Author: Steven Sahiounie

A massive dust storm blowing in from Africa has covered Athens and other Greek cities, tinting the sky yellow-orange, videos showed on Tuesday.  According to meteorological services, the Sahara dust storm will be accompanied by mud rains, mostly in the northern and western parts of the country. The storm coincided with elevated spring temperatures, intensifying its impact, local weather reports stated. The winds are expected to shift direction westward on Wednesday, resulting in lower dust levels “This is a phenomenon that occurs these months… it is usually accompanied by southerly winds and an increased temperature,” the director of research at the Institute…

The US has stopped hiding the true purpose of sanctions on Moscow, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said. “Washington has stopped hiding the true intent of its restrictive pressure on our country. It’s not about any mythical aspirations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, but about banal opportunistic and predatory ambitions. A trivial scenario is in order: if the Americans cannot win in a fair economic competition, sanctions are used,” he pointed out, commenting on US officials’ statements about plans to increase pressure on Russia’s energy sector. Antonov stressed that US officials “use every opportunity” to threaten Russia with…

The director of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees hit back at Israel Tuesday, calling for a Security Council probe into the “blatant disregard” for UN operations in Gaza after some 180 staffers were killed.Philippe Lazzarini also revealed that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) had been able to partly offset a funding shortfall by raising $100 million from online donations since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out in October.His comments came a day after the release of an independent review that said Israel had not yet provided evidence supporting its claim that hundreds of UNRWA staff were…

A high-profile North Korean delegation is making a rare foreign visit to Iran, the state-run KCNA news agency has reported. The last time officials from Pyongyang made a publicly announced trip to Tehran was in 2019. A delegation headed by North Korea’s minister for external economic relations, Yun Jong Ho, departed for Iran by plane on Tuesday, according to the agency. KCNA did not reveal further details about the visit. In February, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the 45th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Kim expressed confidence that “the traditional…

A 20-year-old Palestinian woman was shot and killed this morning near the village of Beit Ainun, north of Hebron. The General Authority for Civil Affairs informed the Ministry of Health that the woman, Maimouna Abdel Hamid Harahsheh, 20, was fatally shot in the head by Israeli soldiers north of Hebron. The occupation soldiers deliberately left Harahsheh to bleed to death and prevented ambulance crews to reach her. According to the Ministry of Health, the occupation forces are still withholding Harahsheh’s body. Source: WAFA

The German government plans to resume cooperation with the UN agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) in Gaza, the foreign and development ministries said in a joint statement on Wednesday.The decision follows an investigation by the former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna into whether some UNRWA employees were involved in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.The Colonna-led review of the agency’s neutrality on Monday concluded Israel had yet to back up its accusations that hundreds of UNRWA staff were operatives in Gaza terrorist groups.The German ministries urged UNRWA to swiftly implement the report’s recommendations, including strengthening its internal audit function and improving…

Humanitarian workers have no knowledge of plans to evacuate Palestinians from Gaza’s southernmost city ahead of an expected Israeli assault, but such a transfer would not be “possible” under current conditions, a Red Cross official told AFP on Tuesday.“The rumor is that the probability of a major operation in Rafah is increasing,” Fabrizio Carboni, Middle East regional director for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said on the sidelines of an aid conference in the United Arab Emirates.“When we see the level of destruction in the middle area (of Gaza) and in the north, it’s not clear to…

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday to inaugurate a megaproject financed by Iran. The Iranian president and his entourage are visiting Sri Lanka after an official trip to Pakistan that took them to Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. Raisi held meetings with Pakistan’s senior political, military and religious figures and signed eight cooperation agreements during his state visit. In the one-day visit to SriLanka, the Iranian president is going inaugurate the ‘Uma Oya’ hydropower complex, a megaproject financed by the government of Iran. He will then receive an official welcome at the presidential palace of SriLanka in…

The Jamaican government has announced its decision to recognize the State of Palestine, citing concerns over Israel’s war on Gaza and the “ever-deepening humanitarian crisis” in the Palestinian territory. “The decision is aligned with Jamaica’s strong commitment to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which seek to engender mutual respect and peaceful co-existence among states, as well as the recognition of the right of people to self-determination,“ the country’s ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement. “By recognizing the State of Palestine, Jamaica strengthens its advocacy towards a peaceful solution,”  Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaican Minister of…

US President Joe Biden will sign the Congress-approved Ukraine aid bill on April 24 in order to resume weapons supplies to Kiev this week, according to a statement released by the White House. “I will sign this bill into law and address the American people as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow so we can begin sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week,” Biden said in his statement. The US Congress House of Representatives passed a package of bills on military aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on April 20. The documents have also been approved by the…