Middle East & North Africa

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s pro-democracy movement and the army announced a joint ruling body on Tuesday, formally disbanding the military council that took power after the ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April.

The new, 11-member body — called the Sovereign Council — is to rule Sudan for a little over three years until elections can be held. An announcement about the council was delayed by two days because of last-minute, internal disputes over the opposition appointees.

20 Aug 2019; MEMO: The Jordanian parliament yesterday recommended the Israeli ambassador to Amman be expelled as a result of Israel’s violations of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Quds Press reported.

Officials also called for re-evaluating the mutual treaties between the two countries.

The recommendation was made during an emergency parliamentary meeting held to discuss the Israeli violations in Jerusalem and at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

20 Aug 2019; MEMO: An Egyptian court has sentenced six people to death on charges of establishing a terror group between 2013 and 2015 and killing three people, Al-Khaleej Online reported yesterday.

The Giza Criminal Court also sentenced 41 defendants, including 28 in absentia, to life in prison on similar charges, including possession of weapons and explosives.

20 Aug 2019; MEMO: Egyptian authorities have enforced a presidential decree to demolish a Sufi mosque in Mahmoudiyah Road in Alexandria because it was allegedly built on state owned land without a license.

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi complained that the Abu Al-Ikhlas Al-Zarqani Mosque was obstructing the five billion Egyptian pounds ($302 million) Mahmoudiyah corridor project development in Alexandria which will see the construction of four new bridges and a 6-8 lane road.

SALALAH, Oman, Aug 20 (NNN-ONA) – The Arab Conference on Sustainable Cities, kicked off on Monday in Salalah, Oman, aiming to discuss sustainable urban planning strategies and the role of real estate developers in sustainable development.

The two-day conference would review several topics, including sustainable urban development, smart cities, urban planning and design standards, smart partnerships for real estate developers, and local, regional and global models of urban development.

AMMAN, Jordan, Aug 20 (NNN-PETRA) – Germany’s Defence Minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, on Monday, stressed her country’s support for the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The German minister made the remarks, after a meeting with Jordan’s Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi in Amman, where she said, the two-state solution represents a good foundation for the Palestinians and the Israelis.

DAMASCUS, Syria, Aug 20 (NNN-SANA) – The rebel groups withdrew, today (Tuesday), from the town of Khan Shaykhun, in the northwestern province of Idlib, one of their key bastions, a war monitor reported.

KHARTOUM, Aug 20 ( NNN-AFRICANEWS) – Sudan’s ousted president Omar al-Bashir on Monday arrived amid heavy security at the courthouse in the capital Khartoum where he is facing corruption charges, a Reuters witness said.

Bashir was charged with illicit possession of foreign currency and accepting gifts in an unofficial manner, prosecutor Alaa al-Din Abdallah said in June.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels withdrew from a town in southern Idlib province and from their last remaining territory in neighboring Hama province after government troops advances in the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and local activists said.

It marks an important gain for President Bashar al-Assad into the northwestern region which is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. Backed by Russia, Syrian government forces have been attacking the region since late April.

BAGHDAD, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi forces have arrested an Islamic States (IS) militant close to IS group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in Iraq's western province of Anbar, authorities announced Monday.

The militant was ambushed and captured in the town of Heet, some 160 km west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said in a statement.