Middle East & North Africa

DUBAI, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United States and Israel on Thursday said they will develop a joint strategy for energy partnership, the official WAM news agency reported.

"The UAE, the U.S. and Israel agree to encourage greater coordination in the energy sector, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, oil, natural gas resources and related technologies, and water desalination technologies," according to a joint statement issued by the energy ministers of the three countries.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — From a filthy cell in Saudi Arabia, the Ethiopian migrant spoke on a smuggled phone, fearing to give his name. Some 300 countrymen are detained with him, he said. And no one knows when Ethiopia’s government might bring them home.

DUBAI, Oct 1 (NNN-WAM) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday announced 1,100 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 94,190.

At the same time, 1,186 more patients have recovered from the virus, taking the tally of recoveries to 83,724, UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention said. It also confirmed three more deaths, pushing the country’s death toll to 419.

The UAE was the first among the Gulf countries to report COVID-19 cases. It has been showing solidarity with China in the fight against the virus.

30 Sep 2020; MEMO: Egyptian police killed a man in Luxor during a raid on Wednesday after he objected to police physically and verbally assaulting his elderly father and arrested his brother.

Eyewitnesses say police shot Awais Al-Rawi in the head in front of his family after troops and armoured vehicles descended on his village. This came moments after Al-Rawi stood up to an officer who had insulted and slapped his father.

30 Sep 2020; MEMO: The “astronomical” salaries of the president, ministers, members of parliament and other senior ranking officials in Iraq are depleting the state’s budget and wasting public money, Iraqis have said.

The salaries of senior Iraqi officials have resurfaced after social media users circulated the Court of Cassation’s objection to a request filed by former Iraqi President, Ghazi Ajil Al-Yawer, against a decision to suspend his retirement pay under the Unified Retirement Law of 2014.

30 Sep 2020; MEMO: The US Special Envoy for Syria James Jeffrey said Washington will normalise its relations with the Syrian regime of President Bashar Al-Assad after it adopts UN Security Council Resolution 2254 regarding the political process in the war-torn country.

30 Sep 2020; MEMO: Several rockets landed last night close to a US-led coalition military base outside Erbil International Airport in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region.

“There was no damage or casualties,” said coalition spokesman Colonel Wayne Marotto. “The incident is under investigation.”

30 Sep 2020; MEMO: Protesters stormed a bank in the Downtown district of Beirut yesterday and staged a sit-in, demanding the institution return their savings which have been trapped since late last year, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Hundreds of thousands of bank account holders have been unable to access their entire savings since November, when the country’s financial institutions imposed informal restrictions, limiting withdrawals to meagre weekly sums.

30 Sep 2020; MEMO: The Islamic Republic of Iran on Wednesday accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of inciting war, claiming that it became part of the crisis in Western Asia after signing a peace deal with Israel, RT reported.

In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced: “The UAE’s normalisation of ties with Israel turned into a crisis in Western Asia.”

TUNIS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Kais Saied met on Wednesday with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper over the issues of anti-terrorism and the Libyan crisis during his one-day visit to the country.

They discussed U.S.-Tunisian cooperation in the fields of economy, security, defense, combating terrorism and regional issues of common concern, according to a statement released by the Presidency.

On the Libyan crisis, Saied noted the solution to the crisis should be based on the agreement of all the Libyan factions away from any foreign interference.