Middle East & North Africa

ADEN, Jan 7 (NNN-SABA) – At least seven soldiers of Yemen’s government forces were killed, in an explosion carried out by al-Qaeda militants in the country’s southern province of Abyan, yesterday, a military official said.

“Members of al-Qaeda terror group, targeted a gathering of Yemen’s government forces, with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion, in Mudiyah district,” the local military official said, on condition of anonymity.

The official confirmed that the IED explosion left at least seven soldiers killed and more than eight others critically wounded.

RAMALLAH, Jan 7 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestine, yesterday, rejected and condemned the Israeli retaliatory sanctions imposed on the Palestinians.

“The measures taken by the Israeli government, in response to the Palestinian moves at the UN are condemned and unacceptable,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman of the Palestinian presidency, said in a statement.

“That Palestinian rights are non-negotiable, and the Palestinian people and its leadership are capable of protecting the rights endorsed by the UN resolutions, whatever the price,” he said.

CAIRO, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Shop owners in Khan el-Khalili, one of the most famed tourist bazaars in the Egyptian capital Cairo, are expecting the return of Chinese guests after China announced its easing of travel restrictions starting from Jan. 8.

Located in the heart of Cairo's old Islamic district, the centuries-old market used to bustle with tourists coming from all over the world.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic that broke out three years ago has depleted the market of its vibrant vibe.

TEHRAN, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and another two were injured on Saturday morning in a shooting attack at an oil and gas company in the southwestern Iranian province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported.

The attack was carried out by an armed employee of Gachsaran Oil and Gas Producing Company in the county of Gachsaran, who broke into the company's chemical office and started shooting at the staff, the report added.

The attacker was arrested by police as he was fleeing the scene, it added.

RABAT, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- A 5.3-magnitude earthquake jolted the province of Al Hoceima in northern Morocco at 9:12 a.m. (0812 GMT) Saturday, the Moroccan Institute of Geophysics said in a statement.

The epicenter of the tremor was initially determined to be at the town of Nekkour, at a depth of 21 km, it said.

No casualties have been reported so far.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran said it executed two men Saturday convicted of allegedly killing a paramilitary volunteer during a demonstration, the latest executions aimed at halting the nationwide protests now challenging the country’s theocracy.

Iran’s judiciary identified those executed as Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini, making it four men known to have been executed since the demonstrations began in September over the death of Mahsa Amini. All have faced internationally criticized, rapid, closed-door trials.

06 Jan 2023; MEMO: Palestinian authorities on Wednesday received the bodies of two Palestinians withheld by Israel for more than two years.

In a statement, the Palestinian Civil Affairs Ministry said Israeli authorities handed over the body of Ashraf Halaseh, 30, from Al-Sawahreh town in occupied East Jerusalem and Mohammad Amro, 36, from Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

06 Jan 2023; MEMO: Iran has foiled a cyber-attack on its Central Bank, the country's telecommunications Infrastructure Company said on Friday, Reuters reports.

Anonymous and other global hacking groups threatened in October to launch cyber-attacks on Iranian institutions and officials in support of anti-government protests and to bypass internet censorship there.

06 Jan 2023; MEMO: The unemployment rate in Jordan reached 23.1 per cent during the third quarter of last year, recording a 0.5 per cent increase from the second quarter.

In its quarterly report, the Department of Statistics indicated that the unemployment rate for males reached 20.5 per cent compared to 33.1 per cent for females, explaining that the unemployment rate for males decreased 0.2 per cent and increased for females by 3.7 per cent.

06 Jan 2023; MEMO: A notorious people smuggler known for his extremely brutal and harsh treatment of refugees was arrested in Sudan in an Interpol operation, the global police coordination agency said Thursday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam was the subject of two INTERPOL Red Notices, by Ethiopia and the Netherlands, for migrant smuggling, human trafficking and other related crimes," the France-based agency said in a statement.