Middle East & North Africa

BEIRUT, Dec 3 (NNN-NNA) – A UN senior official, said, Israeli settlements in occupied Palestine, constitute a flagrant violation of international law.

The remarks were made by Rola Dashti, executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA), during a celebration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, at ESCWA’s headquarters in Beirut.

Dashti also voiced commitment to safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — At least 208 people in Iran have been killed amid protests over sharply rising gasoline prices and a subsequent crackdown by security forces, Amnesty International said Monday, as one government official acknowledged telling police to shoot demonstrators.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian state television on Tuesday acknowledged security forces shot and killed what it described as “rioters” in multiple cities amid recent protests over the spike in government-set gasoline prices — the first time that authorities have offered any sort of accounting for the violence they used to put down the demonstrations.

The acknowledgment came in a television package that criticized international Farsi-language channels for their reporting on the crisis, which began on Nov. 15.

02 Dec 2019; MEMO: Saudi Arabia’s State General Reserve Fund fell from 496.04 billion Saudi riyals, in September, to 490.06 billion Saudi riyals ($130.7 billion), in October, marking a decline of nearly six billion Saudi riyals.

The surplus in the budget revenues is conventionally transferred to the State General Reserve Fund. It may be withdrawn only by a Royal Decree, in cases of extreme necessity relating to the higher interests of the State.

02 Dec 2019; MEMO: Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al Sabah revealed yesterday the date Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE with reconcile with Qatar, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Al Sabah said that this would take place at the Gulf state summit in Riyadh on 10 December.

He noted: “This summit will be a very important station for the reconciliation.”

For the second consecutive year, Saudi Arabia hosts the summit of Gulf states.

02 Dec 2019; MEMO: Israel’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday that an official Israeli delegation is visiting Dubai to attend a preparatory meeting for participation in Expo 2020, Quds Press reported.

The ministry said in a statement posted on its Facebook page that the meeting which took place over the weekend aimed to inform Israel of the ongoing preparations for the fair.

02 Dec 2019; MEMO: The court case of an Israeli who infiltrated Jordan last month began today, the Petra news agency said.

Petra reported an official source saying: “The Israeli citizen Konstantin Kotov, who infiltrated the kingdom’s soil last month, was turned to Jordan’s state security court on charges of illegally entering the kingdom and possessing drugs with intent of using them.”

02 Dec 2019; MEMO: Egypt’s Grand Imam of Al- Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb said the country’s largest religious establishment is subjected to an unprecedented campaign of persecution and media blockade by the country’s state-run newspapers and media outlets.

Al-Tayeb explained during a pre-recorded interview broadcasted on Channel One, on Saturday that it is only with great difficulty that the al- Azhar is allowed to publish an article in response to an article that insults it.

Riyadh, Dec 1 (AFP/PTI) Saudi Arabia became the first Arab nation Sunday to take over the G20 presidency as it seeks to bounce back onto the world stage following global uproar over its human rights record.

The oil-rich kingdom has promoted a liberalisation drive, including granting greater rights to women, but faced strong criticism over a crackdown on dissent and the murder last year of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Baghdad, Dec 1 (AFP/PTI) Iraq's parliament approved the resignation of the embattled cabinet on Sunday, after two months of violent unrest that have left more than 420 people dead and thousands mourning them in nationwide marches.

Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi said Friday he would submit his resignation to parliament following a spike in the death toll among protesters who accuse the entire ruling elite of being inept, corrupt and beholden to foreign powers.