Author: Steven Sahiounie

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has announced another reshuffle in his presidential office. Among other officials, Zelensky dismissed Sergey Shefir from the post of his first aide, while Alyona Verbitskaya was removed from the position of the country’s ombudswoman for the rights of prisoners of war and a presidential adviser, according to decrees published on the Ukrainian president’s website. Shefir is believed to be an old friend of Zelensky. According to media reports, he was responsible for Zelensky’s daily schedule. Shefir is the head and founder of Kvartal-95 Studio. On Friday, Zelensky fired two other presidential office officials and dismissed the…

Japan is preparing to resume funding to the UN’s crisis-hit Palestinian refugee agency, which coordinates nearly all aid to Gaza, the government said.Once the sixth-largest contributor to the agency, Japan joined more than a dozen countries in pausing funding after Israel claimed that 12 of UNRWA’s 13,000 Gaza employees were involved in the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack.Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa met with UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini in Tokyo to discuss the agency’s measures to strengthen governance and transparency. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “Japan and the UNRWA confirmed that they will advance final coordination about necessary efforts…

The United States has welcomed the formation of a new Palestinian autonomy government, signaling it is accepting the revised Cabinet lineup as a step toward Palestinian political reform.The Biden administration has called for “revitalizing” the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority in hopes that it can also administer the Gaza Strip once the Israel-Hamas war ends. The war erupted nearly six months ago, triggered by an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.In a statement late Friday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the United States looks forward to working with the new group of ministers “to deliver on credible reforms.”“A…

Several Palestinian citizens were killed and others sustained injuries this morning in an Israeli shelling that targeted the premises of the Al-Shujaiya Sports Club, located east of Gaza City. WAFA correspondent reported that at least 10 civilians were killed and 30 others injured as Israeli drones carried out the attack on the Al-Shuja’iya Sports Club, located east of Gaza City. Additionally, five civilians were reported killed, with 20 more wounded, in another Israeli airstrike targeting the Gaza Industrial Zone, also east of Gaza City. Simultaneously, Israeli occupation forces shelled the southwestern areas of Khan Yunis city, south of the Gaza Strip,…

Dr. Annelle Sheline is resigning from the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The US State Department witnessed yet another resignation on Wednesday as a result of US President Joe Biden’s “horrific policy” toward “Israel”, which is enabling “a genocide in Gaza.” Dr. Annelle Sheline’s resignation from the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor marks the most notable departure from the department since Josh Paul, a senior official in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, called it quits. Paul, at the time, who had worked for more than a decade in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs under…

Officers from Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security have detained nine people allegedly linked to the Crocus City Hall attack suspects, Reuters reports, citing security sources. The detainees are also believed to have links to Islamic State Khorasan, a branch of the Islamic State terrorist organization outlawed in Russia. According to the sources, all nine people, detained in the city of Vahdat on March 25, have been brought to the Tajik capital of Dushanbe. On the evening of March 22, a terrorist attack targeted the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, just outside the Moscow city limits. According to…

Belgrade is constantly under pressure because of its independent policy, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in an address to the nation. “It’s general pressure on Serbia and its people,” Vucic said, pointing to the country’s military neutrality and refusal to join sanctions on Russia. According to Vucic, Western countries “are under huge duress because of the Russian armed forces’ achievements and uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine.” Earlier, Vucic said on social media that Serbia was in for hard times as the news of the previous few days “directly threatens the vital national interests of both Serbia…

The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli aggression on the Syrian territory, stressing that it is a blatant violation of Syria sovereignty and the foundational principles of international law. “Israeli aircraft carried out attacks on the vicinity of Aleppo and Damascus, resulting in the death and injury of dozens, including civilians. Once again, we assert that such aggressive actions against Syria constitute a blatant violation of its sovereignty and the basic rules of international law.” said the, ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova in a statement on Friday. “These attacks are completely unacceptable and we strongly condemn such provocative actions that have…

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that while the US did not oppose the resolution to protect its reputation, it granted “Israel” significant freedom of action by declaring the resolution “non-binding”. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov clarified that while the United States did not veto the UN Security Council resolution for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to protect its reputation, it still granted “Israel” considerable freedom of action in Gaza by declaring the resolution “non-binding”. These remarks were made during an interview for Russia’s Izvestia newspaper. On Monday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution urging for an immediate Ramadan ceasefire in Gaza, with the…

SCO Deputy Secretary General Sohail Khan pointed at great prospects for cooperation between the SCO and CIS countries, especially in the field of transport