Middle East & North Africa

ADEN, Yemen, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's parliament convened on Saturday in the city of Seiyun, the second largest city in the southeastern province of Hadramout, for the first time since the outbreak of the devastating civil war in the impoverished Arab country in March 2015.

The parliament held its first meeting at the presidential palace in Seiyun city, with the presence of Yemeni President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and delegates of Arab and foreign countries.

Displaced Syrians reach the Jlaighem crossing in the eastern countryside of Homs Province in central Syria, on April 13, 2019.

Tens of civilians reached a crossing point in the Syrian desert on Saturday from the rebel-held Rukban refugee camp in southeastern Syria.

The Rukban camp is home to 50,000 displaced Syrians, who are suffering from the harsh humanitarian situation because of the cold weather and lack of supplies. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

RAMALLAH, April 13 (Xinhua) -- New Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye and his cabinet members were sworn in on Saturday before President Mahmoud Abbas at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the official television reported.

The 18th Palestinian government since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1995 was sworn in according to a presidential decree issued by Abbas.

According to the presidential decree, Ishtaye will serve as the minister of interior and minister of Waqf, or religious affairs, until two new ministers are named.

DAMASCUS, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Israeli warplanes conducted airstrikes against a military site in central Syria before dawn Saturday, state news agency SANA reported.

The warplanes carried out the attack from inside the Lebanese airspace and targeted the military site in the central city of Masyaf.

The Syrian air defenses intercepted several missiles before reaching their targets.

The attack destroyed some facilities and wounded three soldiers, according to the report.

ALGIERS, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Algerians on Friday staged wide scale marches to reject the appointment of Abdelkader Bensalah as interim president.

The marches were conducted across Algeria, while the largest one was in the capital city of Algiers where millions took to the street to demand the departure of the current interim president and members of the care-taking cabinet.

BAGHDAD, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces received Friday a batch of 200 Islamic State (IS) militants captured by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in neighboring Syria, a security source said.

"Iraqi security forces have received 200 IS militants, who are Iraqi nationals, from the Kurdish-led SDF," an officer from al-Jazira Operations Command, responsible for security in Iraq's western province of Anbar, told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

KHARTOUM, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's opposition Freedom and Change Alliance on Friday urged the new leadership of the Transitional Military Council to transfer power to a transitional civilian government.

The alliance brings together the Sudanese Professionals Association, the National Consensus Forces' Alliance, Sudan Call Forces and the opposition unionist group.

KHARTOUM, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of Sudan's transitional military council Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf on Friday announced his resignation.

"I, chairman of the transitional military council, declare my resignation from this post," said Ibn Auf in a statement broadcast by official Sudan TV.

"I announce selection of Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan as chairman of the transitional military council," he added.

On Thursday, Sudan's Defense Minister Ibn Auf announced the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir and his government.

GAZA, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army shot dead a Palestinian boy on Friday and wounded dozens during clashes with hundreds of Palestinian demonstrators in eastern Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israeli, according to medics.

Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave, told reporters that Maysara Abu Shaloof, 15 years old from Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip, immediately died of an Israeli gunshot in his abdomen.

Al-Qedra added that 66 demonstrators were injured, including 15 children and two paramedics.

12 Apr 2019; DW: Sudan's newly appointed military council said on Friday that deposed President Omar al-Bashir will not be handed over to other countries under its watch, but will be tried at home.

The former president, who ruled Sudan for 30 years and also came to power through a military coup, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague over allegations of genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.

Seeking 'acceptable and agreeable' solutions