Author: Steven Sahiounie

The EU has no intention of extending the gas transit contract with Russia via Ukraine when it expires at the end of this year, European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson told an EU Parliament committee meeting on Thursday. 

Oleg Deripaska is accused of sourcing raw materials in the country for weapons manufacturing in Russia

The British economy fell into recession in the final quarter of 2023, according to official figures released on Thursday.

The prime ministers of Ireland and Spain and EU have called for a review of West Jerusalem’s compliance with human rights committments The European Commission EU must urgently reconsider whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations in Gaza under the EU/Israel Association Agreement, an economic pact that forms the basis of relations between Brussels and West Jerusalem, the leaders of Ireland and Spain told EC President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in a letter on Wednesday. “We are deeply concerned at the deteriorating situation in Israel and in Gaza, especially the impact…

If elected, the ex-US president Trump reportedly plans to leverage US military aid to Kiev to bring it to the negotiating table Republican presidential frontrunner and ex-US leader Donald Trump is planning to pressure Ukraine to negotiate peace with Russia if he wins an expected rematch against incumbent Joe Biden for the White House, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing sources. Should Trump become president, he may also retract a number of defense commitments to some NATO allies, according to reports. People familiar with the matter said Trump advisers had talked about ways of bringing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and his Russian…

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy and China’s UN envoy Zhang Jun accused the US of carrying out unauthorized and illegal attacks on Yemen. They argued that the Security Council has not authorized military action against Yemen. In response, US deputy ambassador Robert Wood and UK ambassador Barbara Woodward claimed that strikes on Yemen were taken in self-defense and constituted “proportionate and legal action.” The accusations come amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal war in Gaza, which began on October 7. The US has provided unwavering support for Israel, despite the aggression that has resulted…

Yemeni forces spokesman stressed that these operations are part of the firm stance in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced in a brief statement today that the British ship “LYCAVITOS” was targeted while sailing in the Gulf of Aden and directly hit by appropriate naval missiles. He also stressed that the Yemeni armed forces would continue to stop all Israeli sea navigation or any other heading to the ports of occupied Palestine in the Red and Arab Seas until the Israeli aggression and siege on Gaza halt. Saree revealed that the Yemeni…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says a deal between Israel and Hamas that would include a pause in the fighting and the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners is still possible but “very hard” points of disagreement have yet to be resolved. “We are very committed to do everything we can to move forward and see if we can reach an agreement,” he added. Talks involving Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the US ended in Cairo this week without a breakthrough. source: AlJazeera

The Council of the Arab League has affirmed that Israel’s commission of the crime of forcible displacement of the Palestinian people constitutes an attack on Arab national security. The Council warned this could lead to the collapse of peace prospects in the Middle East, exacerbating and widening conflicts in the region. In an extraordinary session of permanent representatives on Thursday, the Council expressed concern over the unprecedented dire conditions in Rafah, the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip along the border with Egypt, citing Israel’s plans and intentions to forcibly displace approximately one and a half million Palestinian citizens there…

Iran has called for an emergency meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) amid the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, especially Rafah which faces an imminent Israeli invasion. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the plea on Thursday during phone talks with OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, demanding that Muslim countries “take decisive measures against the recent aggression of the Zionist regime”. Israel is preparing a ground invasion of Gaza’s southern city Rafah where more than a million Palestinians have fled since the start of the war on Gaza, with a top UN official…