Middle East & North Africa

MEHTARLAM, Mar 19 (NNN-XINHUA) – Six militants have been confirmed dead, and two others were injured, as military planes pounded a Taliban hideout in Alishing district, of Afghanistan’s eastern Laghman province yesterday, said an army statement, released here today.

The Taliban militants were gathered in Manjan area of the restive Alishing district, to attack security checkpoints, but the fighting planes in pre-emptive sorties, struck the militants, killing six on the spot and injuring two others, the statement said.

BEIRUT, Mar 19 (NNN-NNA) – Hezbollah leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, warned yesterday, against the danger of a civil war in Lebanon, the al-Manar TV reported.

“There is information that some external and internal parties are pushing for a civil war in Lebanon. The awareness of the Lebanese people has prevented this so far, but the danger is still there,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech.

Nasrallah noted that his party will never opt to using weapons to force change in the country.

ANKARA (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he would hold talks over issues between Turkey and the European Union and developments in the eastern Mediterranean with the bloc’s chiefs in a video call later in the day, ahead of next week’s EU summit where leaders will discuss ties with Ankara.

Reuters reported on Thursday that the EU froze plans to blacklist more senior executives at Turkey’s state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), in the clearest sign that Ankara’s diplomatic offensive this year is bearing fruit after months of tensions with the bloc.

ANKARA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkey rebuffed on Thursday the international criticism over stripping a lawmaker of Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) and seeking to shut down the pro-Kurdish party.

The Turkish foreign ministry urged the international community not to "intervene" in the Turkish judiciary, according to a statement.

The ministry said that all should respect the ongoing judicial process after the United States and the European Union condemned Turkey for its move.

ADDIS ABABA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has reached 4,074,222 as of Friday noon, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

The Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU), said the death toll related to the pandemic stood at 108,928, while 3,657,699 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease.

BEIRUT (AP) — Shops closing, companies going bankrupt and pharmacies with shelves emptying — in Lebanon these days, fistfights erupt in supermarkets as shoppers scramble to get to subsidized powdered milk, rice and cooking oil.

Like almost every other Lebanese, Nisrine Taha’s life has been turned upside down in the past year under the weight of the country’s crushing economic crisis. Anxiety for the future is eating at her.

18 Mar 2021; MEMO: The Saudi Arabian cabinet has approved a privatisation plan as part of the Kingdom's attempt to divide economic sectors between the government and the private sector. The news was issued in a formal cabinet statement.

The scheme includes privatising 100 potential initiatives in various sectors, including ports, education, health, energy, industry, mineral resources, the environment, agriculture, communication, information technology, social development and sports.

18 Mar 2021; MEMO: Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Saad Al-Hariri said today after meeting with President Michel Aoun that the priority was to form a government to halt the country's financial collapse and re-start talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"The main priority of any government is to prevent the collapse that we are facing today … that we proceed to start halting the collapse with the IMF and regain the trust of the international community," he said at a news conference.

18 Mar 2021; MEMO: Egypt has announced that it regrets the issuance of the joint declaration criticising the human rights situation in Egypt during the 46th Session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Egypt's Permanent Mission to the UN has stated that it "regrets" "the crude politicisation and "unjustified escalation" in the United Nations Human Rights Council.

18 Mar 2021; MEMO: Israel's government announced on Wednesday a long-awaited bailout of its airlines to help them weather the coronavirus crisis and maintain operations in the midst of a year-long halt to international travel, reported Reuters.

As part of a financial assistance program overseen by the finance ministry, the government will buy $210 million-worth of flight tickets in advance from flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines and its low fare subsidiary Sun Dor.