Middle East & North Africa

ISTANBUL, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Sweden has taken "concrete action" to address Turkey's concerns over its NATO membership bid, including stepping up counter-terrorism efforts against Kurdish militants, Stockholm told Ankara in a letter dated Oct. 6 and seen by Reuters.

The two-page letter gives 14 examples of steps taken by Sweden to show it "is fully committed to the implementation" of a memorandum it signed with Turkey and Finland in June, which resulted in NATO member Turkey lifting its veto of their applications to the trans-Atlantic security alliance.

(AP) --- Qatar is a devoutly apolitical place, with speech and assembly heavily restricted and a large population of foreign workers who could lose their livelihoods if they cause a stir.

But that could change next month, when an estimated 1.2 million soccer fans descend on the tiny Gulf Arab nation for the World Cup. Authorities may face calls for labor rights, LGBTQ equality and other causes in the glare of an international spotlight like no other.

20 October 2022; MEMO: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Tasnim news agency claimed yesterday that the Israeli spy agency Mossad eliminated six of its own officers after accusing them of collaborating with Tehran. The agency quoted anonymous sources as saying that this followed the failure to carry out a sabotage operation in the Iranian province of Isfahan.

20 October 2022; MEMO: Lebanon's Parliament failed to elect a president for the third time on Thursday, bringing the country closer to institutional deadlock amid a deep financial crisis, Reuters reports.

Outgoing President, Michel Aoun's term ends on 31 October and divisions remain among political blocs over the makeup of a new cabinet.

Lebanon has been without a fully functioning government since May. The presidency has fallen vacant several times since the 1975-90 Civil War.

21 October 2022; MEMO: The government in Cairo called on Thursday for an immediate end to Israeli attacks in the occupied Palestinian territories and urged the international community to help calm the situation.

21 October 2022; MEMO: Iran will not allow Israel to establish military bases anywhere near Iranian territory, the commander of the ground forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said.

"The Iranian armed forces and law enforcement agencies defending our land borders are the country's strength against foreign interference," explained Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour on Thursday. "Iran will never allow the fake Zionist entity to have a military and intelligence base in its vicinity or in neighbouring countries."

21 October 2022; MEMO: Climate activist Greta Thunberg has said on Twitter that she has signed a petition calling on the Egyptian government to release political prisoners ahead of COP27.

Her support comes amid criticism that large green groups have not spoken out about the human rights situation in Egypt ahead of the UN summit.

20 October 2022; MEMO: Qatar is in talks with Egypt to buy $2.5 billion of state-held stakes in Vodafone Egypt, according to Bloomberg.

The Qatar Investment Authority, the Gulf state's sovereign wealth fund, plans to buy 20 per cent of Telecom Egypt's stake in Vodafone and several other unlisted companies.

20 October 2022; MEMO: Iran, on Thursday, said the leaders of regional foe, Saudi Arabia, should end their reliance on Israel, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, in an apparent reference to growing ties between Israel and Gulf Arab States, Reuters reports.

21 October 2022; MEMO: Senior member of Hamas, Osama Hamdan, has said "what is happening in the West Bank is not a passing reaction, but rather a continuous revolutionary situation."

In an interview with Sawt Al-Aqsa radio yesterday evening, Hamdan said the Palestinian people are "unbreakable", and "continue their struggle with a united resistance."