Author: Steven Sahiounie

Ireland 15-billion-euro sovereign investment fund is set to divest from six Israeli companies, including major banks, due to their involvement in the occupied Palestinian territories, announced Finance Minister Michael McGrath on Friday. The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), which primarily invests domestically to bolster economic growth while also managing an international portfolio, faced pressure from Sinn Fein, the main opposition party, to disinvest from these assets. Ireland, historically supportive of Palestinian rights, recently joined Spain, Malta, and Slovenia in taking initial steps toward recognizing Palestinian statehood in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The ISIF will offload its shareholdings totaling…

James Elder, spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has raised alarm over the dire situation faced by more than 600,000 children in Rafah, southern Gaza, who are grappling with hunger and fear amidst the threat of Israeli attacks. In a video posted on X account, Elder shed light on the plight of children striving to survive in Rafah amid Israeli assaults, following the influx of 1.5 million people into the area as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression. Elder reminded the children and families fleeing Israeli attacks that they were told to head to Rafah as it…

Over a quarter (23%) of Generation Z voters hold Biden primarily accountable for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and 22% of millennials blame him the most.  According to three surveys done exclusively for Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, US voters’ dissatisfaction with US President Joe Biden’s participation in the situation has increased dramatically since December. The first survey of 1,500 eligible voters from around the country was conducted on October 29, 11 days following Biden’s outspoken support of the Israeli occupation’s war on Gaza, or as he likes to call it “self-defense”. The survey found that 37% of voters approved of…

American and Chinese defense officials met in Hawaii this week to discuss how both nations’ fleets can operate safely in the Pacific region. The meetings were the first of their kind since Beijing severed military relations with Washington two years ago. The Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA) working group talks were held in Honolulu on Wednesday and Thursday, US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement on Friday. Some 18 officials from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) took part, as did representatives of the US Indo-Pacific command, US Pacific Fleet, and US Pacific Air Forces. The MMCA is the Indo-Pacific Command’s “primary…

Recently elected Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has revealed his cabinet lineup comprising 25 ministers and five state secretaries, as confirmed by government sources. “Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko announced on Friday, April 5, 2024, the list of members of his government, which includes 25 ministers and five secretaries of state,” the government said in a statement released on Friday. The latest Senegalese cabinet features four female members. Meanwhile, Yassine Fall was notably appointed as Minister of African Integration and Foreign Affairs. Gen. Birame Diop assumes the role of Defense Minister, Ousmane Diagne takes on the position of Justice Minister, Gen. Jean-Baptiste Tine…

The Consular section of the Iranian Embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus has resumed its activities after four days of a halt due to the Israeli regime’s terrorist attack against the diplomatic mission. The Iranian consulate started its work in a new building adjacent to the previous one on Saturday. The consular section is one of the double buildings of the Iranian Embassy which was destroyed last Monday as a result of a missile attack by the Israeli regime. Earlier, the Iranian Embassy in Damascus had announced that its consular section would be reactivated this Saturday and all kinds of consular services would be…

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern on Friday over reports that the Israeli military is using artificial intelligence (AI) in airstrikes on Gaza. According to a report published by the Israeli-Palestinian +972 Magazine earlier this week, and citing Israeli intelligence sources, the IDF has used AI to mark suspected Palestinian militants for assassination, including in densely populated residential areas, which has resulted in many civilian casualties. The AI system, known as ‘Lavender’, reportedly analyzes the personal data of Gaza’s residents and makes lists of those suspected of ties to the military wings of Palestinian militant group Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).…

7 children were martyred and two civilians were injured, including a woman, when an explosive device planted by terrorists exploded in the southern neighborhood of Al-Sanamayn city in the northern countryside of Daraa. A source in the Daraa Police Command stated that seven children, four of them brothers, were martyred in the explosion of the device, while a woman was seriously injured and, and another person was injured.. Source: SANA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday discussed bilateral relations over the phone. During the call, Erdogan expressed Türkiye’s determination to strengthen ties between the two nations in all areas. Erdogan also stressed that their “exemplary” bilateral relations would be further reinforced during an upcoming meeting of their High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. The Turkish leader offered condolences to those who lost their lives in recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan and conveyed his best wishes to Zardari for the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. At least five Chinese nationals and their local driver…

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer believes that Moscow and Kiev should engage in dialogue as there is no peace possible without Russia. “There won’t be peace without the Russian Federation. The situation is hard to resolve, but reviving dialogue, in due time, will be nececcary,” the head of the Austrian government said in an interview with Le Figaro. “We should think of how to put an end to the conflict,” he added. While in April 2022 “there were still possibilities” for Russia and Ukraine to talk with each other directly, “this is not the case today as Russia is reluctant to negotiate,” Nehammer…