Middle East & North Africa

CAIRO, December 9. /TASS/. Russian aviation security experts arrived on Sunday in Egypt to inspect airports in the resorts towns of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, a source at the Cairo airport told TASS.

"Some 20 people have arrived in Cairo by plane. They were divided into two groups: one headed to Hurghada and the second one to Sharm el-Sheikh," the source said.

The specialists are due to assess the airports’ readiness to ensure security of passengers. The trip will last for around a week.

Tehran, Dec 8 (AFP) Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said US sanctions were "economic terrorism", as he sought to foster a united front from visiting regional officials on Saturday.

"America's unjust and illegal sanctions against the honourable nation of Iran have targeted our nation as a clear instance of terrorism," Rouhani told a conference in Tehran attended by officials from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey.

RIYADH, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia launched two aerial survey satellites from China-based Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Friday, Al Arabiya TV reported.

The two satellites, named Saudi SAT 5A and Saudi SAT 5B, were manufactured by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, a Saudi government scientific institution, in October.

6 Dec 2018; DW: President Donald Trump's call for OPEC to keep oil flows unrestricted drew criticism from Saudi Arabia. The oil cartel convened in Vienna to discuss cutting output, in a bid to bring prices back from a two month slump.

Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Khalid Al-Falih said ahead of a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on Thursday that the cartel did not "need permission from anyone to cut" production.

5 Dec 2018; AFP: A Turkish prosecutor has demanded that arrest warrants be issued against two Saudi nationals close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Turkish source close to the investigation said Wednesday.

Khashoggi, 59, was killed shortly after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperwork for his upcoming marriage.

4 Dec 2018; AFP: World Cup matches in Qatar could kick-off as early as 1000 GMT if it holds four games a day during the 2022 tournament group stage, organisers confirmed Tuesday.

The other three games would start at 1300, 1600 and 1900 GMT, Nasser al-Khater, assistant secretary general for the World Cup organising body the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, told local broadcaster, Qatar Television.

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — North Korea’s foreign minister says his country and Syria face the same “enemy” and called for increased cooperation between them.

Syria’s President Bashar Assad received Ri Yong Ho on Tuesday. Assad responded by identifying the United States as a hostile country to Syria and North Korea. Syria state news agency SANA carried the comments.

Washington has an estimated 2,000 troops stationed in eastern Syria as part of its campaign against Islamic State group militants.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis across the country are protesting what they see as the government’s inadequate response to violence against women.

Protesters blocked main intersections and staged graphic demonstrations drawing attention to their cause. In Jerusalem, protesters splattered red paint on a street littered with signs bearing the names of dozens of women killed. Activists filled a Tel Aviv square with some 200 dyed-red shoes meant to symbolize violence against women. A central protest will be held later Tuesday.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Palestinian officials say Israeli troops have killed a Palestinian man during a military operation in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

Tulkarem governor Isam Abu Baker said Tuesday that 22-year-old Mohammed Habali was shot in the head “without posing any threat to the soldiers.” Hundreds attended Habali’s funeral in Tulkarem.

JERUSALEM (AP) — A Saudi dissident has filed a lawsuit against an Israeli surveillance company, claiming its sophisticated spyware targeted him and helped lead to the killing of his friend, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The suit, filed in a Tel Aviv court on Sunday, follows others previously filed against the company. But because of its links to the international outrage over the killing of Khashoggi, it is likely to shine a larger spotlight on the company and the Israeli government, which licenses the export of the surveillance technology.