Middle East & North Africa

30 September 2023; MEMO: The Palestinian Authority (PA) announced on Friday that the Israeli occupation is a direct threat to the security of the region, Europe and the world.

In a statement issued by the PA’s Foreign Ministry, the PA asserted that the remarks by Israeli Army chief Herzi Halevi, in which he considered the West Bank a direct threat to Europe, reiterate that Israeli officials do not miss any opportunity to defame Palestinians.

01 October 2023; MEMO: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Pakistan have signed a preliminary deal on a free trade agreement (FTA), as both seek to boost trade and ties with one another.

According to a press release issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce, the Interim Commerce Minister Gohar Ejaz and GCC Secretary General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi concluded the final round of negotiations on Thursday at the GCC headquarters in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh,

01 October 2023; MEMO: Terrorists trying to destroy peace and security in Türkiye will never succeed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

Erdogan’s remarks came after two police officers were injured when one of two terrorists blew himself up in front of the General Directorate of Security in the Turkish capital of Ankara in the morning.

02 October 2023; MEMO: Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour refused on Saturday to speak in French when a journalist asked him to do so, amid tension between the two countries over France’s decision to tighten visa requirements on three north African countries including Morocco.

02 October 2023; MEMO: Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour refused on Saturday to speak in French when a journalist asked him to do so, amid tension between the two countries over France’s decision to tighten visa requirements on three north African countries including Morocco.

RAMALLAH, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Israeli army on Friday killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank city of Al-Bireh, Palestinian medical and security sources said.

"Mohammed Jibril Ramana died due to serious injuries sustained by Israeli army's live bullets," the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement.

The ministry added that another man was slightly injured in the incident.

Palestinian security sources said that the Israeli army fired live bullets at two young men at the entrance to Psagot settlement in the West Bank city of Al-Bireh.

CAIRO (AP) — Italy and war-torn Libya on Saturday resumed commercial flights for the first time in a decade, authorities in the Libyan capital said.

Flight MT522, operated by the Libyan carrier Medsky Airways, departed Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli for Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, according to Libyan airport authorities.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Emirati president-designate for the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate conference offered a full-throated defense Saturday of his nation hosting the talks, dismissing those who “just go on the attack without knowing anything, without knowing who we are.”

Climate activists roundly criticized Sultan al-Jaber’s appointment as the president-designate of the talks because he serves as the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., which is seeking to boost its production of carbon-emitting crude oil and natural gas.

JERUSALEM, Sept 29 (NNN-MA’AN) – Israel’s Supreme Court heard yesterday, arguments challenging a controversial law, that makes it harder to remove an incumbent prime minister.

An eleven-judge panel of the court’s 15 judges, convened for the discussion, which was chaired by Chief Justice, Esther Hayut.

They discussed appeals against a law known as the “incapacitation law,” that was passed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition in March.

CAIRO, Sept 29 (NNN-MENA) – The central banks of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), signed yesterday, a currency swap deal, agreeing to exchange up to 42 billion Egyptian pounds (about 1.36 billion U.S. dollars) and five billion UAE dirhams at nominal value.

The agreement comes within the framework of strengthening relations between Egypt and the UAE at all levels, and contributes to increasing their trade volume, a statement from the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) quoted the bank’s governor, Hassan Abdallah, as saying.