Middle East & North Africa

JERUSALEM, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday played down Israeli concerns over the U.S. pullout from Syria, saying his country will continue to act against Iranian forces in Syria.

"I would like to reassure those who are concerned," he said at the weekly cabinet meeting. "Our cooperation with the United States will continue in full and finds expression in many areas."

This cooperation includes joint operations, intelligence information, and "many other security spheres," he added.

BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian war monitor and Turkish media say Turkey is massing troops near a town in northern Syria held by a U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led force.

Turkey said it would delay a promised offensive in Syria following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to dislodge the Kurdish fighters, who Turkey views as an extension of the insurgency within its borders. The U.S. had partnered with the Syrian Kurdish militia to drive out the Islamic State group.

CAIRO (AP) — On the Giza Plateau outside Cairo, thousands of Egyptians are laboring in the shadow of the pyramids to erect a monument worthy of the pharaohs.

ANKARA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Friday welcomed a decision of United States for pullout of all its troops from Syria and declared that it postponed an already announced operation into the east of Euphrates River in the war-torn country.

Moreover, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a recent deal with his U.S. counterpart for eliminating residues of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria by the Turkish army.

22 Dec 2018; DW: Hours after a Security Council vote, a UN team has landed in Yemen to observe the departure of fighters from Hodeida. The port city serves as the entry point for the majority of imports to the war-ravaged country.

A United Nations monitoring team posted to Yemen's port city of Hodeida has arrived in the country, a UN source said on Saturday.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Women, some without headscarves, drove themselves to a Formula-E car race where thousands of young Saudis and hundreds of international visitors partied into the night at concerts by Enrique Iglesias, The Black Eyed Peas and DJ David Guetta.

DUBAI, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will deposit 11 billion dirhams (3 billion U.S. dollars) in the State Bank of Pakistan to help with the country's cash and financial policies, state-run WAM news agency reported Friday.

The move aims "to enhance the liquidity and monetary reserve of the foreign currency in the State Bank," WAM cited the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development as saying in a statement.

ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will continue to stand by Iran despite the "unjust" sanctions that the U.S. imposed on the country, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.

Erdogan made the remarks at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in the capital Ankara.

"Turkey does not support the U.S. sanctions which put regional stability and security into danger," Erdogan said.

He vowed that Turkey and Iran will join their efforts to end clashes and ensure regional security.

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian court has acquitted 43 people, including German and U.S. nationals, of charges they illegally received funding for their local and foreign non-governmental groups.

Thursday’s verdict ended a seven-year legal battle that rattled civil society groups just months after a 2011 uprising forced autocrat Hosni Mubarak to step down after 29 years in power.

18 Dec 2018; AFP: Yemen's flashpoint city of Hodeida was calm Tuesday as a ceasefire took effect and a team including members of the warring sides prepared to monitor the truce agreed at talks in Sweden.

A lasting ceasefire would be a major step in efforts to end Yemen's devastating war, which has killed thousands and left 14 million people on the brink of famine.

The truce which came into force overnight was due to be followed by a team of observers deploying "within 24 hours", a United Nations official said.