24 June 2023; MEMO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi announced on Friday that he informed his citizens that he has "nothing to promise except work, work, work and patience", warning that if people in Africa do not find hope for life, they will move towards Europe.

This came during his speech in the closing session of the New Global Financial Pact Summit in the French capital, Paris.

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemalans voted Sunday to elect a new president and vice president as well as fill all congressional seats and hundreds of local posts after one of the most tumultuous electoral seasons in the Central American nation’s recent history.

Many Guatemalans expressed disappointment with their presidential choices after three opposition candidates were excluded by authorities. A large number of null ballots were expected, and experts said it could depress turnout.

ISTANBUL, June 25 (Xinhua) -- More than 32 million tonnes of grain have been transported to the world markets through the Black Sea grain corridor since August 2022, a Turkish government minister said Sunday.

Most of the grain was transported to China, Spain, Türkiye and Italy, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu was quoted by the Ihlas news agency as saying.

TOKYO, Jun 25 (NNN-NHK) – The number of people reported missing in Japan came in at 84,910 in 2022, up for the second consecutive year, Japan’s National Police Agency, said.

The figure saw an increase of 5,692 from the previous year, according to the agency.

By age group, cases of missing people in their 20s saw the highest number, with those in their teens and 20s accounting for approximately 40 percent of all missing persons, the agency said, in its report.

KABUL, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan caretaker government's Supreme Leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada said in a message on Sunday that Afghanistan wants good relations with the world but allows no one to interfere in the country's internal affairs.

"Afghanistan wants good political and economic relations with the rest of the world, especially with Islamic countries and has fulfilled its responsibility in this regard," the supreme leader's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid twitted while congratulating Muslims on the arrival of the Eid al-Adha festival.

BRITISH COLUMBIA, June 24 (Reuters) - Canada is wrestling with its worst-ever start to wildfire season, but recruiting firefighters is becoming increasingly difficult due to tight labor markets and the tough nature of the job, provincial officials say.

Limited resources could threaten Canada's ability to douse fires, which are expected to get bigger and fiercer in future as a result of fossil fuel-driven climate change, risking more damage to communities and disrupting the country's oil and gas, mining and lumber industries.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The supreme leader of the Taliban released a message Sunday claiming that his government has taken the necessary steps for the betterment of women’s lives in Afghanistan, where women are banned from public life and work and girls’ education is severely curtailed.

The statement from Hibatullah Akhundzada was made public ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday, which will be celebrated later this week in Afghanistan and other Islamic countries.

JERUSALEM, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Israel and Morocco have agreed to cooperate on climate and environmental issues, Israel's Ministry of Environmental Protection said Sunday.

Collaborations include climate change, preservation of the marine and coastal environment, conservation of biological diversity and ecosystems, water desalination and management, air quality, environmental technologies and innovations, and regional initiatives, according to a ministry statement.

ADEN, Jun 25 (NNN-SABA) – Yemeni government forces, yesterday, raised their combat readiness, in response to a large military parade held by the Houthi rebels, state media reported.

The country’s Defence Minister, Mohsen al-Daari, visited government forces in the south-western province of Taiz, where he met with commanders, to assess the preparedness for potential Houthi attacks.

Following the visit, al-Daari emphasised the importance of boosting cohesion and morale among the forces, and urged them to be on high alert for confronting any Houthi actions.

22 June 2023; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday met with the leader of the Druze community in the occupied Golan Heights in an attempt to quell protests in the north of the country.

24 June 2023; MEMO: The Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC) warned on Friday of the potential spread of skin disease among Palestinian prisoners at the Israeli Ramon Prison, a statement disclosed.

The PPC announced that ten prisoners at Ramon Prison had contracted a skin disease, expressing concerns that it may spread among other prisoners if medical treatment is not given.

June 23 (Reuters) - Canadian safety officials on Friday opened an investigation into the undersea implosion of a tourist submersible that killed all five people aboard while diving to the century-old wreck of the Titanic, raising questions about the unregulated nature of such expeditions.

A debris field from the submersible Titan was found at the bottom of the North Atlantic on Thursday by a robotic diving vehicle deployed from a Canadian search vessel, ending an intense five-day international rescue effort.