Middle East & North Africa

01 September 2022; MEMO: The partnership between the United States and Tunisia depends on Tunisia's commitment to democracy and human rights, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's Assistant for Near Eastern Affairs has said.

Speaking during a meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied on Tuesday, Barbara Leaf said: "The partnership between the United States and Tunisia takes its strongest and highest levels when there is a shared commitment to democracy and human rights." She went on to stress the importance of implementing economic reforms.

01 September 2022; MEMO: A news agency affiliated with Iran's top security body has reacted to a US claim that Iranian forces attempted to seize an unmanned US vessel in the Persian Gulf, saying it was done to "ensure the safety of shipping lanes", Anadolu News Agency reports.

In a statement on Wednesday, Nour News cited an unnamed senior military official as saying that the "illegal presence" of US forces in the Persian Gulf was a "source of insecurity" for the region.

01 September 2022; MEMO: The budget deficit in Tunisia declined 75 per cent during the first half of 2022, amid an increase in the country's fiscal revenue.

This was revealed according to data issued by the Tunisian Ministry of Finance, on Wednesday, which stated that the budget deficit in the first half reached 470.8 million dinars ($147.5 million), down from 1.9 billion dinars ($593.3 million).

01 September 2022; MEMO: Secret talks between Israel and Qatar have failed to lead to the opening of an Israeli consular office in Doha to facilitate the arrival of thousands of Israeli football fans to the World Cup, Israel's i24News reported.

The channel said talks collapsed ahead of a planned phone call between Israeli Foreign Minister and interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani over Lapid's insistence on making the call public, which Qatar has strongly rejected.

01 September 2022; MEMO: The oil market will have a small surplus of just 0.4 million barrels per day in 2022, much less than previously forecasted, according to OPEC+, due to underproduction, Reuters reported OPEC+ sources saying.

The report comes days ahead of an OPEC+ policy meeting on 5 September and over a week after OPEC leader Saudi Arabia said the group may cut oil output.

Kanpur: More than half an hour of rain in the Jajmau area of the city gravely aggravated the woes of the public.

The water logging on the road crossing at Nai Chungi gave a bad look at traffic jams.

The highway was almost blocked due to rainwater. The drivers applied all the ways to speed up the motors, bikes and cycles.

Owing to jam on the road the traffic moved slowly. What was worse on the road was potholes? For a short-distance vehicle users followed a long distance to reach the school.

AMMAN, Aug 31 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordanian King, Abdullah II, yesterday stressed his country’s full support for Iraq’s efforts to maintain its unity and stability.

He made the remarks during two separate phone calls with Iraqi President, Barham Salih and Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, according to a statement issued by the Royal Hashemite Court.

The king said, Iraq’s security was an essential part of the region’s stability and security.

TEHRAN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian foreign minister demanded on Wednesday "a stronger text" from the United States over its guarantees of lifting sanctions in order to reach an agreement to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, official IRNA news agency reported.

"Regarding lifting sanctions, we recently received the latest text from the American side, and my colleagues are carefully reviewing the text," Amir-Abdollahian said during his joint press conference with his Russian counterpart in Moscow.

"We still need a stronger text on the issue of guarantees," he added.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian detainee held without charge or trial by Israel said Wednesday that he will suspend his nearly six-month hunger strike after reaching an agreement that will see him released in October.

Lawyers and physicians have warned that the Khalil Awawdeh, a 40-year-old father of four, was at risk of dying and already suffering neurological damage from the prolonged hunger strike. In recent pictures, he resembles a human skeleton, his skin tightly stretched over a bony frame.

31 August 2022; MEMO: The UN office in Palestine has said that over 1.3 million Palestinian children in territories occupied by Israel are facing challenges as a result of the occupation as they head back to school for the new academic year, a press release issued yesterday said.