Author: Steven Sahiounie

Police have cleared a pro-Palestine protest rally at the Swiss University of ETH Zurich as demonstrations in support of the besieged Gaza Strip spread to other cities of the central European country.

The Russian government resigned to the newly elected president, Vladimir Putin, by a decree signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the government Telegram channel said. This procedure is enshrined in law: the cabinet resigns after a new president is sworn in. The ceremony marking the beginning of Vladimir Putin’s new presidential term took place today at 12:00 p.m. Moscow time. The cabinet will continue to carry out its duties until a new government is appointed. Appointment of a new cabinet The Russian government will be appointed under a new procedure, cemented by a connotational amendment in 2020, for the first…

Vladimir Putin has formally taken office as Russian president for another six-year term, Constitutional Court Chairman Valery Zorkin announced. Putin took the oath to the people. Zorkin handed him the symbols of presidential power, including the presidential insignia, that is, the golden cross of St. George, depicting the Russian coat of arms and a gold chain with the words “Virtue, Honesty and Glory.” After being sworn in, the head of state delivered a speech. The ceremony marks the start of Putin’s fifth presidential term. His first two terms in office lasted four years each. However, the presidential term was later…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called today on Israel to reopen the Rafah and Karm Abu Salem crossings immediately in order to allow the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Guterres further called on Israel to halt this escalation. “Closing the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings at the same time is particularly harmful to the already desperate humanitarian situation. They must be reopened immediately,” warning that a “massive attack” on Rafah, which is crowded with citizens, would be a “humanitarian catastrophe.” Earlier morning, the Israeli occupation forces took over the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing and stopped the flow of…

Iran has strongly condemned Israel’s incursion into the densely-populated city of Rafah in southern Gaza despite international warnings that it would create a humanitarian catastrophe. Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani said the move is aimed at sabotaging international efforts to stop the regime’s genocidal war in Gaza. The Iranian official made the remarks in a statement on Tuesday, after Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah border crossing, cutting off a vital route for humanitarian aid for an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians sheltering in the city bordering Egypt. Kan’ani said Israel’s invasion of the crossing shows the savagery of a rogue regime…

The official spokesman for the Palestinian Presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said today that the Israeli attack on the Rafah border crossing, threatening to displace citizens from shelters and residential centers, and preventing UN employees from entering the Gaza Strip, constitute war crimes for which the Israeli occupation must be held to account. Abu Rudeineh described the attack as a war crime, calling for holding Israel fully accountable for this escalation. He further called on the U.S administration to intervene immediately to prevent the Israeli occupation authorities from further invading Rafah and displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians, especially since most of…

The Israeli occupation intensified its airstrikes across Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, while its tanks and military vehicles stormed the Rafah border crossing. The Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has entered its 214th day, amid intense bombardment on the city of Rafah and airstrikes targeting Gaza City and its northern areas around the Yarmouk area, east of Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Beit Hanoun. This continuous bombardment has resulted in the martyrdom and injury of several Palestinians. In further details, local media reported that Israeli occupation military vehicles have advanced toward the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, with…

The United Nations General Assembly could vote on Friday on a draft resolution that would recognize the Palestinians as qualified to become a full membership and recommend that the UN Security Council “reconsider the matter favorably.”It would effectively act as a global survey of how much support the Palestinians have for their bid, which was vetoed in the UN Security Council last month by the United States. An application to become a full UN member needs to be approved by the 15-member Security Council and then the General Assembly.Diplomats say the 193-member General Assembly is likely to back the Palestinian…

Jordan’s King Abdullah told US President Joe Biden in a private meeting on Monday that an Israeli offensive in Rafah would lead to a “new massacre” of Palestinian civilians and urged the international community to take urgent action.“The king warned of the repercussions of the Israeli ground offensive on Rafah, which could cause a regional spillover of the conflict,” a statement from the Jordan royal court said after Abdullah had lunch with Biden at the White House.Israel carried out airstrikes in Rafah on Monday and told Palestinians to evacuate parts of the city where more than a million people uprooted…

Israeli military aircraft have heavily bombed the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip accompanied with ground advances shortly after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said it had agreed to a proposal on ceasefire in Gaza. A Palestinian journalist reported flares in the night sky, while locals said dozens of reconnaissance drones flew overhead. The official Palestinian news agency Wafa and Egyptian media said Israeli military vehicles advanced towards the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, as well as the Karem Shalom crossing with the Israeli-occupied territories. A Palestinian security official and an Egyptian authority have told the Associated Press news agency…