Author: Steven Sahiounie

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Mohammed Mustafa, held a series of official meetings today during his visit to the Republic of Iraq. He met separately with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rasheed, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. During the meetings, Mustafa emphasized the urgency of halting Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, enhancing relief and humanitarian efforts, restoring basic services in the Strip, and ending Israel’s assaults and continuous settler terrorism in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Mustafa underscored that colonization and settler terrorism are obstacles to achieving peace and a…

The UN General Assembly elected Greece, Denmark, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia as the next new non-permanent Security Council members from January 1, 2025. They will replace Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland, Ecuador and Japan, whose powers expire on December 31, 2024. Unlike votes on resolutions that display how each country votes on a big screen, elections of non-permanent Security Council members are done by secret ballot. This time around, the voting passed without any intrigue or rivalry. There are 10 non-permanent members in the Security Council, with five members changing each year. Unlike the five permanent members – Russia, the UK, China,…

A senior Hamas official said Thursday that US President Joe Biden’s proposed Gaza ceasefire deal was “just words” and the Palestinian militant group had not received any written commitments related to a truce.Biden presented last week what he labelled an Israeli three-phase plan that would end the conflict, free all hostages and lead to the reconstruction of the devastated Palestinian territory without Hamas in power.But Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official based in Beirut, told AFP: “There is no proposal — they are just words said by Biden in a speech.”“So far, the Americans have not presented anything documented or written…

OPEC Secretary General Haitham al-Ghais on Thursday defended the recent adjustments to the OPEC+ oil output deal, calling it a success.Speaking at an economic forum in St Petersburg, Russia, al-Ghais expressed optimism about continued strong oil demand, citing a rebound in travel.OPEC+ on Sunday agreed to extend most of its oil output cuts into 2025 but left room for voluntary cuts from eight members to be gradually unwound from October onward.Investors were worried that a complicated OPEC+ output decision could lead to higher supplies later in the year even though demand growth has been slow. Source: Al Arabiya

Outgoing Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will testify before a US Senate panel on June 18 after a series of incidents raised concerns about safety and quality, and led regulators to cap the planemaker’s production of its best-selling 737 MAX.

OPEC+ ministers rejected oil’s bearish reaction to its decision to gradually boost crude production from October and predicted the market will eventually see that the group’s policy is correct.

Novo Nordisk is facing the prospect of intensifying competition in the promising Chinese market where drugmakers are developing at least 15 generic versions of its diabetes drug Ozempic and weight loss treatment Wegovy, clinical trial records showed.

Colombia is reportedly calling for coal export restrictions after severing diplomatic ties over the Gaza conflict

Western countries are “shooting themselves in the foot” by imposing sanctions on Russia, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Thursday. He was commenting on Russia being ranked among the world’s top four economies in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP).

Hamas has vowed to “deal seriously and positively” with any potential truce agreement that would meet the Palestinian resistance movement’s demands. The movement’s Political Bureau Chief, Ismail Haniyeh made the remarks in a statement on Wednesday. He cataloged the movement’s demands as “the total halt of the aggression, complete withdrawal, and the exchange of prisoners.” The Israeli regime has been waging a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the movement, since October 7 when the coastal sliver’s resistance groups launched Al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation against the occupied territories. At least 36,550 Palestinians have been killed,…