Middle East & North Africa

TEHRAN, Feb 19 (NNN-IRNA) – An Iranian official, said that, Iran may enact punitive measures against Samsung, after the company decided to impose restrictions on Iranian users, Press TV reported.

Iran could refuse the entry of Samsung executives and staff and even impose a partial ban on the registry of Samsung mobile phones on the Iranian mobile phone network, said Mohammad Jafar Na’nakar, who heads the legal department at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

RAMALLAH, Palestine, Feb 19 (NNN-WAFA) — Palestine declared, it will start legal actions against the U.S. company, Amazon, for its discriminatory policy, favouring Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The Palestinian Ministry of Economy said, it will begin legal actions against the e-commerce company, over its discrimination policy that allows free shipping to Israeli settlements, but not to Palestinian communities.

JERUSALEM, Feb 19 (NNN-WAFA) – Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial is scheduled to begin on Mar 17, two weeks after the country’s parliamentary elections, authorities said.

The spokesperson’s office of the Jerusalem District Court, where the trial is set to take place, said, the long-stalled trial will begin at 3.00 p.m. on Mar 17.

A three-justice panel for the trial was already announced, which includes Rivkah Friedman-Feldman, Moshe Bar-Am, and Oded Shaham — all are judges with the Jerusalem District Court.

MUNICH (Germany), Feb 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — World powers and regional actors overseeing Libya, meeting at the Munich Security Conference, have warned against the deteriorating situation in the North African country.

The German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, said those who break the UN arms embargo on Libya must be held accountable.

The UN deputy envoy to Libya, Stephanie Williams, said that last month’s truce there had been violated more than 150 times already and that it was – as she put it – hanging by a thread.

AMMAN, Feb 19 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan’s agriculture ministry said, alert was raised from medium to high, as part of measures to control invading locusts.

Agriculture Minister, Ibrahim Shahahdeh, said, the measure was taken, after follow-ups showed that, swarms of desert locusts had reached some parts of Saudi Arabia, mainly Hail, some 500 km from Saudi-Jordanian borders.

Jordan is able and ready to face the ravenous insects, with the support of the Royal Air Force, the Royal Badia Forces and the Jordan Customs Department, among others, he said.

JERUSALEM, Feb 19 (NNN-MA’AN) – Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival, Benny Gantz, said, Netanyahu cannot carry out his state duties after his corruption trial opens in Mar, and needs to be replaced.

Gantz, leader of the centrist Blue and White party, made the remark, during a campaign rally in the city of Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv, ahead of Israel’s Mar 2 elections, a vote widely perceived as a personnel referendum on Netanyahu.

TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday called for a high turnout in the upcoming parliamentary elections to disappoint the United States.

"Elections neutralize many of the evil intentions that the Americans and the Zionists (Israelis) have in mind against Iran," Khamenei said.

"These elections are the response to the chicanery and deception of Iran's enemies," he said, according to Press TV.

Iranian people will go to the ballot boxes on Friday to vote for lawmakers for the 290-seat parliament.

JERUSALEM (AP) — The criminal trial for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin March 17, court officials announced Tuesday, shaking up the final stretch of a contentious election campaign and hurting the longtime Israeli leader’s hopes of forming a new government after the vote.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Talks between Russia and Turkey meant to reduce tensions in northwestern Syria did not yield a “satisfactory result” for Ankara, but both sides agreed to continue negotiations, a spokesman for Turkey’s president said Tuesday.

18 Feb 2020; MEMO: The UAE’s Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) has issued an operating licence for the first section of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant.

The permanent representative of the UAE to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Hamad Al-Kaabi, said that the Board of Directors of FANR granted the licence to the Nawah Power Company in what is a “historic moment” for the UAE.