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Express Tribune
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
ESUP hosts prestigious annual dinner in Karachi
The English Speaking Union of Pakistan (ESUP) held its Annual Dinner on the evening of July 19, 2025, in Karachi, bringing together a distinguished gathering of life members, diplomats, and government officials in celebration of cultural and intellectual exchange. The evening was graced by prominent personalities, including ESUP's Patron-in-Chief Mr. Aziz Memon and President, Mr. Pervez Madraswala. The event's Chief Guest, Sindh Local Government Minister Mr. Jam Khan Shoro, was warmly welcomed and presented with a commemorative shield by ESUP leadership in recognition of his continued support for educational and cultural initiatives. The Annual Dinner served not only as a networking opportunity for members and dignitaries but also as a reaffirmation of ESUP's commitment to promoting oracy skills, cross-cultural understanding, and public speaking among youth and professionals alike. The English Speaking Union of Pakistan is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering cultural ties between people of diverse backgrounds through the English language. It has consistently provided platforms for meaningful communication, critical discussion, and healthy debate. ESUP regularly organizes high-impact events such as the International Public Speaking Competition (IPSC) and poetry recitation contests, encouraging participants to express themselves confidently and respectfully on global stages. The event concluded with a renewed pledge by ESUP to continue championing intellectual engagement, youth development, and global harmony through the power of the spoken word.
Irish Times
19-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
‘This war took my entire life from me': Thousands attend pro-Palestine march in Dublin
Tens of thousands of people marched through Dublin city centre on Saturday afternoon calling for the Central Bank of Ireland to 'stop funding genocide' through the facilitation of the sale of Israeli bonds. Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon told protesters he would be taking a legal case against the Central Bank over the issue and would lodge papers next week. The Dublin Central TD has previously written to the bank's governor , Gabriel Makhlouf, claiming that investors in Israeli bonds approved by the Irish Central Bank risk being legally complicit in genocide in Gaza . The bank is the designated authority in relation to the sale of Israeli bonds in the EU, and has determined the securities meet the standards of the bloc's prospectus regulations. READ MORE Protesters leading the demonstration carried a giant sphere in the style of the logo of Ireland's Central Bank with the words 'stop funding genocide' painted on it. Photograph: Ella Sloane Saturday marked the sixteenth national demonstration of its kind since October 2023, with organisers estimating more than 70,000 in attendance. Protesters draped in Palestinian flags and keffiyehs arrived in droves at the Garden of Remembrance before marching to Leinster House. The demonstration was organised by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) and was backed by more than 170 organisations, according to the IPSC. The group called for the Government to enact sanctions against Israel and to fully enact the Occupied Territories Bill. The Government has committed to implementing the Bill, which would ban trade in goods with the occupied Palestinian territories, and it is due before the Dáil in autumn. Protesters on Saturday called on the Government to include a ban on trade in services in the Bill. Photograph: Ella Sloane They also called for the cessation of use of Irish airspace for transporting weapons. Traffic was brought to a standstill as the march travelled down O'Connell Street, through College Green and up Dawson Street. At a rally outside the Dáil, which filled the length of Molesworth Street, Marah Nijim, a 23-year-old student from Gaza told how her brother had recently been hospitalised due to starvation. 'It's kind of heavy for me to talk now because I just got the news that my brother is in hospital because of a lack of food and because of the starvation,' she said. 'I'm here to speak about my home, the one that I was forced to leave without any clothes, without anything but what I was wearing.' 'This war took away from me my entire life,' she told the crowds who had gathered outside Leinster House. Mr Gannon told the crowd about his legal case against the Central Bank of Ireland. He said he would keep his speech brief because 'politicians have done too much talking and we haven't done enough in terms of acting, legislating and sanction'. 'The case is moral. A genocide is happening. We are obligated to prevent it. So I will take it as far as it needs to go. We are lodging papers on Tuesday,' he said. IPSC chairperson Zoe Lawlor described it as 'shameful' that the Government 'lets the US military use Shannon Airport' to transport Israeli weapons. 'Israel does not commit this genocide alone. It does so with the weapons, the money and the political cover it gets from the US and the EU,' she told the crowd. . Ms Lawlor condemned the Government, saying 'their actions do not match their words'. She spoke about the refusal of visas for 33 young GAA players from Palestine who had planned to tour Ireland. 'They have delayed the visas of the Lajee dancers and football team. They are blocking the students in Gaza who already have been accepted to Irish universities,' she said. During a break in the speeches, Galway singer Declan O'Rourke performed World on Fire, which he dedicated to 'the people of Palestine'. Other speakers at the rally included: Mohamed Migdad, an economics lecturer from Gaza; Dunnes Stores striker Mary Manning; Bernard Joyce, director of the Irish Traveller Movement; and Conor O'Neill of the Pass the Occupied Territories Bill Campaign.
