Middle East & North Africa

BEIRUT (AP) — Nissan’s fugitive ex-boss Carlos Ghosn made his first public appearance since being smuggled out of Japan , saying Wednesday he fled a “nightmare” that would not end and vowed to defend his name wherever he can get a fair trial.

Ghosn spoke to a room packed with journalists for more than two hours in the Lebanese capital, where he arrived last week after jumping $14 million bail despite supposedly rigorous surveillance — a bold and improbable escape that embarrassed Japanese authorities and has allowed him to evade trial on charges of financial misconduct.

08 Jan 2019; MEMO: Detained Saudi cleric, Salman Al-Ouda, has refused family visits in protest against the prison administration’s repressive measures against him.

The Prisoners of Conscience Twitter group, which reports on political prisoners in Saudi Arabia, said on Monday that the Al-Haer prison administration, south of Riyadh – where Odeh is being detained – had denied him the right to a defence during in a recent court hearing.

08 Jan 2019; MEMO: EgyptAir has announced it will suspend flights to Baghdad for three days due to the instable security situation in Iraq.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has said the decision is to ensure the safety of passengers and airplanes.

08 Jan 2019; MEMO: Two Israeli centre-left opposition parties, Labor and Meretz, are “expected to discuss the possibility of running together in the upcoming Knesset election”, reported Haaretz, citing “sources familiar with talks between the two parties”.

08 Jan 2019; MEMO: Turkey stressed its willingness to mediate between the US and Iran as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul for the inauguration of TurkStream natural gas pipeline and to discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East and North Africa.

08 Jan 2019; MEMO: With the risk of being caught in the cross fire of the conflict between US and Iran, Iraq’s Kurds are appealing to both parties to keep the region out of the conflict.

Leaders of the Kurdish community met today to discuss the fallout from the latest escalation in conflict which saw Iran launch a series of rockets at US air bases in Iraq.

08 Jan 2019; MEMO: The comprehensive annual Israel Democracy Index found that the majority of Israelis think that their leadership is corrupt or very corrupt, the Jerusalem Post reported yesterday.

According to the newspaper, the index, which was conducted by Guttman Centre for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute, presented the results to the Israeli president.

Istanbul, Jan 8 (AFP/PTI) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will host Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to inaugurate a new gas pipeline, with tensions in Libya and Syria also on the agenda.

Putin arrived late on Tuesday after paying a surprise visit to Syria -- his first to Damascus since the war began -- at a moment of acute uncertainty in the Middle East following the assassination of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by the United States.

TRIPOLI, Jan 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Higher Council of State of Libya, an advisory body, on Tuesday recommended the UN-backed government to cut relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for “direct involvement in the attack on Tripoli”.

The Council recommended the UN-backed government to cut relations with the UAE for “being a direct partner in the aggression on Tripoli, and in the massacre of the military academy in particular”.

TEHRAN, Jan 8 (NNN-IRNA) — A passenger plane has crashed near the Imam Khomeini International Airport in southern Tehran, according to Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

The plane is reported to be a Boeing 737 which belongs to an Ukrainian airline.

The Ukraine International Airlines flight was said to be on the way to Kiev from Tehran when it crashed after taking off.

Speaking to IRNA,  Emergency Department spokesman Mojtaba Khaledi said the plane was carrying 170 passengers and crew members.