Middle East & North Africa

13 Jan 2021; MEMO: Palestinian Authority (PA), PLO, and Fatah President Mahmoud Abbas has modified the election law, Palestinian Election Commission Executive Director Hisham Kahil revealed yesterday.

Speaking to the official Palestinian Radio, Kahil said Abbas dropped the condition for the candidates to be committed to the PLO's political obligations and raised the quota for female representation from 20 per cent to 26 per cent.

13 Jan 2021; MEMO: The United Arab Emirates and Cyprus yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen mutual cooperation on the military and defence levels.

13 Jan 2021; MEMO: The Lod District Court in Israel on Monday banned the screening of a documentary about Israel's brutal 2002 campaign in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

'Jenin, Jenin' can no longer be aired in Israel after an Israeli soldier who was depicted in the footage stealing from an elderly Palestinian filed a lawsuit against the film.

13 Jan 2021; MEMO: Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri's recent visit to Turkey came with an Arab mandate to open the doors of mediation between Ankara and Riyadh, Lebanon's Al-Jadeed TV channel reported.

Hariri's unannounced visit to Istanbul and his "private meeting" with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this week aimed to open the doors of mediation between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, with Emirati approval, the station said.

13 Jan 2021; MEMO: Lawyers of Turkish businessman Mehmet Ali Ozturk, who has been detained in the UAE for nearly three years, have filed an urgent complaint to the United Nations accusing the Emirati authorities of torturing their client.

On 20 February 2018, Ozturk was arrested in Dubai after arriving in the country with his wife, Amina Ozturk, to attend the Gulfood Manufacturing Fair.

13 Jan 2021; MEMO: Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu has removed a photo of him with outgoing US President Donald Trump from the banner of his Twitter account, Reuters reported yesterday.

Analysts have said the move comes as an apparent break with a political ally who is facing possible impeachment.

DAMASCUS, Jan 12 (NNN-SANA) — The curve of recorded infections with the Coronavirus is witnessing a relatively stable indication, but it is not considered as exceeding the peak of disease since last November, according to Director of Ambulance and Emergency Department at the Syrian Health Ministry, Dr. Tawfiq Hasaba.

Dr. Hassaba told SANA that the number of suspected cases admitted to the public hospitals “is still large,” adding that the numbers announced are cases proven by the PCR test.

RAMALLAH, Jan 12 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestine’s Minister of Health Mai Alkaila announced Monday that the Ministry of Health has approved the Russian coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, for emergency use, making Palestine the first country in the Middle East to register the vaccine.

ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he hoped the resumption of talks between Turkey and Greece over maritime disputes would herald a new era, and he urged Athens not to escalate tensions in the region.

NATO members Ankara and Athens announced on Monday they had agreed to resume on Jan. 25 long-suspended exploratory talks over disputed offshore rights in the Mediterranean, which brought them close to conflict last year.

12 Jan 2021; MEMO: A Turkish court on Monday sentenced 'Islamic' television preacher and author Adnan Oktar to more than 1,000 years in jail for crimes including forming and leading a criminal gang, fraud, and sexual abuse, state media said, reports Reuters.