Middle East & North Africa

ISTANBUL, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A stronger U.S. dollar arising from the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes has intensified pressure on both developed and developing countries, and may lead to a global recession, Turkish economists have said.

The Fed's rate policies in its own pursuit of 2-percent inflation target have reinforced the greenback but caused a series of troubles worldwide, Mustafa Sonmez, a Turkish economist and writer, told Xinhua.

TEQUA, West Bank (AP) — A throng of men clutching the body of a 7-year-old Palestinian boy marched through a town in the occupied West Bank toward the child’s final resting place on Friday, a day after his parents say he died from fear of Israeli soldiers.

30 Sep 2022; MEMO: Kuwaiti voters began to cast ballots on Thursday in the Gulf country's parliamentary elections, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Polling stations opened at 08:00 a.m., local time, (0600GMT) and will close at 08:00 p.m. (1800GMT).

Some 795,911 voters are eligible to cast vote in Thursday's polls to elect members of a new 50-seat National Assembly, according to the electoral commission.

29 Sep 2022; MEMO: The CEO of the Qatar World Cup, Nasser Al-Khater, said he expects to reap profits of up to $9 billion from organising the 2022 World Cup.

During an interview with the Baad Ams (After Yesterday) podcast on Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Al-Khater said that the cost of the World Cup projects and expenses amount to about $8 billion, adding that this is less than previous tournaments held in Brazil and Russia.

29 Sep 2022; MEMO: The government in France has announced that it is closing another mosque. Media reports yesterday said that the closure of the Obernai Mosque in the Bas-Rhin region is because the Imam has been accused of extremism, taking an anti-French position and making provocative comments against the values of the republic.

30 Sep 2022; MEMO: Iran has threatened to "take action" against celebrities who have in recent days supported the demonstrations sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

Iran has been shaken by a wave of protests, which have claimed the lives of scores of people, following the death of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman on 16 September days after her arrest for violating the country's strict dress code.

29 Sep 2022; MEMO: A 7-year-old Palestinian child died, Thursday, while being chased by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, according to the Health Ministry, Anadolu News Agency reports.

A Ministry statement said Rayyan Suleiman, from the town of Tuqu near Bethlehem city, had fallen from a height while running away from Israeli soldiers.

Medics failed to save his life and he was pronounced dead shortly after being admitted to Beit Jala Hospital, the statement said.

29 Sep 2022; MEMO: The French Ambassador to Morocco, Helen Le Gall, said Thursday she was ending her tenure in the North African nation, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The diplomat said her 3-year tenure in Morocco was full of "fruitful cooperation and rich meetings."

The Envoy's departure comes amid ongoing tension between Rabat and Paris, fuelled by the tightening of visa restrictions against Moroccans, and talk of French companies' withdrawal from Morocco.

29 Sep 2022; MEMO: Fans attending the World Cup in Qatar must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, regardless of their vaccination status, organisers said in a statement on Thursday, Reuters reports.

All visitors aged six and over must present a negative result from a PCR test taken within 48 hours before their departure, or from a rapid antigen test taken in the 24 hours before arriving, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy said.

30 Sep 2022; MEMO: The General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the Israeli aggression on Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank which resulted in the death of four Palestinians and dozens being injured, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

"This [Israeli] crime and other previous repeated Israeli crimes and acts of aggression against the Palestinian people require investigation and accountability before the International Criminal Court," the OIC said in a statement.