CAIRO: Egyptians, Sudanese natives and people of other nationalities who have been caught up in the conflict in Sudan are being provided with assistance in southern Egypt’s Aswan governorate, which borders the war-torn country.

Aswan Governor Major General Ashraf Attia said relief efforts were underway in coordination with civil society institutions, NGOs, the Ministry of Transport, the Railways Authority, and security agencies. Buses and rail services are being provided throughout the day.

AMMAN: The Iraqi Business Council in Jordan will organize the Jordanian-Iraqi Business and Finance Forum on June 20, 2023, in Amman, Jordan News Agency reported on Saturday.
Held under the theme “Building Bridges of Common Prosperity,” with “wide” participation from the two countries’ investors, business owners, companies and other countries, the forum will focus on the industry, finance, telecom and information technology, contracting, construction, real estate development, energy and mining sectors.

AL-MUKALLA: At least three Houthis were killed and five more wounded in fighting with government forces in Yemen’s besieged city of Taiz on Saturday, a local military official said.
Abdul Basit Al-Baher, spokesman for the Yemeni army in Taiz, told Arab News that the Iran-backed Houthis attacked government troops in two contested areas northeast of Taiz, resulting in a battle in which three Houthis were killed and five Yemeni government troops and five Houthis were injured.
“The Houthi militia conducts such attacks in Taiz to acquire territory,” Al-Baher said.

DAMASCUS: Iran and Syria agreed to boost ties and develop economic relations, with a focus on reconstruction, as the Islamic republic’s President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday concluded a landmark visit to Damascus.
Tehran has been a key ally to Damascus throughout Syria’s long-running civil war, offering vital economic and military assistance that has helped the Syrian government claw back most of the territory it lost at the start of the conflict.

BAGHDAD: Iraqi security forces said Friday they had seized 12 million pills of the antispasmodic drug benzhexol, used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease but also abused as a hallucinogen.
National Security officers recovered the haul from a warehouse in east Baghdad in an operation in which they also made six arrests.
Iraqi security forces have intensified anti-narcotics operations in recent months, with several high-profile seizures reported.