Middle East & North Africa

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian voters have approved a referendum on a new constitution that gives more powers to the country’s president. It’s a step that brings hope to many in the struggling North African nation, but critics warn it could return Tunisia to autocracy and say low turnout marred the vote’s legitimacy.

Some people interviewed by The Associated Press this week celebrated the result of Monday’s referendum and expressed support for President Kais Saied, who spearheaded the project and proposed the text himself.

28 July 2022; MEMO: Turkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has criticised US Central Command, CENTCOM, for issuing a condolence message published on Sunday after the killing of Salwa Yusuk, the Deputy Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Along with two fellow female fighters, she was killed in an attack near Qamishli, Syria, on 22 July.

29 July 2022; MEMO: Egypt has cancelled contracts for 240,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat which were meant to be delivered in February and March but were prevented by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

29 July 2022; MEMO: Turkish and Qatari agencies signed a deal, Thursday, to build a residential village with a 1,000-house capacity in northern Syria, Anadolu News Agency reports.

The agreement to build the village in the Al-Bab region for displaced Syrians was reached by the Qatari Red Crescent and Turkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) in the Qatari capital of Doha.

The Head of the agencies inked the deal that is worth $3.5 million

29 July 2022; MEMO: The formation of a new government in Iraq has been elusive as long-running tensions continue to ramp up between prominent Shia leaders, cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr and former Prime Minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, who have been known as traditional rivals since 2008, Anadolu News Agency reports.

29 July 2022; MEMO: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country will provide all kinds of political support to the Syrian regime in order to expel terrorists from the region, noting that Ankara had held talks with Iran in this regard.

29 July 2022; MEMO: The death toll as a result of the floods caused by heavy rains in villages around Iran's capital Tehran has risen to 18, officials said today.

Hasan Nami, head of the National Crisis Center, said: "One person died due to the flood in the village of Veskare, east of Tehran, and 14 vehicles were submerged."

He added: "The situation is more serious in the village of Merzdaran, Tehran, where six people have lost their lives so far, and rescue efforts are continuing."

Kanpur: In a horrific incident, a woman was allegedly molested by her husband and his friends after her family could not fulfil the dowry demand. This incident was reported from the Chakeri area here.

A case has been registered against victim's husband and his friends at Chakeri police station here on Wednesday.

The case was reportedly filed by the victimised  woman's family.

TEHRAN, Jul 28 (NNN-IRNA) – The Iranian Intelligence Ministry, said yesterday that, the arrested members of an “Israel-linked spy network” had sought to carry out a bomb attack, in one of Iran’s sensitive defence industry centres.

Israel provided the terrorists with the most complex combined techniques for identifying the target’s geographical position, and inflicting massive damage, said a ministry statement.

28 July 2022; MEMO: The leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces party, Samir Geagea, has backed a proposal by the Hezbollah movement to import fuel from Iran.