Middle East & North Africa

HERZLIYA, Israel, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Israel's defence minister accused Iran on Sunday of providing foreign militias with drone training at an airbase near the city of Isfahan, a month after Tehran came under global scrutiny over a suspected drone attack on an Israeli-managed tanker off Oman.

Israel has combined military strikes with diplomatic pressure to beat back what it describes as an effort by its arch-foe, whose nuclear negotiations with the West are deadlocked, to beef up regional clout through allied guerrillas.

Sept 12 (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi became the first foreign leader on Sunday to visit and meet with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi since the hardliner took office in August.

Iraq has been trying to mediate between Tehran and its Gulf Arab foes, including Saudi Arabia, in the hope of stopping its neighbours settling scores on its territory.

BAGHDAD, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Six militants of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group were killed in airstrikes on Sunday in Iraq's Kirkuk province, while four federal police members were killed earlier in an overnight IS attack in the province, the Iraqi military said.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran agreed Sunday to allow international inspectors to install new memory cards into surveillance cameras at its sensitive nuclear sites and to continue filming there, potentially averting a diplomatic showdown this week.

The announcement by Mohammad Eslami of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran after a meeting he held with the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, in Tehran still leaves the watchdog in the same position it has faced since February, however.

12 Sep 2021; MEMO: Iran is to allow the UN nuclear watchdog to service monitoring cameras at Iranian nuclear sites after talks on Sunday with IAEA head Rafael Grossi, according to the head of Iran's atomic energy body and a joint statement, reported on by Reuters.

12 Sep 2021; MEMO: Israel carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, allegedly in response to Palestinian rocket fire into its territory, the Israeli military said.

Tension between Israel and the Palestinians has risen over the past week, after six Palestinians escaped from a maximum security Israeli jail on Monday. Israeli forces have since captured four of the inmates.

12 Sep 2021; MEMO: Private sector companies in the UAE will have to fill 10% of their positions with Emirati nationals in five years time, the UAE said on Sunday in its latest tranche of economic reforms, reported Reuters.

The Gulf state also said it plans to spend 24 billion dirhams ($6.53 billion) to create 75,000 private sector jobs for its citizens over five years.

The target for 10% of private sector workers to be Emiratis will start with a 2% target in the first year, the UAE government said on its Twitter account.

12 Sep 2021; AA: An Orthodox monastery in Turkey’s Black Sea province of Trabzon has reopened to visitors after restorations.

Panagia Keramesta, also known as Kizlar (Girls) Monastery in Turkey, is believed to be constructed during the reign of then-Byzantine Emperor Alexios III (1349–1390), and took its final shape in the 19th century after several renovations over the centuries.

12 Sep 2021; AA: Archaeological excavations will be carried out to unearth one of the most important temples of the Hittites in Kayalipinar, a 3,800-year-old ancient city in Turkey’s central Sivas province.

"There are many monumental structures and administrative buildings here. Those structures show us the importance of this place in both the Old Assyrian and Hittite periods. So there is a lot for a visitor to see here," Cigdem Maner, an archeologist at Koc University in Istanbul, told Anadolu Agency.

12 Sep 2021; AA: Turkey has administered over 101.45 million coronavirus vaccine jabs since the country launched an immunization campaign in January, indicated official figures released on Saturday.

Over 51.41 million people have gotten their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, while more than 40.15 million are fully vaccinated, the Health Ministry said.

The data showed that 82.83% of the country's adult population has received at least one dose of a two-shot vaccine.