Middle East & North Africa

02 August 2022; MEMO: Israel said, Tuesday, it has signed a contract to build the headquarters of the Israeli Embassy in Morocco, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"I am pleased to share this photo of this historical moment of signing the contract of establishing a permanent embassy in Morocco," Israeli Ambassador, David Govrin, said on Twitter.

The Israeli diplomat said the move "heralds the beginning of a new era" in Israel's relations with Morocco.  There was no comment from Moroccan authorities on the report.

02 August 2022; MEMO: The new Kuwaiti government, led by Prime Minister Ahmed Nawaf Al-Ahmad, was sworn in on Tuesday, according to the state news agency, KUNA, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Crown Prince Meshal Al-Sabah received the 12-member Cabinet at the Bayan Palace in the capital, Kuwait City, at a ceremony attended by top officials, the broadcaster said.

A Royal decree was issued by the country's Emir on Monday to form a new government, made up of 12 ministers.

02 August 2022; MEMO: Google is providing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning capabilities to the Israeli government, through its controversial "Project Nimbus" contract, reported The Intercept.

"The project is intended to provide the government, the defence establishment and others with an all-encompassing cloud solution," the Ministry said in its announcement.

02 August 2022; MEMO: Yemen's warring sides agreed to renew a two-month truce expiring on Tuesday, the United Nations Envoy said, despite international pressure for an extended and expanded deal that would build on the longest stretch of relative calm in over seven years, Reuters reports.

"This truce extension includes a commitment from the parties to intensify negotiations to reach an expanded truce agreement as soon as possible," Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said in a statement.

02 August 2022; MEMO: An Israeli military court sentenced Palestinian journalist Amer Abu Arafa of Quds Press to four months in prison on Monday with neither charge nor trial, his outlet has reported. Abu Arafa is being held under the so-called administrative detention rules, which date back to the British Mandate period.

01 August 2022; MEMO: Schools in Saudi Arabia operating under Turkiye's National Education Ministry will reopen soon, Anadolu News Agency reports.

In a statement, the Ministry said the schools will reopen as diplomatic contacts between Turkish and Saudi officials bear fruit.

Turkish Education Minister, Mahmut Ozer and his Saudi counterpart, Hamad bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, discussed the issue on the sidelines of "The Transforming Education Pre‐Summit" held in Paris on 28-30 June, the statement added.

01 August 2022; MEMO: Iran's Intelligence Ministry said on Monday it had arrested a number of adherents of the banned Baha'i faith for links to a centre in Israel, and for proselytising in schools and kindergartens, Reuters reports.

The Ministry statement, carried by State media, did not say how many people were arrested or when the arrests were made.

01 August 2022; MEMO: Turkiye's Defence Minister has expressed his suspicions that Greece is "up to something" in its recent moves and aggressive rhetoric against Turkiye, calling them "abnormal" as Athens continues to militarily posture against Ankara.

01 August 2022; MEMO: Israel signalled it would not change policy around its assumed nuclear arsenal on Monday, as Washington affirmed a global treaty designed to roll back the spread of such weaponry, Reuters reports.

The rare, if veiled, remarks by Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, came as countries party to the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) met in New York for a periodic review conference.

01 August 2022; MEMO: Thousands of demonstrators opposed to Iraq's powerful cleric, Moqtada Al-Sadr, staged a protest on Monday at the edge of Baghdad's fortified government zone, where Sadr's supporters were holding an open-ended occupation of Iraq's Parliament, Reuters reports.

The rival Shia Muslim groups are affiliated with heavily armed militias, raising fears of clashes as tension soars over the failure to form a government nearly 10 months after an October election – the country's longest post-election deadlock.