Author: MD editor

A blast hit the capital of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province on Saturday, police said, days after an explosion claimed by Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) killed the province’s governor. “A blast has taken placed in the second police district of Balkh,” said Mohamad Asif Waziri, Balkh’s police spokesperson. “We will share details later.” He said the authorities did not expect a high number of casualties but were investigating. A journalist based in Balkh, Mohammad Fardin Nowrozi, told Reuters he and several other journalists were injured in the explosion, but did not provide further details. The cause of the blast was not…

The United Nations observed the first International Day to Combat Islamophobia with a special event on Friday, emphasizing the need for concrete action against rising hatred, discrimination, and violence against Muslims. The observation followed the unanimous adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution last year, which proclaimed March 15 as such an international day, calling for global dialogue that promotes tolerance, peace, respect for human rights and religious diversity. Nearly 2 billion Muslims worldwide face bigotry and prejudice solely because of their faith, according to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Moreover, Muslim women face “triple discrimination” because of their gender,…

Syria welcomed an agreement reached between Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Islamic Republic of Iran to resume diplomatic relations, saying the step will enhance security and stability in the region, Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry said in a statement. The Ministry added that Syria highly appreciates the great efforts exerted by Chinese leadership to reach the step. That important step will lead to booting cooperation and stability in the region, and it will positively reflect the common interests of the two peoples in particular and peoples of the region in general, according to the statement. “Syria hopes those efforts would…

Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has affirmed that the global war scheme against Syria had failed whether in military, security or politically aspects, and this is a great achievement, stressing that openness towards Syria now is a recognition of its victory. ‘Many Arab countries want to restore their relations with Syria, but the US objection is the obstacle’, Sayyed Nasrallah said in speech during memorial ceremony for Commander Assad Mahmoud Saghir. Nasrallah added that Syria has always been the basis of the resistance front against the Zionist enemy, and it will remain the basis of resistance axis, asserting that…

Iran and Saudi Arabia will reopen diplomatic missions in their respective countries following negotiations in Beijing. After seven years of strained ties, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations and reopen missions in respective countries after a series of talks brokered in Beijing, China under the auspices of Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. According to the joint statement, “the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have agreed to resume diplomatic ties and reopen embassies and missions within two months of talks.” Moreover, Iran and Saudi Arabia said they “thank the Republic of Iraq and the…

Washington, which has been pumping tens of billions’ worth of heavy weapons to the Kiev regime, has been lobbing unfounded accusations against Beijing, asserting that China is looking into supporting Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine with lethal assistance. US President Joe Biden could be granted “explicit authority” to impose sanctions “against persons from the PRC” (People’s Republic of China) if legislation reintroduced by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., were to enter force. Democrat Adam Schiff, a member of the US House of Representatives, was joined by a number of colleagues in proposing a bill to the US Congress providing for the establishment of…

The Turkish Electoral Commission approved Erdogan’s decision to hold the elections on May 14 which is a month earlier than initially planned. The date of the presidential elections assigned by the president, May 14, was approved by Turkey’s High Electoral Commission on Friday, according to Resmi Gazete. On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree setting general elections for May 14. “Our commission unanimously voted to approve May 14 as the date of the presidential and parliamentary elections. The second round of the presidential election, if necessary, is scheduled for May 28,” the commission’s statement read. Erdogan’s only…

Beijing has accused Washington of “indiscriminate attacks” resulting in civilian deaths in Syria The “illegal” US military occupation of Syria has only deepened the country’s humanitarian crisis, China has said, slamming American lawmakers after they voted to continue troop deployments. At a Friday press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked to comment on a recent vote by the US Congress to prolong military intervention in Syria. Mao responded by urging Washington to “immediately end the troops’ illegal occupation and plundering” and repeal crippling sanctions targeting the Syrian economy. “Since the US began its illegal interference in the…

Li Qiang is expected oversee the country’s economic development The former Communist Party leader in Shanghai, Li Qiang, was confirmed on Saturday as the premier of China, making him the country’s second-highest ranking official. He was nominated by President Xi Jingping and backed by 2,936 of the 2,947 members of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature. Li was Xi’s chief of staff in the 2000s and has been described as his close ally. The new premier replaces Li Keqiang who is retiring after serving two five-year terms. Born in 1959, Li was the governor of the eastern coastal…

According to the Russian foreign minister, Vladimir Zelensky stated simultaneously with Burns that he would never sit down at the negotiating table with Putin, that Ukraine would have its victory no matter what Russia currently sees no opportunity to engage with Ukraine because of Kiev’s position, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday. “We have been saying that we are not dodging negotiations not because we have been imploring them to negotiate. At the moment, we see no chance for holding talks, but we have simply been underscoring this amid a non-stop wave of statements to the effect of…