Author: Steven Sahiounie

Polling stations across Türkiye closed on Sunday as voting in the country’s local elections ended at 5 p.m. Candidates from a total of 34 political parties competed in the elections, with over 206,000 polling stations set up across the country. Voters living in Türkiye’s larger cities cast their votes for metropolitan municipality mayor, municipality mayor, city council members, as well as mukhtars and elder councils. Those cities include the capital Ankara, Istanbul, and Izmir – the nation’s three largest cities by population – as well as Adana, Antalya, Aydin, Balikesir, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kayseri, Kocaeli,…

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Syria reported early Sunday that Israeli shelling targeted the Yarmouk Basin in the western countryside of Daraa province in southern Syria, causing material damage. Our correspondent pointed out that the Israeli aggression followed the overflight of a drone through Syrian airspace toward the occupied Syrian Golan Heights. This week, Syria was the target of multiple attacks carried out by the Israeli occupation forces, US forces, and terrorist organizations. Sources told Al Mayadeen that on March 26, US and Israeli forces launched 10 “joint-terror” attacks on four areas in eastern Syria, resulting in the martyrdom and the injury of civilians and…

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call on Saturday with the Prime Minister of Palestine and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed Mustafa, Saudi Press Agency reported. Prince Faisal congratulated Mustafa on his appointment to form the Palestinian government, and on assuming the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs. The prince also wished success for his state and the new Palestinian government in serving the Palestinian people in light of the difficult circumstances they face amid the Israel-Hamas war. During the call, developments in the Gaza Strip were discussed inclduing efforts made to achieve a ceasefire and the need to…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on spring draft for military service in Russia. The document was published on the official legal information portal. According to new rules, in effect since January 1, the conscription will involve those aged 18-30, with the exception of those who turned 27 before the end of 2023 and those who are 28 or 29 or are in reserve. “[I hereby decree to] carry out the conscription of Russian citizens aged between 18 and 30, not in reserve and eligible for conscription, between April 1 and July 15, 2024, in the quantity of…

Doing his duty as a voting citizen in Türkiye’s local elections on Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cast his ballot in the metropolis of Istanbul. After voting in the city’s Uskudar district, Erdogan stressed the importance of participation in the elections, urging all eligible citizens to come out and make their choice. This election will mark the beginning of a new era in our country,” he told reporters after voting. Mentioning last year’s hard-fought parliamentary and presidential elections followed by this year’s local elections, he said: “I hope that these will be instrumental in the beginning of a new era,…

Iran celebrated the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Islamic Republic on Sunday, with different governmental bodies renewing their pledge to protect the country’s national interests and strive to achieve the Islamic Revolution of 1979’s ideals. The Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday on the occasion of the Islamic Republic Day, which marks the holding of a 1979 historic referendum, in which Iranians voted overwhelmingly in favor of departure from monarchical rule weeks after the collapse of the US-backed Pahlavi regime. “We renew our pledge to the visionary nation of Iran to safeguard national interests in international arenas with regard…

Polling in Türkiye’s local elections began Sunday with more than 61 million voters eligible to cast ballots in the country’s 81 provinces. Voting started at 7 a.m. local time and will continue through 4 p.m. in 32 eastern provinces and in the remaining provinces, polling stations will open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. Some 1.32 million young people are voting for the first time. With candidates from 34 political parties competing, more than 206,000 polling stations have been set up nationwide. A total of 81 provincial, 973 district, and 390 township mayors along with 50,336 mukhtars, as…

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Saturday that “famine” in Gaza can be dealt with in a short time if Israel opened the land crossings for aid to enter.Safadi made the comments at a press conference with his Egyptian and French counterparts in Cairo.The UN and partners have warned that famine could occur in devastated, largely isolated northern Gaza as early as this month A three-ship convoy left a port in Cyprus on Saturday with 400 tonnes of food and other supplies for Gaza as concerns about hunger in the territory soar.World Central Kitchen said the vessels and a…

Ukraine must take into account the fact that its borders have changed drastically since the beginning of its conflict with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, commenting on the prospects for peace talks. Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky suggested in an interview with CBS News that a return to 1991 borders was no longer a precondition for negotiations with Russia. However, he still insisted that Kiev must regain the territory it lost to Moscow in 2022. That year, four former Ukrainian territories – Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in a public…

he UK’s main opposition party has suffered a sharp fall in membership over its policies on Gaza and green investment, The Guardian reported. Figures from the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee show that more than 23,000 people have canceled their membership over the last two months. It follows controversies over the party leadership’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and a decision to abandon a commitment to spend $35 billion on a green investment plan. Despite the membership losses, however, Labour still holds a commanding lead in UK opinion polling, suggesting it will take government at the next election,…