Middle East & North Africa

Houthis will take war within Saudi Arabia and its allies if ceasefire talks violated, group warns

24 Apr 2023; MEMO: Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have warned Saudi Arabia that they will strike the Kingdom and its coalition allies if attacked, as the two sides continue to engage in talks to secure a lasting ceasefire.

Turkiye, 7 EU countries to set up disaster emergency medical service

24 Apr 2023; MEMO: Turkiye and seven EU member states will receive more than €106 million (approximately $117 million) from the EU budget to develop emergency medical services, the European Commission announced on Monday.

"The European Commission is allocating over €106 million to seven EU member states and Turkiye" to set up the first pan-European field hospital, Balazs Ujvari, spokesperson for crisis management announced at the EU executive body's daily news briefing.

India: Nitish-Mamata meeting: 'Opposition parties need to strategise together'

Kolkata, Apr 24 (PTI) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Monday as they sought to cobble up a coalition of opposition parties, with the two regional satraps stressing on the need to "prepare together" for the next Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

The meeting between the two leaders, which was also attended by Bihar's deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, was described as "positive".

Iran: E-commerce accounts for 70% of postal traffic

Tehran, IRNA – The e-commerce commodities account for more than 70 percent of postal traffic in Iran nowadays, an Iranian official said.

Mohammad-Reza Ghaderi, the secretary of the scientific committee of the first edition of the international POSTEXPO, said on Monday that those active in e-commerce, are well aware that over 70 percent of postal traffic is allocated to e-commerce commodities, so the main duty of the post company is to provide e-commerce services.

Russia, Iran set for expansion of ties: Russian envoy

Tehran, IRNA – Diplomatic relations between Iran and Russia have grown to a new level in recent months as senior officials from the two countries shuttle between the Tehran and Moscow to hold talks and explore ways to further expand bilateral economic and political cooperation.

Iranian-Russian relations are of major significance especially considering the current geopolitical situation in the region and in the world.

Germany FM warns of Tunisia backtrack on democracy, following arrest of Ghannouchi

23 Apr 2023; MEMO: Germany's Foreign Minister has warned against Tunisia's backtrack on democracy, as president Kais Saied continues to suppress the country's opposition and solidify his power following his coup two years ago.

Tunisia's main opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi was arrested on Monday this week, following comments that to eradicate different viewpoints in Tunisian politics and society, such as the leftism or political Islam, may lead to a "civil war".

US-led coalition drone crashes in northern Iraq

23 Apr 2023; MEMO: The US-led coalition forces against Daesh/ISIS said Saturday its drone crashed in northern Iraq, Anadolu reports.

The drone crashed due to a mechanical failure in Kirkuk, the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR) said in a statement.

Iraqi security forces quickly secured the site and coalition service members cleared the area with a controlled detonation.

Israel halts urgent immigration program for nationals of Russia, Belarus

23 Apr 2023; MEMO: Israel canceled an emergency program offering Russian and Belarusian nationals an expedited path to Israeli citizenship, local media reported on Saturday, Anadolu reports.

The fast-tracked program for immigration to Israel, or Aliyah, will remain open to Ukrainian immigrants, the daily Haaretz said on the decision, which comes nearly 14 months since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in February last year.

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