Author: Steven Sahiounie

The Ministry of Health announced today its plans to launch a major polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip at the end of August. This initiative comes in response to a confirmed case of polio in the war-torn region and aims to curb the spread of the virus. The Ministry stated that it has finalized its vaccination plan, which includes organizing medical teams, establishing vaccination centers, and completing training in collaboration with UNRWA, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other local and international organizations. The campaign will target all children under ten years old and will be conducted in…

Following the unresolved election last month, French President Emmanuel Macron is set to start a series of difficult talks with party leaders on Friday with the goal of assembling a workable ruling coalition. Six weeks after Macron lost his legislative majority in a snap election, he still hasn’t appointed a new prime minister, whose main responsibility will be to present the budget proposal for the upcoming year to the National Assembly. After the election, the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP), which became the largest faction, declared its desire for economist Lucie Castets to take over as premier. Along with other NFP…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Kremlin said. Earlier, Putin said as he visited Azerbaijan that he would call the Armenian premier and tell him about the results of his talks in Baku. Putin and Pashinyan “continued to discuss normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the wake of Putin’s talks with Azerbaijanian President Ilham Aliyev during his state visit to Baku,” the Kremlin said in a statement. According to it, “the Russian side reaffirmed its readiness to provide further assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan in their efforts to work…

In a telephone conversation, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, reiterated the Islamic Republic’s commitment to supporting Syria and resistance countries against the Israeli regime.  This dialogue took place following Araghchi’s appointment as Iran’s new Foreign Minister. During the call, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad congratulated Araghchi on his new role and wished him success. Mikdad conveyed warm greetings from the Syrian President to Iran’s Supreme Leader and President, emphasizing Syria’s dedication to strengthening strategic relations with Iran. Meanwhile, Araghchi expressed gratitude for Mikdad’s congratulations and reaffirmed Iran’s approach in the new government, highlighting continued support for Syria and allies…

Talks in Cairo on reaching a Gaza truce have made progress, the White House said Friday, as it urged Israel and Hamas to move forward.The White House confirmed that CIA chief William Burns and senior official Brett McGurk were taking part in discussions which started at a preliminary level Thursday evening.“There has been progress made. We need now for both sides to come together and work toward implementation,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.“The preliminary talks that we had going into Cairo last night were constructive in nature. So we want to see that same sort of momentum…

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday said he had spoken with his Israeli counterpart to discuss a range of issues in the region, including the ongoing exchanges of fire on the Israel-Lebanon border and the need to finalize a ceasefire deal. In a post on X, Austin said he also discussed the risk of escalation from Iran and Iran-backed groups in the call on Thursday and told Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant that the United States is well postured across the region. Source: Arab News

Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Haditha Khreisha met with Bahraini Ambassador Sheikh Khalifa bin Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa on Thursday to explore avenues for cooperation between Jordan and Bahrain in various sectors. Khreisha emphasized the deep, historical ties between the two nations, built on mutual respect, and reiterated the commitment to continued collaboration to achieve shared objectives. Al Khalifa highlighted the strength of the Jordanian-Bahraini relationship across multiple fields, commending Jordan’s wise policy approach at both the Arab and international levels. Source: Petra News Agency

Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa discussed today during a phone call with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, the developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including Jerusalem, and the efforts to stop the ongoing Israeli onslaught in the Strip, enhance relief efforts, and accelerate the entry of humanitarian aid. Mustafa also discussed with Albares strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, and the details of the meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee, which will include the signing of a set of agreements with a number of ministries, especially Foreign Affairs, Interior, Labor, Education, and Social Development. He stressed the…

Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty reiterated to his Australian counterpart on Wednesday Egypt’s steadfast rejection of Israel’s escalation, including political assassinations and breaches of sovereignty, which do not benefit any side but only exacerbate the conflict to a point where containing the crisis becomes difficult. During a phone call with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong, FM Abdelatty emphasised Egypt’s continuous communications with various parties to prevent the expansion of the conflict and achieve calm and stability in the region. According to the Egyptian foreign ministry’s statement, Abdelatty further outlined Cairo’s intensive diplomatic efforts, in partnership with the US and Qatar,…

Concerning the worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Muhannad Hadi, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory on Gaza and West Bank, expressed his profound concern in light of the mass evacuation orders issued by the Israeli forces, which have resulted in the displacement of ninety percent of the Strip’s population since October 2023. In a statement, Hadi said that the displacement brought on by the hostilities poses a serious risk to civilian life, particularly in light of the repeated orders that force people to from their homes in appalling conditions. Evacuation orders are meant to protect…