Middle East & North Africa

256 June 2022; MEMO: The Iranian authorities have issued a statement branding the accusations of planned attacks targeting Israeli citizens in Turkiye as "ridiculous and baseless accusations".

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Saeed Khatibzadeh, announced in a statement, "these baseless accusations are ridiculous" and are part of a "pre-designed scenario to destroy relations between the two Muslim countries."

25 June 2022; MEMO: Tunisian police on Thursday raided an industrial facility in the city of Sousse and detained ex-Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali, his family revealed.

According to a statement posted on his family's Facebook page, the police seized the phones of Jeabli and his wife, who was with him when he was detained, and was taken to an unknown location.

25 June 2022; MEMO: Israeli settlers have been escaping high prices in Israel by shopping in the Palestinian cities of the occupied West Bank, Israel Hayom revealed earlier this week.

According to the Israeli daily, there is an increasing trend as more Israelis buy fuel and go shopping in Palestinian cities and villages despite "massive danger".

According to the newspaper, the reason is the high living standards and prices in Israel compared to the comparatively low prices in Palestinian shops.

26 June 2022; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has lifted its unofficial boycott of goods and products from Turkiye, after the two countries and their leaders reconciled following years of deteriorated diplomatic ties.

25 June 2022; MEMO: The US has confirmed that it would not support the rehabilitation of the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar Al-Assad, in any way.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ambassador Barbara Leaf conveyed that the US will not support efforts to normalise or rehabilitate Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

TEHRAN, June 25. /TASS/: Tehran is ready to resume the negotiations on restoration of the Nuclear Deal in several days, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said at a press conference after the talks with EU High Commissioner Josep Borrell in Tehran.

"I confirm that we are ready to resume the negotiations in several days," he said, according to the Young Journalist Club.

TEHRAN, Jun 25 (NNN-IRNA) – A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck the areas near the port of Charak, in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province today, state TV reported.

The epicentre of the earthquake, which took place at 08:07 a.m. local time (0337 GMT), was at a depth of 22 km and located 23 km from Charak port, and 25 km from Kish Island, said the report.

There has been no immediate report of casualties or damage so far.

RIYADH, Jun 25 (NNN-SPA) – Chinese telecom giant, Huawei, has opened its largest technology experience centre outside of China, in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.

In collaboration with the Saudi Space Commission, Huawei launched the Future Space in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, said Huawei Saudi Arabia, the company’s Saudi branch, in a press release.

RABAT, June 25 (Reuters) - Dozens of people were pictured lying by a Moroccan border fence, some bleeding and many apparently lifeless, in video purporting to show the aftermath of a mass crossing of migrants into a Spanish enclave on Friday in which at least 18 died.

Moroccan authorities said the disaster occurred after migrants attempted to storm a fence into the Melilla enclave, with some dying in a crush after what authorities called a stampede, and others falling from a fence. [nL1N2YB0KQ

ANKARA, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Turkey seems determined to block Sweden and Finland's NATO memberships in the alliance's upcoming summit as long as they do not address Turkey's security concerns, although the NATO chief has vowed "a common way forward" on the issue at stake, experts said.

Ankara has said it will not prepare to rush through the NATO accession process of the two Nordic countries unless there are "satisfactory assurances" that they would cut support of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and other groups outlawed by Turkey.