Middle East & North Africa

19 Nov 2022; MEMO: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the US and Europe of making threats and pressuring members of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), which are already under severe stress.

Cavusoglu stated that the organisation's members had already received letters and memorandums from the US and Europe in this regard, commenting: "We must not forget that."

Nov 18 (Reuters) - Video clips showing a fire at the ancestral home in Iran of the Islamic Republic's late founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, have appeared on social media, with activists saying it was torched by protesters.

Reuters verified the location of two video clips using the distinctive arches and buildings that match file images.

However, the semi-official Tasnim news agency denied Khomeini's house was set on fire, saying a small number of people had gathered outside the house.

DOHA Nov 18 (Reuters) - Alcoholic beer will not be sold at Qatar's World Cup stadiums, world soccer governing body FIFA said on Friday, a last minute reversal which raised questions among some supporters about the host country's ability to deliver on promises to fans.

The announcement comes two days before Sunday's kickoff of the World Cup, the first to be held in a conservative Muslim country with strict controls on alcohol, the consumption of which is banned in public.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — World Cup organizers will ban the sale of all beer with alcohol at the eight stadiums used for the soccer tournament, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

The decision comes only two days before games start in Qatar and 12 years after the country first consented to respect FIFA’s commercial partners.

Non-alcoholic beer will still be available for fans at the 64 matches, the person said.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because organizers have not yet announced the decision.

ANKARA, November 17. /TASS/: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Thursday that the grain deal signed in Istanbul in July would be extended for 120 days.

"Following the decision made by the UN, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine, the agreement on the Black Sea corridor will be extended from November 19, 2022 for 120 days," the Turkish leader wrote on Twitter.

ABU DHABI, Nov 17 (NNN-WAM) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE), launched here, the Global Media Congress (GMC), a platform to boost business connections and foster innovation in the media sector.

The event, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday (today), under the theme of “Shaping the Future of the Media Industry,” gathered more than 1,200 media practitioners, experts and social media influencers from across the world.

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s largest Palestinian camp was once bustling with activity: It was crowded with mini-buses and packed with shops hawking falafel, shawarma and knafeh nabulsieh — a sweet concoction of cheese and phyllo dough.

Kids played soccer and brandished plastic guns until men with real guns came in when Syria descended into civil war. Over the past decade, fighting devastated communities across the country, including the Yarmouk camp, on the outskirts of the capital of Damascus.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish security forces have detained a suspect wanted in connection with the deadly bombing in Istanbul in an operation in a Turkish-controlled area in northwestern Syria, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported.

Other suspects detained following the bombing will appear before court officials on Thursday to face possible charges or be released from custody.

16 Nov 2022; MEMO: The Israeli government has signed a deal with France's TotalEnergies and Italy's Eni to search for natural gas in the formerly disputed Lebanese territorial waters in the Mediterranean, the French company announced on Tuesday.

The dispute over maritime demarcation in the gas-rich waters was ended on 27 October, when Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a deal brokered by the US.

17 Nov 2022; MEMO: Senior officers and generals in the occupation army have expressed their concern about the possibility of the appointment of extremist Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism Party, as minister of defence, because he lacks experience, knowledge, or authority to deal with the ministry.