Middle East & North Africa

BAGHDAD, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Friday warned of chaos if the government resigns, and promised a cabinet reshuffle, more job opportunities and the establishment of a court to prosecute corrupt officials should he remain in power.

"The resignation of the government today without providing a constitutional alternative means leading the country into chaos," Abdul Mahdi said in his televised speech earlier Friday.

25 Oct 2019; MEMO: Hemaya Centre For Human Rights has called on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to form a legal committee of Palestinian lawyers and experts in order to prepare a legal file on the policy of collective punishment practised by the Israeli occupation authorities, notably houses demolition, and to submit it to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

25 Oct 2019; MEMO: Turkey is forcibly sending Syrian refugees to an area of Syria near the border where it aims to set up a “safe zone” even though the conflict there has not ended, Amnesty International said in a report published today.

25 Oct 2019; MEMO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday the reform of the UN Security Council, which is committed to the will of its five permanent members, is now a necessity rather than a need, Anadolu reports.

Erdogan highlighted this point in a message on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the founding of the UN.

BEIRUT (AP) — Turkish forces and their allies attacked Syrian government troops in northeastern Syria on Thursday, killing some of them, and they also clashed with Kurdish-led fighters, the state news agency in Damascus and a war monitoring group said.

The fighting underscored the risks of violence as multiple and often opposing armed forces jostle for new positions in the tight quarters of the northeastern border zone.

JERUSALEM, Oct 24 (NNN-XINHUA) – Benny Gantz, Israel’s former military chief, was given the mandate to form a new government after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to do so, amid a political deadlock.

Israeli President, Reuven Rivlin, officially tasked Gantz, leader of the centrist Blue and White party, with forming a new government.

Speaking in a broadcast ceremony, Rivlin urged Gantz to “compromise” and form a unity government, to avoid another round of elections.

24 Oct 2019; MEMO: Recent talks between Jordan and the International Monitory Fund (IMF) were “important” but Amman “will not accept any proposals that are inconsistent with its national interests”, the country’s minister of finance said on Tuesday.

RIYADH, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Wednesday relieved Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Al-Assaf and Minister of Transport Nabil Al Amoudi of their posts, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The decision was taken as part of a series of royal orders that included the appointment of certain officials to head various authorities, such as the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud was appointed as the foreign minister, and Saleh bin Nasser bin Ali Al-Jasser as the transport minister.

BEIRUT, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The British embassy in Lebanon called on Lebanese officials on Thursday to meet the protesters' demands by implementing quick and necessary reforms.

"Necessary reform measures must be implemented quickly. This is an important moment for Lebanon and the Lebanese who have legitimately expressed their anger," the embassy said in a statement quoted by local news agency Lebanon 24.

BEIRUT (AP) — Once again, Syrian President Bashar Assad has snapped up a prize from world powers that have been maneuvering in his country’s multi-front wars. Without firing a shot, his forces are returning to towns and villages in northeastern Syria where they haven’t set foot for years.

Assad was handed one victory first by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from northeastern Syria, analysts said. Then he got another from a deal struck between Turkey and Russia, Damascus’ ally.