Mena Today

The international crime watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) removed Turkey from its "grey list" of countries that require special scrutiny on Friday, in a boost to the country's economic turnaround plan.

Oil producer Saudi Aramco will buy a 10% stake in a thermal engines joint venture between French carmaker Renault and Chinese automaker Geely, the companies said on Friday, valuing the business at 7.40 billion euros ($7.93 billion).

The European Union has decided to sanction six people and three companies for financing Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the EU council said on Friday.

Iran has so far installed four out of the eight clusters of advanced IR-6 centrifuges it said earlier this month it would quickly set up at its Fordow uranium-enrichment plant, the U.N. atomic watchdog said in a report on Friday seen by Reuters.

The U.S. military's pier off Gaza has once again been removed because of sea conditions, the Pentagon said on Friday, adding it did not make sense for it to return until aid is moved from a nearby marshalling area to people in Gaza.

The heatwave in Saudi Arabia blamed for the deaths of 1,300 people on the haj pilgrimage this month was made worse by climate change, a team of European scientists said on Friday.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry issued a notice stating that citizens are asked to avoid traveling to Lebanon.

Pope Francis said on Friday he wanted to visit Turkey next year to celebrate the anniversary of the first council of the Christian Church. 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he did not rule out a possible meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to help restore bilateral relations between the neighbours.

President Joe Biden delivered a shaky, halting performance while his Republican rival Donald Trump battered him with a series of often false attacks at their debate on Thursday, as the two oldest presidential candidates ever exchanged personal insults ahead of the November election.

Iranians started voting on Friday for a new president following the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, choosing from a tightly controlled group of four candidates loyal to the supreme leader, at a time of growing public frustration.