Middle East & North Africa

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian oil tanker carrying over 1 million barrels of fuel oil suffered a malfunction in the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia, authorities said Thursday, raising concerns that the vessel could be leaking.

The incident involving the Happiness I came as U.S. oil exemptions for Iranian crude oil purchases expired, part of President Donald Trump’s maximalist approach against Tehran.

TUNIS, April 30 (Xinhua): Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday called for dialogue to stop the fighting in Libya and settle the crisis there.

"Dialogue is the only way to avoid escalation and guarantee the unity and stability of Libya," Conte was quoted as saying in a press release by the Tunisian presidency.

Essebsi received Conte in Tunis, where he was attending the first session of the Tunisian-Italian Higher Council of Strategic Partnership.

DAMASCUS, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army has started sending reinforcements to the northwestern province of Idlib as part of the preparation for a possible operation against the rebels, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported Tuesday.

The report said the new development comes as Turkey has failed to live up to its pledges regarding the rebels' situation in Idlib, as de-escalation zones' deal reached between Turkey and Russia last September is falling apart.

KHARTOUM, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC) on Monday said it agreed with the Sudanese opposition to open the main roads and bridges near the army's general headquarters where thousands of Sudanese protesters are staging a sit-in.

"The TMC noted the importance of normalizing the life of people, as we have discussed this matter with our partners of the Freedom and Change Alliance," Shams-Eddin Kabashi, the TMC spokesman, said at a press conference in the capital Khartoum.

RAMALLAH, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Despite the severed Palestinian-U.S. ties, Washington is trying to push ahead with its "Deal of the Century," Nabil Shaath, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' foreign relations advisor, said on Monday.

But U.S. President Donald Trump's support has encouraged the Israeli government to take more steps against the Palestinians, including a possible annexation of part of the West Bank to keep only Jewish settlements there, he added.

RAMALLAH, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday that the Palestinian Authority will not accept partial payment of its tax transfers owed by Israel.

Abbas made the remark while chairing a meeting of the newly formed Palestinian cabinet, warning that Israel is seeking to legalize its deduction of the taxes collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudanese protest leaders held talks with the ruling military council on Sunday after the military condemned an attack on an Islamist party close to President Omar al-Bashir, who was removed from power and jailed earlier this month.

Dozens of protesters on Saturday surrounded a building where the Popular Congress Party was holding a meeting, chanting: “No place for Islamists.”

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s state-run news agency says a man accused of spying for the United Arab Emirates has committed suicide in prison.

The man was one of two suspects arrested in Istanbul earlier this month on charges of “political, military and international espionage.” The suspects have not been identified.

Anadolu Agency said Monday one of them hanged himself at Silivri prison on the outskirts of Istanbul. It did not provide further details.

TASS, April 28. Iran is considering plans of leaving the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as one of the options of responding to tightening US sanctions against the Islamic republic, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told state television, according to the Mehr news agency.

"The Islamic Republic’s choices are numerous, and the officials are studying them…leaving NPT is one of them," Zarif said on Sunday.

Washington restored sanctions against Iran, including the ban on oil purchases, in November 2018.

28 Apr 2019; DW: Sudan's army rulers and opposition have reached a breakthrough in talks to form a joint civilian-military council. Thousands of protesters remain camped out in Khartoum calling for a transition to civilian rule.

Sudan's army rulers and an opposition coalition agreed on Saturday to form a joint civilian-military council to lead the country's transition following three decades of autocratic rule by President Omar al-Bashir, according to several unnamed sources.