The Tunisian Foreign Ministry expressed its astonishment at the statement of the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry that questioned Tunisia’s commitment to defending African issues in international forums, especially during its membership in the UN Security Council. “On September 15, 2021, the Security Council adopted a presidential statement regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. In the statement, the ministry said that Tunisia was keen to communicate with all concerned parties and with members of the Security Council in order to reach a balanced agreement that takes into account the concerns and interests of all parties, while guaranteeing their right to development. The presidential Security Council statement aimed to strengthen the international community’s support for the AU in sponsoring these negotiations and reaching a consensual solution. The statement was adopted unanimously by all members on the council, the foreign ministry added.

Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi will face a new trial for corruption by the country’s military junta, her lawyer said Friday. Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since her government was overthrown in a military coup in February, leading to mass protests and a brutal crackdown on dissent. Her trial on four new charges of corruption will begin on October 1 with each count carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years. The junta also charged her with a litany of other offenses, including violating a colonial-era secrecy law and accepting illegal payments of gold. Suu Kyi’s poor healthThe 76-year-old skipped the first day of her ongoing trial for health reasons.

DUBAI, Sept 17 (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates could invest at least a further one billion pounds ($1.4 billion) in the United Kingdom this year after pledging 10 billion pounds this week to its investment partnership with the British government. “The expectations are high that it will reach a two billion (pound) watermark this year,” Penney said of the UAE investment in an online interview. The oil-rich Gulf state on Thursday pledged to invest 10 billion pounds in British clean energy, infrastructure, technology and life sciences, expanding its “sovereign investment partnership” with the UK government announced in March. Over 1.1 billion pounds has been invested since then. The UAE this month said it would pursue comprehensive economic agreements with eight countries including Britain.

Sept 16 (Reuters) – Iran’s new government has approved use of US firm Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, a senior official said on Thursday, as the Islamic Republic fights a fifth wave of infections. President Ebrahim Raisi’s administration is under public pressure to broaden its sources of vaccines as infections mount in its deadliest wave yet. “The Johnson & Johnson single-dose corona vaccine has been approved,” the head of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration, Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz, was quoted as saying by Iranian media. In January, Khamenei banned the government from importing COVID-19 vaccines from United States and Britain, saying both countries were “untrustworthy”. __IMAGE: Iranians wait to receive a vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as cases spike, in a vaccination center in Tehran, Iran August 9, 2021.

WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) – The US State Department has approved a potential agreement covering up to $500 million in military support services for Saudi Arabia, and has sent the agreement to Congress for review, the Pentagon said on Thursday. It was the first major defense agreement for Saudi Arabia sent to Congress since President Joe Biden took office on January 20. It comes after criticism of US ties to the kingdom over its human rights record and involvement in the civil war in Yemen. The package would provide continued maintenance support services for a wide range of helicopters, including a future fleet of CH-47D Chinook helicopters. Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Mike Stone; Editing by Karishma SinghIMAGE: Helicopters fly in formation during a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca September 17, 2015.

Alphabet’s Google and Apple have removed jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s tactical voting app from their stores, his team said on Friday. The “Smart Voting” app was removed as Russia goes to the polls to elect a new parliament. The ruling United Russia party, which supports the policies of President Vladimir Putin, is expected to win the three-day vote amid a historic crackdown on the opposition. The app was developed by allies of Navalny to organize a tactical voting campaign in a bid to challenge United Russia. Russia pressured Apple, GoogleRussia demanded this month that Apple and Google remove the app from their stores, saying a refusal to do so would be treated as meddling in its parliamentary election.

CAIRO - 17 September 2021: Egypt recorded on Thursday 569 coronavirus infections, and 13 deaths as well as 477 recoveries at isolation hospitals. As such, the total figures became 295,051 infections, 16,921 deaths, and 248,425 recoveries. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli launched this week a campaign to encourage citizens to register on the Health Ministry's website to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The campaign is in line with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi's directives to expand vaccine access, the health minister said. The health ministry allocated three open-topped and equipped buses that will tour each governorate, Zayed said, adding that each bus will include 30-strong healthcare staff.

The Latest on Afghanistan:ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s prime minister has met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Afghanistan. The Foreign Ministry’s statement on Friday said the two leaders met on the sideline of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s meeting in Tajikistan’s city of Dushanbe. The discussion centered on Afghanistan and other bilateral issues, with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan underscoring his country’s vital interest in a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. According to the statement, Khan said it was essential to take urgent steps to stabilize Afghanistan’s security, humanitarian and economic situation. ___IMAGE: Taliban forces patrol near the entrance gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport, a day after US troops withdrawal, in Kabul, Afghanistan August 31, 2021.

