Author: Steven Sahiounie

Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed Wednesday to strive for a Gaza ceasefire agreement, saying not all Hamas demands were acceptable but voicing hope gaps could be closed.Consulting with key mediator Qatar on the Hamas response to US President Joe Biden’s plan, Blinken said the Palestinian group could have given a “clear and simple yes” but voiced guarded hope for moving forward.“We believe that some of the requested changes are workable and some are not,” Blinken told reporters in Doha.“And so we have to see on an urgent basis over the course of the coming days whether those gaps are…

Jordan strongly condemned ongoing and increasing incursions by extremist settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque – Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound, with the latest incident occurring on Wednesday under the protection of Israeli police. “These provocative actions within Al-Haram Al-Sharif violate its sanctity and were marked by a significant presence of extremists in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem and at the gates of Al-Haram Al-Sharif, restricting the entry of worshipers into the mosque,” a statement from the Jordanian foreign ministry read. Jordan is universally regarded as custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem. The ministry described such actions as part of “a systematic…

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday received the head of UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini in Ankara, the Communications Directorate said. The closed-door meeting was held at the presidential complex. Further information on the meeting was not immediately available. Source: Anadolu Agency

Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa today discussed with the World Food Program (WFP) Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau the intensification of relief efforts for the Gaza Strip. During a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in the occupied West Bank of Ramallah, Prime Minister Muatafa and Skau, who also serves as the WFP Chief Operating Officer, discussed the intensification of relief efforts and increasing the volume of relief aid allowed into the war-torn Strip in addition to the coordination of joint action in the West Bank and Gaza. Prime Minister Mustafa learned from Skau about the WFP’s efforts aimed at providing…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s pioneering electric vehicle brand, Ceer, has secured a monumental SR8.2 billion ($2.18 billion) agreement with Hyundai Transys, a South Korea-based company, to supply “EV Drive Systems” for its vehicles.

RIYADH: Global growth is expected to stabilize at 2.6 percent in 2024, holding steady for the first time in three years, according to a new World Bank report. The analysis warns that safeguarding trade, supporting green and digital transitions, delivering debt relief, as well as improving food security, are all needed to help deliver robust growth. The report indicates that any stability will come despite geopolitical tensions and high interest rates, the latter being led by Washington – with the US Federal Reserve keeping the benchmark level at a 23-year high to combat inflation. “The global economy is stabilizing, following…

RIYADH: Global oil demand growth is expected to slow in the coming years as the world continues its energy transition journey, according to a new analysis.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has achieved remarkable global leadership in doubling its desalinated water production, signaling its unwavering commitment to meeting daily water demands, stated Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, Saudi minister of environment, water, and agriculture.

The World Bank has raised its growth forecast for the Russian economy based on revised figures published on Tuesday. 

The group’s foreign ministers gathered in Russia this week to discuss economic cooperation and need for a multipolar world order