Middle East & North Africa

ALGIERS, March 19 (Reuters) - Algeria has summoned its ambassador to Spain back for consultations over Madrid's recent comments on Western Sahara, the foreign affairs ministry said on Saturday.

"The Algerian authorities were very surprised by the surprising statements of the highest authorities in Spain on the issue of Western Sahara," it said.

Algeria is a key gas supplier to Spain and Italy.

DUBAI, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) met with visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday in the capital Abu Dhabi, discussing cooperation and issues of common interests, according to UAE's official WAM news agency.

During the meeting, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed that Syria is a fundamental pillar of Arab security, and the UAE is keen to strengthen cooperation with it to achieve the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people towards stability and development.

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Once a lavish mansion, the sprawling home of an Iraqi Kurdish oil tycoon was laid to waste in a barrage of missiles that struck near a U.S. consulate complex in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil earlier this week.

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard said it launched the attack last Sunday, firing off 12 cruise missiles at what it described as a “strategic center” of the Israeli spy agency Mossad — in retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two of the Iranian paramilitary force’s members the previous week.

18 March 2022; MEMO: Iran possesses 3,000 ballistic missiles, some of which can reach Israel, the chief of the US Central Command, Kenneth McKenzie, warned yesterday.

McKenzie told US Senators that none of the Iranian missiles could "reach Europe yet," adding that over the "last five to seven years they [Iran] have invested heavily in their ballistic missile programme."

19 March 2022; MEMO: Pakistan is strengthening its intelligence cooperation with Saudi Arabia and achieving more Saudi investments in the defence industry, as discussed at the first World Defence Show earlier this month. Pakistan is also intensifying its partnerships with China.

18 March 2022; MEMO: President Tayyip Erdogan opened a massive suspension bridge across Turkey's Dardanelles Strait on Friday, the latest in a series of major infrastructure projects which he has prioritised during his two decades in power, Reuters reports.

18 March 2022; MEMO: The United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) will open a Mediation Centre office in Turkiye's metropolitan city of Istanbul this year, said the High Representative, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, which concluded last week, Miguel Angel Moratinos said that "We've been working hand in hand with the Turkish Government. They already told me personally that we can count on the full support of Turkiye to the Alliance's work."

18 March 2022; MEMO: Ukrainian intelligence yesterday announced that a large number of "Syrian mercenaries" arrived in Russia to fight alongside the Russian army.

Ukrainian intelligence stated that 150 Syrian mercenaries had been transferred from the Hmeimim Air Base to Russia on Tuesday, noting that Moscow is planning to transfer weapons and military equipment from Syria to Russia and Belarus to use in the war against Ukraine.

QENA, Egypt, Mar 18 (NNN-MENA) – Egypt is holding more cultural festivals and artistic activities at its various archaeological sites, with the aim of promoting ancient heritage and attracting tourists, according to Egyptian officials.

In Feb and Mar, at least five cultural and artistic activities were held in Upper Egyptian provinces, that boast the majority of the country’s antiquities and temples.

The last event was concluded last Saturday, at the Abydos temple, in Sohag Province.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The president of Turkey, South Korea’s prime minister and other officials inaugurated a massive suspension bridge Friday over the Dardanelles Strait that connects the European and Asian shores of the key waterway.

With a a 2,023-meter (6,637 feet) span between its towers, the “1915 Canakkale Bridge” becomes the world’s longest suspension bridge, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.