Author: Steven Sahiounie

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…

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has called on the UN Security Council to take “appropriate and explicit action” to condemn the deadly Israeli attack on Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus. In a post on X on Tuesday, Amir-Abdollahian said he reminded UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a phone call that the United Nations and its Security Council bear the responsibility of ensuring the international peace and security. “I demanded an appropriate and explicit reaction from the UN Security Council in condemning the recent crime of the Zionist regime in the terrorist attack on the consular section of our…

President Mahmoud Abbas this evening, received a telephone call from the Jordanian King Abdullah II. President Abbas reiterated during the call Palestine’s stand in solidarity with the Kingdom of Jordan, headed by King Abdullah II. President Abbas stressed the complete rejection of all attempts to tamper with Jordan’s security and stability or attempts to exploit the suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip to tamper with the Jordanian arena, affirming the rejection of any external interference in the internal Jordanian affairs. President Abbas stressed his confidence that Jordan, under the leadership of King Abdullah II, would overcome all circumstances and…

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was sworn in on Tuesday for his third term as leader of the Arab world’s most populous nation.Speaking in the country’s new parliament building, the 69-year-old vowed to “remain faithful to my work, my eyes seeing only your interests and this country’s.”The occasion, marked by a 21-gun salute, was the inaugural event at Egypt’s new administrative headquarters, built in the desert east of Cairo.“Let me, together with you, reaffirm the covenant to persevere on the path of nation-building and fulfilling the aspirations of the great Egyptian nation of establishing a modern and democratic state that…

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed retribution for those who sponsored the attack on Crocus City Hall. “It is important for us to expose both the perpetrators and all links in that chain, including the beneficiaries of that crime,” Putin said, addressing participants in an Interior Ministry board meeting. “We will certainly get them,” Putin said, referring to sponsors of the attack. “Those who use this weapon, this being a weapon that is used against Russia, and this is obvious today, should understand that this is a double-edged weapon,” the president maintained. According to Putin, crimes for money are nothing unique.…

RIYADH: A UN-backed tourism education scheme is set to enhance the training of Saudi workers to help deliver the best international standards in the Kingdom. In partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, the UN arm responsible for the field announced the launch of a six-month training program for institutions in Saudi Arabia that specialize in the sector. TedQual, a certification system designed by the body to evaluate a series of universally applicable criteria, will help further enhance the quality and training of the relevant bodies in Saudi Arabia. Against the backdrop of ITB Berlin last year, the Kingdom and the…

RIYADH: Excavation work on three components of the Riyadh metro project is set to begin following the signing of a SR722.1 million ($192.5 million) deal between Saudi Real Estate Co., also known as Al Akaria, and Diriyah Gate. 

RIYADH: The share of retail consumer electronic payments in Saudi Arabia surged to 70 percent of total transactions in 2023, up from 62 percent in the previous year, official data showed.   

RIYADH: Saudi energy giant Aramco has awarded a $7.7 billion contract for a major expansion of its Fadhili Gas Plant in the Eastern Province.