28 July 2023; MEMO: Former Mossad director Tamir Pardo has slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of dismantling the army and the Mossad and "splitting the nation into two".

In an interview with Kan radio, Pardo said Netanyahu's government includes "horrible racist parties" including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit.

31 July 2023; MEMO: The Director-General of Russia's nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom, on Monday said that Bangladesh will get the nuclear fuel for its lone nuclear power plant this September, Anadolu Agency reports.

Alexey Likhachev said this during a meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, at the latter's office in the capital, Dhaka, the Premier's Press Secretary, Ihsanul Karim, told reporters after the meeting.

MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/: Russian air defense forces downed a Ukrainian Su-25 ground attack plane, destroyed 23 enemy drones and intercepted 12 rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Monday.

BEIJING (AP) — China imposed restrictions Monday on exports of long-range civilian drones, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine and concern that drones might be converted to military use.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government is friendly with Moscow but says it is neutral in the 17-month-old war. It has been stung by reports that both sides might be using Chinese-made drones for reconnaissance and possibly attacks.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan, July 31 (Xinhua) -- An oil storage caught fire in Mazar-i-Sharif, the provincial capital of Afghanistan's northern Balkh province, a fire brigade official said on Monday.

The fire erupted when employees of the storage were loading the oil, Shah Mahmoud Timori said. The incident happened in a storage where petrol and diesel have been stored.

Although firefighters managed to extinguish the fire, it had caused property damage to locals living in the area.

Police have yet to make comment on the incident.

31 July 2023; MEMO: Turkiye's tourism revenues rose by 27 per cent to $21.7 billion during the January-June period this year, official figures from TurkStat showed on Monday.

The country hosted 22.2 million visitors – foreigners as well as Turkish citizens living abroad – in the first half of 2023, up 20.6 per cent on a yearly basis, the statistical institute said. The average expenditure per night for overnight visitors was $99, up from $89 during the same period last year.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Supreme Court said Monday that a full panel of 15 justices would hear petitions in September against a contentious law that was passed last week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and which has spurred mass protests.

The law was one of a series of proposed changes to Israel’s judiciary put forward by Netanyahu’s government earlier this year that seek to curb the power of the Supreme Court. The judicial overhaul plan has been met with months of sustained mass protest against the legislation and drawn criticism from the White House.

GENEVA, July 31 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Only four countries — Brazil, Mauritius, the Netherlands and Turkey — have adopted all the anti-tobacco measures recommended in the fight against the “deadly scourge” of smoking, the World Health Organization said Monday. 

In a fresh report, the UN health agency urged countries to scale up their use of recognised measures to reduce tobacco use, including enforcing advertising bans, plastering health warnings on cigarette packages, raising tobacco taxes and providing assistance to those who want to quit.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — When Pope Francis made the first foreign trip of his papacy, to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day in 2013, he urged young people to make a “mess” in their local churches, to shake things up even if it ruffled the feathers of their bishops.

As he embarks this week on another edition of World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, Francis in many ways has taken his own advice to heart. After 10 years as pope, Francis is accelerating his reform agenda and making revolutionary changes in personnel and policy that are definitely shaking things up.

BUENOS AIRES, July 31 (Reuters) - Argentina's Economy Minister Sergio Massa said on Monday the country will not use "a single dollar" of its own reserves to make a $2.7 billion repayment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due this week.

Massa, who is also a presidential candidate in this October's election, said in a speech that it would be possible because of an extended swap deal with China and a new loan from the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF).

29 July 2023; MEMO: Israel's Kan channel reported on Friday night that Bahrain had postponed the visit of the Israeli Foreign Minister to the country.

According to the Israeli channel, commentators believe Bahrain postponed Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's visit, scheduled for next week, because Itamar Ben-Gvir visited Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday.

July 31 (Reuters) - Ukraine and Croatia have agreed on the possibility of using Croatian ports on the Danube and the Adriatic Sea for the export of Ukrainian grain, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said after talks with his Croatian counterpart on Monday.

Russia quit the U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal this month, depriving Ukraine, a global producer, of a vital conduit to safely export its agricultural products during the war.