World
India and African states to launch joint naval drills
The Indian Navy, in collaboration with 10 African nations, will launch the inaugural Africa India Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME), a multilateral naval exercise aimed at strengthening maritime cooperation and security in the Indian Ocean Region, Tarun Sobti, India’s deputy chief of Naval Staff, told reporters in New Delhi on March 23. AIKEYME (‘unity’ in Sanskrit) will be co-hosted by the Indian...
Millions march on Quds Day to support Palestinians amid Israeli genocide
Millions of people in Iran and across the world have taken to the streets to mark the International Quds Day, voicing their solidarity with Palestinians and decrying Israeli genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip. Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif, the spokesman of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the director-general of Intifada committee in Tehran, said the rallies which started (March 28) at 10:00 a.m....
Powerful Earthquake rocks Myanmar and Thailand
BANGKOK—A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand on March 28, destroying buildings, bridges and a monastery. At press time at least 1,644 people were killed in Myanmar, where photos and video from two hard-hit cities showed extensive damage. At least 10 died in the Thai capital, where a high-rise under construction collapsed. The full extent of death, injury and destruction...
‘Arms embargo NOW’: U.S. lawmakers refuse more complicity in Israeli war on Gaza
A group of U.S. lawmakers say they no longer want to be complicit in the Israeli regime’s genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip and total blockade of the Palestinian territory, calling on Washington to halt its military assistance to the occupying entity. Legislators on March 18 condemned the administration of President Donald Trump for the increasing military assistance to...
Supporting Sudan amid ongoing turmoil in the war-torn country
During this holy month of Ramadan, I attended an iftar (daily breaking of the fast) and fundraiser held March 15 at the West Philadelphia-based Sudanese American Community Center. The funds raised at the iftar will go to Sudan-based “ground organizations who are providing food, shelter, medical supplies and medical help,” for the displaced, mostly women and children, said Tibian...
Iran, Jordan urge global community to stop Israel’s atrocities in region
The foreign ministers of Iran and Jordan say the international community must take swift action to stop the Israeli regime’s atrocities in the region. In a phone conversation on March 23. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi discussed the latest developments in the region, particularly in the Gaza...
China says it opposes force, sanctions against Iran, calls on U.S. to show ‘political sincerity’
China has put forward a five-point proposal aimed at addressing Western-fueled disputes over Iran’s nuclear energy program, rejecting the use of force and illegal sanctions against the Islamic Republic and urging the United States to adopt a “sincere” political attitude towards the matter. The initiative was announced by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a high-level meeting in Beijing on...
African nation cuts ties with former colonizer
Rwanda has severed diplomatic relations with Belgium and ordered its diplomats to leave within 48 hours after accusing Brussels of neo-colonial interference, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on March 17. The Rwandan government accused Belgium of maintaining “neo-colonial delusions” and interfering in the ongoing conflict in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The ministry’s statement highlighted Belgium’s “pitiful attempts” and...
The EU wants to break its security dependency on the U.S. and buy more European weapons
BRUSSELS—The European Union on March 19 announced a new drive to break its security dependency on the United States, with a focus on buying more defense equipment in Europe. The EU’s executive branch unveiled its “Readiness 2030” security strategy with the threat of Russian aggression at the forefront of concerns. NATO intelligence estimates suggest that Russia could be capable of launching an...
India slams West over double standards
Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has criticized the West’s double standards on global issues, including Kashmir, claiming that an “invasion” had been recharacterized as a dispute. Speaking on March 18 at the Raisina Dialogue, an international forum hosted by the Observer Research Foundation and the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, Jaishankar said that when Western countries intervene in other nations, “it’s...