Middle East & North Africa

3 Aug 2019; MEMO: Houthi militias claimed yesterday that they had captured 15 military bases in the Saudi Arabian cities of Jazan and Najran in 72 hours, Al Khaleej Online reported.

In a press conference, Spokesman for the Houthis Yahya Saree also said that the Saudi Arabian military base in Khamis Msheet was partially paralysed.

Saree also revealed details about launching the ballistic missile which targeted the Saudi city of Al-Dammam earlier this week.

CAIRO, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed on Saturday ways to boost mutual ties.

During a phone call, Johnson said he is keen to promote ties with Egypt in all fields, mainly the economic and investment sectors, spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency Basaam Rady said in a statement.

Johnson hailed the achievements Egypt has made in the investment, economic and social fields.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has seized an oil tanker carrying 700,000 liters of “smuggled fuel” in the Persian Gulf, Iranian media reported Sunday.

State TV and the semi-official Fars news agency reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized late Wednesday. They did not provide further details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.

“This foreign vessel had received the fuel from other ships and was transferring it to Persian Gulf Arab states,” Fars quoted Gen. Ramazan Zirahi, a Guard commander, as saying.

2 Aug 2019; MEMO: Turkey has granted citizenship to more than 92,000 Syrians including children, the country’s interior minister said Friday.

“Nearly 92,280 Syrians, including children, have been granted citizenship. Among them, 47,000 Syrians are adults and 45,280 are children. Most of them are teachers, engineers and qualified people who can make their own living,” Suleyman Soylu told reporters at a news briefing.

3 Aug 2019; MEMO: The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) appealed Friday to the European Union and human rights organisations to “intervene urgently” to stop Israel’s “ongoing crimes” against Palestinian detainees, Anadolu Agency reports.

GAZA, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 51 Palestinians were injured on Friday afternoon in the weekly anti-Israel protests in the eastern Gaza Strip close to the border with Israel.

According to the doctors of the Gaza Health Ministry, 26 Palestinians were injured by Israeli soldiers' gunfire, including two photojournalists covering the demonstrations.

Hundreds of protesters gathered on Friday afternoon in eastern Gaza to join the 69th Friday rally that started in March last year.

CAIRO (AP) — The African Union envoy to Sudan said Saturday the pro-democracy movement and the ruling military council have finalized a power-sharing agreement.

Mohammed el-Hassan Lebatt said the two sides have agreed on a constitutional declaration outlining the division of power for a three-year transition to elections. He did not provide further details or say when the agreement would be signed. Sudan’s state-run SUNA news agency quoted protest leader Omar al-Dagir as saying the agreement would be signed Sunday.

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Mohammed Haji Abed drives his yellow taxi through the busy streets of the Syrian capital for about 12 hours a day, toiling in the sweltering summer heat but earning barely enough for his family of five to get by.

It was easier for him to make ends meet at the height of his country’s civil war, when rebels regularly lobbed mortars into Damascus from their strongholds on the outskirts of the city.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia published new laws early Friday that loosen restrictions on women by allowing any citizen to apply for a passport and travel freely, ending a long-standing guardianship policy that gave men control over women.

01 August 2019; AFP: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday mocked a US decision to impose sanctions on his top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif, saying it showed Washington was "afraid" of him as tensions again flare between the arch-enemies.

The US Treasury said the sanctions would freeze any of Zarif's assets in the United States or controlled by US entities, as well as squeeze his ability to function as a globe-trotting diplomat.