United Nations, New York - A humanitarian catastrophe on a biblical scale is unfolding in the Gaza Strip, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said at a session of the UN Security Council."It’s time to call it what it is: a humanitarian catastrophe on a biblical scale is...

Moscow, Russia - Russia on Monday blamed "external interference" for an anti-Israel riot that closed an airport in the Muslim-majority region of Dagestan the previous day."Yesterday's events at Makhachkala airport are, to a large extent, the result of external interference," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.Russian police on Monday said they...

London, United Kingdom - Britain on Monday awarded 27 new licenses for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea as it seeks to quickly boost energy security, but the announcement angered environmentalists.The Conservative government has argued that drilling for new oil and gas is necessary to bolster Britain's energy security...

Moscow, Russia - Israeli authorities have summoned the Russian Ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktotov, in response to a recent visit by a Hamas delegation to Moscow, Israeli media reported. The Israeli Foreign Ministry expressed concern over Russia's failure to issue a clear and unequivocal condemnation of Hamas, and raised questions...

Paris, France - Billionaire Elon Musk said on Saturday that his Starlink satellite service would support internet access for "internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza," which have faced a telecommunications blackout since Friday.Starlink is a network of satellites in low Earth orbit that can provide internet to remote locations, or areas...

Hamas is trying to locate eight Russian-Israeli dual citizens among nearly 230 taken hostage during its members' attack on Israel after Moscow's request to free them, Russian news agencies reported. Russia has good relations with Hamas and has launched a diplomatic effort to try to free hostages held in Gaza.

TEHRAN, IRAN – The Iranian head of Solyanka Port in Russia said that the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a key element of the transportation network in Eurasia.Speaking in a specialized meeting of INSTC- New Concept, which was held in Astrakhan Port of Russia, Dariush Jamali pointed to the three...

Moscow, Russia - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will soon visit Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a senior Russian diplomat announced."I can say that he [Abbas] will soon arrive on an official visit in Moscow; talks with Vladimir [Putin] will be held here," said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister...

The French energy firm earned a net profit of $6.7 billion.

Moscow, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that the Israel-Palestine conflict could potentially extend beyond the Middle East, Reuters reported.Russian leader stressed the need to protect innocent civilians, during a meeting with religious leaders of various faiths in the Kremlin and called for an end to the...

The Chinese and Russian reprimands ring hollow for US officials, who doubt the rival powers will engage in painstaking diplomacy along the lines of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent trip to the region. But the United States has historically stood out as a lonely voice in its close embrace...

Stora Enso registered a loss of $272m euros in Q2 2023.

Many states including Jordan on behalf of an Arab group of nations, Russia, Syria, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Combodia formally requested General Assembly president to schedule the meeting. The UN Security Council, regularly divided on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, rejected a Russian draft resolution last week calling for a "humanitarian pause."

Tehran, Iran--A treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and Iran is about 85 percent ready, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday."The work on a new big treaty is at an advanced stage. I would say that it is 85 percent agreed. Several specific issues are yet to...

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Monday for "unhindered access" for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, in a telephone call with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the Kremlin said.According to a readout of the call from the Kremlin, the two leaders "expressed serious concern about...

Iran and Russia have bolstered ties in many fields over the last few years and Moscow has turned to Tehran for military support and economic partnerships as both countries face a raft of Western sanctions. The West has accused Tehran of supporting Russia's offensive in Ukraine by providing it with...

It has repeatedly called for talks on ending the conflict, which has risked undermining its growing ties with Iran and complicated its relations with long-time partner Israel. President Vladimir Putin spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Iranian and Arab leaders earlier this week in the hope...

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - The probability that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will launch a ground operation against Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip is over 50 percent, Israeli Ambassador to Russia Alexander Ben Zvi said.“A state of war has been declared. During the period of a state of war,...

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA - Russia is ready to discuss and consider Turkey’s initiative to establish a guarantor system in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Moscow and Ankara staying in touch on the issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said here."We are ready to discuss any constructive proposals. The said initiative …...

"The United States is disappointed this resolution made no mention of Israel's rights of self-defense," US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote. The resolution said the Council "firmly condemns all violence and hostilities against civilians and all acts of terrorism."

Last year Shell inked a deal with QatarEnergy for a 9.4% stake in Qatar's North Field South project, the second phase in the expansion of the world's largest gas field, extending under the Gulf into Iranian territory. Later it also agreed to a 6.25% share in the first phase of...

The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation denounces Israel's backers for granting the country "impunity in its war in Gaza, taking advantage of the double standards that provide cover for the occupying power".

Since its invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Russia has been accused of taking thousands of Ukranian chlidren to its territory. A diplomat briefed on the process said that the children, aged between two and 17, have been staying at the Qatari embassy in Moscow while Doha mediated between...

TEHRAN, IRAN - Iran on Monday said time was running short to reach a political solution in the Israel-Gaza conflict, warning of the "possibility of expanding the scope of war and conflict to other fronts".Israel declared war on the Palestinian group Hamas a day after waves of its fighters broke through...

At the top of the invitation list to China's Belt and Road Initiative forum is Russia's President Vladimir Putin, on his first trip to a major global power since the Ukraine invasion threw his regime into international isolation.

The Russian leader's strategic dependence on China has only grown since his invasion of neighbouring Ukraine thrust his country into international isolation. Putin has hardly ventured beyond his country's borders since the war, with next week's trip the first to a major global power

With Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip showing no sign of any let up, and death toll touching 1,900 people, Russia has called for a "humanitarian cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip. Its ambassador to the UN blamed the US for the conflict. The draft resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire...

