Middle East & North Africa

Indian, Emirati container ships dock in Chabahar Port

Chabahar, Sept 21, IRNA – The Managing Director of Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran (PMO) Behrouz Aqaee said on Monday that two container ships carrying kitchen utensils, detergents and wheat from India and UAE to Afghanistan docked in Chabahar Port.

Speaking to IRNA, Aqaee said the two ships consisted of 666 containers.

Iran downs US Global Hawk drone in Persian Gulf

Tehran, Sept 20, IRNA - Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani in a message said with active resistance of Iranian people, Trump's drones will continue to crash.

"#Iran's downing of the US Global Hawk drone in Persian Gulf set off collapse of America's 'virtual drones' incl its backing of riots, continuing arms restrictions & return of economic sanctions," Shamkhani wrote on his Twitter account.

"With the Iranian people's #Active_Resistance, #Trump's drones will continue to crash," he added.

Railway to be built between Iraq's Mosul, Turkey

21 Sep 2020; MEMO: A railway will be built between Iraq’s Mosul and Turkey, according to the governor of Mosul on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

A team of engineers with the support of Turkish companies will start laying a new modern rail line between the two countries in the coming days, Najim al-Jubouri said in a statement to Al Sabaah, a semi-official Iraqi newspaper.

Syria: US continues to steal oil through Iraq

21 Sep 2020; MEMO: The United States continues to loot oil from Syria’s Al-Jazeera region through Iraqi territories, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported yesterday.

“A US convoy, consisting of 30 tanker trucks laden with stolen Syrian oil has left the war-stricken country and sneaked into neighbouring Iraq through the illegal Al-Walid crossing in the Al-Yaroubia area,” SANA said.

Syria: Russian jets strike rebel-held bastion in heaviest strikes since ceasefire

21 Sep 2020; MEMO: Syrian opposition sources said Russian jets bombed rebel-held northwestern Syria on Sunday in the most extensive strikes since a Turkish-Russian deal halted major fighting with a ceasefire nearly six months ago, Reuters reports.

Witnesses said the warplanes struck the western outskirts of Idlib city and that there was heavy artillery shelling in the mountainous Jabal al Zawya region in southern Idlib from nearby Syrian army outposts. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Protests against Sisi’s rule break out across Egypt

21 Sep 2020; MEMO: Protests have broken out across Egypt against the rule of General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.

In Suez, Kafr El Dawwar, a city on the Nile Delta, Cairo, Alexandria and Aswan, demonstrators demanded Al-Sisi stand down.

Following security forces’ attack on demonstrators, the presidential residence in Aswan, Upper Egypt, was set on fire.

One video at another protest shows a police car retreating after anti-Sisi protesters threw stones at it.

Bin Zayed talks with Washington to transfer US base in Turkey to UAE

21 Sep 2020; MEMO: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Zayed is talking with the Pentagon to transfer the US Incirlik Air Base from Turkey to the UAE, the New Khaleej reported yesterday.

Informed sources revealed to the news site on Saturday that the plan aims to consolidate the UAE’s ties with the “deep state” in the US.

Turkey’s enemies attempting to prevent its growth: Erdogan

21 Sep 2020; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused hostile parties of working to prevent the country’s development by igniting internal crises, Rssd.com reported yesterday.

Erdogan said his government had started to work to promote the country based on the Turkish vision for 2023, 2053 and 2071.

“Every step we walk towards making Turkey a regional and global power represents a cornerstone for this vision,” the president said.

Sudan leadership divided over whether to normalise ties with Israel

21 Sep 2020; MEMO: The military leaders in Sudan’s Sovereign Council, which comprises both civilians and military officers, are interested in normalising the country’s relations with Israel in return for the lifting of US sanctions on the country and removing it from the list states that sponsor terrorists, Arabi21 reported.

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