Middle East & North Africa

DAMASCUS, Dec 4 (NNN-SANA) – Syrian agriculture officials and farmers, have been complaining that the wheat seeds, recently provided by the United States for farmers, in Syria’s north-eastern province of al-Hasakah, contain a high degree of nematode (plant-parasitic worm) infection, that would harm the soil.

In the laboratory examination that used saline solution, researchers found a number of grains are infected with wheat allele, which is a nematode infection, Jamal Abdullah, head of the examination committee in the laboratory of the agricultural faculty in al-Hasakah, said.

ISTANBUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he hoped that volatile foreign-exchange and inflation rates would stabilise shortly and he again promised low interest rates, after a historic plunge in the lira currency to record lows.

The lira shed some 30% over the last month in a selloff driven by aggressive interest rate cuts that Erdogan sought, but that economists and opposition politicians say are reckless in part due to soaring inflation. 

TUNIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Tunisia's powerful UGTT union called for early elections on Saturday, saying it was concerned for the country's democratic gains because of the president's reluctance to announce a roadmap for political reforms.

UGTT leader Noureddine Taboubi's comments, in a speech to thousands of his supporters, put more pressure on President Kais Saied, more than four months after he seized all political powers.

DOHA, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Several European countries are working on opening up a joint diplomatic mission in Afghanistan that would enable their ambassadors to return to the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.

Western countries have been grappling with how to engage with the Taliban after they took over Afghanistan in a lightning advance in August as U.S.-led forces were completing their pullout.

ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of 16 people were killed as a result of an aerial bombardment against Houthi military vehicles in Yemen's southwestern province of Taiz, a military official told Xinhua on Saturday.

"An airstrike was launched late on Friday night and struck a convoy of the Houthi rebel militia in the countryside district of Maqbanah in Taiz, causing a huge explosion," the local military source said on condition of anonymity.

The airstrike struck the Houthi military convoy when it was passing through an area held by a group of civilians, he added.

TEHRAN, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Chief Nuclear Negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani said on Friday that the delegations of participating parties in the nuclear talks will return to their capitals for consultations, and the talks will resume in Vienna next week.

During the meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Joint Commission on Friday, a review of the past days' talks in Vienna was presented by the parties, Bagheri Kani was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

03 Dec 2021; MEMO: The Secretary General of the Organisation of Turkic States said the inter-governmental association is ready to establish partnership relations with all countries and described its summit held last month in Istanbul as a "historical event", Anadolu News Agency reports.

03 Dec 2021; MEMO: Turkey tested the infrastructure of its health system during the coronavirus pandemic and has demonstrated the quality of the system to the whole world, the Turkish Deputy Health Minister said Thursday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Suayip Birinci made the comments at the Turkey-UK Healthcare Business Forum in Istanbul, where hundreds participated physically and virtually.

04 Dec 2021; MEMO: Istanbul's Public Prosecutor on Friday indicted 16 people suspected of spying for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, Turkish Daily Sabah reported.

According to Arab48, the Turkish news website reported that 15 suspects are Palestinian, all currently in prison. The 16th suspect is Israeli Arab citizen, Ahmad Ziyad, who runs the network while living in Germany.

03 Dec 2021; MEMO: Lebanon's Information Minister, George Kordahi, confirmed his resignation at a news conference today.

"The interests of my country and my people and supporters are above my personal interest. Lebanon is more important than George Kordahi, and the Lebanese interests are more important than a ministerial role," he said.