Middle East & North Africa

TUNIS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Hichem Mechichi formally assumed his duties as the head of the new Tunisian government on Thursday, said the Tunisian presidency.

During the power transfer ceremony, the new prime minister emphasized that the difficult and complex economic and political climate in which Tunisia is currently living "will not discourage the new government for making all efforts to stop the economic bleeding and ensure the country's stability."

RIYADH, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers highlighted on Thursday coordination of cross-border management to protect lives and livelihoods during coronavirus crisis, according to a statement by the Saudi G20 Presidency.

During the extraordinary meeting, the foreign ministers acknowledged the importance of opening borders and promoting measures to allow the economy to thrive in accordance with the protective measures given by health organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CAIRO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi met on Thursday with visiting EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell to discuss regional issues including the Libyan crisis, the Palestinian issue and Ethiopia's dam built on the Nile River, said the Egyptian Presidency.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Bahrain will allow “all flights coming to and departing from the United Arab Emirates” to cross through the island kingdom’s airspace — a statement apparently allowing Israeli flights after neighboring Saudi Arabia issued a similar announcement.

The state-run Bahrain News Agency made the announcement without directly naming Israel, just as Saudi Arabia had. However, the announcement late Thursday came just days after Saudi Arabia allowed the first direct Israeli commercial passenger flight to use its airspace to reach the UAE.

03 Sep 2020; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday welcomed Saudi Arabia’s decision to allow flights from “all countries” to pass through its airspace while traveling to or from the United Arab Emirates, Anadolu news agency reported.

03 Sep 2020; MEMO: Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani has reaffirmed his commitment to a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a meeting yesterday with senior adviser to the White House, Jared Kushner, Reuters reports.

03 Sep 2020; MEMO: Israel’s state attorney has charged 11 suspects over the August gang rape of a 16-year-old girl in a hotel in the Red Sea resort of Eilat. The suspects include three adults and eight minors.

According to the Times of Israel, two of the suspects, named as Ilizir Meirov, 27, and Isi Raphaelov, 28, both have criminal records and have previously served time in prison.

03 Sep 2020; MEMO: The Turkish Foreign Ministry has described as “fake news” an article published by the German newspaper Die Welt which claimed that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had ordered the Turkish Navy to attack and sink a Greek warship. Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy called it a “product of the imagination.”

03 Sep 2020; MEMO: Casting further light on the nexus between Zionism and the rise of the Islamophobia industry, the Israeli government has approved a grant to an American “anti-Muslim hate group”.

03 Sep 2020; MEMO: The official spokesman of Egypt’s Organisation for Justice and Development, Zidan Al-Qinai, denounced the speech of the chairman of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, about the lifting of the Sudanese flag in Halayeb and Shalateen.