Middle East & North Africa

TUNIS, May 16 (NNN-TAP) – Tunisian President, Kais Saied, yesterday, discussed with visiting Italian Interior Minister, Matteo Piantedosi, bilateral ties and the illegal immigration problem, according to a statement issued by the Tunisian Presidency.

The Tunisian president pointed out that, the number of victims of illegal immigration attempts is multiplying on a daily basis, noting that, “There are criminal networks that take advantage of the inhumane conditions of those stranded, as a result of poverty and despair.”

KHARTOUM, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Clashes continued on Monday between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with eastern parts of the capital Khartoum witnessing intense bombardment by the army's air force.

"A large logistical supply of weapons, ammunition and fuel belonging to the rebel militia has been dealt with in a qualitative operation that targeted some areas in Sharq Al-Neel (eastern Nile) locality and bases around the East Nile Hospital," the army said in a statement.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s embattled central bank governor failed to appear before French prosecutors on Tuesday to be questioned on corruption charges, officials said.

A European judicial team from France, Germany and Luxembourg is conducting a corruption probe into an array of financial crimes, including illicit enrichment and alleged laundering of $330 million, implicating the Lebanese governor, Riad Salameh.

16 May 2023; MEMO: Over 936,000 people have left their homes in Sudan as fighting continues between rival military factions, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

The violence has raged for four weeks, with roughly 736,200 displaced internally and 200,000 fleeing for neighbouring countries.

15 May 2023; MEMO: A coalition of workers affiliated with 11 Egyptian opposition parties have demanded the Israeli embassy in Cairo be shut and the occupation state's ambassador be expelled as well as the cancellation of trade deals with Israel.

15 May 2023; MEMO: The Israeli army, on Monday, said a small surveillance drone crashed while operating over the Tulkarem refugee camp, northern Occupied West Bank, Anadolu News Agency reports.

In a statement, the Israeli army said the crashed drone was collected and there was no fear of information leakage after the crash.

It identified the drone type as "sky rider", a tactical surveillance drone, and that the incident is being investigated.

15 May 2023; MEMO: Starting today, residents in Saudi Arabia who do not have a permit will not be allowed to enter Makkah, the Saudi General Security said.

It noted in a statement that this comes in implementation of the Hajj regulations, which requires residents wishing to enter Makkah to obtain a permit to do so from the concerned authorities.

16 May 2023; MEMO: Palestinians, on Monday, commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Nakba or 'Catastrophe', which is marked on 15 May to remember the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes and lands in 1948 after the founding of Israel, Anadolu News Agency reports.

16 May 2023; MEMO: The United Arab Emirates has invited Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, to the COP28 climate summit it is hosting at the end of the year, possibly placing him in the same venue as Western leaders who have opposed and sanctioned him for years, Syrian state news agency, SANA, reports.

According to the report, the invitation was extended by UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the UAE embassy in Damascus tweeted the same.

16 May 2023; MEMO: Turkiye is set to have a runoff between current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and main opposition rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, later this month, as both candidates failed to secure the necessary 50 per cent of total votes in yesterday's presidential election.