Queen’s University, Belfast is to divest from companies named by the UN Human Rights Council for “carrying out listed activities in relation to Palestine” following a student protest.


QUB said it would be supporting a programme to restore educational structures in Gaza, including an offer to establish a partnership with a university in Palestine.

The institution also said it was plotting a way forward that includes an “enhanced student role” in their overall decision-making processes.

In a lengthy statement issued on Thursday, Queen’s said: "Following a joint proposal from the President and Vice-Chancellor and the Students’ Union President, due to the continued conflict in Gaza and in line with the International Court of Justice’s recent finding on genocide, the University has agreed to engage with its investment managers to initiate a process to divest from investments in companies that are listed by the UN Human Rights Council as carrying out listed activities in relation to Palestine.

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The unprecedented decision of the German authorities in April earlier this year to ban Yanis Varoufakis from entering the country, as well as from any kind of political activity, was only the beginning.

It was followed by outrageous violations of every principle of the Rule of Law – an ominous development in the face of a Europe that is sliding inexorably towards totalitarianism.

After promising Varoufakis’ lawyer that they would answer in writing to three reasonable questions (Which authority issued the ban? When? On what grounds?), the German authorities finally replied that they would not in fact reply, citing “national security” and because any written reply would undermine the “proper performance of the duties of the Federal Police and other security services involved in the case”.

In view of this clear violation of German and European law, and after consultations with MERA25 Germany and its legal team, Varoufakis is taking the German authorities to court for violation of his basic rights and defamation, indicating his intention to appeal, if need be, to the European courts.

I hope Dr Sitta follows suits.

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The UK government has revoked the student visa of a Palestinian student who lost relatives in Gaza after she spoke at a demonstration at the University of Manchester.

Dana Abuqamar, a law student who heads the Friends of Palestine Society at the University of Manchester, said the UK government revoked her visa on “national security” grounds, after claiming she was a risk to public safety.

“The claim they are making is baseless and violates my rights as a resident here in the UK. My legal team has lodged a human rights appeal against this decision to revoke my student visa in my last and final year as a law student,” Abuqamar said, speaking to Al Jazeera English, confirming that her visa had been revoked.

“During this genocide, the UK Home Office decided to revoke my student visa following public statements supporting the Palestinian right to exercise under international law to resist oppression and break through the siege that was illegally placed on Gaza for over 16 years,” said Abuqamar.

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PressTV:

Iran has hit out at the US over reports that American lawmakers are preparing legislation to sanction International Criminal Court officials if they issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials.

With pro-Israel members of Congress having warned repeatedly that the ICC risks consequences from the US if it moves forward with the warrants, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul confirmed that the legislation is in the works.

"This is a shameful and worrying act," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani wrote on X on Thursday, reacting to the US plan by members of Congress in both parties.

"The goal of a group of representatives of US Congress in threatening and pressuring the prosecutors and judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is to provide immunity for war crimes and genocide by the officials and military commanders of the Zionist regime," he added.

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Netanyahu:

We will win the war due to our morale and heroism

👆👆👆🤣🤣🤣🤣

[A.k]

Middle East Eye:

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has said the United Kingdom will not halt arms sales to Israel, a day after President Joe Biden threatened to stop sending some US weapons if Israel stages a large-scale assault on Rafah.

Cameron said there was "a very fundamental difference" between the US government, which supplies weapons directly as a state to Israel, and the UK government, which licenses the export of arms sold by companies.

"We do not have a UK government supply of weapons to Israel," Cameron said, adding he thought UK defence exports to Israel were "responsible for significantly less than one percent of their total".

Katie Fallon, at the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (Caat), said Cameron’s comments show "absolutely no regard for the survival of Palestinians in Gaza or for the rule of law in the UK".

"It is beyond alarming, and unlawful, that our foreign secretary and government think that the risk of genocide and war crimes are simply irrelevant in their decision to license UK-made arms and components to Israel for use in Gaza," she told Middle East Eye.

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Israeli Broadcasting corporation:

Ben Gvir will put the complete cancellation of the entry of aid into Gaza from all crossings to a vote in the Council of Ministers.

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