Middle East & North Africa

29 Aug 2020; MEMO: The Istanbul governor’s office on Saturday issued a statement titled “Pandemic Measures for Weddings in Istanbul”, banning some indoor gatherings as of Monday, Anadolu Agency reports.

According to the statement, some events and gatherings including engagement ceremonies, and similar activities will not be allowed in any indoor areas as part of new measures to stem the spread of the virus.

TRIPOLI, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The UN-backed government of Libya on Saturday appointed a new defense minister and a new chief of staff.

Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj said on Monday that he would reshuffle the cabinet or appoint a crisis government, following protests in several cities in western Libya against the political, economic and security instability as well as lack of basic services.

Serraj also pledged to work on providing the basic services for the people, mainly electricity and water.

(AP) --- Shiite Muslims are observing the solemn holy day of Ashoura that they typically mark with large, mournful gatherings, in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ashoura commemorates the seventh-century killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq with the army of then Caliph Yazid, to whom Hussein had refused to pledge allegiance.

29 Aug 2020; MEMO: Qatari natural gas exports have recently grown in the global market, as the country has become one of the UK’s major gas exporters.

In a report, Scientect website revealed that Qatar is among the leading exporters of natural gas to the UK, which is considered to be the world’s eighth-largest gas importer.

29 Aug 2020; MEMO: The Central Bank of Iraq has decided to freeze the assets of nine former and current officials, including the son-in-law of former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, on the grounds of non-payment of debts owed to the state.

This came in an official circular of Iraqi banks, issued late Thursday evening.

29 Aug 2020; MEMO: The Russian Defence Ministry has confirmed that it might send a new Russian-made anti-drone system to be tested in Syria, Aram Media reported on Friday.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoyu announced that Russia’s Sapsan-Convoy anti-drone system could be sent to Syria, noting that this depends on its success in the manoeuvres of Operation Caucasus 2020.

29 Aug 2020; MEMO: Turkey will not hesitate to shoot down any United Arab Emirates (UAE) aircraft if Turkish sovereignty is violated in the eastern Mediterranean, Al-Quds Al-Araby reported on Friday.

29 Aug 2020; MEMO: The Israeli occupation demolished 25 Palestinian structures in occupied territories and displaced 32 Palestinians in two weeks, the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed on Thursday.

The Israeli demolition, according to OCHA, was carried out under the pretext of lacking building permits.

29 Aug 2020; MEMO: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel are working on a plan to establish a spy base in the Yemeni Island of Socotra, according to JForum, the official sites of the Jewish and French-speaking community.

29 Aug 2020; MEMO: An Israeli rights group on Thursday called for Israeli occupation authorities to immediately stop the punishing measures against the besieged Gaza Strip and to allow the entry of fuel, commodities and essential equipment needed to fight COVID-19.