Author: Steven Sahiounie

South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor denounced the Israeli intelligence agency’s attempts to “intimidate” her over the Israeli genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and reaffirmed Pretoria’s support for the Palestinians. Speaking on the sidelines of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address on Thursday night, Pandor said she was concerned for the safety of her family after having been targeted on social media. Pandor said she had spoken to Police Minister Bheki Cele about beefing up her security after she received threatening messages. “I felt that [it would] be better if we had extra security. But…

Syrian air defenses shot down on Friday two drones in the west of Damascus, state media reported, citing a military source as saying the drones came from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the west of the capital.The Israeli military has said it does not comment on reports in foreign media.Syrian state media reported earlier that the air defenses were responding to “hostile targets” in the vicinity of Damascus.Since December, Israeli strikes have killed more than half a dozen Revolutionary Guards, including a top intelligence general.Separately, the US military launched airstrikes earlier this month in Syria and Iraq…

During the interview, Putin stated that Ukraine decided to terminate its negotiations with Russia at the request of the US. On Thursday, American journalist Tucker Carlson aired his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking the first occasion of a Western journalist conducting such an interview since the launch of the special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Putin explains ‘history of Ukraine’  During the interview, Putin began by outlining the centuries-old history of Ukraine, claiming that the term originated from the Poles. He argued that the southern Russian territories, previously part of the Polish-Lithuanian state, were considered a suburb…

At least 11 Palestinians were arrested by the Israeli occupation forces last night and this morning in the occupied West Bank provinces of Ramallah and Tulkarm, according to local sources. In Ramallah province, in the central West Bank, Israeli troops stormed the villages and towns of Al-Mughayir, Deir Nidham, and Sinjil, where at least seven Palestinians were arrested. In one of the raids in Sinjil, the occupying Israeli army confiscated three private vehicles and stole an amount of cash in shekel worth nearly $2,800, as reported by witnesses. In Tulkarm, north of the West Bank, four Palestinians were reportedly arrested…

A meeting of Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) has approved the ballot for the Russian presidential election, and for the first time since 2008, there will only be four candidates – Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Vladislav Davankov of New People, Nikolay Kharitonov of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) and incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is running for a fifth term as an independent. “The decision has been approved,” CEC Chairwoman Ella Pamfilova said at the meeting. Eight candidates were on the ballot at the previous presidential election in Russia in…

The Palestinian Red Crescent reported today that the Israeli occupation forces raided the Al-Amal Hospital, an affiliate of the Red Crescent, located in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the Red Crescent, hospital staff informed them that Israeli occupation soldiers stormed the hospital and embarked on conducting searches. However, due to communication disruptions, they were unable to obtain further details about the Israeli raid and the fate of the medical teams and patients inside the Al-Amal Hospital . In recent days, Israeli occupation forces have launched intense shelling and continuous gunfire in the vicinity…

In his address, US President Joe Biden says that the Israeli ‘response’ to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood is ‘over the top,’ alledging that he exerted efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. In an unexpected address to Americans on Thursday, US President Joe Biden criticized the Israeli ‘response’ to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood launched by Hamas as “over the top” on Thursday. “I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in Gaza, in the Gaza Strip, has been over the top,” the Democrat told reporters at the White House. The United States’ backing of…

At a plenary meeting of the DPRK ruling Worker’s Party of Korea in December, Kim said that the WPK was abandoning the idea of a peaceful reunification with the South through dialogue The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) considers its southern neighbor, the Republic of Korea (ROK), as its primary foe and stands ready to occupy it in the event of an emergency situation, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said at an event marking the 76th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People’s Army (KPA). “Defining the South Korean puppets as the most harmful primary foe and…

The foreign ministers of the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan arrived in Riyadh on Thursday for a consultative meeting on the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip, Saudi Press Agency reported. UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi attended the ministerial meeting. The ministers were received at King Khaled International Airport by Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji. During the meeting, the ministers stressed the need to end the conflict in Gaza by reaching an immediate and complete ceasefire. They also said it…

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Thursday received the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees Philippe Lazzarini and his accompanying delegation in Riyadh. During the reception, the two sides reviewed cooperation between the Kingdom and UNRWA and ways to enhance it, and the minister reiterated the Kingdom’s position in support of the agency. Prince Faisal called “for all donors to UNRWA to play their role in supporting humanitarian missions toward the Palestinians, to mitigate the effects of the humanitarian crisis taking place in occupied Palestine,” the Kingdom’s foreign ministry said.…