All Stories Archive

Turkiye is expanding the Russian payment system, 'MIR', and ensuring that Russian tourists to the country will not have obstructions to their transactions, as Russia and its citizens remain cut off from the global financial system and more expansive forms of payment. Speaking to reporters before a cabinet meeting...

This news piece was removed by MEMO on 28 April 2022 due to inaccuracies in the report. MEMO apologises for the errors....

Former Sudanese Sovereign Council member Mohamed Al-Faki Suleiman has been released from detention on bail, he told Reuters by phone today. Suleiman, along with several other top civilian politicians and former officials, was arrested in February on corruption charges stemming from their work on a committee working to dismantle the country's former...

After a pause of six weeks, regional rivals, Iran and Saudi Arabia, held a fifth round of tension-easing talks over the weekend, which Tehran described as "positive" and "progressive", Anadolu News Agency reports. The latest round of peace parleys, hosted by the Iraqi government, saw the participation of senior...

When the Israeli army advises its political leadership to resort to economic punishment in response to rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, it means that the military has lost its deterrence factor. The so-called Israel Defence Forces now understand that low-flying aircraft dropping bombs on some sites here and...

Israeli air strikes near Syria's capital, Damascus, have killed nine people, including five Syrian soldiers, in the deadliest such raid since the start of 2022, a war monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said an ammunition depot and several positions linked to Iran's military presence in...

The Biden administration's choice for its new ambassador to Saudi Arabia is set to offend and anger the Kingdom, a former US official has revealed. US President Joe Biden, this week, nominated Michael Ratney as the new ambassador to Riyadh, a career diplomat who has previously served as the...

Palestinian medical workers yesterday called off a strike after reaching an agreement with the Palestinian Authority a day earlier. The move means hospitals in East Jerusalem can remain open. A dispute over overdue payments and salaries between staff at Al-Makassed Islamic Charitable Society Hospital and the PA meant the...

Qatar's military spending last year was 434% higher than in 2010, the last time such data was released by the Gulf state. Last year military spending amounted to $11.6 billion, with 4.8 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) used on defence, making Qatar the fifth largest spender...

Morocco's Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation has announced that Hungary has agreed to accept some Moroccan students from Ukraine to complete their studies. Abdellatif Miraoui made the announcement in his answer to questions from parliamentarians in the House of Councillors, Morocco's second chamber. "The Hungarian embassy in...

Libya is expected to resume oil exports "soon", the Oil Minister, Mohamed Aoun, announced yesterday. "We hope that oil exports resume, and we expect that within the next few days," Aoun told Anadolu Agency. His remarks came as local oil facilities had been shut for over a week after...

In the decade since Muammar Gaddafi's fall, Libya has had two civil wars, and seen worsening living conditions and increased foreign interference. The UN has sponsored numerous discussions, dialogues, panels and other peace initiatives that have been increasingly ineffective. Its latest efforts focused on holding presidential and parliamentary elections...

Political parties in Tunisia have announced the establishment of an opposition coalition intended to rally democratic forces and "save" the country from a deepening political and economic crisis. Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, the head of the political committee of Al-Amal Party, told a press conference on Tuesday that the National...

The Egyptian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Osama Abdel Khalek, yesterday warned against Israel's "continued attempts to Judaise East Jerusalem and change the historical and legal status quo of its holy sites." Official MENA quoted Abdel Khalek as saying that the Israeli attempts were a "dangerous escalation and...

Pilots of the EgyptAir plane which crashed into the Mediterranean Sea killing all 66 people on board in 2016 were reportedly smoking in the cabin, sparking a fire in the cockpit, according to a new report sent by French aviation experts to the Paris court of appeal. The flight...

Speakers at an Al-Quds Day event sponsored by Iran said on Tuesday that Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque are currently subject to "the most brutal ever attacks" by the Israeli occupation authorities, Al-Sabeel has reported. "The Israeli attacks carried out against Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan reiterate...

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said that he stood by the late President Mohamed Morsi during the Muslim Brotherhood's rule. Al-Sisi said that standing by Morsi was standing with Egypt, stressing that if he conspired against him, he would have conspired against Egypt. He continued: "Before the Brotherhood came to power,...

