Author: Steven Sahiounie

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…

China described the war in Gaza as a “disgrace to civilization” and called on Thursday for an immediate ceasefire as the conflict stretched into its sixth month despite efforts by mediators to reach a truce. Wang also said Beijing supports “full” United Nations membership of a Palestinian state. “We support Palestine becoming a formal member of the United Nations,” the foreign minister said. “The catastrophe in Gaza once again reminded the world that the fact that the Palestinian territories have been occupied for a long time can no longer be ignored.” Mediators in Egypt have struggled to overcome tough obstacles…

Russia on Sunday announced additional voluntary cuts in oil supply mainly in the form of production cuts rather than exports, as it faced curtailed refining capacity as well as stricter sanctions, analysts said.

British Airways Plc will spend $952 million (£750 million) on information-technology improvements including an overhaul of its website as part of a £7 billion push to modernize the airline.

India has asked tech firms to seek its approval before the public release of artificial intelligence (AI) tools that are “unreliable” or under trial, noting they should also be labelled for the potential to return wrong answers for user queries.