Author: Steven Sahiounie

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…

Secretary General of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Akbar Ahmadian has started a key visit to Russia where he is expected to attend two major international security forums to raise public and global awareness about Israel’s aggression against Palestine and its standoff with Iran. Ahmadian said upon arriving in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg on Tuesday that he will seek to support multilateralism and anti-Western discourses in the field of security during his presence in Russia where he will participate in an annual security forum and a meeting of top security officials of the BRICS grouping of…

The Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah arrived in Amman on Tuesday for a two-day state visit to Jordan, the Kuwait News Agency reported. The emir’s aircraft was escorted by Royal Jordanian Air Force F-16 fighter jets as it entered Jordan’s airspace. Upon arrival at Marka Airport, he was warmly received by Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah. An official welcoming ceremony took place, according to a statement by the royal court. The day continued with Sheikh Mishal and King Abdullah engaging in formal discussions at Basman Palace which focused on strengthening long-standing…

Egypt has condemned the repeated Israeli violations of international law and international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip.The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “It is regrettable and shameful that violations of international law and humanitarian values continue in such a flagrant manner in the 21st century, in full view and hearing of all countries, international organizations, and the Security Council.”This came during statements made by ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid regarding the discovery of mass graves in the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.Egypt said it condemned violations of international law including the targeting…