Kremlin spokesman says The status of Crimea is settled for Russia, so Moscow will not discuss the issue with Kiev or any other party, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday, commenting on the outcome of peace talks on the previous day. Kiev’s proposal for a peace treaty with Russia included a pledge to resolve the territorial dispute over Crimea within 15 years without the use of force. “Crimea is part of the Russian Federation. According to our constitution, we cannot discuss with anyone the…

The facilities destroyed include schools, kindergartens and residential buildings Some 700 public infrastructure facilities have been damaged and destroyed by shellings in Donetsk over the past three weeks, the head of the city administration, Alexey Kulemzin, told the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Wednesday. “The shellings don’t stop, in the last three weeks we have had about 700 facilities destroyed and damaged. This includes schools, kindergartens and residential buildings. <…> The shellings of civilian facilities continue,” he said. The mayor noted that on Wednesday two schools were shelled and two kindergartens were destroyed. “Here [from Ukraine’s side] all kinds of heavy…