Middle East & North Africa

BETHLEHEM, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye declared on Saturday that Palestine will invest 100 million U.S. dollars to establish an alternative energy sources company.

"At the World Economic Forum at Davos, we will announce the creation of a company with 100 million dollars investment to support projects for alternative energy sources in Palestine," Ishtaye said.

His remarks came in a speech during a groundbreaking ceremony for four new hotels in Bethlehem city in the south of the West Bank.

AMMAN, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan on Saturday sent a letter to Iraqi President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi about tension de-escalation in the Gulf region.

In the letter delivered by Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, the Jordanian king highlighted the centrality of maintaining Iraq's sovereignty, safety and security to regional and international security, while voicing Jordan's full support for Iraq, according to a Foreign Ministry statement obtained by Xinhua.

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — A move by Libya’s east-based forces to choke off oil exports from its territory threatens to throttle much of the country’s oil production, the national oil corporation said Saturday, escalating tensions ahead of an international peace summit to end the civil war.

BEIRUT (AP) — Police fired volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets in Lebanon’s capital Saturday to disperse thousands of protesters amid some of the worst rioting since demonstrations against the country’s ruling elite erupted three months ago. More than 150 people were injured.

Thick white smoke covered the downtown Beirut area near Parliament as police and protesters engaged in confrontations that saw groups of young men hurl stones and firecrackers at police who responded with water cannons and tear gas. Some protesters were seen vomiting on the street from inhaling the gas.

ALEPPO /Syria/, January 18. /TASS/: Illegal armed units continue to shell the Syrian city of Aleppo, where 28 civilians were killed in the past three days, the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria said in a statement, adding that another 56 civilians had suffered wounds.

According to the center, attacks keep coming from areas in the Idlib province that are still controlled by militants.

18 Jan 2019; MEMO: A school that was in the middle of construction in the town of Yatta located in the south Hebron hills of the occupied West Bank has been destroyed by Israeli soldiers, reported the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The foundations of what would have been an elementary school was built between Yatta and Bani Naim, in an area close to the illegal Israeli settlement of Beni Hefer.

18 Jan 2019; MEMO: Turkey deported four terrorists of Germany nationality to their country, the Turkish Interior Ministry announced on Friday, Anadolu Agency reports.

The terrorists were deported as part of Turkey’s ramped-up efforts to repatriate foreign terrorist fighters, the ministry said in a statement.

Turkey continues to deport foreign terrorist fighters, it added.

18 Jan 2019; MEMO: United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Friday for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Syria’s opposition-held Idlib province, saying the latest ceasefire attempt had yet again failed to protect civilians, Reuters reports.

Turkey, which for years has backed Syrian rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad, agreed a truce with Russia that was supposed to have taken hold in the bastion of 3 million people in the northwest earlier this month.

CAIRO (Reuters) - The United Nations mission in Libya said on Saturday it was deeply concerned over efforts to disrupt oil production in the country and urged all sides to exercise restraint.

“This move would have devastating consequences first and foremost for the Libyan people who depend on the free flow of oil for their well-being,” the mission said.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has called on Europe to support its work in Libya, where it is providing military support to the internationally-recognized government, if it wants to end the conflict there.

Erdogan made his remarks in a column published on the Politico website on Saturday, ahead of a summit in Berlin on Sunday that will try to stabilize the country.