01 June 2023; MEMO: The population of Saudi Arabia has reached 32.2 million, 42 per cent of whom are foreign nationals, with 63 per cent of Saudis under age 30, the country's general authority for statistics said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

The median age of the total population is 29, according to a 2022 census, the first in 12 years, it added in a statement.

THE HAGUE, June 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague has increased prison sentences on two top former Serbian security officials.

Jovica Stanišic and Franko Simatovic were convicted of training death squads accused of ethnic cleansing during the break-up of Yugoslavia.

They will serve 15 years instead of the 12 they were originally given in 2021.

The court’s final verdict on the former Yugoslavia is also the first to prove a direct link between the Serbian state and a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres implicitly criticized Cambodia’s upcoming elections Wednesday for failing to be inclusive, after the top opposition party was not allowed to register.

The Candlelight Party would have been the sole credible challenger to the governing Cambodian People’s Party in the July elections, but the country’s Constitutional Council last week refused to overturn a ban on its registration in a decision that cannot be appealed.

31 May 2023; MEMO: Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has vowed to settle the continued difficulties experienced by Turkish citizens in acquiring visas to the European Union and its member states, calling it "political blackmail".

WASHINGTON, June 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States said Thursday it remained ready to mediate between Sudan’s warring parties but that they needed to be serious about a truce, after the army left talks in Saudi Arabia.

“Once the forces make clear by their actions that they are serious about complying with the ceasefire, the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are prepared to resume facilitation of the suspended discussions to find a negotiated solution to this conflict,” a State Department spokesperson said as Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Oslo.

QOM, Iran (AP) — It’s rare these days for a turbaned cleric in Iran to attract a large following of adoring young fans on Instagram, but Sayed Mahdi Tabatabaei has done it by rescuing street dogs in defiance of a local taboo.

Tabatabaei posts regularly — to his more than 80,000 followers — heartbreaking stories of abused and neglected dogs that he has treated in his shelter. His young fans ask for updates on the rescues and send well wishes in the hundreds of comments he receives on almost every post.

01 June 2023; MEMO: The League of Arab States has welcomed the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)'s decision to boycott products made in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Arab League also welcomed the ETUC's call for "regulatory measures" to prevent EU legal entities from importing or exporting products manufactured in illegal Israeli settlements in accordance with EU treaties and international law.

01 June 2023; MEMO: The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas on Wednesday condemned Israel's transformation of the ancient Palestinian historical site, the Citadel of Jerusalem, into a Jewish museum with the new name of the Tower of David Museum.

SINGAPORE (AP) — China and Singapore laid the groundwork Thursday for a hotline between the two countries that would establish a high-level communications link between Beijing and a close American partner in Asia at a time when Chinese tensions with Washington are high and dialogue has stalled.

SHANGHAI (China), June 1 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Argentina’s Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, announced from Shanghai that he has obtained financing for approximately US$ 1 billion for investments and disbursements that will strengthen the Central Bank’s reserves.

Massa said on Twitter that the agreement was closed with the Chinese group Gezhouba for the development of dams in the province of Santa Cruz. “It is important to agree on issues that serve us for the present, but above all to agree on investments that serve for development,” he wrote.

SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Thursday that he tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time in less than two weeks, in a rare case of a rebound.

Lee, 71, was diagnosed with COVID-19 for the first time on May 22, following work trips to Africa and Asia. He tested negative six days later. But in a Facebook post Thursday, Lee shared a photo of a positive antigen rapid test that he took.

SANAA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rains in Yemen resulted in the collapse of a house on Wednesday, causing the death of a child and injuring two others, reported the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

The tragedy occurred in the al-Jumaimah district in the northwestern governorate of Hajjah.

Heavy rains have been pounding many parts of Yemen since the start of the summer season in April, leading to widespread floods that significantly damaged infrastructure, including old houses, dams, and farms.