Middle East & North Africa

RIYADH, June 11 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia wants to collaborate, not compete, with China, the kingdom's energy minister declared on Sunday, saying he "ignored" Western suspicions over their growing ties.

As the world's top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia's bilateral relationship with the world's biggest energy consumer is anchored by hydrocarbon ties. But cooperation between Riyadh and Beijing has also deepened in security and sensitive tech amid a warming of political ties - to the concern of the U.S.

DUBAI, June 11 (Reuters) - The West could not stop Iran from building nuclear weapons if Tehran wanted a pursue a nuclear arms programme, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday, amid mounting tensions over the country's advanced nuclear work.

"Talks about Tehran's nuclear weapons is a lie and they (the West) know it. We do not want nuclear arms based on our religious believes. Otherwise they would not have been able to stop it," Khamenei said, according to state media.

DUBAI, June 11 (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader on Sunday said a deal with the West over Tehran's nuclear work was possible if the country's nuclear infrastructure remained intact, amid a stalemate between Tehran and Washington to revive a 2015 nuclear pact.

Months of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to salvage the nuclear accord with six major powers have stalled since September, with both sides accusing each other of making unreasonable demands.

DAMASCUS, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Interior Ministry announced Sunday that a criminal ring that trafficked poverty-stricken women had been dismantled in the countryside of the capital Damascus.

In a statement, the ministry said its Criminal Security Branch, after investigation and monitoring, busted a large human trafficking network and arrested all its members, adding they would soon be tried in court.

TEHRAN, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian anti-narcotics police seized more than 13 tons of illegal drugs in separate operations across the country over the past seven days, Iran's IRIB news agency reported on Sunday.

During the operations, 13.19 tons of narcotics were sized and 2,385 illicit drugs retailers were arrested, particularly in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, Kerman, Hormuzgan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Semnan, IRIB quoted Iran's anti-narcotics police chief, Iraj Kakavand, as saying.

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian authorities said three British nationals were missing after a scuba diving boat they were cruising in caught fire off Egypt’s Red Sea coastline on Sunday.

In a short statement, Egypt’s Red Sea Governate said 12 crew members and 12 British tourists were rescued when a medium-sized scuba diving boat, christened “Hurricane,” went up in flames off the southern Red Sea resort town of Marsa Alam.

A search party was launched to find the remaining three British tourists whose identities were not revealed.

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — European leaders visiting Tunisia held out the promise of more than 1 billion euros in financial aid as well as investments in undersea data cables and renewable energy Sunday in an effort to restore stability to the North African country — and to stem migration from its shores to Europe.

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Clashes between suspected al-Qaida militants and Yemen’s pro-government forces in the country’s south killed three men Saturday, a military official and tribal leaders said.

The fighting broke out Saturday evening when militants thought to be al-Qaida members attacked the United Arab Emirates-backed Shabwa Defense Forces near the town of al-Musnaiya in southern Shabwa province with machine guns, two tribal leaders and a military official said. The three spoke on condition of anonymity.

Imphal, Jun 11 (PTI) Over 50,000 people, who have been displaced by the ethnic violence in Manipur, are currently staying at 349 relief camps across the state, a minister said on Sunday.

State Information and Public Relations Minister Dr R K Ranjan said combing operations have been launched in all districts, particularly in vulnerable areas.

He said 53 arms and 39 bombs have been recovered during the operation.

Jabalpur, Jun 11 (PTI) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will kick off the Congress's campaign for the year-end Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls from Jabalpur on Monday after praying at the banks of the Narmada river, a party leader said.

Jabalpur is at the centre of the state's Mahakoshal region, which has a sizable number of tribal voters. In the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress won 11 of the 13 Scheduled Tribe reserved seats in the eight-district division, with the remaining two bagged by the Bharatiya Janata Party.