The Journal
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally in Dublin as ‘Palestine Action' protesters arrested across UK
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE have taken part in a pro-Palestinian rally in Dublin, while dozens have been arrested around the UK at protests in support of proscribed group Palestine Action. Today's rally in Dublin saw demonstrators march from the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square to Leinster House. It was the 16th such demonstration since October 2023 and came after the Dáil rose for the summer recess. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) accused the Irish Government of an 'absolute refusal to hold Israel accountable for a genocide in which the Apartheid state has slaughtered more than 58,000 Palestinians'. The march demanded an end to the Central Bank of Ireland's role in approving Israel Bonds for sale in the EU, for the Government to include services in the Occupied Territories Bill and to pass that legislation. It also called for an end to the use of Irish airspace for the transport of weapons to the region. Marah Nijim, a 23-year-old who came to Ireland from Gaza three months ago, told the crowd she was forced to leave her home, her family and her 'soul' and 'heart'. She said Palestinians in Gaza are deprived of human rights, adding that she is 'living with nightmares' of people burning alive and calling for help. 'Protesting is not enough any more, we need real actions from Government. People in Gaza are being starved to death.' Demonstrators also called for an end to the use of Irish airspace for the transport of weapons to the region. The group also criticised the Government after 33 Palestinian children were recently denied entry to Ireland over visa issues. GAA Palestine said it had to take the 'heartbreaking' decision to cancel a planned Irish tour for the children. IPSC chairperson Zoe Lawlor said: 'The Irish government is barely lifting a finger to end Ireland's deep complicity in this genocide.' Lawlor added: 'On top of this we have the appalling spectacle of the state refusing visas to child medical evacuees and Palestinian kids to visit Ireland to play our national sports.' Stretching along Molesworth Street in front of Leinster House was a 120ft long and 5.5ft wide quilt, made up of 2,300 panels. Woman fixes rug made by Palestine women living in Ireland - each square represents a child who has been killed in the conflict Each panel – the vast majority of which were knitted by hand – is designed to represent the deaths of 10 children in Gaza, adding up to a total of 23,000 children. Anna Doyle and Niamh Bonner, from Craftivism For Gaza, said they are still accepting squares as the death toll continues to rise. Doyle told the PA news agency: 'Each square represents 10 children. Their voices have been lost to the world forever. Advertisement 'It also represents the voice of the crafter because most of them are made by people who wouldn't be able to come to a protest.' In the UK today, demonstrations were held in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol and Truro as part of a campaign coordinated by Defend Our Juries. Protesters wrote the message 'I oppose genocide I support Palestine Action' on placards before being surrounded by police officers at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament Square, London. People attend a protest in Parliament Square in support of Palestine Action PA PA Officers confiscated the placards and searched the bags of those arrested, with some protesters being carried away by police while others were led away in handcuffs. The Metropolitan Police said 55 people were arrested in Parliament Square under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action. Eight people were arrested near Truro Cathedral in Cornwall after protesters gathered to show support for Palestine Action. Devon and Cornwall Police said in a statement that around 30 protesters were involved in the 'peaceful' Defend Our Juries demonstration. The force went on: 'Eight people, two men and six women, were arrested on suspicion of offences under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000. They remain in police custody.' A woman who was detained by police in Parliament Square said: 'We demand that Palestine Action is de-proscribed. 'Our government is not only arming a genocide, they are using terrorism laws to silence people who speak out. 'Palestine Action are campaigning for peace. They are dismantling weapons factories.' As he was carried away by police, a protester in London said: 'Freedom of speech is dead in this country, shame on the Metropolitan Police.' A small number of counter-protesters in Parliament Square held up placards which said 'there is no genocide but there are 50 hostages still captive'. Metropolitan Police officers remove a person from a protest in Parliament Square PA PA It comes ahead of a High Court hearing on Monday in which the co-founder of Palestine Action, Huda Ammori, will ask for the green light to challenge the Home Secretary's decision to ban the group under anti-terror laws. The ban means that membership of, or support for, the direct action group is now a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000. The Metropolitan Police said 70 people were arrested at similar demonstrations in Parliament Square over the past two weekends. The move to ban the organisation came after two Voyager aircraft were damaged at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June, an incident claimed by Palestine Action, which police said caused about £7 million (€8m) worth of damage. British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action three days later, saying that the vandalism of the planes was 'disgraceful' and the group had a 'long history of unacceptable criminal damage'.
