Middle East & North Africa

TEHRAN, Sept 9 (NNN-TASNIM) – Iran’s chief nuclear official, Ali Akbar Salehi, said that, a new and more modern centrifuge hall is under construction, in the mountainous areas near Natanz, after the July 2 explosion.

“It has been decided to establish a more modern, vaster and more comprehensive hall, in all aspects, in the heart of the mountains near Natanz, and this has already started,” Salehi said, as quoted by semi-official Fars news agency.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Ahmad Manasra was traveling home from a wedding when he spotted a family in distress on the side of a West Bank road. Moments later, the 22-year-old Palestinian was fatally shot while another Palestinian driver was seriously wounded — both by an Israeli soldier in a nearby watchtower.

The shootings are now the focus of a plea bargain offering the soldier three months of community service — a deal that has come under fierce criticism from the victims and their families.

RIYADH, Sept 8 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi King, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and French President, Emmanuel Macron, reviewed the efforts of Group of 20 (G20) countries, to support global economies.

Both sides also discussed over a phone call, the role of G20 in backing health systems, to combat the implications of COVID-19.

The French president hailed the cooperation between the two countries, and the efforts of the Saudi G20 presidency.

08 Sep 2020; MEMO: Emirates airline revealed on Monday that it has refunded more than $1.4 billion to customers after cancelling their flights during the coronavirus crisis.

The Dubai-based national carrier said that it had settled more than 1.4 million refund claims since March, accounting for 90 per cent of all such claims. “The refunds include all requests from customers around the world until the end of June, save for some cases that require further manual review,” it added.

08 Sep 2020; MEMO: Egypt and China signed a cooperation protocol yesterday to teach the Chinese language as a second optional foreign language in pre-university schools in the North African country. The agreement was signed in Cairo by Egyptian Minister of Education and Technical Education, Tarek Shawki, and the Chinese Ambassador to Egypt, Liao Liqiang.

08 Sep 2020; MEMO: Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi yesterday ordered an investigation into a recent missile attack on Baghdad International Airport.

“Under the direction of the Prime Minister, the Joint Operations Command is opening an investigation to determine the party responsible for firing three Katyusha rockets at Baghdad International Airport,” the military’s Security Media Cell said in a statement.

08 Sep 2020; MEMO: Senior officials in Tehran have warned the United Arab Emirates about allowing Israel to use its territory to target Iran. Even the possibility of this is a threat to Iran’s national security, it was pointed out.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Italy’s prime minister said it was time for Lebanon to rebuild trust between the people and its institutions, joining France’s call for change in a nation devastated by a year-long economic crisis and last month’s massive explosion at Beirut port.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was visiting Beirut a week after a trip by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been leading international efforts to push through major reforms in Lebanon to end decades of state corruption and mismanagement.

08 Sep 2020; MEMO: Investigating Judge Fadi Sawwan has started questioning witnesses as well as former and current ministers as part of a probe into the causes behind the 4 August Beirut blast, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Sawwan yesterday questioned four witnesses to the explosion and is set to hear testimonies from other bystanders today.

08 Sep 2020; MEMO: Fires have broken out in a number of agricultural areas in western Syria, Russia Today (RT) reported yesterday.

A video showing the fires went viral on social media.

Fires have been raging in recent days across a number of large agricultural lands across Syria’s western parts. The fires were intensified in the Slunfeh forest, which extends along the Latakia portal city to the Masyaf Mountains in Homs.