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has ordered the security services to take action in the occupied West Bank cities of Jenin and Hebron against anti-occupation armed resistance activities, Khleej.net reported on Tuesday. The security sweep, said PA Interior Minister Ziyad Hab Al-Reeh, will concentrate on the two cities. Armed...

The Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce expected the kingdom's imports from Turkiye to increase in the near future, in the latest sign of the steady improvement of relations between two of the largest Islamic countries. Sources in the Council of Chambers of Commerce, who requested to remain anonymous, told Anadolu Agency today that...

US Vice President Kamala Harris has wine produced in illegal Israeli settlements in her office, it has been revealed by Palestinian human rights organisation Al-Haq. The director of the organisation, Shaawan Jabarin, exposed this in an open letter to Harris in which he pointed out that offering her guests...

Amnesty International and a political party in Algeria have called for an investigation into the death of a political activist while he was on remand. A few days ago, activist Hakim Debbazi, 55, died in Koléa Prison in the coastal province of Tipaza, west of the capital, then he...

The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said the 22-centimeter (6.7-inch) tall limestone head was found while the farmer was working his land in Khan Yunis, and is believed to be dated to around 2,500 BC. "The statue represents the Canaanite goddess, Anat," Jamal Abu Reda, in charge of...

The Committee to Protect Journalists has welcomed the release of Egyptian journalists Mohamed Salah and Abdo Fayad but called on the Egyptian authorities to release 23 other reporters still in prison. "We are pleased that Salah and Fayed are getting some relief after their unjust and prolonged detention, but there must...

Human rights groups accused the Israeli judiciary on Tuesday of providing legal cover for the army's crimes against unarmed Palestinian civilians. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights and the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah) told a press conference in...

Israeli occupation forces have turned Jerusalem into a military base to choke Al-Aqsa Mosque, Grand Imam, Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, said yesterday. "Israeli measures in Jerusalem and against Al-Aqsa Mosque reiterate the Zionist plans to dominate the holy city," Sheikh Sabri said. "Israeli raids of Al Aqsa Mosque are carried out under protection...

Head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem Archbishop Atallah Hanna said yesterday that Israeli aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque is aggression on Church of Holy Sepulchre. The archbishop's remarks came during a popular action organised in the holy city in support for Al-Aqsa Mosque and Muslim worshippers who have been subjected to Israeli aggression throughout...

The Sudanese police investigator in the trial of the 1989 coup plotters, Colonel Jamal Khalifa, submitted documents on Tuesday related to the investigation committee's address to government agencies about the money and property of the defendants, and the agencies' reports on the issues, Anadolu has reported. According to the...

The Adalah Centre for Rights and Freedoms has launched a human campaign calling on the Egyptian authorities to halt the issuance and implementation of executions of those held on political grounds. The rights group said the death sentences recently issued and the executions that preceded them have been handed...

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett received a letter with a threat to his life and a bullet at his family's private home in the city of Ra'anana. Taking to Twitter, Bennett stressed the need for the political conflict in Israel not to reach the level of "bullying, violence and...

Dozens of Lebanese citizens protested in front of the parliament building yesterday in the centre of the capital, Beirut, against a "capital control bill" which was to be discussed, Anadolu reported. Protesters raised banners condemning "the corrupt political, financial and banking class." The parliament session dedicated to discussing the draft...

Israeli officials said on Tuesday that the US is closer than ever to admitting defeat on President Joe Biden's stated goal of a return to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal with Iran, Israel Hayom has reported. "The possibility that the parties will sign an agreement...

France and Saudi Arabia announced a joint development fund for crisis-hit Lebanon, Tuesday, pledging an initial $30 million to support food security and the country's crippled health sector, a French embassy statement said, and Reuters reports. The funds will be routed to humanitarian projects to provide emergency aid, including...

After an extended detention, facing corruption charges, prominent Sudanese politician and former Cabinet Minister, Khalid Omer Yousif, was released on bail on Tuesday, a lawyer on his defence team said and Reuters reports. Yousif and other politicians were arrested in February after a coup by the military leaders, who...

