Author: Steven Sahiounie

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The International Criminal Court (ICC), and its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, have come under attack by Israel and its main sponsor, US President Joe Biden and the lawmakers in Washington, after Khan requested on May 20 the court to issue arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders.Khan said that Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders – Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif – “bear criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The US has a policy of selectively supporting ICC rules when it is in the interests of…

The United Nations Children’s Fund says Israel agreed to restore power to a key desalination plant in southern Gaza. “UNICEF confirms an agreement was reached to re-establish the medium voltage feeder power line for the Southern Gaza Desalination Plant,” said spokesman Jonathan Crickx. Water has become scarce for the Palestinian territory’s 2.4 million residents since war broke out nearly nine months ago. More than two-thirds of Gaza’s sanitation and water facilities have been destroyed or damaged and only an intermittent supply of bottled water has been allowed in since Israel imposed a punishing siege on the territory. The plant in…

Special representative to the Russian President, Deputy Foreign Minister, Michael Bogdanov, discussed on Thursday with Syria’s Ambassador in Moscow, Bashar al-Jaafari, issues related to continuing the gradual development of the multiple Syrian-Russian cooperation. “During the meeting, the two sides exchanged viewpoints on the situation in Syria and the region and the issue of reconstruction,” Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The statement added that the Russian official underlined his country’s continued support for a comprehensive political process to resolve the crisis in Syria, based on the unconditional respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Source: SANA

Russia and the Republic of the Congo have been able to build good relations, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the African nation’s leader Denis Sassou-Nguesso. “Dear Mr. President, I am very pleased to welcome you to Moscow. I would like to point out that you visited our country in the Soviet times. We have very good relations, both between our countries and at the personal level,” Putin noted. Putin emphasized that Sassou-Nguesso had done a lot to boost bilateral relations. “You took part in both Russia-Africa summits. You make the necessary efforts to develop cooperation in…

Palestine’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, has urged all UN member states to take decisive steps towards ensuring international protection for Palestinian children in the face of the continuing Israeli genocide in Palestine. The remarks were made during a crucial session focused on the plight of children in conflict zones, prompted by the Secretary-General’s latest annual report on the issue. Ambassador Mansour highlighted the disturbing trend where the United Nations consistently documents significant violations against Palestinian children in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, yet Israel has consistently avoided scrutiny and accountability. “Year after year, report after…

By: Steven Sahiounie, Journalist and political commentator The plan to steal the West Bank is fully supported by Netanyahu, and forms a basis for the current right-wing Jewish extremist coalition keeping Netanyahu in power, and out of jail. While the world watches the genocide in Gaza, there is another war on the Palestinian people in the Occupied West Bank. On June 9, the New York Times (NYT) reported that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich outlined, in a speech to Jewish extremists, a plan by the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to annex the Occupied Territories of the West Bank.…

Failure to recognize that countries and their officials have immunity can sometimes be a step toward war, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said. “As for immunity, this topic has already come up here, and I have already talked about it. In short, failure to recognize the immunity of a country, including immunity of property, immunity of officials, is a most decisive step toward the beginning of war, and in some situations even a world war,” he said. He was commenting on arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against former Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Chief…

Fitch has affirmed ‘AA-’ rating for the UAE with a stable outlook, based on the Emirate’s strong external asset position and a high GDP per capita.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday that Sri Lanka’s agreements with China and other creditor nations to restructure about $10 billion in bilateral debt took the island nation a step closer towards restoring debt sustainability.

Japanese scientists have used human cells to develop an equivalent to living skin that can be attached to robotic surfaces to flash a realistic — if creepy — smile.