28 Sep 2022; MEMO: The US branch of the Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems has confirmed that it was hacked in early June, according to America's TechCrunch newspaper.

The Texas-based company said the breach occurred on 8 June and that 369 people were affected.

An alert sent out to impacted customers by a law firm on behalf of Elbit said it discovered the breach after noticing unusual activity on its network, which was immediately shut down to secure the environment.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will provide an additional $1.1 billion in aid to Ukraine, with funding for about 18 more advanced rocket systems and other weapons to counter drones that Russia has been using against Ukrainian troops, the Biden administration announced Wednesday.

The latest package is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds contracts to purchase weapons and equipment. And it brings the total of U.S. aid to Ukraine to nearly $17 billion since the Biden administration took office.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday his administration’s goal of ending hunger in the U.S. by the end of the decade was ambitious but doable, if only the nation would work together toward achieving it.

“I know we can do this,” Biden told an auditorium full of public health officials, private companies and Americans who have experienced hunger. They were gathered for the first White House conference on hunger, nutrition and health since 1969.

27 Sep 2022; MEMO: Egypt has launched a pilot programme to teach the Chinese language at 12 public middle schools across three governorates in the upcoming 2022/2023 academic year, the Deputy Minister of Education and Technical Education Mohamed Megahed said.

Megahed made the announcement yesterday during a launch ceremony at the Confucius Institute of Cairo University.

BRUSSELS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday attributed the leaks on the Nord Stream pipelines to acts of sabotage and said he had discussed the protection of critical infrastructure in NATO countries with the Danish defence minister.

"Discussed the sabotage on the NorthStream pipelines with Defence Minister Morten Bødskov," he said on Twitter.

"We addressed the protection of critical infrastructure in NATO countries."

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union suspects that damage to two underwater natural gas pipelines was sabotage and is warning of retaliation for any attack on Europe’s energy networks, a senior official said Wednesday, as energy companies began ramping up security.

The episode underscored the vulnerability of Europe’s energy infrastructure and further heightened tensions in the continent that has been rocked by t he seven-month war in Ukraine.

BRUSSELS, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- The European Union's (EU) chief diplomat Josep Borrell on Wednesday expressed his concerns over three gas pipeline leaks detected in the Baltic Sea on Russian natural gas pipelines, adding that they were most probably the result of sabotage.

27 Sep 2022; MEMO: The agriculture ministers of Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria have agreed to support an initiative to boost food security in the region.

According to the Jordan News Agency (Petra), Jordanian Agriculture Minister, Khalid Hneifat, yesterday held a meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Muhammad Qatna, Iraqi Minister, Muhammad Khafaji and Lebanese Minister, Abbas Hajj Hassan, in which they discussed the need to resolve issues surrounding the region's food security amid worsening global events.

(AP) --- One member of Rabbi David Wolpe’s diverse congregation left because Wolpe would not preach sermons criticizing Donald Trump. Scores of others left over resentment with the synagogue’s rules for combating COVID-19. But Wolpe remains steadfast in his resolve to avoid politics when he preaches at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles.

“It is not easy to keep people comfortable with each other and as part of one community,” he said. “A great failing of modern American society is that people get to know each other’s politics before they get to know their humanity.”

27 Sep 2022; MEMO: Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki warned yesterday of a new "Egyptian scenario" with the "deep state preparing to oust President Kais Saied and replace him with someone worse."

CAIRO (AP) — The U.N. envoy for Yemen warned that the risk of a return to fighting “is real,” urging warring parties to accept a longer extension of the current ceasefire due to expire next month.

Hans Grundberg’s stark warning late Tuesday came after he met in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, with Rashad al-Alimi, head of the internationally recognized presidential council, and in Oman’s capital of Muscat with Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief negotiator of the Houthi rebels. He also met with Saudi and Omani officials to push for a cease-fire extension.

27 Sep 2022; MEMO: Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra yesterday expressed his country's support for granting Palestine full membership at the United Nations General Assembly, seconding the request made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last week. Palestine currently holds Observer Status.

Addressing the Palestinian question "is the main key to restoring security and stability in the Middle East,"  Lamamra said in New York during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly.