Author: Steven Sahiounie

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah, in a meeting in Amman on Tuesday, reiterated the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, given the humanitarian catastrophe, starvation, and devastation of livelihoods in the besieged region.Presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said the two leaders spoke of the close relations between the two countries at all levels, emphasizing mutual commitment to further advancing and strengthening cooperation in all domains.There was also an alignment of views in regard to the importance of continuing coordination and consultations on developments in regional and international issues, including the situation in the Gaza Strip.The…

BENGALURU: Global road oil demand will rise 5 percent to a peak of 50 million barrels per day by 2032, Goldman Sachs forecasts, with oil use per vehicle likely to fall sharply because electric vehicles are expected to account for more than half of auto sales by 2040, according to Reuters.

RIYADH: Dubai’s real estate market witnessed strong growth in 2023, with rental prices for villas surging 16.2 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter, official data showed. 

At a press conference in Paris on Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Stephane Séjourné and US counterpart US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced opposition to the recent attack that claimed the lives of seven foreign aid workers in Gaza. “Protecting humanitarian workers is a moral and legal imperative that everyone must adhere to,” Séjourné said, adding, “Nothing justifies such a tragedy.” The aid workers were part of a US-based charity organization called World Central Kitchen and were sent on a mission to deliver food to civilians in the Strip. They were killed inside their vehicle by a targeted Israeli airstrike…

Türkiye on Tuesday condemned Israel’s attack on an Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria’s capital Damascus. “We condemn the Israeli attack on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus. Israel’s action adds to its recent violations of international law,” a Foreign Ministry statement said. “We are concerned that this action may escalate into a conflict affecting the entire region,” it added. The ministry also urged all sides to act with “common sense and restraint, and to abide by international law.” At least 11 people, including three from Syria and a Lebanese national, were killed in Monday’s attack on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus.…

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Tuesday he had asked the Israeli ambassador in Warsaw for “urgent explanations” after an Israeli airstrike that resulted in the killing of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen in the Gaza Strip. A Polish volunteer was among the seven aid workers who were killed in the targeted strike, added Sikorski.“I personally asked the Israeli ambassador Yacov Livne for urgent explanations,” Sikorski wrote on social media platform X. “He assured me that Poland would soon receive the results of the investigation into this tragedy. I join in my condolences to the family of our volunteer and all civilian…

Health Ministry announced on Tuesday that a number of Syrians were among the victims from the Israeli aggression that targeted the Iranian Consulate yesterday. “The number of Syrian citizens martyred in the Israeli aggression reached 4 in addition to 13 ones injured, the majority of them are serious,” Health Minister Hasan Ghabbash said in a statement. He added that when the aggression took place, the ambulance system responded immediately and offered service to the citizens in the place. Source: SANA

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez at the Al-Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah on Tuesday, Saudi Press Agency reported. During the reception, Prince Mohammed and Sanchez discussed relations between their two countries as well as regional and international developments. Discussions focused on events in the Gaza Strip and its surroundings and the international efforts made to stop Israel’s military operation in the enclave and ensuring its abides by international and humanitarian law. They spoke about ways to deal with the security and humanitarian repercussions of the Israeli offensive and how to advance the peace process in accordance with recent resolutions of the Security Council…

The Taiwan issue is the main red line in relations between Beijing and Washington that should not be crossed, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Joe Biden. “The Taiwan issue is the first red line in China-US relations that cannot be crossed,” China Central Television quoted Xi as saying. “As for the separatist activities of Taiwan’s pro-independence forces and their indulgence and support from outside, we will not simply tolerate them,” the Chinese leader pointed out. He expressed hope that the US president’s statement that Washington does not support Taipei’s independence will be put into practice. Source: TASS

Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa today received a phone call from Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, during which they both discussed the importance of stopping the Israeli aggression against Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. They both further affirmed the necessity of accelerating the flow of aid to the Strip, rejecting forced displacement, and stopping the attacks of the occupation and colonizers in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem. Primer Mustafa stressed the need to implement and bind Israel to the recent Security Council ceasefire resolution, and to ensure the arrival of humanitarian and relief aid to meet the emergency needs of…