Iraqi central bank chief meets with Jordanian PM, counterpart

AMMAN: Ali Mohsen Al-Alaq, governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, met with Jordan’s Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh on Sunday, Jordan News Agency reported.

Khasawneh stressed his commitment to expanding collaboration, notably in the economic and banking sectors.

Speaking about his visit to Baghdad in July, Khasawneh said the two countries had agreed to strengthen cooperation in several fields, whether through bilateral efforts or as part of the tripartite cooperation mechanism between Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt.




Yemeni soldier killed, others hurt in Houthi drone attack in Saada

AL-MUKALLA: A Yemeni government soldier was killed and several others were injured in a Houthi drone attack in the northern province of Saada on Saturday, the second such incident in a week.

Hadi Tarshan, governor of Saada, told Arab News that the Houthis launched a barrage of explosive-laden drones at a military parade held by Yemeni government forces in Baqoum district to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the Sept. 26 Revolution.

The army shot down several of the drones but one hit its target, killing a soldier and wounding others.




No reprieve from hardship in South Sudan for people fleeing Sudan conflict

NAIROBI: Civilians displaced by the conflict in Sudan have sought sanctuary in the world’s youngest country next door, the Republic of South Sudan, only to face a daunting new set of challenges.

An estimated 250,000 people — including a large number of South Sudanese who had been living in Sudan — have crossed the border since fighting erupted in Sudan in April, with many now housed in overcrowded camps lacking food, sanitation and basic healthcare services.




Dozens arrested as protesters mark Iran’s ‘Bloody Friday’: activists

PARIS: Iranian security forces made dozens of arrests Saturday as protesters in the southeast commemorated the killing of dozens of demonstrators in the region one year ago, human rights groups said.
At least 104 people were killed, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO, in what is known as “Bloody Friday,” when security forces fired on a protest in Zahedan, the main city of Sistan-Baluchistan province, on September 30 last year.
The violence marked the single deadliest day of months-long protests that erupted in Iran last year.



Algeria expands English-language learning as France’s influence ebbs

ALGIERS: More than a year after Algeria launched a pilot program to teach English in elementary schools, the country is hailing it as a success and expanding it in a move that reflects a widening linguistic shift underway in former French colonies throughout Africa.