The leader of Tunisia's Islamist-inspired opposition party Ennahdha arrived Tuesday for questioning by an investigating judge at an anti-terror center, just days before a hotly contested constitutional referendum.

More than 20 security vans were stationed in front of the headquarters of the anti-terror center where about 200 Ennahdha activists were gathered in support of their leader Rached Ghannouchi, AFP correspondents said.

At least 22 people were killed and 33 injured in southern Egypt on Tuesday when the bus they were travelling in smashed into a parked truck, officials said.

The bus carrying around 45 passengers crashed into the stationary truck near the village of al-Barsha, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) south of the capital Cairo in al-Minya governorate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iran starting Tuesday is intended to deepen ties with regional heavyweights as part of Moscow's challenge to the United States and Europe amid its grinding campaign in Ukraine.

In only his second trip abroad since Russian tanks rolled into its neighbor in February, Putin is scheduled to hold talks with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the pressing issues facing the region, including the conflict in Syria and a U.N.-backed proposal to resume exports of Ukrainian grain to ease the global food crisis.

The United States on Monday said it had not sought the arrest of the former lawyer of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, contradicting the United Arab Emirates' official explanation for the American citizen's detention.

The UAE on Saturday sentenced the civil rights lawyer, U.S. citizen Asim Ghafoor, to three years in prison followed by deportation on charges of money laundering and tax evasion. Ghafoor has rejected the charges and said he had no idea he had been convicted on the charges at some point in the past, in absentia.

Egyptian authorities suspended hot air ballooning over the ancient city of Luxor after two tourists were lightly injured during a ride early on Monday.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, a hot air balloon with 28 tourists drifted off course but eventually landed. The two injured tourists were taken to hospital for treatment, it said.

French President Emmanuel Macron hosted United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan for lunch in Paris on Monday, with increased diesel supplies on the menu for their official talks.

Tehran on Sunday accused Washington of provoking tensions in the Middle East, a day after U.S. President Joe Biden ended a tour to Iran's rival Saudi Arabia and arch-foe Israel.

A regional summit in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah has brought together U.S. President Joe Biden, the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.

Below is the full text of the summit's closing statement:

The closing statement of the Jeddah summit has called for abiding by the rules of good neighborliness in the region, urging Iran to keep the region free of weapons of mass destruction.

U.S. President Joe Biden told Arab leaders on Saturday that Washington would remain fully engaged in the Middle East and would not cede influence to other world powers.