Middle East & North Africa

30 July 2023; MEMO: Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, who has been fighting the army since April, said Sunday that the group is ready to reach a deal within 72 hours if there is a change in the army's leadership, reports Anadolu Agency.

Daglo announced in a video recording on the RSF's social media account that it is ready to reach an agreement if the army's chief commander surrenders.

30 July 2023; MEMO: Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola has said Saudi Arabia has "changed the football transfer market" following Riyad Mahrez's move on Friday to join Jeddah-based football club Al-Ahli in a deal worth almost $40 million, becoming one of the latest high-profile Premier League player to play in the Saudi Pro League.

31 July 2023; MEMO: Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir changed the law on Sunday to end the possibility of early release from overcrowded prisons for Palestinians held under so-called "administrative detention", local media reported.

31 July 2023; MEMO: Turkiye's tourism revenues rose by 27 per cent to $21.7 billion during the January-June period this year, official figures from TurkStat showed on Monday.

The country hosted 22.2 million visitors – foreigners as well as Turkish citizens living abroad – in the first half of 2023, up 20.6 per cent on a yearly basis, the statistical institute said. The average expenditure per night for overnight visitors was $99, up from $89 during the same period last year.

GAZA, Jul 30 (NNN-WAFA) – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), needs to raise millions of dollars, to bridge its deficit before the end of 2023, a UNRWA official said, yesterday.

Adnan Abu Hasna, the UN agency’s media advisor, told reporters in Gaza City that, the agency needs more support to fund health, education, relief, and other programmes for Palestinian refugees.

RIYADH, Jul 30 (NNN-SPA) – The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has strongly condemned Wednesday’s military coup in Niger, that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.

OIC Secretary-General, Hissein Brahim Taha, is following with great concern over the developments in Niger, an OIC member state, said the report.

The OIC chief denounced any attempt to seize power by force, and demanded the immediate release of the president and the restoration of the rule of law in the country, it added.

ABU DHABI, Jul 30 (NNN-WAM) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has imposed a four-month ban on rice exports and re-exports, the country’s Ministry of Economy said, yesterday.

The ban, with effect from Jul 28, covers the free zones in the UAE and applies to all rice varieties, including brown rice, fully or partially milled rice, and broken rice, according to a statement released on the ministry’s social media account.

Companies interested in exporting or re-exporting rice must request an export permit from the Ministry of Economy, said the statement.

ANKARA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people died, and 23 others were injured after a passenger bus veered off the road and overturned on a highway in the eastern Kars province of Türkiye on Sunday, state-run TRT broadcaster reported.

The passenger bus overturned into a stockade after passing the viaduct at the entrance of Karakurt village of Sarikamis district of Erzurum-Kars highway, the TRT quoted Governor of Kars province Turker Oksuz as reporting.

The passenger bus flipped over from approximately 50 meters in height and overturned, the TRT added.

ANKARA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces killed 12 members of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in northwestern Syria, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

The YPG members were "neutralized" after they opened "harassing fire" on the Operation Euphrates Shield zone of the Turkish military, the ministry said in a statement.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" in their statements to imply the "terrorists" in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

RIYADH, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has urged warring parties in Sudan to stop "all forms of military escalation" and find a political solution that would guarantee Sudan's return to security and stability.

In a phone call that Faisal received from General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Saturday, the Saudi top diplomat urged the warring parties in Sudan to "restore calm" and prioritize their national interest, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.