Foreign companies want to seize opportunities Turkiye offers and invest in the country, Finance and Treasury Minister, Nureddin Nebati, has said, Anadolu News Agency reports. According to the report, Turkiye provided detailed information about the investment opportunities, Nebati said, during his speech at a gathering with...

The draft law was approved by Jordan's House of Representatives yesterday, ruling that "Whoever attempts to commit suicide in a public place by committing any of the actions that usually lead to death shall be punished by imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months and a fine not...

Qatar Energy, one of the world's top liquefied natural gas (LNG) suppliers, scales up its interest from buyers to further expand its LNG capacity, Bloomberg News reports. According to the report, Qatar Energy is considering expanding its LNG capacity amid fears of supply disruptions in Europe after Russia's invasion...

Turkish authorities have prevented the entry of around 600,000 illegal migrants since 2021, as it continues to step up the defence of its eastern and southern borders. According to the Turkish newspaper, Daily Sabah, which cited official statistics, 451,096 irregular migrants were prevented from entering the country last year,...

A British judge will, on Tuesday, rule whether Airbus must keep building A321neo jetliners for estranged Qatar Airways in a decision with implications for future multi-billion-dollar jet deals, as their public bust-up returns to London's High Court, Reuters reports. Airbus revoked the A321neo deal in January in retaliation for...

Frenzied political activity in Pakistan this month concluded with Imran Khan being ousted as prime minister and replaced by Shehbaz Sharif on 11 April. The leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) was sworn in as the 23rd prime minister of the country. His new cabinet draws heavily from...

Earlier this month, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called for "international support for returning calm to Jerusalem" when tweeting about updating US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the occupied city. Of course, Israel was portrayed as exerting "responsible and measured efforts" in order to maintain the colonial security...

Lebanon's cabinet ordered the military court, on Tuesday, to investigate the capsize of a migrant boat after colliding with a naval vessel giving chase, with at least six dead and dozens missing, Reuters reports. The boat carrying Lebanese and Syrian migrants sank off the coast near the impoverished northern...

A former detainee of Guantanamo Bay is taking legal action against the Canadian government for its alleged role in the series of events that led up to his 14 years of imprisonment, during which time he was tortured. Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian who lived in Montreal for less...

Hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan who sought sanctuary in Germany have been evicted following the arrival of a large number of Ukrainians fleeing the on-going conflict in their country. According to a report by Foreign Policy last week, many Afghans have received eviction notices from German authorities, with some given just...

The vast majority of American Jewish students do not feel unsafe or discriminated against because of the anti-Israel climate in US universities, a new survey by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) has found. Asked if "The anti-Israel climate, on campus or elsewhere, has forced to hide Jewish...

UN's Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, yesterday called for maintaining the status quo in Jerusalem. During his monthly brief to the UN Security Council, Wennesland said: "I reiterate that political, religious and community leaders on all sides must continue to do their part to reduce...

Israeli occupation authorities moved Palestinian prisoner Zakaria Al-Zubaidi to solitary confinement in Ayalon Prison, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported yesterday. Al-Zubaidi has been held in harsh conditions since he was recaptured along with five other prisoners after escaping the Gilboa Prison in September. Israeli prison services had prevented...

After nine Turkish activists were killed by Israeli commandos who boarded Turkey's humanitarian ship the MV Mavi Marmara in 2010 in international waters (a tenth activist died of his wounds later), the international community did not condemn categorically this brutal human rights violation; nor did it offer to mediate...

The number of Israelis who have applied for gun permits since March has increased sharply in a manner that a Public Security Ministry official said was "unprecedented." According to Israel Hayom, the number of Israelis who have applied for firearms licenses over the past six weeks has reached 18,450. This, according...

Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, told a press conference yesterday that the occupied West Bank is "Judea and Samaria" and "these are not occupied lands… this is the land of Israel." Asked about Israeli occupation forces' brutal attack on Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque and whether he...

An international report states that the Moroccan-Algerian military arms race will continue due to the deteriorating relations between the two countries and the continuous escalation, at a time when the extent of global spending on armaments is increasing, with the intensification of the Russian-Ukrainian war. According to the report,...