04 September 2023; MEMO: Iran’s new Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Alireza Enayati, is set to begin his diplomatic mission in Riyadh on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reports.

“I will leave for Riyadh on Tuesday,” Enayati told the state news agency, IRNA.

He said the new Saudi Ambassador to Iran will also start his mission in Tehran “in the same period of time”.

GENEVA (AP) — Backers of an international agreement that bans cluster munitions are striving to prevent erosion in support for the deal after what one leading human rights group calls an “unconscionable” U.S. decision to ship such weapons to Ukraine for its fight against Russia.

(AP) --- Utah’s special election primary on Tuesday to replace longtime U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart could offer a glimpse into how Republican voters feel about a string of indictments against former President Donald Trump that haven’t deterred him from charging ahead with his 2024 presidential run.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was sentenced Tuesday to 22 years in prison for orchestrating his far-right extremist group’s attack on the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to stop the transfer of presidential power after Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

Tarrio’s sentence is the longest so far among more than 1,100 Capitol riot cases, topping the 18-year sentences that Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and one-time Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean each received after juries convicted them of seditious conspiracy and other charges.

04 September 2023; MEMO: The Shanghai Stock exchange said it signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Saudi Exchange in Riyadh on Sunday, to lay the foundation for future cooperation, Reuters reports.

Both exchanges will explore cooperation opportunities in cross-listings, fintech, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) and research, the Shanghai Exchange said in a statement on Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jury selection began Tuesday in the case against former Trump White House official Peter Navarro, who was charged with contempt of Congress after he refused to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

04 September 2023; MEMO: A group of over 200 Israeli students have announced their refusal to be drafted into the army, citing the rise of “fascism “and dictatorship under the new far-right government.

In a letter displayed at a protest in Tel Aviv, the students said they “will not draft until democracy is guaranteed to everyone who lives under Israeli rule.” 

NEW YORK (AP) — The end of Labor Day weekend would typically mark the start of a furious sprint to the Iowa caucuses as candidates battle for their party’s presidential nomination. But as the 2024 campaign comes into greater focus, the usual frenzy is yielding to a sense of inevitability.

04 September 2023; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Sunday that illegal migration from Africa constitutes a “real threat to the future of Israel”, calling for the preparation of a plan to expel all infiltrators from the country.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden turned up in a mask for the first time in months on Tuesday, a day after his wife tested positive for COVID-19. But the president quickly ditched it during a ceremony honoring an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran, and the two unmasked octogenarians shared a hearty handshake before they parted.

The White House had said earlier that Biden, who had tested negative for the virus earlier in the day, would wear a mask indoors, but that he might remove it when standing at a distance from others.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A state judiciary disciplinary panel has rejected several complaints lodged against Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz that alleged she violated the judicial code of ethics for comments she made during the campaign. It’s a setback to Republicans who argued those remarks could warrant impeachment.

Protasiewicz on Tuesday released a letter from the Wisconsin Judicial Commission informing her that “several complaints” regarding comments she had made during the campaign had been dismissed without action.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has nominated former Treasury secretary Jacob Lew to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel, the White House announced Tuesday.

Lew, who served as White House chief of staff and director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Obama administration, would succeed Ambassador Tom Nides, who left the post in July. Lew also served as OMB director during the Clinton administration, and as deputy secretary of State for management and resources during the Obama administration.