TUNIS: Algeria has applied to join the BRICS group and submitted a request to become a shareholder member of BRICS Bank with an amount of $1.5 billion, Ennahar TV quoted Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as saying. It added that Tebboune said at the end of his visit to China that Algeria had sought to join the BRICS to open new economic opportunities.
The North Africa country is rich in oil and gas resources and seeking to diversify its economy and strengthen its partnership with countries such as China.

BEIRUT: A nongovernmental organization in Mount Lebanon was closed down on Saturday for presenting an “imminent danger” to children.
The Village of Love and Peace purported to offer protection and accommodation to abandoned children or those at risk from their parents.
Lawyer Diana Assaf claimed on social media that the NGO has committed crimes against Lebanese and Syrian children.

AMMAN: Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has denounced the burning of a copy of the Qur’an in the Danish capital Copenhagen, reported Jordan News Agency on Saturday.
Citing a statement issued by the ministry, Jordan described the Qur’an burning incident as an “act of hatred and a manifestation of Islamophobia and inciting violence and disrespecting religions.”
The ministry further stressed its rejection and denunciation of irresponsible behavior that provoke Muslims’ feelings, fuel hatred, and threaten peaceful coexistence.

TUNIS: Migrants in Tunisia’s port city of Sfax who are aiming to make Europe their new home are now sharing the burden and the blame for escalating tensions deeply tinged with racism, amid the fears of European leaders who are trying to stanch the numbers of people arriving at their shores.
The antagonism that exploded in recent weeks in Sfax between Tunisians and mainly Black sub-Saharan migrants is widely seen as a turning point in how this North African nation deals with migration.

AMMAN: The UNHCR has warned of “serious consequences” for refugees in Jordan if no adequate funding is added to its shrinking budget.
The UN refugee agency has issued a recent appeal calling for “immediate” assistance after other agencies announced plans to reduce health services and food help in camps in Jordan.
Jordanian government-owned Al-Mamlakah TV commented on a UNHCR report which said that the UN refugee agency had only received 32 percent of its financial needs for 2023, or “$125.7 million of its annual budget of $390.11 million.”