Irish Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Thousands take part in pro-Palestinian rally in Dublin
Thousands of people have taken part in a pro-Palestinian rally calling on the Irish Government to implement sanctions on Israel. Saturday's rally saw demonstrators march from the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square to Leinster House. It was the 16th such demonstration since October 2023 and came after the Dail rose for the summer recess. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) accused the Irish Government of an 'absolute refusal to hold Israel accountable for a genocide in which the Apartheid state has slaughtered more than 58,000 Palestinians'. The march demanded an end to the Central Bank of Ireland's role in approving Israel Bonds for sale in the EU, for the Government to include services in the Occupied Territories Bill and to pass that legislation. It also called for an end to the use of Irish airspace for the transport of weapons to the region. The group also criticised the Government after 33 Palestinian children were recently denied entry to Ireland over visa issues. GAA Palestine said it had to take the 'heartbreaking' decision to cancel a planned Irish tour for the children. Speaking ahead of the protest, IPSC chairperson Zoe Lawlor said: 'The Irish government is barely lifting a finger to end Ireland's deep complicity in this genocide.' Ms Lawlor added: 'On top of this we have the appalling spectacle of the state refusing visas to child medical evacuees and Palestinian kids to visit Ireland to play our national sports.' Stretching along Molesworth Street in front of Leinster House was a 120ft long and 5.5ft wide quilt, made up of 2,300 panels. Each panel – the vast majority of which were knitted by hand – is designed to represent the deaths of 10 children in Gaza, adding up to a total of 23,000 children. Anna Doyle and Niamh Bonner, from Craftivism For Gaza, said they are still accepting squares as the death toll continues to rise. Ms Doyle told the PA news agency: 'Each square represents 10 children. Their voices have been lost to the world forever. It also represents the voice of the crafter because most of them are made by people who wouldn't be able to come to a protest.' Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
BreakingNews.ie
19-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Thousands attend pro-Palestinian rally in Dublin
Thousands of people have taken part in a pro-Palestinian rally calling on the Irish Government to implement sanctions on Israel. Saturday's rally saw demonstrators march from the Garden of Remembrance on Parnell Square to Leinster House. Advertisement It was the 16th such demonstration since October 2023 and came after the Dáil rose for the summer recess. The Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) accused the Irish Government of an 'absolute refusal to hold Israel accountable for a genocide in which the Apartheid state has slaughtered more than 58,000 Palestinians'. The march demanded an end to the Central Bank of Ireland's role in approving Israel Bonds for sale in the EU, for the Government to include services in the Occupied Territories Bill and to pass that legislation. It also called for an end to the use of Irish airspace for the transport of weapons to the region. Advertisement The group also criticised the Government after 33 Palestinian children were recently denied entry to Ireland over visa issues. GAA Palestine said it had to take the 'heartbreaking' decision to cancel a planned Irish tour for the children. Speaking ahead of the protest, IPSC chairperson Zoe Lawlor said: 'The Irish government is barely lifting a finger to end Ireland's deep complicity in this genocide.' Ms Lawlor added: 'On top of this we have the appalling spectacle of the state refusing visas to child medical evacuees and Palestinian kids to visit Ireland to play our national sports.' Advertisement Stretching along Molesworth Street in front of Leinster House was a 120ft long and 5.5ft wide quilt, made up of 2,300 panels. Each panel – the vast majority of which were knitted by hand – is designed to represent the deaths of 10 children in Gaza, adding up to a total of 23,000 children. Anna Doyle and Niamh Bonner, from Craftivism For Gaza, said they are still accepting squares as the death toll continues to rise. Ms Doyle told the PA news agency: 'Each square represents 10 children. Their voices have been lost to the world forever. Advertisement 'It also represents the voice of the crafter because most of them are made by people who wouldn't be able to come to a protest.'
