Death Toll Of Indonesia’s Bridge Collapse Rises To Nine, With 17 Wounded

JAKARTA, Jan 20 (NNN-ANTARA) – Rescuers recovered nine bodies and were searching for another missing person, after a suspension bridge collapsed, in Indonesia’s western Bengkulu province on Sunday, Head of the Search and Rescue Office of the province, Abdul Malik, said today (Monday). Torrential rains triggered flash floods that hit…

2,400 Turkey-Backed Syrian Rebel Fighters Reach Libya

DAMASCUS, Syria, Jan 20 (NNN-SANA) – As many as 2,400 Turkey-backed Syrian rebels, have so far reached Libya, to fight against the east-based army, led by Khalifa Haftar, a war monitor reported, Sunday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, 1,700 fighters are preparing to fight, while 24 fighters had…

Jordan’s Lower House Endorses Bill To Scrap Import Of Israeli Gas

AMMAN, Jan 20 (NNN-PETRA) – Jordan’s Lower House, on Sunday, endorsed a draft law that bans the import of Israeli gas to the country. The lawmakers approved referring the bill to the government as a matter of urgency, Lower House Speaker, Atef Tarawneh, said. He added that, as Jordan and…

Foreign Direct Investment Up 54 Percent In Saudi Arabia In 2019

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan 20 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia announced, on Sunday, a year-on-year increase of 54 percent, in foreign direct investment in 2019. In a report, by the Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority, a total of 1,131 new international companies, set up operations in the kingdom in 2019. The…

Qatar Signs Deal With Marubeni, Total To Build Solar Power Station

DOHA, Jan 20 (NNN-QNA) – Qatar signed an agreement with France’s Total and Japan’s Marubeni, to build a solar power plant, with a capacity of 800 megawatts, according to Qatar’s energy minister, on Sunday. “The cost of the project is about 1.7 trillion Qatari riyals (467 million U.S. dollars),” Saad…

70 More Injured In Clashes Between Protesters, Riot Police In Lebanon

BEIRUT, Jan 20 (NNN-NNA) – Clashes between protesters and riot police continued on Sunday evening, in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, leaving 70 injured, local TV channel reported. Among the injured, 30 people were transported by the Lebanese Red Cross to nearby hospitals, said the report. Protesters attempted to break into parliament…

Anti-Gov’t Protests Escalate In Iraq Over Slow Pace Of Reform

BAGHDAD, Jan 20 (NNN-NINA) – Hundreds of angry Iraqi youths intensified their protests, due to the slow pace of comprehensive reform in the political process, demanded by the demonstrators. Hundreds of demonstrators rallied in the squares of Tayran and Wathba, near al-Tahrir Square, the epicentre of Iraq’s anti-government protests, and…

Palestine Slams Israeli Order Keeping Top Muslim Cleric Away From Al-Aqsa Mosque

RAMALLAH, Palestine, Jan 20 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestine slammed Israel for issuing a restraining order, preventing a top Muslim cleric from going to the Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem for a week. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli decision, which orders Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, head of Palestinian Higher…

India Grants Citizenship To Over 3,900 People From Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh In Six Years

NEW DELHI, Jan 20 NNN-PTI) – India granted citizenship to as many as 2,838 people from Pakistan, 914 from Afghanistan, and 172 from Bangladesh, during the past six years, Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman said. According to a report in The Times of India, the minister also stated that, more than…

Pro-Haftar Forces ‘Block Oil Exports’ From Key Libya Ports

TRIPOLI, Jan 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Forces loyal to Libyan military commander, Khalifa Haftar, blocked oil exports from the war-ravaged country’s main ports, on the eve of an international summit, aimed at bringing peace to the North African country. Powerful tribal groups loyal to Haftar, whose forces control eastern Libya and…