Day: August 21, 2024

Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov received today Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian, Cultural and Social Affairs of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Tariq Ali Bakheet and the accompanying delegation who are participating in the 3rd Kazan Global Youth Summit, held in Kazan between August 21 and 24.

Bakheet conveyed OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha’s regards and gratitude to Minnikhanov and his administration for organizing the summit, for empowering the youth, for promoting sports, and for the development initiatives taken by Tatarstan.

The meeting reviewed joint efforts to deal with youths’ issues.

Bakheet gave an overview of OIC’s efforts and the initiatives launched by its organs and institutions to aid member states empower the youth in different domains, in line with OIC’s overall strategy.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Acting Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Mohsen Al-Mandalawi, confirmed that the budget law tables that were approved by the Council of Representatives in its approval session are the same ones that the Council of Ministers sent to the Council of Representatives without any amendment, and that the aforementioned tables are the same ones that were sent to the government after approval, indicating that the Council Presidency has formed a higher committee to examine the circumstances raised regarding the subject and determine its truth.

Al-Mandlawi said in a statement today, Wednesday, regarding what was recently raised by some media outlets regarding the existence of additions to the budget tables for the year 2024, that the House of Representatives, in its session numbered (27) held on June 3, 2024, approved the estimates of the tables of the Federal General Budget Law for the year 2024 and its attachments, tables (A, B, C, D, E, F) and the deficit financing table as received from the Council of Mini
sters without any amendment or additions, with the latter being authorized to transfer allocations of (2) trillion Iraqi dinars to the governorates not organized in a region and distributed according to population and poverty rates, and this is confirmed by our parliamentary decision No. (64) for the year 2024, a copy of which is attached.

He continued that in order to confirm that ‘no amended version was adopted, we reissued a letter from the House of Representatives / Office of the President No. (616) on 7/21/2024, a copy of which is attached, and sent to the Council of Ministers / Office of the President, which clearly indicated (approval of the estimates of the budget law tables and its attachments from the above-mentioned tables with the aforementioned deficit financing table as well as the right to transfer with the same proven amount, which is (2) trillion, referring to a paragraph included in the same letter that clearly confirms (that the parliamentary decision included the adoption of the tables se
nt by the Council of Ministers, which were approved in the session held without any additions.’

Al-Mandlawi confirmed his follow-up to all inaccurate talks published and broadcast by some media outlets, and any party that tries to mislead public opinion by concealing the facts and dishonestly transmitting the facts, to achieve illegitimate goals far from the honesty of neutral transmission and objectivity that it should possess, will be subject to legal accountability.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, on Wednesday met at his Yarze office with Caretaker Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Abbas Al-Hajj Hassan, with whom he discussed the current situation in the country.

The army commander also received the German Ambassador to Lebanon, Kurt Georg Stoeckl-Stillfried, accompanied by the military attaché, Lt. Col Kai Zimmerman.

Maj. Gen. Aoun also met with Major General, Patrick Gauchat, Chief of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in Lebanon.

Discussions reportedly touched on the general situation in Lebanon and the region, and developments along the southern border.

Source: National news agency – Lebanon

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani directed to expedite the completion of strategic projects in Nineveh Governorate.

The Prime Minister’s Media Office said in a statement: “Al-Sudani received, today, Wednesday, Nineveh Governor Abdul Qader al-Dakhil, and during the meeting, the overall situation in Nineveh Governorate was discussed, and the progress of implementing service and economic projects, which fall within the targets of the government program, and meet the aspirations of citizens for a better service and economic reality.”

The statement added: “The Prime Minister directed to expedite the completion of strategic projects in the governorate, which constitute an urgent importance and need for its people, especially infrastructure projects, hospitals and school buildings, as well as water and sanitation projects, and other service projects, and to proceed with the reconstruction of Sinjar and the Nineveh Plain areas, and to provide everything that enhances peaceful coexistence between the fraternal
components in the governorate.”

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Strong Republic’ bloc MP Elias Stephan, on Wednesday visited Acting Director General of General Security, Brigadier General Elias Baissari, at the latter’s office.

Discussions between the pair reportedly touched on various hour issues on the local and regional arenas, especially the security situation along the southern border and in the Bekaa, according to a statement from MP Stephan’s office.

The issue of the Syrian presence in Lebanon, in general, and in the Zahle District, in particular, was also discussed.

Source: National news agency – Lebanon

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed, in a phone call today, Wednesday, with his American counterpart Anthony Blinken, the latest developments in the ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip between Hamas and Israel.

Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesperson / Oncu Keçali / said in a post on the “X” platform that the phone call came at the request of the American side, indicating that Fidan and Blinken discussed the latest developments in the ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel, in addition to developments in the situation in the region.

Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas took place in Doha on August 15 and 16, and it was later announced that the two parties would continue negotiations in Cairo before the end of this week.

This coincides with the ongoing war waged by Israel, with American support, since October 7 on the Gaza Strip, which has left about 133,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destructi
on and deadly famine.

Israel continues this war, ignoring the UN Security Council resolution to stop it immediately, and the orders of the International Court of Justice to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency