Middle East & North Africa

DUBAI, April 2 (Reuters) - The Iranian navy said it identified and warned off a U.S. reconnaissance plane near the Gulf of Oman on Sunday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

"After the warning, the plane was prevented from entering the country's skies without authorization," said the report, identifying the plane as a U.S. Navy EP-3E.

While the opening line of the Tasnim report said the aircraft had crossed into Iranian airspace, the same report also said the aircraft had not entered Iranian skies and had left after the warning.

DAMASCUS, April 2 (Xinhua)-- Israel launched a fresh missile attack against military sites in the central Syrian province of Homs after midnight Sunday, the state TV reported.

Syrian air defenses were triggered by the attack, intercepting some of the missiles, according to the report.

The pro-government Sham FM radio said that four soldiers were wounded in the attack, which hit a military base in the western countryside of Homs.

It was Israel's third attack against Syrian military sites since Thursday. 

RIYADH, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry announced on Sunday a voluntary oil cut of 500,000 barrels per day from May till the end of 2023.

The production cut is in coordination with some other countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC Participating Countries in the Declaration of Cooperation, said the ministry in a statement.

It noted that the voluntary cut is in addition to the reduction in production agreed upon at the 33rd OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting on Oc. 5, 2022.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Tens of thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday against a controversial plan to revamp the country’s legal system, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s suspension of the changes earlier in the week.

The protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub on the Mediterranean, for the 13th weekly demonstration, raising Israeli flags and banners against what they said were plans to weaken the Supreme Court. Several smaller rallies took place in other towns and cities.

Godhra, Apr 1 (PTI) A court in Gujarat has acquitted all 26 persons accused of gangrape and murder of more than a dozen members of a minority community in separate incidents in Kalol during 2002 communal riots for want of evidence in the 20-year-old case.

Of the total 39 accused, 13 died during the pendency of the case and the trial against them was abated.

Patiala, Apr 1 (PTI) Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu Saturday walked free after spending nearly 10 months in Patiala jail in a 1988 road rage case and slammed the Centre, alleging that democracy is in chains and institutions have turned slaves in the country. He also claimed that a conspiracy is being hatched to impose the President's Rule in Punjab.

01 Apr 2023; MEMO: The 6 February earthquakes in southern Turkiye damaged 20 per cent of the country's agricultural production, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Friday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"Initial assessments on the impact in Turkiye indicate severe damage to agriculture, including crops, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, as well as rural infrastructure in affected areas," a statement said.

01 Apr 2023; MEMO: The US has bolstered its military forces in the Middle East after an alleged series of Iranian attacks on US troops in Syria, CNN disclosed on Friday.

CNN reported the Pentagon confirming that a squadron of A-10 attack aircraft is deploying to the region ahead of a scheduled deployment.

01 Apr 2023; MEMO: Israeli Defence Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has praised Baruch Goldstein, the settler who massacred 29 Palestinian worshippers and wounded more than 100 others at Al-Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in 1994, Safa News Agency reported on Friday.

01 Apr 2023; MEMO: Tunisian President Kais Saied on Thursday dismissed Mosbah Kardemin, the governor of the Gabes governorate, who was appointed on 6 June, 2022, from his duties and prosecuted him for "committing illegal acts."

The Tunisian presidency announced that Saied has: "Decided to dismiss Mosbah Kardemin, the governor of Gabes, from his duties," according to Anadolu Agency.