Middle East & North Africa

RIYADH, June 3 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia pledged, on Tuesday, 500 million U.S. dollars for Yemen.

The Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, Abdullah Al Rabeeah, announced the plan during the virtual Yemen High-Level Pledging Conference 2020, that is organised by Saudi Arabia, in partnership with the United Nations.

He said 300 million dollars shall be allocated to the UN agencies and the rest to the centre’s Yemen-related projects.

JERUSALEM, June 3 (NNN-MA’AN) – Israel has tested a new precise ballistic strike missile, capable of hitting targets in the range of 400 km, Israel Aerospace Industries said, on Tuesday.

The missile is part of a weapon system named LORA (Long-Range Artillery Weapon System), developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, a state-owned weapons and defence company.

The company said in a statement that, two firing trials were carried out in the open sea.

RAMALLAH, June 3 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestine urged the International Criminal Court (ICC), to open an official investigation into Israel’s demolition of Palestinians’ homes in East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said, Israeli authorities are demolishing homes and private constructions in East Jerusalem, as part of its plan to expand its own settlements in the city.

02 June 2020; MEMO: The net foreign assets of the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) dropped by nearly $20 billion in April, Reuters reported.

The news site said on Sunday that SAMA’s net foreign assets fell from $464.64 billion in March to $443.75 billion in April.

KUWAIT, June 2 (NNN-KUNA) – The Kuwaiti government announced that, businesses, including banks, can start their activities as part of the country’s phased plan to reopen the economy.

The government assigned the Central Agency for Information Technology to establish a platform where citizens and residents can make appointment, before going to any government institutions, in order to facilitate social distancing and curb the spread of the virus, said Tareq Al-Mezrem, the government spokesman.

BAGHDAD, June 2 (NNN-NINA) – The Iraqi health ministry reported 429 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest single-day increase so far, taking the number of infections in the country to 6,868.

The new cases included 172 in the capital Baghdad, 102 in Sulaimaniyah, 41 in Wasit, 38 in Maysan, 22 in Basra, 13 in Muthanna, 11 in Karbala, eight in Diwaniyah, six in Najaf and Nineveh each, four in Babil and Diyala each and two in Duhok, the ministry said.

RIYADH, June 2 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia announced, on Monday, the pumping of 50 billion riyals (13.3 billion U.S. dollars) into the banking system, the Arabiya TV reported.

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority’s (SAMA’s) decision, comes, to manage the fallout from the coronavirus and the drop in oil prices.

The amount will boost credit facilities to the private sector, help banks amend restructure loans, without additional fees, and support private sector employment.

DHAKA, June 2 (NNN-BSS) – The UN-recognised Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) has pledged Bangladesh that it would expose the perpetrators involved in the killing of 26 Bangladeshi nationals there.

The Libyan foreign ministry made the vow while strongly condemning the killing by sending a condolence message to Dhaka, a Bangladesh foreign ministry press release said.

TEHRAN, June 2 (NNN-TASNIM) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Seyed Abbas Mousavi, decried the US government’s crackdown on protests, over the killing of an unarmed African-American man, at the hands of Police in Minneapolis, urging Washington to stop violence and let American people breathe.

RAMALLAH, June 2 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestine accused Israel of attempting to take over the only industrial zone for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, after Israeli authorities ordered the demolition and eviction of nearly 200 private establishments in the area.

The Israeli authorities’ demolition orders in Wadi al-Joz neighbourhood of East Jerusalem will paralyse the only area where Palestinians own car repair workshops and commercial enterprises, said the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement.