Author: Steven Sahiounie

RIYADH: Saudi Arabian Mining Co., also known as Ma’aden, has announced that it has completed the 10 percent acquisition of Brazil’s Vale Base Metals. Ma’aden, which is majority-owned by the Public Investment Fund, said that its joint venture, Manara Minerals Investment Co., finalized the purchase, according to a Tadawul statement. This move will boost the growth of the Kingdom’s mining sector in line with the objectives of the Vision 2030 initiative to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil. It follows Ma’aden’s announcement in July 2023 that its joint venture had signed a binding agreement to acquire the stake for…

Iran tells the United Nations it reserves the right to respond to any act of aggression by Israel, amid tensions following an unprecedented retaliatory military strike by the country that hit targets deep inside the Israeli-occupied territories last month. Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani made the announcement in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and to the President of the UN Security Council Vanessa Frazier. The letter came in response to correspondences submitted by the Israeli regime to the two UN authorities before and after Iran’s attacks against the regime on April 13. The operation,…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed upon meeting in occupied al-Quds on Wednesday efforts to avoid further escalation in Gaza. In this context, the top US diplomat reaffirmed a “clear position of the United States” about “Israel’s” potential invasion of Rafah, the Department of State said. “He also discussed the need to avoid further expansion of the conflict and updated the Prime Minister on ongoing efforts to ensure a lasting, sustainable peace in the region. The Secretary reiterated the United States’ clear position on Rafah,” the statement said. The two sides focused on efforts to…

Jordan’s foreign ministry said some Israeli settlers attacked two of its humanitarian aid convoys as they made their way toward the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.Both convoys continued on their way and managed to reach their destination in Israeli-besieged Gaza, the ministry said in a statement.“Two Jordanian aid convoys carrying food, flour and other humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip were attacked by settlers,” the ministry said, without giving details of the incident.Honenu, an Israeli legal aid agency, said in a statement that four men who “blocked aid trucks (going) to Gaza” near the large West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Adumim…

Türkiye strongly criticized the use of the veto power at the UN Security Council on Wednesday as a hindrance to Palestine’s rightful place among nations. “Türkiye firmly believes that the use of the veto power in the UN Security Council should not obstruct the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. It should not be a barrier to an immediate ceasefire either,” Ahmet Yildiz, Türkiye’s permanent representative to the UN, told the General Assembly. Highlighting the significance of addressing a veto by a permanent member of the Security Council on the draft resolution for Palestine’s admission to the UN, Yildiz affirmed…

Bahrain is reportedly seeking investors for a key oil pipeline this is used to transport crude from Saudi Arabia, according to a Bloomberg report.

Numerous companies and family businesses have moved their global offices to Dubai over the past one-and-half years as the emirate has been a major beneficiary of new trends in the post-Covid period, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, Ramzi Khouri, received the Greek Consul General in Jerusalem, Dimitrios Angelosopoulos, at the Committee’s headquarters in Bethlehem. Khouri briefed the Greek Consul General on the latest developments in Palestine, shedding light on the Israeli persistent violations against Muslim and Christian holy sites, particularly in occupied Jerusalem. He also highlighted the alarming surge in attacks targeting Christians by colonial mobs. In addition, Khouri addressed the restrictions and oppressive measures imposed by Israeli occupation authorities during the Holy Week, particularly on Holy Saturday. Such…

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has pointed to the close cooperation between the Islamic Republic and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying over 100 inspectors from the UN nuclear agency have been granted permission to work in the country. “We have not barred any IAEA inspector from coming to Iran. A total of 130 IAEA inspectors are permitted to visit Iran and conduct inspections,” Mohammad Eslami told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet session on Wednesday. He highlighted the constant interaction and dialogue between Iran and the UN nuclear agency under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement…

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron argues that the establishment of a Palestinian State is challenged by illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron addressed key issues on Tuesday concerning the Palestinian cause amid the Israeli war on Gaza, emphasizing the negative impact of “Israel’s” settlements on the visibility of a Palestinian state. During a House of Lords International Relations and Defense Committee session, Cameron said that the illegal settlements built by “Israel” in the West Bank were exacerbating the challenges in establishing a Palestinian state. He argued that “It was getting harder because of the…