Middle East & North Africa

KHARTOUM, Mar 10 (NNN-SUNA) – Sudan’s Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, on Monday (yesterday), survived failed assassination attempt, in the capital Khartoum, Sudan’s official TV reported.

Hamdok said, he was in “good shape” and that what had happened would be “an additional push to the wheel of change in Sudan,” where he heads a transitional government, following the overthrow, last year, of long-time President, Omar al-Bashir.

Eyewitnesses say, Hamdok’s motorcade came under a car bomb attack, at the entry of the Sudanese army bridge, in Khartoum.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief rival said Monday that he has agreed with a smaller party to work together to form a new government following national elections last week.

The announcement by Benny Gantz, leader of the Blue and White Party, dealt a new setback to Netanyahu as he struggles to hold on to power ahead of his upcoming trial on corruption charges.

In a statement, Gantz said that he had a good meeting with Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the small Yisrael Beitenu party.

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s prime minister said Monday he survived a “terror attack” after an explosion and gunfire targeted his motorcade in the capital Khartoum.

Abdalla Hamdok, a longtime economist, tweeted he was “safe and in good shape” following the explosion. Sudanese state TV said Hamdok had been heading to his office when the attack took place.

Hamdok also tweeted a photo of himself smiling and seated at a large desk, while a TV behind him showed news coverage reporting he’d survived.

09 Mar 2020; MEMO: Morocco has received a rocket launcher from China, Al Watan Voice reported yesterday.

Reporting Russia Today TV, the news website said that the rocket system is referred to as AR2 and is a 12 round 300mm Multi Launch Rocket System (MLRS).

It consists of rockets, launchtube group, launch vehicles, command vehicles and transport vehicle components.

The system consists of six launchers and is able to launch 72 rockets in 30 seconds and can be reloaded in 30 minutes.

09 Mar 2020; MEMO: Saudi Aramco shares fell ten per cent this morning after Saudi Arabia slashed its official selling prices for crude and set out plans for a dramatic increase in oil production next month, prompting a sharp drop in prices, Reuters reported.

Shares in Aramco were trading at 27 riyals ($7.20), 15.6 per cent below its initial public offering (IPO) price of 32 riyals, which in December valued the company at $1.7 trillion in the world’s biggest share offering.

09 Mar 2020; MEMO: Chief of Israel’s Blue and White party, Benny Gantz, agreed on the conditions set by Yisrael Beiteinu head Avigdor Lieberman to join a left-wing alliance, local media reported yesterday.

According to the Jewish News Syndicate, Gantz wrote on Facebook: “Agreed, we must move forward.”

09 Mar 2020; MEMO: A senior Sudanese official said yesterday that Khartoum agrees with Ethiopia in rejecting Egypt’s threats to internationalise the dispute over the Renaissance Dam that Addis Ababa is building.

Secretary-General of the Sudanese Energy, Mining, Electricity and Regulation Authority, Tijjani Adam, said Khartoum completely rejects the internationalisation of the Renaissance Dam issue, stressing that internationalising the dispute will not benefit the countries concerned.

09 Mar 2020; MEMO: Saudi’s King Salman approved the arrests of three senior royals over the weekend, local sources told Reuters.

On Friday, his son, Mohammed Bin Salman, detained the king’s younger brother, and Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, the king’s nephew and his half-brother Nawaf.

Three of the sources, including a regional source, said Mohammed and Nawaf Bin Nayef were picked up at a private desert camp on Friday. Two sources said Ahmed was taken from his home.

ISTANBUL, Mar 9 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Sunday, urged Greece to open its border gate for the passage of refugees, who have been waiting in Turkey’s northwestern border for the last 10 days to enter Europe.

“These people will not stay in Greece. They will transit to another European country from there,” Erdogan said, at a meeting in Istanbul, marking International Women’s Day.

He slammed the intervention of Greek security forces against the refugees, at the Pazarkule border crossing.

ANKARA, March 9. /TASS/: The talks involving Russia’s military delegation on the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone will start in Ankara on March 10, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Monday.

"In accordance with the Moscow memorandum (on Idlib), the talks involving Russia’s military delegation will start on March 10 in Ankara," the statement said.

The sides are expected to discuss the details on joint patrolling along the M-4 road in Syria, which is scheduled to start on March 15.