Middle East & North Africa

BAGHDAD (AP) — At least seven more Iraqi protesters were killed Saturday in clashes with security forces in Baghdad and the southern town of Nasiriyah, as thousands took part in nationwide anti-government protests, officials said.

The new violence brought the number of demonstrators killed to 49 in two days of protesting, according to an Associated Press tally. The semi-official Iraq High Commission for Human Rights, which accounts for violence in additional cities in southern Iraq, put the death toll at 63.

ANKARA, October 25. /TASS/: Moscow and Ankara are close to conclude a deal on the delivery of 36 Russian fighter jets Su-35 to Turkey, Daily Sabah newspaper reported on Friday citing its sources.

The Turkish daily also added that in line with the deal at the issue Turkey will also be granted the right for manufacturing parts and components of Russian fighter jets.

"Turkey is close to reaching a deal with Moscow over the purchase of Su-35 fighter jets as well as co-manufacturing some components of the Russian-made jets," Turkey’s Daily Sabah reported on Friday.

ADEN, Oct 26 (NNN-SABA) – The Saudi-backed Yemeni government, reached a power-sharing deal with the Southern Transitional Council (STC), following several weeks of indirect talks between the two sides, in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah, local sources said.

A Yemeni government source said, “A deal, which includes forming a power-sharing government, has been reached between the government and the STC, under the auspices of Saudi Arabia.”

CAIRO, Oct 26 (NNN-MENA) – The Egyptian parliament, rejected a European Parliament (EP) resolution, which condemns human rights conditions in the country, describing it as an “unacceptable” intervention into the internal affairs of Egypt.

The EP’s resolution represents a continuation of an unacceptable approach of previous resolutions, that are not given any consideration by the Egyptian parliament or the people, parliament said.

GAZA, Palestine, Oct 26 (NNN-WAFA) – At least 77 Palestinian demonstrators were injured on Friday, in clashes with Israeli soldiers, stationed on the borders between the eastern Gaza Strip and Israel.

Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the health ministry in Gaza, told reporters that, the injured include 31 shot by Israeli soldiers’ live ammunition.

One of the injured was a field paramedic, he said, adding that, the injured were evacuated to nearby hospitals in Gaza.

26 Oct 2019; MEMO: At least 40 people were killed and more than 2,300 others injured Friday in Iraq on Friday during anti-government protests that erupted near Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, according to Iraq’s rights commission, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the Iraq High Commission for Human Rights said fatalities were caused after clashes between protesters and security forces.

26 Oct 2019; MEMO: A Saudi newspaper revealed on Friday that the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who is allegedly affiliated with the kingdom, will resign within the next 48 hours.

Okaz reported unnamed sources claiming that Hariri will form a new 14-minister mini-government, which will not include any of the ministers of the current government.

26 Oct 2019; MEMO: The UN investigator on Jamal Khashoggi says she will “never give up” on her ongoing probe into the murder of the Saudi journalist and criticized those heading to Saudi Arabia for a business meeting next week, reports Anadolu Agency.

26 Oct 2019; MEMO: Jordanian female prisoner, Heba Al-Labadi, who has now been on hunger strike for around 30 days, was moved on Thursday to hospital after deteriorating health conditions, the Jordanian Foreign Ministry announced.

BAGHDAD, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The number of refugees crossing the border from northeastern Syria into Iraq has increased significantly in recent days after Turkish military operations in the area, the United Nations warned.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has so far provided food assistance to 8,850 newly-arrived Syrian refugees in Bardarash Camp located in Duhok Province in Iraq's semi-autonomous region of the Kurdistan, the WFP, food-assistance branch of the United Nations, said Friday.