Middle East & North Africa

DUBAI, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Iran's hardline President Ebrahim Raisi presented his cabinet to parliament for a vote of confidence on Wednesday, appointing a hardline diplomat as foreign minister to oversee negotiations with six powers to try to restore a 2015 nuclear deal.

The cabinet list, published on state media, shows Raisi has chosen Hossein Amirabdolahian as foreign minister and Javad Owji - a former deputy oil minister and managing director of the state-run National Iranian Gas Company - as oil minister.

CAIRO, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi discussed on Tuesday the bilateral relations and cooperation with a high-level delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

During a meeting in Egypt's Mediterranean resort city of New Alamein, Sisi and the UAE delegation, headed by National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, exchanged views on bilateral economic and commercial cooperation, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement.

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — At least 25 soldiers died saving residents from wildfires ravaging mountain forests and villages east of Algeria’s capital, the president announced Tuesday night as the civilian toll rose to at least 17.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune tweeted that the soldiers were “martyrs” who saved 100 people from the fires in two areas of Kabyle, the region that is home to the North African nation’s Berber population. Eleven other soldiers were burned fighting the fires, four of them seriously, the Defense Ministry said.

TEHERAN, August 10. /TASS/: Afghanistan’s government delegation to the peace talks in Doha plans to read out an address to the countries of the region and the world, Freidun Hwazun, spokesman for the Afghanistan High Council for National Reconciliation, said on Tuesday.

"The delegation will present its message addressed to the countries of the region and the world," the TOLOnews television channel quoted him as saying.

BEIRUT, Aug 10 (Reuters) - President Michel Aoun on Tuesday condemned criticism of Lebanon's Christian Maronite patriarch after he expressed opposition to the Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah, warning that insults must be avoided to safeguard national unity.

Following a cross-border salvo between Israel and Hezbollah, Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai was sharply critical of Hezbollah on Sunday, saying no group should decide on war and peace and urging the army to halt rocket fire from the south.

10 Aug 2021; MEMO: Yemen's Houthis announced yesterday that they are ready to swap Hamas prisoners being held in Saudi jails with Saudi officers in Yemen, Anadolu reported.

This came during a speech delivered by the head of Houthi group, Abdel-Malik Al-Houthi, to commemorate the start of the Islamic New Year.

Reported by Saba news agency, Al-Houthi described the Saudi sentences against Palestinians who he said had been "kidnapped" and imprisoned in the kingdom's jails as "oppressive".

10 Aug 2021; MEMO: Turkish and Russian forces have reportedly agreed on a deal to continue the supply of water and electricity to north-east Syria, following months of delays and interruptions to the supply.

According to reports by Turkish media outlet Anadolu Agency and Russian outlet TASS, the Allouk water station located in Syria's north-eastern province of Hasakah will resume its service while electricity supplies to territories controlled by Turkish forces will also increase.

10 Aug 2021; MEMO: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi yesterday discussed with his French counterpart reviving the nuclear deal with the US and other world powers, AP and other news agencies reported.

According to IRNA news agency, Raisi told Emmanuel Macron that the US and European Union must implement their commitments under the landmark 2015 deal.

"In any negotiation, the rights of the Iranian nation should be secured and guaranteed," Raisi stressed.

10 Aug 2021; MEMO: Iraqi leaders are working to hold a bilateral meeting between Iran and Saudi on the sidelines of a summit scheduled to take place in Baghdad later this month, Iranian media outlets reported.

Iranian Al-Mayadeen TV said Baghdad is keen to end the estrangement between Tehran and Riyadh.

"Baghdad seeks to end the severance of ties between Tehran and Riyadh following closed-door bilateral meetings," it added.

10 Aug 2021; MEMO: The Peoples' Protection Units (YPG) in north-east Syria are to open an office in Geneva, the Kurdish militia has announced. According to Turkey's Daily Sabah, the YPG is set to open its office in the Swiss city in an effort to establish an official presence in Europe and "develop relations with European countries."

The YPG is also reported to be opening smaller representative offices within European countries such as France, Germany, Sweden, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands.