Middle East & North Africa

New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) As the US waiver on import of Iranian crude oil expires next month, India Thursday said it was engaged with the Trump administration on the issue.

In November, the US granted a six-month waiver to India, China, Greece, Italy, Taiwan, Japan, Turkey and South Korea to continue importing oil from Iran.

The temporary waiver ends on May 2.

MOSCOW, April 4. /TASS/. Russia has transferred the remains of Israeli tank battalion soldier Zachary Baumel, who had been missing in action for 37 years after the Battle of Sultan Yacoub in Lebanon, over to Israel, the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters on Thursday.

"Today, in the Russian Defense Ministry the remains of the Israeli soldier were handed over to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with honors to be buried by his relatives in his homeland," the ministry said.

ROSTOV-ON-DON, April 4. /TASS/. The captain of a vessel arrested in Turkey with a Russian crew on board, Bakhman Bagirov, has signed documents, under which the ship is to be sold upon the return of all its crew home, while money must be used first and foremost to pay off debts to the Russian seamen.

ANKARA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Initial delivery of Russian made S-400 air defense system parts will start in June, as planned before, Turkish officials said on Thursday.

"The first parts of the S-400 air defense system will arrive in June and the shipment will be completed in July," a Turkish official from the Ministry of Defense said on condition of anonymity.

KUWAIT CITY, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait opened on Wednesday the third phase of the Bait Al-Othman Museum, a historic museum in Kuwait located in Hawalli Governorate.

At the opening ceremony, Mohammad Al-Jabri, Kuwait's minister of information and minister of state for youth affairs, said that the museum is a great addition to the cultural and educational field in the country.

Jerusalem, Apr 3; PTI/GANASHAKTI:  A delegation led by Israel's National Security Adviser lost classified documents related to weapons deals with India but in a stroke of luck they were recovered, thanks to a restaurant waiter's presence of mind, a media report said on Wednesday.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Meir Ben Shabbat travelled with several members of the National Security Council (NSC) to India in January this year when he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval.

JERUSALEM (AP) — In a charged election campaign that has been heavy on insults and short on substance, Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians has been notably absent from the discourse.

ISTANBUL; 2 Apr 2019; AA: The Istanbul provincial head of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party on Monday said voting in the city during Sunday’s local ballot had seen documented irregularities that could potentially change the outcome in AK Party’s favor. 

"Our [party] organization has been vigilantly reviewing all available data since last night," Bayram Senocak told a party meeting on the European side of the city.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Aramco’s net profits reached $111 billion last year, according to an assessment published Monday by Moody’s Investors Services that offered a rare glimpse into the state-owned oil firm’s finances before it issues its first bonds in international markets.

That places Aramco ahead of some of the world’s most profitable firms. By contrast, Apple booked a net profit of about $60 billion in its last full year, Royal Dutch Shell had net income of $23 billion and Exxon Mobil $21 billion.

2 Apr 2019; AFP: The children of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi have received multimillion-dollar homes and are being paid thousands of dollars per month by the kingdom's authorities, The Washington Post reported Monday.

Khashoggi -- a contributor to the Post and a critic of the Saudi government -- was killed and dismembered in October at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul by a team of 15 agents sent from Riyadh. His body has not been recovered.