Middle East & North Africa

2 Mar 2023; MEMO: After the deadliest earthquake in its modern history, Turkiye faces the daunting task of disposing of hundreds of millions of tonnes of rubble, some of it potentially harmful, Reuters reports.

The 6 February earthquake and aftershocks left at least 156,000 buildings either completely collapsed, or damaged to the point where they require demolition, Turkish authorities said, with whole areas of cities reduced to shattered concrete and steel.

2 Mar 2023; MEMO: Over 1,500 pets have been rescued, so far, since the twin earthquakes hit southern Turkiye, a non-profit organisation said Thursday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"More than three weeks after the deadly earthquake in Turkiye, the animal rescue team from Humane Society International is still finding dogs and cats alive in abandoned apartments, damaged buildings or wandering the streets," the Humane Society International (HSI) said in a statement.

2 Mar 2023; MEMO: The United Arab Emirates cancelled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned visit in January due to concerns his conduct during the visit could increase regional tensions with Iran, the Walla new site reports, citing three Israeli officials with knowledge of the matter, the Times of Israel reported.

According to the report, the Prime Minister's Office has said the visit was cancelled for logistical reasons.

2 Mar 2023; MEMO: Lawmakers from Turkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), have prevented the approval of a draft resolution proposed by two opposition parties which sought to deport Syrian refugees from the country immediately.

RAMALLAH, Mar 2 (NNN-WAFA) – A Palestinian man died of wounds, sustained during an Israeli army raid on a refugee camp, near the West Bank town of Jericho, yesterday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The Palestinian liaison office of security coordination with Israel, informed the ministry that, Jamal Hamdan, 22, died hours after he was shot by Israeli soldiers, in the Aqabat Jabr refugee camp, the ministry said in a press statement.

BEIRUT, Mar 2 (NNN-NNA) – The Palestinian embassy in Beirut, yesterday denied an Israeli press report, claiming that, it is recruiting Palestinian refugees in Lebanon to fight in Ukraine.

“The embassy is keen to strongly deny this insidious news, which is not surprising, as the source is one of the usurping entity’s media channels,” the embassy was quoted as saying.

The Israeli newspaper, Jerusalem Post, reported that Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are being recruited to fight in Ukraine, by activists linked to the Palestinian Embassy in Lebanon, said the report.

BAGHDAD, Mar 2 (NNN-NINA) – United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, met with senior Iraqi leaders here yesterday, during a visit aimed at showing the UN solidarity with Iraq.

“I am here on a visit of solidarity and confirmation of commitment of the UN to support Iraq in consolidating its democratic institutions and promoting peace, development, and human rights for Iraq,” Guterres said at a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia’al-Sudani.

BAGHDAD, Mar 2 (NNN-NINA) – United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, met with senior Iraqi leaders here yesterday, during a visit aimed at showing the UN solidarity with Iraq.

“I am here on a visit of solidarity and confirmation of commitment of the UN to support Iraq in consolidating its democratic institutions and promoting peace, development, and human rights for Iraq,” Guterres said at a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia’al-Sudani.

CAIRO, March 2 (Reuters) - A hidden corridor nine metres (30 feet) long has been discovered close to the main entrance of the 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza, and this could lead to further findings, Egyptian antiquities officials said on Thursday.

The discovery within the pyramid, the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing, was made under the Scan Pyramids project that since 2015 has been using non-invasive technology including infrared thermography, 3D simulations and cosmic-ray imaging to peer inside the structure.

JERUSALEM, March 2 (Reuters) - Israel on Thursday criticised Brazil's decision to grant berth to two Iranian warships in the face of U.S. pressure, and urged President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government to send them away.

The vessels docked in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. Reuters reported that Brazil had declined to admit them in January, in a goodwill gesture from Lula as he flew to Washington to meet U.S. President Joe Biden.