Author: Steven Sahiounie

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discusses the objectives of his visit to Russia, emphasizing that the Palestinian issue will be on the agenda. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian addressed the media upon his arrival in the Russian capital, Moscow, discussing the objectives of his visit and emphasizing that the Palestinian issue will be a focal point in his meetings. In his press statements, he mentioned that the primary objective is to participate in the meeting of foreign ministers of the countries bordering the Caspian Sea. He further elaborated that the focus of the discussions will be centered around matters aimed…

The Peace Corps has yet to return to Pacific island nation more than four years after Washington touted its return. Taipei, Taiwan – In October 2019, the United States announced that the Peace Corps, the storied volunteer programme established by John F Kennedy, would return to the Solomon Islands after a two-decade absence. The announcement was the latest in a flurry of moves by Washington to counter China’s growing presence in Pacific island nations like the Solomon Islands, a sparsely populated but strategically located archipelago that lies about 2,000km northeast of Australia. More than four years later, the Peace Corps has…

A Palestinian youth was Tuesday morning killed, while his brother was detained, by Israeli forces during a raid in Qalandia camp, north of occupied Jerusalem. The Ministry of Health said that Mohammad Yousef Hassan Manasra, 25, from Qalandiya, north of Jerusalem, was killed during the occupation forces’ storming of the camp. Witnesses said that the occupation forces violently stormed Manasra’s and blew up the door of the house behind which the slain Palestinian was standing in preparation for opening the door to the occupation forces, who blew up the door of the house with a bomb that disintegrated his body. The…

Stagflation and weak economic growth have reportedly led to a gap in living standards valued at £8,300, or well over $10,000 More than a decade of economic stagnation has left British households 25% poorer than their peers in such countries as France and Germany, according to the latest research, which was published on Monday. The study, by the Resolution Foundation and the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, shows UK living standards are 3% below their peak in 2020, and are continuing to fall. “Were Britain to close the average income and inequality gap to its…

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday arrived in Qatar to lead Saudi Arabia’s delegation at the 44th session of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The crown prince left for the Qatari capital Doha on the invitation of Qatar’s emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Saudi Press Agency reported. “The leaders will discuss issues of common interest, ways to enhance brotherly bilateral relations, and hold the Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council,” the SPA said. Several senior officials from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE will attend the meeting. High on the agenda for the leaders’ discussions will be the Israel-Hamas…

Shipments saw a year-on-year increase by nearly 10% in November Russian exports of liquified natural gas (LNG) to Europe hit an all-time high of 1.75 million tons in November, the Kommersant business daily reported on Monday, citing data by Kpler. The previous record was set in December 2022, when Russia exported 1.737 million tons of LNG to the region. The largest November volumes were reportedly shipped to France and Belgium, which received LNG from enterprises in the Yamal peninsula and the town of Vysotsk. The facilities are operated by Novatek, Russia’s second-largest gas producer. Overall shipments of Russian LNG to…

The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry lamented the fact that the United Nations Security Council has fallen under the influence of the US and failed to fulfill its duties regarding the brutal Israeli war against Gaza. Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Monday, Nasser Kanaani said the UN Security Council has sadly been held hostage to the US government when it comes to supporting Gaza. The UNSC has proved to be incapable of fulfilling its duties to save the lives of Palestinians and ensure peace in Gaza which has been suffering from weeks of brutal Israeli strikes,…

Long-term debt accounted for $136.6bln, whereas short-term debt accounted for $28.1bln The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) said the North African nation’s external debt registered $164.7bn at the end of June 2023, up by about $9.0bn or 5.8% year over year (Y-o-Y). This resulted from the rise in net disbursements of loans and facilities by $8.9bn and the depreciation of the US dollar exchange rate vis-à-vis the other currencies of the external debt, which led to an increase of $147.9m in book value. Egypt’s debt breakdown by maturity By original maturity, Egypt’s external debt reaffirmed its pattern of long-term debt…

Several policy makers said that policy needed to remain restrictive for some time in order to ensure that inflation comes back to the 2% target Swedish monetary policy needs to remain tight for some time and the policy rate may need to be raised further if the inflation outlook deteriorates, the minutes of the central bank’s most recent meeting, published on Monday, showed. Late last month, the central bank kept its key policy rate unchanged at 4.00%, saying that policy was now having a real impact after eight rate hikes in a row and that inflation was heading in the…

Kharabsheh pointed out that this MoU is part of the government’s efforts to enhance Jordan’s role as a regional centre for green energy production AMMAN — Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Kharabsheh on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chairman of Mass Group Holding Company Ahmad Saleh to conduct feasibility studies for the development of green hydrogen projects in Jordan. Kharabsheh said that the agreement targets an annual production of 180,000 tonnes of green ammonia and outlines the general framework of cooperation to facilitate and empower the company to undertake a preliminary feasibility study for a…