Middle East & North Africa

ADEN, Yemen, Jan 19 (NNN-YPA) – A military officer and three soldiers from Yemen’s government forces were killed by a roadside bomb, in the country’s southern turbulent province of Abyan yesterday, a government official said.

The bomb, which was planted by al-Qaeda terrorists, detonated near a vehicle, in the Mudiyah district of Abyan, killing a military officer, three soldiers and wounding two others, the local government official said, on condition of anonymity.

JERUSALEM, Jan 19 (NNN-MNA) – Israel’s Supreme Court, ruled yesterday that, a key member in the country’s new extreme-right government, could not serve as minister, because of his criminal conviction.

Israel’s top court said, Aryeh Deri, leader of the ultra-Orthodox party of Shas and a powerful figure in Israeli politics, is disqualified from serving as a minister, because of his conviction of tax fraud.

18 Jan 2023; MEMO: Jordanian Ambassador Ghassan Majali was stopped by Israeli police at the Lion's Gate entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque compound yesterday. The Israelis claimed that he was stopped because of a lack of coordination with the occupation authorities.

According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, the police pointed out that the Jordanian diplomat was not denied entry, but just delayed briefly.

18 Jan 2023; MEMO: Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, stressed on Tuesday that its military wing Al-Qassam Brigades "will not release Israeli captives without an honourable swap".

In a statement, Hamas spokesman, Hazem Qasem, said: "Palestinian Resistance is able to release out prisoners. It has previously proved that and proved its creative ability to use different tools and means."

18 Jan 2023; MEMO: Israel has appealed to Pope Francis, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Secretary-General on Wednesday to help it recover four citizens held in the Gaza Strip for more than seven years, Reuters reports.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's office said he sent letters of appeal after Gaza's ruling Palestinian group, Hamas, released a video of captive, Avera Mengistu, who walked into the enclave and whose family says he suffers from mental illness.

18 Jan 2023; MEMO: Oman is planning to build the region's first space rocket launch centre this year, reports The National. The Etlaq Space Launch Complex will be based in the port town of Duqm, with the three-year construction project overseen by the Sultanate's National Aerospace Services Company (Nascom).

The space rocket launch platform will be used to promote scientific research and to promote international collaboration in the space sector.

18 Jan 2023; MEMO: Court documents showed that Tesla's billionaire CEO, Elon Musk, had met with the Governor of the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund, known as the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Yasir Al-Rumayyan, on several occasions, and that Al-Rumayyan had urged Musk to turn Tesla into a private company.

18 Jan 2023; MEMO: The United States expects Israel, under a visa-waiver deal being discussed between the allies, to enable free passage for Palestinian-Americans into the Occupied West Bank, the US ambassador said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

Among territories where Palestinians seek statehood, the West Bank has seen a surge in violence over the past year. It is peppered with Israeli military checkpoints and patrols.

18 Jan 2023; MEMO: President Tayyip Erdogan signalled on Wednesday that Turkiye would hold elections on 14 May, a month earlier than he had earlier flagged, setting the clock ticking on perhaps the most consequential vote in the century-long history of the Republic, Reuters reports.

18 Jan 2023; MEMO: Turkiye is set to deliver an undisclosed number of armed drones to Kuwait in a contract worth $370 million, Turkish defence firm, Baykar, said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

International demand for Baykar's TB2 drones soared after they featured in conflicts in Syria, Libya and Azerbaijan, and interest in them increased further following their use by Ukraine's military to thwart Russian forces.