Middle East & North Africa

01 June 2023; MEMO: Jordan's unemployment rate declined to 21.9 per cent in the first quarter of this year, compared to 22.8 per cent at the end of 2022, the Department of Statistics said.

In a statement issued yesterday, the department said the unemployment rate among males reached 19.6 per cent, compared to 30.7 per cent for females, in the first quarter of 2023.

The unemployment rate among university degree holders is about 25.8 per cent.

01 June 2023; MEMO: The League of Arab States has welcomed the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)'s decision to boycott products made in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Arab League also welcomed the ETUC's call for "regulatory measures" to prevent EU legal entities from importing or exporting products manufactured in illegal Israeli settlements in accordance with EU treaties and international law.

01 June 2023; MEMO: The Sudan Doctors Syndicate announced on Wednesday that 17 people were killed and 106 injured as a result of heavy bombing in the Mayo district, south of the capital, Khartoum.

The non-governmental medical syndicate disclosed in a statement: "The Mayo area (Market 6) witnessed violent and bloody bombing this afternoon, leaving 17 dead and more than 106 injuries, 36 of which required surgical intervention."

01 June 2023; MEMO: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday announced the closure of the investigation into the "suspected" nuclear facility in Iran, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about in a speech delivered in September 2019.

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan’s highly anticipated royal wedding day got underway on Thursday with the surprise announcement that Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate had arrived to witness the nuptials of Crown Prince Hussein and his Saudi Arabian bride.

The attendance of the British royals had been kept under wraps, and was only confirmed by Jordanian state media a few hours before the start of the palace ceremony.

QOM, Iran (AP) — It’s rare these days for a turbaned cleric in Iran to attract a large following of adoring young fans on Instagram, but Sayed Mahdi Tabatabaei has done it by rescuing street dogs in defiance of a local taboo.

Tabatabaei posts regularly — to his more than 80,000 followers — heartbreaking stories of abused and neglected dogs that he has treated in his shelter. His young fans ask for updates on the rescues and send well wishes in the hundreds of comments he receives on almost every post.

DUBAI, May 31 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday it was no longer taking part in operations by a U.S.-led task force protecting Gulf shipping, which has been subjected to renewed tanker seizures by Iranian naval forces in recent weeks.

The UAE was responding to a Wall Street Journal report on Tuesday which, citing U.S. and Gulf sources, said the Gulf state was frustrated by the lack of U.S. response to recent tanker seizures by Iran.

This was a "mischaracterisation" of conversations between the two countries, a UAE statement said.

ANKARA, May 31 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is viewed as almost certain to include former economy chief Mehmet Simsek in his new cabinet, either as finance minister or as a vice president responsible for the economy, four senior officials said.

Simsek was highly regarded by financial markets when he served as finance minister and deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2018. A key role for him now could signal a departure from years of unorthodox policy underpinned by low interest rates despite high inflation and heavy state control of markets.

ANKARA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's economy outperformed market expectations, with a year-on-year growth of 4 percent in the first quarter, the Turkish Statistical Institute announced Wednesday.

This growth follows a 3.5 percent annual expansion in the final quarter of 2022. Economists surveyed by the Anadolu Agency had expected Türkiye's growth to be 3 percent on an annual basis in January-March.

Despite the negative impact of the massive Feb. 6 earthquakes, domestic demand played a significant role in achieving this growth.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s intelligence agency said Wednesday that a retired agent was among four people killed in northern Italy when a sudden storm sank a houseboat hired for a weekend pleasure cruise on a lake.

The former agent was on the vessel with 22 other people on a lake near the town of Lisanza. Two Italian intelligence agents and a Russian woman — part of the two-person crew — also died.