Author: Steven Sahiounie

US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett during their White House meeting that he will not abandon his plan to reopen the US consulate in Occupied Jerusalem (Al-Quds), Axios reported. The move brings up a major point of disputation between the two administrations. The consulate handled Palestinian relations for 25 years before being closed down by former US President Donald Trump. Bennett’s government officials see the consulate issue as a political hot potato that could destabilize their unwieldy coalition, Axios said. According to Israeli and US officials briefed on the meetings, Biden brought up the consulate issue several times…

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has ordered its officers to collect information on the social media accounts of every civilian they interview, including individuals who have not been arrested or charged with a crime, according to a report from The Guardian. When questioning civilians, copies of “field interview cards” completed by police disclose that LAPD officers are ordered to record the Facebook, Instagram, Twitter accounts of civilians, in addition to other social media accounts. The cards also documented basic biographical information. Moreover, the Guardian revealed that an internal memo showed that the police chief, Michel Moore, had instructed his officers…

The general secretariat of the Saad-Eddine El Othmani-led Justice and Development Party announced Thursday its resignation during a Rabbat press conference. Deputy Secretary-General Slimane El Omrani asserted that the party resigned due to its general secretariat obliging with the election results, which the PJD lost. The Deputy Secretary-General also called for an exceptional national conference shortly. The PJD issued a statement after a review of the election results, saying that they would continue fighting for the country and its nationals as the opposition, which they see as natural in this situation. The party, which is known for its Islamist views, expressed…

The Taliban movement stressed Thursday that the US stance regarding blacklisting of Taliban leaders is a violation of the Doha agreement. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, in a series of tweets, said: “The new US position on the blacklist violates the Doha Agreement. The Pentagon says some members of the Islamic Emirate’s cabinet or members of the Haqqani network are on the US blacklist and are being targeted.” Furthermore, Mujahid palpably stated that “the Islamic Emirates considers this stance a clear violation of the Doha agreement, which is not in the interest of either the United States or Afghanistan,” adding that…

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday issued a statement ahead of this week’s expected release of declassified documents related to the US government’s investigation in the Sept. 11 attacks, expressing ire that accusations persist of its connection to the hijackers. The Saudi Embassy in the US said in a written statement that “previous declassification of materials relating to the September 11 attacks … only have confirmed the 9/11 Commission’s finding that Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with this terrible crime,” stressing “It is lamentable that such false and malicious claims persist.” The statement added: “The Kingdom has always advocated for transparency…

Donald Trump described the removal of the statue of the Confederate commander Robert Lee, one of the prominent figures involved in the US civil war, as a manifestation of the decline of the American culture. Trump expressed that the takedown of the statue resembles the downfall of American culture. Moreover, he accused left “extremists” of demolishing the history of the state. He added that Americans ought not to permit that. In addition, Trump linked the incident to what’s happening in Afghanistan recently. He commented that if the US troops were under Lee’s command, the disaster as he calls it would…

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday the US forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan led to a new crisis, and its effect on regional and global security is yet to be established. Speaking at the BRICS summit, Putin asserted that long-standing regional conflicts do not cease: “They flare up with renewed vigor,” he explained. The Russian president expressed the belief that the new round of crisis is related to “irresponsible attempts to impose foreign values” and the desire to establish so-called democratic structures through socially and politically rebuilding the country. This is done without taking any historic factors or national character into…

The long-awaited The Matrix: Resurrections’ first trailer has been finally released today, Thursday. One noticeable element from the trailer is that the fourth part of this trilogy is deeply relevant and relates ties with the first Matrix film, which was originally released in 1999. Two decades later, the trailer shows several references to the first Matrix film, where the trilogy fans can notice the red pill-blue pill ultimatum, white rabbit tattoos, liquid mirrors, and the ability to stop bullets. Resurrections will also include the reunion of Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, playing their famous iconic roles, Neo and Trinity. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures,…

Social Connections and Physical Health Hugs, caring conversations, and even a simple smile can change someone’s mood on a rainy day. Studies show that our connections to others may have a great effect on our overall health. A study published in the News in Health revealed that the number of social interactions can help decrease stress and cardiac risks. Dr. Sheldon Cohen, a psychologist at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh expressed that people who reported being hugged more often were less likely to get a viral exposure illness, that’s why a hug is considered a shield against stress. Social Life and Brain…

Johns Hopkins University in the US reported that the total number of coronavirus infections in the world has increased to more than 221 million, and the total number of deaths has reached more than 4.5 million deaths. The US topped the list of countries in terms of the number of deaths due to Coronavirus, reporting 649,072 deaths and 40,018,318 infections. Brazil came in second with 583,810 deaths, and 20,899,933 infections, while India ranked third with a total of 440,752 deaths, and a total of 33,027,621 infections. It is worth mentioning that more than 55 percent of the total population of…