DOHA, Qatar (AP) — America’s top diplomat on Tuesday criticized a decision by FIFA to threaten players at the World Cup with yellow cards if they wear armbands supporting inclusion and diversity.
Speaking alongside his Qatari counterpart at a news conference, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was “always concerning ... when we see any restrictions on freedom of expression.”
21 Nov 2022; MEMO: Ultra-Orthodox Israeli parties have demanded Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu agree to pass a law that would permit gender segregation at publicly funded events, Israel Hayom reported yesterday.
According to the paper, the far-right Religious Zionism and United Torah Judaism parties made the demand in return for joining Netanyahu's coalition government as negotiations renewed.
21 Nov 2022; MEMO: The United States is working to build an "integrated" infrastructure for air and maritime defence in the Middle East, a US official said.
The National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, told the annual Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain yesterday that his country is focused on deterring "imminent threats" in the strategic energy-rich and conflict-ridden region.
21 Nov 2022; MEMO: QatarEnergy has signed a 27-year deal to supply China's Sinopec with liquefied natural gas (LNG), the longest such LNG agreement, so far, as volatile markets drive buyers to seek long-term deals, Reuters reports.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, competition for LNG has become intense, with Europe, in particular, needing vast amounts to help replace Russian pipeline gas that used to make up almost 40 per cent of the continent's imports.
21 Nov 2022; MEMO: The war in Ukraine and the so-called "Abraham Accords" have been a major boost for Israeli arms manufacturers, according to details of contracts revealed by Haaretz. Military and security exports have surged by 30 per cent over figures from previous years.
New contracts in 2021 totalled $11.3 billion, up from $8.6bn in 2020. Although this year is not yet over, arms export data indicates that Israel is on track to chalk up particularly high sales and a long list of enormous deals.
22 Nov 2022; MEMO: Nearly three million World Cup tickets have been sold for this years championship in Qatar, the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) announced yesterday.
"2.95mn tickets had been sold up to Sunday's opening day," a FIFA spokesperson told Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Mexico, Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, France, India and Brazil were the "top buying markets."
21 Nov 2022; MEMO: The Republic of Azerbaijan has announced that it is to open a representative office in the State of Palestine, Wafa news agency has reported. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, the Azerbaijani parliament approved the move as a step that reflects the solidarity of the republic with Palestine and the rights of the Palestinian people.
21 Nov 2022; MEMO: The Palestinian Authority's (PA) Prime Minister has warned that the Israeli Occupation is preparing to declare war on Palestinians through violence led by illegal Jewish settlers, calling for the international community to condemn the Occupation and its expansion into Palestinian territories.
22 Nov 2022; MEMO: The Turkish foreign ministry yesterday summoned Swedish Ambassador Staffan Herrström for discussions after images insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were projected onto Turkiye's embassy building in Stockholm.
21 Nov 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia, on Monday, said that OPEC+ was sticking with oil output cuts and could take further measures to balance the market amid falling prices, denying a report it was considering boosting output, according to state news agency, SPA, Reuters reports.
The Wall Street Journal, earlier on Monday, reported an output increase of 500,000 barrels per day was under discussion for the next meeting of OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+, on 4 December. The report cited unidentified OPEC delegates.
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