22 May 2024; MEMO: British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, announced on Wednesday that general election in the UK would be held on 4 July, Anadolu Agency reports.

During his address at Downing Street, Sunak said that the country will head to polls on Thursday, 4 July.

“Earlier today, I spoke with His Majesty, the King (Charles) to request the dissolution of parliament. The King has granted this request and we will have a general election on the fourth of July,” he announced.

22 May 2024; MEMO: High-ranking officials from at least 68 countries attended a ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday to pay respect to Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, and his companions killed in a helicopter crash this weekend, Anadolu Agency reports.

The ceremony was held hours after hundreds of thousands of people took part in a funeral procession in the Iranian capital for Raisi and others killed in Sunday’s accident, including Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

22 May 2024; AA: US Senator Bernie Sanders expressed support for the requests by International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan for arrest warrants for Israeli leaders and urged the US to respect international law.

"The ICC as I see it is trying to uphold international law and minimum standards of decency. Our government should do no less," Sanders told the Senate floor Tuesday night.

22 May 2024; MEMO: Saudi Arabia is sending a delegation that includes the Kingdom’s investment minister to China this week, four people familiar with the matter said, as the world’s largest oil exporter looks for foreign funding for its ambitious economic transformation, Reuters reports.

Tehran, IRNA – Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations Abdulaziz Alwasil has said that the passing way of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi is a loss for all countries.

Alwasil made the comment on Wednesday as he met his Iranian counterpart Amir Saeed Iravani in New York, extending his condolences over the martyrdom of Raisi and his companions including foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.  

The Saudi envoy hailed Raisi and Amirabdollahian for their efforts to improve stability in West Asia.

22 May 2024; MEMO: If the International Criminal Court’s judges move forward and issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, the officials would not be able to travel to 124 countries including the UK.

22 May 2024; MEMO: Israel reversed its decision to shut down an Associated Press (AP) live video feed of war-torn Gaza on Tuesday, following protests from the US news agency and concerns from the White House.

22 May 2024; MEMO: The Israeli military this morning granted permission for Israelis to return to three former settlements in the northern occupied West Bank they had been prohibited from entering as part of the 2005 Disengagement Plan.

The three settlements, Sa-Nur, Ganim, and Kadim, are located near the Palestinian cities of Jenin and Nablus in the Occupied Territory.

21 May 2024; MEMO: France backs the International Criminal Court and the “fight against impunity”, its Foreign Ministry said after the ICC Prosecutor requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes.

On Monday, ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, said he had requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his Defence chief, Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders, including its chief, Yahya Sinwar.

23 May 2024; MEMO: Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered the opening of an embassy in the Palestinian city of Ramallah, Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo told journalists today according to Reuters.

“President Petro has given the order that we open the Colombian embassy in Ramallah, the representation of Colombia in Ramallah, that is the next step we are going to take,” Murillo said.

22 May 2024; AA: The Israeli government instructed its negotiating team to resume negotiations for a Gaza cease-fire and hostage swap deal, according to local media on Thursday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the War Cabinet ordered the negotiating team “to continue negotiations for the return of the hostages.”

22 May 2024; AA: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Wednesday that the US will "take action" against a contentious bill adopted last week by the former Soviet republic of Georgia’s parliament, which triggered mass protests.