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22 Aug 2020; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Friday that the Fatih drilling vessel discovered the country’s largest energy source in its history -- 320 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Black Sea. 

20 Aug 2020; MEMO: Pakistan’s effort to repair relations with Saudi Arabia has been snubbed by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. The de facto ruler of the kingdom refused to meet with Islamabad’s Army Chief, Qamar Javed Bajwa, who was in the Gulf state to mend ties between the two countries.

New Delhi, Aug 20 (PTI) The Left parties on Thursday hit out at the government over the decision to lease out three airports to the Adani Group, alleging that the move was a "loot of national assets" and would lead to an escalation of ticket prices.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal for leasing out airports at Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram through public-private partnership (PPP).

Chennai, Aug 21 (PTI) The opposition DMK in Tamil Nadu on Friday opposed the Centre's decision to "privatise" airports, saying the move "usurps the rights and autonomy from the State."

In an apparent reference to the Centre deciding to lease out three airports, including the one at Thiruvananthapuram, DMK President M K Stalin described the decision as "unilateral" and demanded its revocation.

"The Center's unilateral decision to privatise airports usurps the rights and autonomy from the State," he said in a tweet.

20 Aug 2020; MEMO: The oil-rich Gulf state of Kuwait will not have sufficient funds to cover public servants’ salaries after November, Finance Minister Barak Al-Sheetan warned parliament on Wednesday.

According to Bloomberg, Al-Sheetan confirmed that his country’s government is withdrawing from its General Reserve Fund at a rate of 1.7 billion dinars a month.

20 Aug 2020; MEMO: The Managing director of Iranian Ports and Maritime Organisation, Mohammad Rastad, said yesterday that Tehran is considering building another oceanic port on the Makran coastal strip on the Gulf of Oman.

Rastad said the project is currently being researched, noting that the new port is distinguished by its proximity to international trade lines which would provide access to deeper waters and allow the reception of major ships.

20 Aug 2020; MEMO: Saudi Arabia hailed on Wednesday the controversial UAE-Israel normalisation deal, describing it as as a potential contribution to peace in the region, Anadolu Agency reported.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud expressed: “Any efforts that promote peace in the region and that result in holding back the threat of annexation could be viewed as positive.”

New Delhi, Aug 19 (PTI) Several more Air India pilots have moved the Delhi High Court challenging the airline's decision to terminate their services from August 13 on wards.

Justice Jyoti Singh on Wednesday issued a notice to Air India Ltd on the four fresh pleas before her and sought the airline's response to them by next week.

The court also issued notice to the airline on the modification applications moved earlier by other pilots who had wanted directions to Air India to accept withdrawal of their resignations.

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- China urges relevant U.S. politicians to take into account the well-being of the people in China, the U.S. and all other countries, heed calls from the international community, and work with China to bring China-U.S. relations back on the track of coordination, cooperation and stability, according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on recent remarks by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the relationship between the U.S. and China.

18 Aug 2020; MEMO: Algeria will allow its private sector to set up banks as well as air and sea transport companies for goods and passengers to reduce spending, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Tuesday.

The move is part of wider reforms by the OPEC member to cope with financial problems caused by a sharp fall in energy export revenues, the main source of state funding for the North African country.