Author: Steven Sahiounie

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Egypt on Tuesday in his ninth tour to the Middle East since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza and ahead of resuming ceasefire talks in Cairo this week, according to the US State Department’s statement. During his visit, Blinken is set to hold meetings with top officials in Cairo to discuss indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in the hope of inking a ceasefire deal in Gaza. “Secretary Blinken will underscore the critical need for all parties in the region to avoid escalation or any other actions that could undermine the…

Minister of Education and Higher Education Amjad Barham said that the educational situation in the Gaza Strip is tragic, and the Israeli occupation wants to destroy the future of “our children.” Barham said that 290 schools out of 309 in Gaza were destroyed, and the rest of those schools became centers for sheltering the displaced people whose homes were destroyed and who became homeless, adding that the brutal aggression did not spare the educational institutions of UNRWA, although many of them were turned into centers for the displaced. He added that 80% of the universities were destroyed, as 630,000 male…

Algeria has promised to immediately begin supplying Lebanon with fuel for its faltering power plants, a day after Lebanon’s electricity company announced its supplies were exhausted. Algerian state radio said in a statement the North African nation will assist Lebanon, but did not give any detail. Lebanon, which is on the brink of all-out war with Israel and facing economic challenges, has battled chronic electricity problems for decades, with its cash transfers to the state electricity company contributing to the country’s huge public debt. The company, Electricite du Liban (EDL), on Saturday announced a complete nationwide power outage, including at critical…

The European Union said that 2023 was the deadliest year on record for aid workers, and 2024 is likely to follow the same harrowing trend. A joint statement issued by EU High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell, and Commissioner, Janez Lenarčič, on the occasion of 2024 World Humanitarian Day stated that: “When disasters strike, crises erupt and conflicts arise, humanitarians are among the first ones on the spot delivering emergency assistance to those affected. This selfless calling to bring relief – but also hope – to the most vulnerable must be honored and protected.” “Yet we cannot forget the acute danger facing…

The Palestinian Authority says it is taking necessary steps to prepare for President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership to travel to the besieged Gaza Strip. In a statement carried by the official news agency Wafa, the PA said these steps are being taken to ensure that “the president and leadership are with their people who are being subject to genocide, and to ensure national unity”. On August 15, Abbas pledged to travel to Gaza. Addressing the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Abbas also called on Muslim leaders to join him in the enclave. “I have decided to go to Gaza…

Colombian President Gustavo Petro signed a presidential decree today banning coal exports to Israel. The Colombian president said that the ban on coal exports aims to put pressure on the Netanyahu government to end the war on Gaza. Last June, the Colombian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism called for restrictions on coal sales to Israel. Last May, the Colombian President announced the severing of diplomatic relations between his country and Israel, describing Netanyahu’s government as genocidal. Source: WAFA

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister discussed with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ending the war in Gaza and developments in Sudan and Yemen during a phone call on Sunday, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry said. The call between Prince Faisal bin Farhan and the top US diplomat came as Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday on a Middle East tour aimed at pushing parties involved in the Gaza conflict to agree to a ceasefire deal. He will meet with senior Israeli officials on Monday, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a senior State Department official said. Following his trip to Israel, Blinken will continue onto Egypt. Source: Arab…

According to a survey conducted jointly by The Washington Post, ABC broadcaster, and Ipsos on Sunday, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is supported by up to 50% of US voters, slightly ahead of Donald Trump, who is supported by 45% of probable voters. Harris leads Trump by 4 percentage points among those who are already registered to vote and 53% of respondents thought Harris is better qualified to be president, while 47% said Trump is. If additional candidates were on the ballot, which is not the case in every state, 47% would vote for Harris and 44% for Trump. In…

The Jordanian Armed Forces and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) sent 118 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to Gaza during the second week of August. According to a JHCO statement issued Sunday, the aid trucks were loaded with ready-made meals, food and health parcels, clothes, blankets, medical supplies, tents, mattresses and blood units. The JHCO Secretary-General, Hussein Shabli, said the organisation is sending aid to the people in Gaza through convoys weekly, loaded directly from the organisation’s warehouses. Shabli added that work is ongoing to meet the needs of the people in Gaza in light of the “difficult” circumstances…

Sudan has been stricken by a cholera outbreak that has killed nearly two dozen people and sickened hundreds more in recent weeks, health authorities said Sunday. The African nation has been roiled by a 16-month conflict and devastating floods.Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said in a statement that at least 22 people have died from the disease, and that at least 354 confirmed cases of cholera have been detected across the county in recent weeks.Ibrahim didn’t give a time frame for the deaths or the tally since the start of the year. The World Health Organization, however, said that 78…