Middle East & North Africa

ADEN, Aug 3 (NNN-YPA) – The United Nations announced yesterday that, Yemen’s internationally-recognised government and the Houthi militia, have agreed to renew the ongoing nationwide truce for another two months.

“I am pleased to announce that the parties have agreed to extend the truce, under the same terms, for an additional two months from Aug 2 until Oct 2,” UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg said, in a written statement released on the UN website.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese and international organizations Wednesday called on the U.N. Human Rights Council to send a fact-finding mission to investigate the Beirut port blast two years ago, as a domestic probe continues to stall.

The call by groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International came as the Lebanese investigation has been stalled since December following legal challenges by charged and accused officials against the judge leading the investigation. The Aug. 4, 2020 blast killed nearly 220 people, injured over 6,000 and caused widespread damage in Beirut.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran, the United States and the European Union said Wednesday they would send representatives to Vienna amid what appears to be a last-ditch effort at reviving talks over Tehran’s tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

It wasn’t immediately clear if other parties to the landmark accord would attend the surprise summit, nor if there had been any progress after a monthslong stalemate and fruitless round of indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in Doha.

ISTANBUL (AP) — The first grain ship to leave Ukraine and cross the Black Sea under a wartime deal passed inspection Wednesday in Istanbul and headed on to Lebanon. Ukraine said 17 other vessels were “loaded and waiting permission to leave,” but there was no word yet on when they could depart.

A joint civilian inspection team spent three hours checking the cargo and crew of the Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni, which left Odesa on Monday carrying Ukrainian corn, a U.N. statement said.

Islamabad, Aug 3 (PTI) Lending its support to its all-weather ally China, Pakistan on Wednesday said US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan will have "serious implications" for regional peace and stability.

02 August 2022; MEMO: The Arab League stressed on Sunday the need to boycott Israel as a means to end its occupation of Palestine and save the two-state solution, Safa news agency has reported.

02 August 2022; MEMO: The birth rate in Egypt has fallen by 30 per cent since 2015, the health ministry in Cairo announced yesterday.

"On the occasion of the National Population Day, the government can announce that it has reduced the country's birth rate from 30.2 births per 1,000 people in 2015 to 21.2 in 2021," said ministry spokesperson Hossam Abdel Ghaffar.

02 August 2022; MEMO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz to expedite the investigation into the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh so that the results can be made public.

03 August 2022; MEMO: Turkish Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar, said the only goal that his country wishes to achieve from carrying out military operations outside its borders, including in Syria, is to combat terrorist organisations.

He pointed out that the Turkish forces have neutralised 2,226 terrorists since the beginning of this year in the context of combating terrorist organisations.

02 August 2022; MEMO: Israel has conveyed "clear messages" through the United States to neighbouring Lebanon, warning that if Hezbollah group does not restrain its actions, the Israeli army will respond to any breach of calm, and will not be satisfied with merely intercepting drones, Israel's Walla News reported.