Author: Steven Sahiounie

The presidential election in Russia has shown that the country remains one big family, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday after securing his fifth term in office. He also thanked the voters for their unprecedented support and vowed to meet their expectations. Earlier in the day, Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) officially declared Putin president-elect, announcing that he had received over 87% of the vote. Last weekend’s election recorded a record-high voter turnout that exceeded 77%. Putin is scheduled to be inaugurated on May 7 for another six years in office. In his address to the nation, Putin stressed…

Government ministers from five Arab countries met Thursday in Cairo with a Palestinian official to discuss the Gaza war, Egypt’s foreign ministry said, ahead of talks with the US top diplomat.In a joint statement released by Egypt’s foreign ministry, the ministers called for “a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire” and the “opening of all crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip,” where aid has only trickled in and the United Nations has repeatedly warned of imminent famine.The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan, as well as the Emirati minister of international cooperation and…

Satellite images analyzed by the United Nations Satellite Center show that 35 percent of the Gaza Strip’s buildings have been destroyed or damaged in the Israel offensive in the Palestinian enclave.Israel’s assault, launched in response to attacks by Hamas militants in southern Israel on Oct. 7, has killed nearly 32,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the Hamas-run territory. About 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas raid on Israel.In its assessment, the United Nations Satellite Center, UNOSAT, used high-resolution satellite images collected on Feb. 29 and compared them with images taken before and after the start of the latest…

Israel’s air strikes on targets in Syria violate the fundamental rules of international law, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said. “We are particularly concerned about Israel’s intensifying air strikes on civilian facilities in Syria, particularly from the Blue Line area. Such irresponsible actions are creating a risk that Syria, as well as a number of its neighboring countries, will be dragged into a full-scale regional confrontation. We strongly condemn such attacks on Syria and see them as a blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty and the fundamental rules of international law,” he pointed out at a…

Sterling fell on Thursday after the Bank of England kept interest rates unchanged and Governor Andrew Bailey said Britain’s economy is “moving in the right direction” for the central bank to start cutting interest rates.

In a preliminary report, the Finance Ministry said that Kuwait stayed in black ink with Japan for 16 years and one month

The meeting provided a valuable platform to explore ways to enhance the private sector’s contribution to efforts to improve Dubai’s dynamic business environment

Ministry of Finance launched a digital public consultation to gather the views of relevant stakeholders on the implementation

But BoE governor Andrew Bailey signalled a rate-reduction later this year as inflationary pressures ease further

RIYADH: The UAE’s industrial exports surged by 60 percent over the past three years, amounting to a projected 187 billion dirhams ($50.9 billion), according to a minister.