Middle East & North Africa

23 Jan 2023; MEMO: Iran warned, Monday, that the European Parliament's push to classify the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation is an attack on the country's national security, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Speaking at a weekly press conference in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said any hostile act against the elite force would be met with a "decisive response".

23 Jan 2023; MEMO: The Judge investigating the 2020 Beirut port explosion has unexpectedly resumed his inquiry, more than a year after it was paralysed by political resistance to his attempts to interrogate top officials, Reuters reports.

The surprise decision was confirmed on Monday by several judicial sources, one of whom said Investigator, Judge Tarek Bitar, had issued new charges against eight senior and mid-ranking officials but did not identify them.

23 Jan 2023; MEMO: New Israeli guidelines on access to the Occupied West Bank for foreigners threaten to further isolate Palestinians, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today.

23 Jan 2023; MEMO: Sweden should not expect Turkiye's support for its NATO membership after a protest near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm at the weekend including the burning of a copy of the Koran, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, Reuters reports.

"Those who allow such blasphemy in front of our embassy (in Stockholm) can no longer expect our support for their NATO membership," Erdogan said in a speech after a cabinet meeting.

24 Jan 2023; MEMO: The Moroccan Parliament agreed yesterday to evaluate and reconsider its relations with the European Parliament in Brussels, Anadolu has reported. This was announced following an emergency joint session of both chambers in Rabat.

JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli group raising funds for Jewish extremists convicted in some of the country’s most notorious hate crimes is collecting tax-exempt donations from Americans, according to findings by The Associated Press and the Israeli investigative platform Shomrim.

The records in the case suggest that Israel’s far right is gaining a new foothold in the United States.

22 Jan 2023; MEMO: The emirate of Dubai is planning to build the world's first 3D-printed mosque which will be ready by early 2025. According to a report by The National last week, Dubai's Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) announced that construction of the 2,000 square metre mosque in Bur Dubai will start in October and once completed, the mosque will accommodate 600 worshippers. Bur Dubai is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in the UAE.

23 Jan 2023; MEMO: An official source at the Israel Postal Bank has warned that customers' money is in "real danger" as there is no oversight unit and no one to monitor accounts for unusual transactions, the Walla website has reported.

The Postal Bank is regarded as a social bank giving customers the ability to manage small bank accounts without strict restrictions and with a low interest rate compared with other banks, said Arab 48 news.

23 Jan 2023; MEMO: The Speaker of the Iranian parliament has warned of an "immediate and decisive" response to the European Parliament's move to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, Fars has reported. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made his remarks during the parliament's open session on Sunday.

21 Jan 2023; MEMO: Facebook users who search for "Hassan Nasrallah", the head of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement now see a warning message about "Dangerous Individuals and Organisations" and are given the choice between continuing to their search results or cancelling the search.