Author: Steven Sahiounie

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that he had an important conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and other “challenges.” “Important exchange with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in Sochi, on the nuclear safety and security of the ZNPP and other non-proliferation global challengers,” Grossi wrote on the X social network. The conversation between Putin, Grossi and Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Russia’s Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, took place in the Russian leader’s Bocharov Ruchey summer residence in Sochi. It lasted for an about…

The commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) suggests that the regional resistance front could still face the Israeli regime with more surprises by fielding more of its capabilities. The October-present war between the Israeli regime and the resistance front showed that the front serves as an “integrated set that has a lot of capabilities,” Brigadier General Esmail Qa’ani said on Wednesday. “Of course, it has not yet used all of its capabilities,” he said, adding, “It was also proven [during the war] that no one can take the resistance front for granted.” Israel launched…

Biden will begin delivering his annual speech to legislators, broadcast live throughout the country by news channels, at 09:00 PM EST (05:00 AM Friday Moscow time). This will be his fourth speech of this kind. The first one was delivered at the end of April 2021, three months after Biden took office as head of state. In this regard, it was not formally a State of the Union address, which usually sums up the work of the past year and announces plans for the future. The 46th President of the United States delivered his first full State of the Union…

The Yemeni Armed Forces claim responsibility for the attack on a US-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden, which set fire to the ship and left some of its crew members missing. The Yemeni Armed Forces attacked US bulk carrier True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden, spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said on Wednesday. The announcement saw the Yemeni armed forces claim responsibility for the attack that had been shrouded in mystery for hours, clarifying that the “incident”, as it had been called, was its forces launching drones and missiles at the ship. “The Yemeni naval missiles struck the…

Maintaining and developing the China-Russia relationship is a strategic choice based on the fundamental interests of the two countries’ peoples, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a news conference on the sidelines of the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress of China. “Efforts to maintain and promote Chinese-Russian relations are a strategic choice made by the two sides on the basis of the fundamental interests of the two countries’ peoples,” Wang said. Under the strategic guidance of Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation, standing on the…

Any war and any hostilities are a tragedy, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, referring to the large number of flashpoints in the world. “Yes, indeed, the situation is difficult, there are many problems and many flashpoints,” the head of state said during the meeting with the World Youth Festival participants. “Here, we have a conflict with our neighbors nearby. Hostilities are underway. Could it be more problematic?” Putin continued. “This is always a tragedy when people fight each other. People die, after all, they get injured and so on,” he added. source: TASS

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says every new parliament is a valuable and useful asset, which will bring fresh hopes for Iran. The Leader made the remarks in a meeting with the chairman and members of the Assembly of Experts in Tehran on Thursday. Ayatollah Khamenei said a new parliament is like fresh blood in Iran’s political and social structure. The Leader urged the newly-elected Iranian lawmakers to be cautious not to embitter the nation and the political atmosphere of the country. Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that divisive words, quarrels and hostilities, which are favorable to the enemy,…

A senior official in the federal Canadian government says the country’s Minister of International Development intends to announce new funding to the agency. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported that the Canadian federal government will resume funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA. Canada was among the countries that suspended funding to the agency following unverified Israeli claims about a dozen UNRWA employees allegedly taking part in the Palestinian Resistance’s operation on October 7. A senior official in the government told CBC that, in addition to proceeding with a planned payment of $25 million in April, Canada’s Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen intends to…

Representative Mike McCaul says he will be leading a delegation to Taiwan for President-elect Lai Ching-te’s inauguration. A top US lawmaker said Wednesday he would visit Taiwan for the inauguration of President-elect Lai Ching-te on May 20, a year after his last trip to the island provoked anger from China. Representative Mike McCaul, who leads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke alongside Taiwan’s representative in Washington and lawmakers from both parties at an event in the US Capitol marking 45 years since a landmark law to support Taiwan. “I’ll be leading a delegation to Taiwan to celebrate the president’s inauguration,”…

South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order additional emergency measures against Israel in response to the latter’s breach of the measures already in place, the U.N.’s top court said today. In a statement issued today, the South African presidency warned that the desperate people of Gaza cannot wait anymore. “The threat of all-out famine has now materialized. The court needs to act now to stop the imminent tragedy by immediately and effectively ensuring that the rights it has found are threatened under the Genocide Convention are protected,” it added. South Africa also asked the court…