Middle East & North Africa

HILLA, Iraq/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces killed at least 14 people in the Shi’ite holy city of Kerbala overnight after opening fire on protesters, medical and security sources said, in a return to tactics denounced by the government’s own internal inquiry.

At least 865 people were wounded, the sources said. Three protesters died in the southern city of Nassiriya from wounds sustained in earlier protests.

Kerbala’s health department chief however said 122 people were injured, including 66 members of the security forces.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to shift funds designated for civilian purposes to military spending to meet any threats from Iran, a government official said on Tuesday.

Netanyahu, in a speech on Monday, did not specify the amount of the funds but said they needed to be moved “now”.

Asked about the prime minister’s remarks, the official made clear that no such shift was imminent.

DUBAI/RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Aramco aims to announce the start of its initial public offering (IPO) on Nov. 3, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters, after delaying the deal earlier this month to give advisers time to secure cornerstone investors.

The people also said Aramco’s chief executive officer, Amin Nasser, was not present at the conference on Tuesday as he was meeting investors abroad ahead of the offering.

29 Oct 2019; MEMO: US troops which withdrew from Syria a few days ago have left Iraq, an Iraqi military source said on Monday.

The source pointed out that “the US forces entered Iraq days ago through the ports of the Kurdistan region (north), and left for unidentified US bases in other countries,” reported Russia Today (RT).

29 Oct 2019; MEMO: Jordanian Prime Minister Omar Al-Razzaz is likely to announce the fourth government reshuffle since he was appointed to head the unit in June 2018, Anadolu said yesterday.

29 Oct 2019; MEMO: At least 20 demonstrators were killed and more than 600 others injured yesterday when Iraqi forces attempted to break a protest camp in the southern city of Karbala, as reported on Anadolu Agency.

A security source earlier said anti-riot police moved to disperse “an unlicensed sit-in” in central Karbala.

He said protesters ignored calls by security forces to end their sit-in.

29 Oct 2019; MEMO: Dubai has loosened its liquor laws in order to face the severe economic crisis that has affected the trade in alcohol, news agencies have reported. For the first time, Dubai now allows tourists to buy alcohol from state-owned markets, said Associated Press on Tuesday, whereas before only locals with special licences could do so.

Riyadh, Oct 29 (PTI) Saudi Arabia on Tuesday inaugurated a three-day high-profile financial summit, being attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other world leaders, aimed at drawing foreign investors to help the Gulf Kingdom diversify its oil-based economy.

The forum, dubbed "Davos in the desert", is an initiative of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who plans to diversify the Kingdom's economy while reducing its economic dependence on petroleum products under his ambitious vision 2030 plan.

29 Oct 2019; PTI: Business Wire India Merck KGaA Germany, a leading science and technology company, announced today the establishment of its Sustainability Centre in District 2020, Dubai.

ISTANBUL, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Tuesday detained 26 people, including 12 Syrians, in northwestern Turkey over their suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) militant group, local media reported.

Police launched operations simultaneously in several locations in the province of Bursa to capture the suspects, the state-run TRT broadcaster said.

The Syrians will be sent to the repatriation center in Bursa for deportation, TRT added, without identifying the nationalities of the other detainees.