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Israel risked waging an "unacceptable" siege in Gaza comparable to the Nazi blockade of Leningrad during World War II, and called for mediation.Fears for Gaza's Palestinian inhabitants have grown since the Israeli army called for 1.1 million people -- nearly...

The bank’s revenues rose 22 percent to US$39.9 billion.

Sochi, Russia -.Starting in 2024, travelers from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Malaysia  and Bahrain may no longer need tourist visas to visit Russia,  Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dmitry Vakhrukov said on the sidelines of the FTT-2023 Forum of Tourism Territories, Tass reported."I reckon this could happen next year. We...

Beijing said Tuesday the value of signed construction contracts with partners now totaled two trillion dollars -- roughly the size of the economy of Russia or Canada.

The IMF kept its 2023 global growth forecast unchanged but warned that the economy is "limping along" as inflation remains high and the outlooks for China and Germany were downgraded. The IMF's updated World Economic Outlook still sees growth of 3.0 percent for this year but it cut its forecast...

Israel imposed a total siege on the Gaza Strip and cut off the water supply as it kept bombing targets in the Palestinian enclave in response to the Hamas surprise assault it has likened to the 9/11 attacks. Israel has counted over 700 dead and launched strikes on Gaza that...

Moscow, Russia - Russian Vladimir Putin on Saturday announced the start of gas supplies to Uzbekistan via Kazakhstan, a boost for Russia's industry hit by a flurry of Western sanctions over the offensive in Ukraine.Despite being home to a wealth of natural  resources including gas, the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan has faced energy shortages.Moscow meanwhile relies heavily...

Moscow, Russia - Russia will soon discuss revoking the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the speaker of the lower house of parliament said Friday.Vyacheslav Volodin made the announcement a day after President Vladimir Putin evoked the possibility of such a move, which could further escalate tensions between Russia...

Moscow, Russia - President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia's mission was to create a "new world" and blamed Western hegemony for Moscow's grinding offensive in Ukraine.Putin has portrayed Russia's full-scale military intervention in Ukraine -- launched in February 2022 -- as part of a long-standing confrontation with the West."We are...

Baghdad, Iraq - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani is scheduled to embark on a two-day visit to Moscow from October 10 to 11, where he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported on Wednesday, quoting sources.Prime Minister Al-Sudani is set to leave Iraq on October 9, with...

The Kingdom's production in the coming months November and December will be approximately 9 million barrels per day, the country's energy ministry said. It added the decision will be reviewed next month to consider deepening the cut or increasing production. The additional voluntary cut comes to reinforce the precautionary efforts...

RAS LAFFAN, QATAR - Qatar's state-owned energy giant began construction on Tuesday on a project to expand production from the world's biggest natural gas field through an export terminal on the Gulf emirate's northeast coast.There has been mounting demand for Qatari gas as European consumer nations have scrambled to replace lost...

MOSCOW, RUSSIA – A senior Russian official said that they intend to move towards visa-free travel with all countries of Latin America.Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Latin American Department Alexander Shchetinin said that this is an achievable goal.Shchetinin told TASS about the to move towards visa-free travel on the...

Last year, Saudi Arabia led the Middle East in military investments, ranking fifth globally with a defense budget of $75 billion. This surpassed many European nations, emphasizing the strategic defense priorities of Middle Eastern countries amidst global powerhouses. Qatar's military expenditure, meanwhile, reached $15.4 billion last year, ranking close to...

Haftar, who sponsors a rival administration to Libya's UN-backed government in Tripoli, has long cultivated close relations with Moscow and relies heavily on Russian mercenary group Wagner for military support. Haftar "held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu", his Libyan Arab Armed Forces said on its...

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - Israel's US$3.5-billion sale of its Arrow 3 missile defense system to Germany, sparked by security fears after Russia's Ukraine invasion, is the biggest yet for the small country's outsized arms sector.With its armed forces steeled by a tragic history of war, Israel is now the ninth largest...

Tehran, Iran--Iran has exported 27.7 million tons of goods worth $9.1 billion to BRICS member countries from March 21-August 21, 2023).In the first five months of this year of 1402 in the Iranian calendar nearly 37 million tons of goods worth $25.1 billion were exchanged between Iran and current and...

Binance is likely to sell its Russian assets to CommEX.

After having forecast a contraction earlier this year in Russia's economy, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is now expecting the country's economy to grow in 2023 thanks to rising oil prices. The bank said in May it expected Western sanctions against Russia"to be more effective in constraining the...

Tehran, Iran-- Iran's exports of agricultural products to the outside world shot up 10% in the first 5 months of this year, the Iranian customs administration reported on Monday,According to a report released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) in the first 5 months of this year of...

US President Joe Biden has repeatedly said he is seeking to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia, a fellow nuclear power, and will not send American troops. His administration has also distanced itself from Ukrainian attacks into Russia itself. But Lavrov pointed to the billions of dollars in Western military...

Baghdad, Iraq -- Iraq is working to complete the necessary preparations for the visit of Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani to Moscow in the next few weeks, said Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein."Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, met with Sergey Lavrov, on the sidelines...

Ukrainian officials said the Palau-flagged Resilient Africa vessel was carrying 3,000 tons of wheat when it left Ukraine's Chornomorsk port on Tuesday. It was destined for Israel, according to marine traffic websites, representing the first successful Black Sea voyage since Russia pulled out of a UN-backed deal to export Ukrainian...