Daily News Brief - 26/09/2022
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Please find below today’s daily news brief.
Algeria | UAE: Ministers of foreign affairs meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 77th session
Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra and his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 77th session in New York. The two officials discussed bilateral relations and issues on the session's agenda, including climate change, food security, and renewable energy.
Bahrain | Saudi Arabia: Bahrain’s king arrives in Jeddah for an official visit
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was welcomed was received by his Saudi counterpart King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the al-Salam palace in the city of Jeddah on Sunday. The two monarchs discussed regional and international developments and affirmed the depth of the Saudi-Bahraini relations.
Egypt | China: Foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 77th session
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Saturday in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 77th session. On his part, the top Chinese diplomat commended the strong strategic guidance provided by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to China-Egypt relations and emphasized Beijing’s support for the North African country’s development. Shoukry said that Egypt and China have always respected, trusted, and supported each other, adding that the two countries agreed to promote the joint construction of the high-quality Belt and Road and to sign the implementation plan as soon as possible.
Egypt | Sudan: Egyptian president meets with his Sudanese counterpart to discuss the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam issue
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi welcomed on Saturday in Cairo Sudan’s Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattal el-Burhan to discuss the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue, as well as bilateral relations between the two countries. The issue of GERD is at the top of common interests between the two countries as their relations with Ethiopia worsened following the latter’s unilateral decision to implement the third phase of filling the dam’s reservoir. El-Sisi expressed Egypt’s keenness to provide all types of support to Sudan to achieve stability.
Iran: Protests enter their 11th consecutive day as the death toll rises
At least 41 people were killed by Iranian authorities during the protests that swept the country and entered their 11th day on Monday. Demonstrators took the streets of cities all across Iran over the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, being arrested for not wearing her veil properly. Hundreds of demonstrators, activists, and journalists have been arrested since the protests erupted on September 16. Security forces used tear gas and fired live rounds at protesters who hurled rocks, burnt police cars and set state buildings on fire. Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei emphasized on Sunday “the need for decisive action without leniency” against those organizing the “riots,” while the European Union condemned the Iranian authorities’ violent response. Solidarity protests were held in several European capitals, such as Paris and London, as well as in the United States and Canada.
Iran: Fourteen people indicted in top nuclear scientist’s assassination
According to Tehran’s chief prosecutor Ali Salehi, 14 people have been charged with “corruption on the earth,” “involvement in intelligence and espionage cooperation with the Zionist regime,” “collusion with the purpose of undermining the security of the country,” and “action against national security.” According to the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization and Mossad, Israel’s espionage agency, were behind the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a senior nuclear scientist, killed on November 27, 2020.
Iraq: Increased security measures to protect Baghdad’s government complex amid calls for protests
Iraqi authorities increased the security measures around the government complex in the capital of Baghdad amid calls for renewed protests on October 1 to mark the third anniversary of the 2019 pro-reform demonstrations. The call to protest is being made on social media and through flyers distributed on Baghdad’s streets by a previously unknown Central Committee for October 1st Protests. In the meantime, negotiations are underway between the main political factions to find a solution to the crisis and form a government. The Iran-backed Coordination Framework is reportedly close to announcing a coalition with Kurds and Sunnis that could expedite the government formation process, but also provoke the rival Sadrist Movement, led by the powerful Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Israel | Palestine: Israeli forces on high alert as Jewish High Holidays began on Sunday
The Israeli authorities announced the imposition of a full closure on the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip crossings starting Sunday afternoon until Tuesday midnight. Thousands of reinforcements will be present in the Old City of Jerusalem, the eastern neighborhoods, as well as throughout the occupied West Bank, particularly in areas such as Nablus and Jenin. According to the Israeli Defense Forces, a Palestinian man was killed on Sunday near Nablus while riding his motorcycle. The statement added that he was armed.
Lebanon | Israel: Proposal for maritime border dispute settlement expected this week
The Lebanese Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Elias Bou Saab met on Monday with President Michel Aoun and briefed him on the outcome of his visit to New York last week. According to local media, regarding the maritime border dispute with Israel, Bou Saab said that the US mediator Amos Hochstein will send a written proposal for settling the issue by the end of this week.
Lebanon | Syria: At least 94 people died after a boat carrying migrants sank off the Syrian coast
At least 94 people died after a boat carrying migrants from Lebanon sank off Syria’s port of Tartus, some 50 km north of the Lebanese city of Tripoli from where the migrants set sail. According to the UN, those on board were Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians. The Lebanese army said that it has arrested a Lebanese national who “admitted to organizing the people smuggling operation from Lebanon to Italy by sea.” The political and economic situations in the country push more and more desperate people to attempt to leave Lebanon for Europe. As many as 150 people were on board the small ship that sank next to the Syrian coast.
Libya: At least five civilians were killed in renewed clashes between militias in the city of Al Zawiya
Fighting between armed factions affiliated with Libya’s Government of National Unity erupted late on Sunday in the city of Al Zawiya, west of the capital Tripoli, leaving at least five civilians dead, including a 10-year-old girl. The clashes reportedly broke out after one militia fired at a member of its rival, both affiliated with the internationally-recognized Government of National Unity headed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
Tunisia: Hundreds of people protested in the capital against poverty, high prices, and food shortages
Hundreds of Tunisians took to the streets in the poor Douar Hicher district in the capital Tunis on Sunday night to protest against poverty, high prices, and food shortages, chanting slogans such as “Where is Kais Saied?” referring to the Tunisian president, while angry youths burned tires. Inflation in the North African country runs at nearly 9% while it witnesses a shortage of many food items because it cannot afford to pay for some imports.