Author: Steven Sahiounie

China jointly with France and the entire international community will continue efforts to find ways of settling the Ukrainian crisis, Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote in a column for the French newspaper Le Figaro. “We hope that peace and stability will soon be reinstated in Europe. We will work with France and the entire international community to find the right ways to settle the crisis,” he stated. China, in his words, “is neither the cause nor a party to it, but has always been playing a constructive role in promoting peaceful settlement.” “I have repeatedly called for sticking to the…

Israeli occupation forces continue the assault against the city of Tulkarm and its camp, amid destruction of citizens’ property and infrastructure. Large forces of the occupation army, consisting of 50 military vehicles, accompanied by four heavy bulldozers, stormed the city at dawn from its western and southern axes, and roamed its streets and neighborhoods, specifically the eastern, western, northern and central Jamal Abdel Nasser Square, before heading to Tulkarm’s refugee camp. The occupation forces surrounded the camp from all its entrances by deploying their vehicles in the streets and neighborhoods leading to it. They also deployed snipers in the high buildings…

UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi arrived Monday in Iran, where he is expected to speak at a conference and meet officials for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program. “The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived in Tehran on Monday at noon at the head of a delegation to participate in the nuclear conference and negotiate with top nuclear and political officials of the country,” Tasnim news agency said, with other agencies reporting the same details. The visit comes at a time of heightened regional tensions and with the IAEA criticizing Iran for lack of cooperation on inspections…

The European Union’s High Representative Josep Borrell said called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Borrell said in a post on X platform that “according to the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, the scenario that many feared has become a reality.” He added, “There is complete famine in northern Gaza, and it is heading south.” He stressed “the necessity of immediately implementing Security Council Resolution No. 2728 and a ceasefire in order to exchange prisoners and deliver humanitarian aid to those who are about to die of hunger.” He noted that Israel…

Iraq has ended a contract awarded to Italy’s PEG company for design and consultancy services in a $17-billion rail project and replaced it with Oliver Wyman of the US.

The cooperation agreement with CITIC Construction is part of NHC’s efforts to secure supply chains for its residential projects, ensuring their timely implementation with high quality

Iraq is planning to award new road projects involving tackling traffic congestion in the capital Baghdad within phase 2 of a master plan unveiled in 2023, according to the Construction and Housing Ministry.

The company expects full operations to start by 2026, says CEO Wesam Al-Ghamdi Construction on NEOM’s green hydrogen plant is “advancing significantly” after securing funding of $8.4 billion last year, according to a local media report. The company expects significant construction progress on the plant in 2024, with full operations to start by 2026, Wesam Al-Ghamdi, CEO of NEOM Green Hydrogen Company, told Asharq Al-Awsat. He disclosed that basic construction works were finished last year to receive key supplies at the NEOM site. The developer of the world’s largest carbon-free green hydrogen plant received its first wind turbine delivery at…

Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) will also support Barclays’ proposed bonus policy change for so-called material risk takers (MRTs), like it recently did at rival bank HSBC, an updated list of NBIM’s voting intentions showed

The bank also forecasts the country’s current account deficit to widen to $15.2bln, or 4% of gross domestic product, this year