Author: Steven Sahiounie

Hungary and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday signed a $5.5 billion deal that will see a run-down Budapest neighborhood injected with some Dubai glitz.

Trading volumes of Saudi equities have unexpectedly surged this year in a big boost to the stock exchange operator Saudi Tadawul Group Holding Co.

The bloc’s acronym is a “brand” and the addition of new members will not change that, a top Russian diplomat has said

Malta, Luxembourg, and Hungary have reportedly warned against directing the proceeds generated by the frozen assets to Ukraine’s military

Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas called on Palestinian people across al-Quds, the West Bank, and the ’48 occupied territories to urgently defend al-Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan. The Resistance movement urged active participation in breaking the Israeli siege imposed on Al-Aqsa, insisting that Palestinians must be able to pray and gather within its courtyards. In its statement, Hamas said, “Gaza, which brought forth the glorious Al-Aqsa Flood, is still fighting the greatest of battles against the enemy after 160 days,” urging “our people to actively partake in breaking the occupation’s siege on Al-Aqsa, pray in it, defend it, and…

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Riyadh on Thursday.During the meeting, the ministers discussed various aspects of bilateral relations and ways to advance and strengthen them. They also discussed developments and topics of common interest.Earlier, Mekdad was received at King Khalid International Airport by Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji. source: Arab News

Egypt’s foreign minister calls on Israel to open its land crossings to let more aid into the Gaza Strip. “Israel controls six other crossings that it should open,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said at a news conference during a visit to Cairo by his Spanish counterpart. “There is a long line of trucks waiting to enter but are subject to the procedures of vetting that must be complied to so that the trucks can enter safely, that the drivers are not targeted, that they are received on the other side,” Shoukry said. “We have the capacity to increase the…

European foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters in Washington that world leaders need to put more pressure on Israel to open its crossings for humanitarian access to Gaza. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza isn’t a natural disaster but a “man-made” one, he said. Earlier this week, Borrell accused the Israeli government of using starvation as a “weapon of war”. Israel described his comments as “false” and “outrageous”. source: AlJazeera

Schumer’s fiery speech reflects growing frustration in Washington with Netanyahu, his management of the war, the failure to do more to protect Palestinian civilians and obstruction of aid deliveries in Gaza. While Schumer didn’t mention the possibility of introducing legislation to tie the provision of US weapons to Israel easing the humanitarian crisis, the senator raised the possibility of Washington using its influence if Israel doesn’t change its policies. “If Prime Minister Netanyahu’s current coalition remains in power after the war begins to wind down and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing US standards for assistance,…

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the government to immediately begin implementing the tasks outlined in his presidential address. “If I’m wrong about something, my colleagues will correct me, but the trends that we are now observing give us reason to believe that the plans proposed as part of the address to the Federal Assembly are quite feasible. This work must be started immediately,” Putin said when opening a meeting with members of the Cabinet of Ministers. The head of state drew attention to the importance of ensuring detailed planning of all elements of each national project. “Such planning should…