Author: Steven Sahiounie

American and Chinese defense officials met in Hawaii this week to discuss how both nations’ fleets can operate safely in the Pacific region. The meetings were the first of their kind since Beijing severed military relations with Washington two years ago. The Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA) working group talks were held in Honolulu on Wednesday and Thursday, US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement on Friday. Some 18 officials from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) took part, as did representatives of the US Indo-Pacific command, US Pacific Fleet, and US Pacific Air Forces. The MMCA is the Indo-Pacific Command’s “primary…

Recently elected Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has revealed his cabinet lineup comprising 25 ministers and five state secretaries, as confirmed by government sources. “Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko announced on Friday, April 5, 2024, the list of members of his government, which includes 25 ministers and five secretaries of state,” the government said in a statement released on Friday. The latest Senegalese cabinet features four female members. Meanwhile, Yassine Fall was notably appointed as Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs. Gen. Birame Diop assumes the role of Defense Minister, Ousmane Diagne takes on the position of Justice Minister, Gen. Jean-Baptiste Tine…

The Consular section of the Iranian Embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus has resumed its activities after four days of a halt due to the Israeli regime’s terrorist attack against the diplomatic mission. The Iranian consulate started its work in a new building adjacent to the previous one on Saturday. The consular section is one of the double buildings of the Iranian Embassy which was destroyed last Monday as a result of a missile attack by the Israeli regime. Earlier, the Iranian Embassy in Damascus had announced that its consular section would be reactivated this Saturday and all kinds of consular services would be…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern on Friday over reports that the Israeli military is using artificial intelligence (AI) in airstrikes on Gaza. According to a report published by the Israeli-Palestinian +972 Magazine earlier this week, and citing Israeli intelligence sources, the IDF has used AI to mark suspected Palestinian militants for assassination, including in densely populated residential areas, which has resulted in many civilian casualties. The AI system, known as ‘Lavender’, reportedly analyzes the personal data of Gaza’s residents and makes lists of those suspected of ties to the military wings of Palestinian militant group Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).…

7 children were martyred and two civilians were injured, including a woman, when an explosive device planted by terrorists exploded in the southern neighborhood of Al-Sanamayn city in the northern countryside of Daraa. A source in the Daraa Police Command stated that seven children, four of them brothers, were martyred in the explosion of the device, while a woman was seriously injured and, and another person was injured.. Source: SANA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday discussed bilateral relations over the phone. During the call, Erdogan expressed Türkiye’s determination to strengthen ties between the two nations in all areas. Erdogan also stressed that their “exemplary” bilateral relations would be further reinforced during an upcoming meeting of their High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. The Turkish leader offered condolences to those who lost their lives in recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan and conveyed his best wishes to Zardari for the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. At least five Chinese nationals and their local driver…

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer believes that Moscow and Kiev should engage in dialogue as there is no peace possible without Russia. “There won’t be peace without the Russian Federation. The situation is hard to resolve, but reviving dialogue, in due time, will be nececcary,” the head of the Austrian government said in an interview with Le Figaro. “We should think of how to put an end to the conflict,” he added. While in April 2022 “there were still possibilities” for Russia and Ukraine to talk with each other directly, “this is not the case today as Russia is reluctant to negotiate,” Nehammer…

Iran’s highest-ranking military commander says the recent Israeli aggression on the Iranian diplomatic facilities in the Syrian capital of Damascus amounts to the regime’s lunacy and suicide. Major General Mohammad Baqeri, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, made the statement as he was speaking at the funeral ceremony of Major General Mohammad Reza Zahedi in the Iranian city if Isfahan on Saturday. Crowds at the gathering chanted “Down with Israel!” and “Down with the United States!” Zahedi was among the seven military advisors of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) who were martyred in the Israeli airstrikes…

Professor Gentian Zyberi criticized the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for its delayed response in holding Israeli officials accountable for crimes against Palestinians, stressing the urgency of immediate action. The professor from the Human Rights Center at the University of Oslo assessed cases and investigations against Israel and its supporters in international courts for Anadolu. Zyberi pointed out that measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are legally binding after Israel prevented humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. He stressed that in line with the decision, Israel should collaborate with the UN to ensure unimpeded humanitarian aid…

The US authorities continue their hunt for Russian citizens in third countries, seeking their deportation to the United States, Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said. “The Americans continue their hunt for Russian citizens; they keep grabbing them in third countries and seek their deportation here, to the United States of America. And it is simply extremely difficult, if ever possible, to get out once you’re here,” Antonov told reporters after visiting Russian citizen Roman Seleznyov, who is currently imprisoned in Butner, North Carolina. According to the envoy, “this is exactly what happened” to Roman Seleznyov. Antonov will send a note to the…