Middle East & North Africa

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - An International Criminal Court delegation is to visit Sudan to discuss the cases of ousted president Omar al-Bashir and other former officials, the government said on Saturday.

The delegation, led by prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, would discuss “cooperation” with Sudan over the wanted men, without naming them, according to the statement. It is the first visit by the court since Bashir was ousted last year.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon’s largest Christian political party said on Saturday it would not back the nomination of former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri to lead a government to tackle a deep economic crisis, further complicating efforts to agree a new premier.

Hariri, who quit as prime minister last October in the face of nationwide protests, has said he is ready to lead a government to implement reforms proposed by France as a way to unlock badly needed international aid.

JUBA, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan doctors have warned of a second wave of COVID-19 pandemic unless preventive measures are stepped up to avoid resurgence.

The South Sudan Doctors Union (SSDU) warned that the east African country is most likely to experience a second wave of COVID-19 outbreak with more morbidity and mortality without heightened efforts to fight the virus.

Tehran, Oct 16, IRNA -- Special aide on International affairs to the Iranian parliament speaker Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Friday that one of the characteristics of today's world is that the US is no longer an empire to create world order because it is facing many problems at home and abroad and is collapsing to zero.

Tehran, Oct 17, IRNA – Iran's Ambassador to China Mohammad Keshavarzzadeh in a Twitter message described Foreign Minister Mohmmad Javad Zarif's trip to Beijing as a timely accelerator to the comprehensive leadership partnership.

Zarif's visit has received millions of reflections in the Chinese public opinion despite some analysis, he said.

Following the close consultations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and China, foreign minister left for China on Friday, October 9, to meet with Wang Yi, a member of the State Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China.

17 Oct 2020; AA: Turkey wastes 19 million tons of food, which is one-fifth of the country's food production, annually, the forestry and agriculture minister said on Friday.

"If we can prevent the food waste by only 2% in our country, we can meet the one-year living expenses of approximately 360,000 families," Bekir Pakdemirli said in an online meeting related to the World Food Day, organized by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

17 Oct 2020; MEMO: The first official delegation to Israel from the United Arab Emirates may remain at the airport and fly home the same day, rather than conduct a wider visit, due to coronavirus precautions, an Israeli minister said, Reuters reports.

Israel is under a second coronavirus lockdown, which it plans to begin easing next week, after a surge in cases.

17 Oct 2020; MEMO: A new poll has indicated that 54 per cent of Israelis want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign from politics, 35 per cent want him to remain and ten per cent did not have an opinion, Quds Press reported on Friday.

The poll, which was published by Israeli Hebrew newspaper Maariv, conveyed that 28 per cent of Likud voters who took part in the last elections, and 57 per cent of right-wing voters, want Netanyahu to resign from politics.

17 Oct 2020; MEMO: Lebanese President Michel Aoun announced on Friday that his country is relying on the US role to reach fair solutions during the negotiations to demarcate maritime borders with Israel.

This came during Aoun’s meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs David Schenker in the capital of Beirut, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese presidency.

17 Oct 2020; MEMO: Over 414,000 displaced Syrians have voluntarily returned to areas liberated by the Turkish military, Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu revealed on Friday.

Speaking at a workshop in the Ayvalık district in Turkey’s western Balıkesir province, Soylu stated: “Thanks to the security provided by our cross-border operations, 414,061 Syrians have voluntarily returned to their country so far.”