Middle East & North Africa

29 Nov 2021; MEMO: Tunisia's Ennahda movement on Friday called for holding "early" general election along with "serious" national dialogue on the electoral law and the Constitutional Court.

The movement said in a statement after a meeting of its executive office that "President of the Republic, Kais Saied, has clearly demonstrated his inability to provide solutions to the country's issues, despite gathering all the authorities in his own hands, and persisting in his speeches of division, accusation and threat."

Pune, Nov 28 (PTI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday accused the BJP of dividing the people of the country on religious lines like the British rulers.

He also slammed the BJP-led central government for "ignoring" Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's warnings on the coronavirus pandemic and said that had it acted on his suggestions, the lives of many people could have been saved.

CAIRO, Nov 28 (NNN-MENA) – The Egyptian government suspended direct flights with a number of southern African countries, due to concern over the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.

The decision was made late on Friday, after a meeting of the ministerial crisis management committee, headed by Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, according to a cabinet statement.

The direct flight suspension includes South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini, the cabinet spokesman, Nader Saad said in the statement.

DUBAI, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have signed a gas swap deal for up to 2 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on Sunday.

Under the swap deal, Iran will receive gas from Turkmenistan and deliver an equivalent amount to Azerbaijan at the Astara border, Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji told state TV.

"Turkmenistan will sell 5-6 million cubic metres of gas per day to Azerbaijan under the trilateral agreement signed ...in Turkmenistan," IRNA said.

KHARTOUM, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Sudan's military leader has overhauled top intelligence positions, dismissing at least eight general intelligence officers and replacing the head of military intelligence, two official sources told Reuters on Sunday.

The decision by Sovereign Council head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan comes a week after he struck a deal to reinstate Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who had been placed under house arrest in an Oct. 25 coup.

27 Nov 2021; MEMO: Three Lebanese judges have resigned in protest of the interference by politicians in the judiciary, as significant cases continue to be hijacked and influenced by political actors.

27 Nov 2021; MEMO: Turkey is reportedly seeking to increase the foreign currency reserves possessed by its central bank, in a currency swap agreement with the United Arab Emirates that could amount to at least $5 billion.

According to the London-based news outlet Middle East Eye, which cited an anonymous senior Turkish official, Ankara and Abu Dhabi are in the process of coming to an agreement which would see the Turkish central bank receiving more foreign currency reserves to aid its economic crisis.

27 Nov 2021; MEMO: Two officers in the Sudanese army were killed today in armed clashes with Ethiopian forces on the border between the two countries, Anadolu Agency reports.

A Sudanese military source told Anadolu Agency that the two officers were killed in the disputed Al-Fashqa border area.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added that the Sudanese army had also suffered other casualties as Ethiopian forces carried out an incursion into the Sudanese territory.

27 Nov 2021; MEMO: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has hinted at the possibility of Syria's return to the Arab League during the next Arab summit in March, Anadolu Agency reports.

"Syria is supposed to be present," Tebboune told the state television when asked if the next Arab summit in Algeria will see Syria's return to the Arab League.

He explained that the summit needs to be inclusive and the Arab world unified.

27 Nov 2021; MEMO: The European Union (EU) has criticised Israel's continuous settlement construction and warned that time is running out for the two-state solution with Israel.

On Friday, EU Representative to the Palestinian Authority Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff confirmed that the Israeli settlement plans defy international law and destabilise the status quo.