Middle East & North Africa

03 Sep 2021; MEMO: Protesters clashed with the police in eastern Algeria on Thursday for the second day running, the Algerian League for the Defence of Human Rights (LADDH) and local media have reported. The protests were organised following the authorities' ban of a rally organised in support of detained activists.

According to Radio M, the police hurled tear gas grenades to disperse the protesters. It pointed out that all of the protesters arrested on Wednesday have been released.

03 Sep 2021; MEMO: A member of the Hamas political bureau has said that international mediators are not pushing for progress in the prisoner-swap issue between the resistance movement and Israel due to their lack of confidence in "the occupation authorities" after the failure of previous mediation efforts.

03 Sep 2021; MEMO: Mauritania has denied media reports that it has been making contact with Israel for the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Palestinian Information Centre has reported.

According to Israeli media, Tel Aviv is in touch with a number of Arab and Islamic countries, including Mauritania, for this purpose.

03 Sep 2021; MEMO: Saudi news channels have been instructed to begin transferring their operations from Dubai to Riyadh as part of a drive by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to turn the Saudi capital into a major business hub to rival the UAE.

NICOSIA, Sept 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Authorities in Cyprus are monitoring an oil slick that originated from a power plant on Syria’s Mediterranean coast and could soon affect the island.

Syrian state media said last week there had been a spill from the plant, which is inside the Baniyas oil refinery.

Satellite imagery showed that the slick spread north along the Syrian coast before moving westwards towards Cyprus.

Modelling suggests that it will reach the Karpas Peninsula in the Turkish-controlled north on Tuesday.

AMMAN, Sept 2 (NNN-PETRA) – Board of directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), authorised 250 million-U.S.-dollar investment in Jordan, to stimulate economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank said yesterday.

According to a statement released by the AIIB, the bank’s first loan to Jordan is expected to create more jobs by unleashing the economy’s potential, especially in green growth.

DOHA, Sept 2 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Thursday there is a need to engage with the Taliban on Afghanistan, but Britain has no immediate plans to recognise their government.

Raab was speaking during a joint press conference with Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Doha, where he visited housing for refugees evacuated from Afghanistan after the Taliban swept to power last month.

02 Sep 2021; MEMO: Israel said on Wednesday that a US plan to reopen its consulate in Jerusalem that has traditionally been a base for diplomatic outreach to Palestinians is a "bad idea" and could destabilise Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's new government, reported Reuters.

The prior administration of President Donald Trump signalled support for Israel's claim on Jerusalem as its capital by moving the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. It later subsumed the consulate, in west Jerusalem, in that mission.

02 Sep 2021; MEMO: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood yesterday denied reports by some Gulf media outlets that Turkey had placed some of its leaders under house arrest.

The group's spokesperson, Talaat Fahmy, told Arabi21 that the Brotherhood members in Turkey were "doing fine and enjoying security and stability."

02 Sep 2021; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett denied on Wednesday that he is going to attend a tripartite summit for the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to be held today in Cairo.

His office denied reports about his participation, and pointed out that he is not even planning to meet with PA President Mahmoud Abbas in the long term.