Middle East

Arabic press review: Spain may stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia

A protest outside the offices of the UN in Sanaa on Monday to denounce the Saada attack (Reuters)

Spain reconsidering arms sales to Saudi Arabia

Spain is reconsidering its arms sales to Saudi Arabia after the Saudi-led coalition's bombing last week in Yemen killed dozens of children, the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi reports.

On 9 August, the coalition's air strikes hit a market and a bus in the northern province of Saada, killing at least 51 people, including 29 children.

In a statement, the Spanish government said this week that it is reviewing its policy of selling arms to the kingdom.

The country sold about $500m worth of weapons and munitions to Saudi last year, according to the newspaper.

Spanish political sources told the paper that there are strong signs that Spanish weapons have been used in the war against Yemen.

'Khartoum is sinking'

Heavy rains hit the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Wednesday, killing 22 children and one woman, and causing heavy material losses, news site Arabi21 reports.

Over the past three weeks, as the seasonal rain has fallen, buildings in the capital have collapsed and thousands of people have been displaced.

Sudanese activists have circulated the hashtag “#Khartoum_is_sinking” on Twitter, calling for help and sharing photos and videos of the disastrous situation in the city.

بعض من مشاهد امطار اليوم بعاصمة البلاد#الخرطوم_تغرق pic.twitter.com/48FJLzEU07

— Salma Siddig (@salma99993) August 15, 2018

Some have also criticised the government for neglecting the country's infrastructure and accusing it of corruption.

Others are requesting that the government declare a state of emergency and seek international aid.

Jordanian citizen died in Yemeni prison

A Jordanian citizen has died in a Yemeni prison, a source at Jordan's Foreign Ministry has told the Amman-based newspaper, Assabeel.

The unnamed man had reportedly been living in Sanaa for years before he was arrested and jailed on forgery charges. He was also wanted by INTERPOL.

According to the ministry source, he died of a heart attack while imprisoned, but it was not immediately clear which Yemeni group was in charge of the prison in which he was held.

* Arabic press review is a digest of reports that are not independently verified as accurate by Middle East Eye.

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