Middle East & North Africa

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli officials said Sunday the United Arab Emirates has pardoned an Israeli woman after initially sentencing her to death for drug possession, a case that tested the nascent ties between the two countries.

Fida Kiwan was arrested in early 2021 with half a kilogram (over 1 pound) of cocaine that she claimed did not belong to her, Israeli media reported. The UAE, which has harsh drug laws, later commuted the death sentence to life in prison.

26 Mar 2023; MEMO: Jordan on Saturday decried new Israeli settlement plans in occupied East Jerusalem as a violation of international law, Anadolu reports.

On Friday, Israel issued tenders for the construction of 1,029 units in the settlements of Efrat and Beita Illit in East Jerusalem, according to Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlements watchdog.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Israeli good governance group on Sunday asked the country’s Supreme Court to punish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for allegedly violating a conflict of interest agreement meant to prevent him from dealing with the country’s judiciary while he is on trial for corruption.

The request by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel intensifies a brewing showdown between Netanyahu’s government and the judiciary, which it is trying to overhaul in a contentious plan that has sparked widespread opposition.

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese government’s last-minute decision to delay the start of daylight savings time by a month until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan resulted in mass confusion Sunday.

With some institutions implementing the change while others refused, many Lebanese have found themselves in the position of juggling work and school schedules in different time zones — in the same tiny country.

ADEN, Mar 25 (NNN-YPA) – Yemen’s internationally-recognised government, warned yesterday, of a possible return to all-out military conflict in the country, following an uptick in attacks by the Houthi militia, in the north-eastern oil-rich province of Marib.

Yemen’s Information Minister, Moammar al-Eryani, said in a statement that, scores of Houthi rebels launched a large offensive against government-controlled areas in the Harib district, west of Marib, forcing hundreds of local households to flee.

BAGHDAD, Mar 25 (NNN-NINA) – Three Daesh militants were killed in airstrikes, in Iraq’s eastern province of Diyala, a security source said today.

Iraqi warplanes, yesterday, carried out airstrikes on the Daesh hideouts, in the northern part of Diyala, destroying the hideouts and killing three Daesh militants, Major Alaa al-Saadi, from Diyala police, said.

JERUSALEM, Mar 25 (NNN-MA’AN) – The Israeli Land Authority, has published tenders for more than 1,000 housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israel’s anti-settlement watchdog, Peace Now, said in a statement yesterday.

According to the statement, the tenders are for 940 houses in the West Bank and nearly 90 in East Jerusalem. They were made public earlier this week.

BEIRUT, March 25 (Reuters) - The death toll in U.S. air strikes on pro-Iran installations in eastern Syria has risen to 19 fighters, a Syrian war monitor said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest exchanges between the U.S. and Iran-aligned forces in years.

The U.S. carried out strikes in eastern Syria in response to a drone attack on Thursday that left one American contractor dead, and another one wounded along with five U.S. troops. Washington said the attack was of Iranian origin.

KABUL, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Afghan police arrested six people on the charge of involvement in criminal activities including murder here on Friday, a police official said on Saturday.

The arrested were also suspected of involvement in armed robbery and theft, said Fazal Hadi, a senior officer of Police District 7 in Kabul city.

According to the police, the arrested men have confessed to their crimes.

In a similar crackdown on criminals, police arrested four suspected murderers in Kabul last week.

MUQDADIYAH, Iraq (AP) — Hussein Maytham and his family were driving past the palm tree grove near their home after a quiet evening shopping for toys for his younger cousins when their car hit a bomb planted on the moon-lit road.