(Reuters) - Bernd Leno started the season as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper but manager Mikel Arteta said he is not guaranteed his place after new signing Aaron Ramsdale kept a clean sheet in last week’s Premier League win over Norwich City. German Leno started Arsenal’s first three league games of the season but was dropped after the team conceded nine goals without reply in those matches, including a 5-0 hammering by Manchester City late last month. “We have to change something and Aaron has come here to try to make us better,” said Arteta, whose team are 16th with three points from four games. What we want to do is empower performance and ask them to train, behave and play the best possible way. It is what you’re going to do today and tomorrow, and that’s it.”Arsenal travel to 18th placed Burnley in the league on Saturday.

(Reuters) - Manchester City’s official supporters club has told manager Pep Guardiola to stick to coaching after he commented on the thousands of empty seats for their Champions League win over RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Kevin Parker, the general secretary of City’s official supporters’ club, told British media he was surprised by Guardiola’s comments. “Of course he would want a full house but I don’t know why he would question whether we’d have one against Southampton,” Parker added. “We have played two Saturday home games and the stadium – from a City perspective at least – was full on both occasions. I don’t think anybody anywhere within the club should be questioning the loyalty of the supporters.

"The two boys (Haaland and Bellingham) are currently players with us... anything else is just rumours," said Rose. Wolfsburg will remain top if they make it five wins from five league games at home to Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday. Fresh from their mid-week Champions League win at Barcelona, second-placed Bayern Munich are favourites at home to Bochum in their first meeting since 2009/10. Unlike Dortmund, Union are unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season with a win and three draws, but while Haaland and Bellingham attract the limelight, Kruse and Awoniyi could well serve up a surprise for the visitors. Key stats53 - the appearances Bellingham has made for Dortmund, scoring six goals, despite only turning 18 in June.

CAIRO – 16 September 2021: Presidential Health Adviser Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din said on Thursday that Egypt has allocated $191 million to secure the coronavirus vaccine doses for citizens. In remarks to media, Tag El-Din said Egypt works to secure the largest possible number of vaccine doses to the Egyptian people. Tag El-Din said the budget of the Health Ministry is open amid the pandemic. Health Minister Hala Zayed said earlier this week that Egypt has produced five million doses of coronavirus vaccine, 2.5 million of which will be available later this week. She said two million vaccine doses will be available next week, as she took part in a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

CAIRO – 16 September 2021: Egyptian Ambassador in Beirut Yasser Elwi met on Thursday with Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water Walid Fayyad as they discussed the latest developments as regards the exportation of Egypt's gas to Lebanon. The agreement was reached during the ministerial meeting of the Arab Gas Pipeline countries (Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon) in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. A day after reaching the agreement, Lebanon announced the formation of a new government and assigned Walid Fayyad as the new Minister of Energy and Water. The Egyptian natural gas was exported to Lebanon through the Jordanian territories in 2009, but it stopped in 2011 after the January 25, 2011 uprising. Lebanon witnesses an energy crisis due to shortage of fuel reserves needed to generate electricity and the lack of funds to secure it.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s decision to form a strategic Indo-Pacific alliance with Australia and Britain to counter China is angering France and the European Union. The security initiative, unveiled this week, appears to have brought Biden’s summer of love with Europe to an abrupt end. AUKUS, which notably excludes France and the European Union, is just the latest in a series of steps, from Afghanistan to east Asia, that have taken Europe aback. Then just this week, Biden enraged France and the European Union with his announcement that the US would join post-Brexit Britain and Australia in a new Indo-Pacific security initiative aimed at countering China’s increasing aggressiveness in the region. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who in June extolled the “excellent news for all of us that America is back,” expressed “total incomprehension” at the announcement of the initiative.

CAIRO – 16 September 2021: Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi affirmed Ethiopia’s right in development but affirmed the need to reach a legally binding agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam within a given timeframe. Radi affirmed that Egypt’s stance on GERD is clear and fixed as it calls for applying the principles of the international law. Gaza, Palestinian causeRadi said Egypt has set a strategy to deal with the Palestinian cause in the present time and the future, affirming that Egypt has succeeded in stopping violence. He said the first stage of the reconstruction process has been almost completed. Radi also affirmed efforts to explore a political horizon and revive the peace process through intensified communication among Egypt, Jordan and Palestine.