Middle East & North Africa

Kanpur (UP), Sep 14 (PTI) An eight-member SIT formed by the Kanpur police is looking into allegations of forced conversion on the pretext of marriage and has come across over a dozen such cases, an official said.

The SIT was formed about a fortnight ago after some members of Hindu organisations met Kanpur IG Mohit Agarwal, alleging love jihad incidents.

The issue had surfaced after a Kanpur woman, Shalini Yadav, married a Muslim man recently. The couple, however, approached a Delhi court, denying allegations of forced conversion.

14 Sep 2020; MEMO: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country’s oil revenues have decreased from $120 billion to $20 billion over the last eight years, Anadolu reported.

Rouhani pointed out that his country has been subjected to “rare” economic sanctions, adding that Iran’s oil revenues have fallen from $120 billion in 2011 to $20 billion in 2019.

14 Sep 2020; MEMO: Lebanon’s Christian Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Rai yesterday reiterated his demand for an international investigation into the Beirut port explosion which killed nearly 200 people and wounded thousands more, Anadolu reported.

ALGIERS, Sept 14 (NNN-Xinhua) — Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad said that the date for the start of 2020-2021 school year depends on the COVID-19 situation in the country, the official APS news agency reported.

Djerad told media that the scientific committee monitoring the spread of COVID-19 will provide its professional suggestion for the date of opening schools to the government.

He affirmed that the epidemiological situation in the country is stable now thanks to the respect of preventive health measures.

14 Sep 2020; MEMO: The Egyptian Minister of Finance, Mohamed Maait on Saturday denied plans to increase taxes, saying the government is keen on stabilising its tax policies in a way that contributes to attracting new investments and providing job opportunities.

TRIPOLI, Sept 14 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed concern over reports of excessive use of force against demonstrators in the eastern Libyan city of al-Marj.

“UNSMIL expresses grave concern regarding reports that one civilian was killed, three were injured, and a number of other demonstrators were arrested on 12 September following the reported excessive use of force by eastern authorities against peaceful demonstrators in the city of al-Marj,” the UNSMIL said in a statement.

BEIRUT, Sept 14 (NNN-NNA) – Two political parties announced yesterday their decision not to participate in the next Lebanese cabinet.

A statement issued by Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri’s office, indicated that he has informed the newly appointed Prime Minister, Mustapha Adib, of a decision not to participate in the government, which will mainly be “a technocrat cabinet that lacks affiliation and belongs to one’s political party, while being formed with foreign intervention.”

14 Sep 2020; MEMO: Secretary-General of the PLO’s Executive Committee, Saeb Erekat, said yesterday that the UAE and Bahraini normalisation deals with Israel prepare for the formation of military alliances in the region led by Israel, Anadolu reported.

In a press conference held in Ramallah, Erekat said: “Israel will never be a tool to protect the security of Arabs, but a tool to undermine the security of the Arab states.”

14 Sep 2020; MEMO: Civil society groups in Bahrain have rejected the government’s normalisation agreement with Israel which is expected to be signed formally in Washington DC on Tuesday.

14 Sep 2020; MEMO: Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament and head of the Amal Movement, Nabih Berri, said yesterday that his movement does not plan to participate in the next government led by Prime Minister Mutafa Adib, Anadolu reported.

A statement issued by Berri’s media office said the movement had informed Adib that it was willing to offer maximum cooperation to ensure Lebanon’s stability, enact reforms and save the economy.