Middle East & North Africa

RAMALLAH, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday called on the Israeli government to abide by the signed agreement and the UN resolutions and stop all unilateral measures and actions in the Palestinian territories.

The official Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported that Abbas made the remarks during a meeting with the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tiani in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

TEHRAN, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Belarus on Monday set a roadmap for expanding their comprehensive cooperation and signed seven cooperation agreements in the fields of trade, transportation, agriculture and culture.

The roadmap was signed by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his visiting Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in a ceremony held in Tehran, according to the website of the president's office.

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: Iran has granted amnesty to 82,000 people, including 22,000 protesters, according to the head of the country's judiciary on Monday. Addressing a meeting of the top judiciary council, Mohseni Ejei said that the pardons have been issued following a decree by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, last month.

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: More than 250 US-based financial investors warned Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, that Israel's judicial overhaul could prevent further investments into the country.

In an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister, published yesterday, the 255 investors expressed "deepest dismay" regarding the planned legislation, which they described as a "judicial coup".

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: A meeting on Syria at the level of deputy foreign ministers between Turkiye, Russia, Iran and Syria will be held in Russia's capital on 15-16 March, Turkish diplomatic sources said on Monday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The meeting will be attended by Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister, Burak Akcapar, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, their Syrian counterpart Ayman Susan and Ali Asghar Khaji, a senior adviser to Iran's Foreign Minister.

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: Tunisia's Ennahda Movement said, Monday, it will not recognise the legitimacy of the country's new Parliament, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The newly-elected Parliament convened for the first time in the capital, Tunis, on Monday.

In a statement, Ennahda said it "will not recognise a Parliament that lacks legitimacy emanated from elections that were boycotted by more than 90 per cent of Tunisians".

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has rejected visa applications for members of an Israeli delegation invited to attend the UN World Tourism Organisation conference in Al-Ula, Bloomberg has reported. Israeli settlers from Kafr Kanna in Galilee were due to join representatives from 22 other countries at the conference but didn't get appropriate visas despite an appeal from the UN for equal treatment between member states and the billions spent by the Kingdom to develop a major t

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: A new report from Turkiye says the death toll in the earthquake has now risen to 48,448 and that of those around 6,660 are believed to be foreign nationals, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"6,660 of the dead were foreign nationals," Turkish Interior Minister, Suleyman Soylu, said at a news conference, according to the report. This statement was made "in quake-hit Malatya province, along with Culture and Tourism Minister, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy," the report said.

13 Mar 2023; MEMO: Oil giant, Saudi Aramco, said earning reached $161 billion last year, claiming the highest-ever recorded annual profit by a publicly listed company and drawing immediate criticism from activists, AP reports.

The profit by the firm came off the back of energy prices rising after Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022, with sanctions limiting the sale of Moscow's oil and natural gas in Western markets.

14 Mar 2023; MEMO: Iran and Kuwait are discussing the demarcation of their maritime borders, amid assurances that this will be done in "a manner consistent with the rules of international law," the official Kuwaiti News Agency has reported. A meeting of the countries' joint legal committee was held in Tehran on Monday evening.