Author: Steven Sahiounie

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on countries supplying arms to Israel to end their “complicity in its crimes”. Prodding the international community – whom he said hasn’t done enough to end the Gaza “massacre” – Erdogan also urged all “conscientious and responsible parties to take the wheel” to help reach an immediate ceasefire. Erdogan has previously called Israel a “terror state” and its military campaign against Gaza “the most treacherous attacks in human history” with “unlimited” support from the West. Source: AlJazeera

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s sukuk and debt capital market has grown significantly since 2019, surpassing SR30 billion ($7.9 billion), according to the Kingdom’s Capital Market Authority. The regulatory body has announced that the market has witnessed an annual growth rate of 7.9 percent, with unlisted issuances showing a particularly robust yearly growth rate of 9.6 percent. The unlisted sukuk and debt capital market has expanded from SR72 billion in 2019 to approximately SR105 billion by the end of 2023. The total size of the corporate sukuk and debt capital market reached SR125 billion by the end of 2023, compared to SR95…

Antonio Guterres joined in the condemnation of the attack on a UN-run school that killed at least 40 people. “It’s just another horrific example of the price that civilians are paying, that Palestinian men, women and children who are just trying to survive [are paying],” Guterres’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. “Of course, he condemns this attack. There will need to be accountability for everything that has happened in Gaza.” Israel’s military confirmed its fighter jets targeted an UNRWA school in the area, claiming they were targeting a Hamas compound. “You can listen to what others are saying and you could…

A Vienna-based privacy campaign group filed complaints in 11 European countries against Meta on Thursday, saying the global tech giant’s planned privacy policy change would allow “unlawful” use of personal data for artificial intelligence technology.

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.