Middle East & North Africa

14 April 2022; MEMO: Noureddine Taboubi, secretary-general of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), yesterday warned against "tampering" with the country's affairs, explaining that the union rejects a national dialogue that lacks broad participation by parties and organisations.

Taboubi made the remarks on state television after a meeting with the European Parliament delegation which has been holding consultations since Monday on the political crisis in Tunisia.

13 April 2022; MEMO: Human rights activist Nadia Murad launched global guidelines at the United Nations on Wednesday on how to safely and effectively collect evidence from survivors and witnesses of sexual violence in conflict, Reuters reported.

Murad, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018 for her efforts to end rape as a weapon of war, first addressed the UN Security Council in 2015 at the age of 22.

14 April 2022; MEMO: Weapons from Iraq are being smuggled to Russia with the help of Iran and its militant groups throughout the Middle East, a report by the Guardian newspaper has revealed.

Citing intelligence sources and members of Iran-backed militias in Iraq, the paper reported that a number of heavy weapons – including missile defence systems and anti-tank missiles – have been sent to Russia through a land and sea route in an effort to help Moscow with its military offensive in Ukraine.

14 April 2022; MEMO: The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) and Italy's Eni yesterday signed an agreement to maximise gas production and the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Egypt to Europe.

The agreement was signed in the Egyptian capital city of Cairo by EGAS Chairman, Magdy Galal, and Eni's Director General of natural resources, Guido Brusco, in the presence of Egyptian Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, Petroleum Minister, Tarek El-Molla, and Eni CEO, Claudio Descalzi.

14 April 2022; MEMO: Qatar Charity has donated $1.5 million to support food aid in the besieged Gaza Strip, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced yesterday.

AMMAN, Apr 13 (NNN-PETRA) – King Abdullah II of Jordan, yesterday had a successful surgery on a thoracic herniated disc, in Germany, the Royal Hashemite Court said, in a statement.

The surgery took place at a specialist hospital in Frankfurt, and the king would follow a period of rest before his return to Jordan, the statement said.

BEIRUT, Apr 13 (NNN-NNA) – Lebanese Interior Minister, Bassam Mawlawi, called on the Lebanese, to respect the security of brotherly countries, including members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

“Saudi Arabia and the rest of the GCC countries have always supported all Lebanese equally, without discrimination,” Mawlawi said, during a meeting with the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Walid al-Bukhari, in Beirut.

Lebanon is committed to preventing any verbal or practical harm to the Gulf states, he added.

ADEN, Apr 13 (NNN-YPA) – A commercial ship carrying foodstuffs caught fire, in the waters of the strategic port of Aden in the southern part of Yemen, a government official said yesterday.

The local official said that, a fire engulfed the engine room of an Indian ship on Monday night. The seven Indian sailors on board were rescued by the local authorities.

He confirmed that some of the sailors were injured and moved to a nearby hospital for treatment in Aden, and a firefighting squad was dispatched to the site.

DUBAI, April 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy said on Wednesday it was establishing a new multinational task force that would target arms smuggling in the waters around Yemen, the latest American military response to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The effort follows a series of Houthi missile and drone attacks this year on the two Gulf countries, which have since received additional American military assistance but see the United States as weakening its commitment to the region.

RAMALLAH, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian and injured 31 others on Wednesday morning during clashes near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, said medics and eyewitnesses.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a press statement that Mohammed Assaf, a 34-year-old lawyer, was killed after he had been shot in the chest, while 31 others were injured, including 11 by live ammunition.