Middle East & North Africa

6 Mar 2023; MEMO: The indices on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange have declined by ten to 15 per cent compared to Stock Exchanges in the United States and Europe, as the Israeli shekel's value continues to decline against the US dollar and the euro.

The decline has prompted the Israeli public as well as companies to withdraw their funds and investment portfolios and transfer them abroad, according to a report published by the Times of Israel news website yesterday.

6 Mar 2023; MEMO: Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset yesterday, warning that he is "leading the State of Israel to a Third Temple destruction."

6 Mar 2023; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has criticised the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, after he said that any attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would be illegal, Sama news agency reported on Sunday.

"Rafael Grossi is a worthy person who made an unworthy remark," Netanyahu told his cabinet yesterday.

6 Mar 2023; MEMO: Of the 40 reservists in the Israeli Air Force's 69th Squadron, 37 said on Sunday that they would not show up to one of their planned training sessions on Wednesday in protest of the government's plan to radically restrict the power of the country's judiciary. The reservists notified IAF commander General Tomer Bar and their squadron leader of their intention, but said that they would report for duty if required for operational duties.

DOHA, March 5 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Sunday discussed a wide array of mutually beneficial issues and exchanged views to further strengthen the excellent cooperation between the two countries in diverse fields including in the economic and investment sectors.

During a meeting, the prime minister appreciated Qatar’s consistent support to the development projects in Pakistan and highlighted the vast opportunities of cooperation between the two countries.

ANKARA, March 4. /TASS/: The death toll from the devastating earthquakes in Turkey has approached 46,000, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on TRT televisions on Saturday.

"The death toll has risen to 45,968. Of these, 4,267 are citizens of Syria," the minister said adding that more than 13,000 aftershocks had been recorded since the first earthquake.

"A total of 26,300 buildings have collapsed. Search and rescue operations have been carried out on the rubble of 26,032 of them," he said.

BEIRUT, Mar 5 (NNN-XINHUA) – In the past weeks, since the massive earthquake hit Türkiye and Syria on Feb 6, Ebtisam Antar, a mother of two in Lebanon’s neighbouring Syria, goes to bed every night with intense fear that the roof of her 50-year-old house may fall over her head.

She told Xinhua that the quake on Feb 6, caused cracks in the wall of her balcony before another one two days later led to more fissures in her daughter’s bedroom.

RIYADH, Mar 5 (NNN-SPA) – Haramain High-Speed Railway will now provide over 100 daily trips to transport pilgrims between Makkah and Madinah, during the holy month of Ramadan, local media reported.

The decision to increase the number of train services comes, in the wake of the increase in the number of pilgrims and visitors to the Kingdom during the month of Ramadan.

DOHA, March 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A top UN official has warned that “urgent” measures are needed to help 52 countries facing debt repayment problems that put some at risk of default.

Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations Development Programme, said that 25 of the 52 were spending more than a fifth of government revenues servicing external debt.

TUNIS, March 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Around 300 nationals of Ivory Coast and Mali were flown home from Tunisia on Saturday, fearful of a wave of violence against sub-Saharan migrants since President Kais Saied delivered a controversial tirade against them last month.

In his Feb 21 speech, Saied ordered officials to take “urgent measures” to tackle irregular migration, claiming without evidence that “a criminal plot” was underway “to change Tunisia’s demographic makeup.”