Middle East & North Africa

KHARTOUM, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok on Friday voiced the transitional government's commitment to not allow any coup against what has been achieved in the December Revolution.

Hamdok made the remarks in a speech broadcast by Sudan's official TV.

The Sudanese army ousted former President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 amid popular protests that erupted in December 2018 against deteriorating economic conditions and hike in prices of basic commodities.

RAMALLAH, Oct 15 (NNN-WAFA) – Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian young man last night, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses said.

The Palestinian young man, whose identity wasn’t immediately known, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers, in the town of Beit Jala, west of Bethlehem, the sources said.

Israeli soldiers opened fire at two Palestinian young men, killing one of them and wounding the other, according to eyewitnesses.

CAIRO, Oct 15 (NNN-MENA) – Egyptian President, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, and British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, discussed yesterday, means of promoting bilateral ties, especially in defence, security and anti-terrorism fields, the Egyptian presidency office said in a statement.

The two leaders, in a phone conversation, also tackled the topic about reviving tourist flows from the United Kingdom (UK) to Egypt.

ISTANBUL, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has signed an additional trade agreement for 11 billion cubic meters of natural gas with Azerbaijan, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez announced on Friday.

Donmez said in a statement that the gas would be transferred from the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) pipeline, also known as the South Caucasus Pipeline, until the end of 2024.

15 Oct 2021; MEMO: The United States will offer $67 million in additional support to the Lebanese army, bringing Washington's total support in 2021 to $187 million, US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said in Beirut yesterday.

15 Oct 2021; MEMO: Hamas yesterday welcomed two resolutions adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in favour of Palestine at the 212th session of its executive board held in Paris.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Gaza said the resolutions on occupied Palestine and cultural and educational institutions were unanimously adopted by members of the organisation's executive council.

15 Oct 2021; MEMO: Tunisia's Ennahda movement yesterday slammed what it called a "de facto government led by Bouden."

In an official statement, the movement said that the formation of the Bouden government was "violating the Tunisian constitutional procedures."

"Losing government legitimacy will exacerbate the challenges and obstacles facing the government in dealing with national affairs and international partners," the statement read.

14 Oct 2021; MEMO: The presence of Palestinians in Israel is a "mistake", said member of the Israeli Knesset Bezalel Smotrich. The 41-year-old leader of the religious Zionist Party and a MK made the remarks during a heated exchange in the Knesset yesterday where he said that Palestinians exist in Israel because its founder David Ben Gurion did not "finish the job" of clearing out the territory of its indigenous populations.

Calling Arab lawmakers "enemies" in an angry exchange during a debate, Smotrich said:

14 Oct 2021; MEMO: An Israeli planning committee yesterday approved plans advancing the construction of thousands of homes in Givat Hamatos, an illegal East Jerusalem settlement that threatens to cut off parts of the city from its Palestinian residents and the West Bank.

According to Peace Now activist Hagit Ofran, the Palestinian area of Khirbet Tabalya, southwest of the city, had already been allocated for use in Givat Hamatos. She described yesterday's approval as a "bureaucratic move."

14 Oct 2021; MEMO: At least six people have been killed in clashes which broke out in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, following on from a protest organised by Shia groups against the ongoing inquiry into the huge blast last year that killed over 200.