Middle East & North Africa

13 Feb 2023; MEMO: Türkiye's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines has resumed flights from Hatay Airport in the country’s earthquake-hit southern region.

"Our flights from Hatay Airport have resumed," Yahya Ustun, Turkish Airlines’ senior vice president for media relations, said on Twitter.

Flights made between Feb. 13-19 will require advance reservation to facilitate the evacuation process, Ustun added.

Passengers without reservations will also be accepted in the case of vacant seats, he noted.

13 Feb 2023; MEMO: A Turkish aid team managed to reach earthquake victims in southern Türkiye by following a dog when they got lost.

After setting out for a village in Goksun district of Kahramanmaras province, the team chose an alternate route as the road was closed due to snow and rocks. After a while, they lost their way and decided to follow a dog that approached them. Thanks to the guidance of the dog, they found the village and delivered the aid.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Fourteen years after a financial crisis nearly brought Dubai to its knees, several major abandoned real estate projects are finally showing signs of life as part of a new economic boom in the city-state.

As with previous upturns in Dubai, war is a driving force. But this time it’s Russian investors fleeing Moscow’s war on Ukraine, rather than people escaping Mideast battlefields.

12 Feb 2023; MEMO: Egypt's president has denied the existence of any conflict with Saudi Arabia, warning against stirring up "sedition" on social media and news outlets.

Speaking at the inauguration of an industrial project on Thursday, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stated that "Egypt's policy has always been characterised by moderation, balance and strict discipline towards everyone at home and abroad."

12 Feb 2023; MEMO: Turkish police have detained 12 people deemed responsible for the collapse of buildings in Turkiye's south-eastern provinces affected by this week's earthquake, as authorities launch a series of investigations over a leading cause of the structures' instability.

12 Feb 2023; MEMO: At least 3,553 people have been killed and thousands injured in Syria from a series of powerful earthquakes centered in southern Turkiye that jolted the wider region early on Monday, according to figures compiled on Saturday, reports Anadolu Agency.

The Syrian regime's Health Ministry reported at least 1,387 fatalities in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, and Tartus, with another 2,326 people wounded.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of Israelis protested outside the country’s parliament on Monday ahead of a preliminary vote on a bill that would give politicians greater power over appointing judges, part of a judicial overhaul proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

The committee vote, expected to take place after a stormy session, marked the opening salvo by Netanyahu and his allies in a plan that has divided the country, triggered mass protests and even drawn concern from President Joe Biden.

12 Feb 2023; MEMO: A border gate between long-feuding Turkey and Armenia has been opened for the first time in 35 years to allow aid for victims of the devastating earthquakes in southern Turkey, state-owned Anadolu news agency and a diplomat said.

Turkey's special envoy for Armenia, Serdar Kilic, tweeted photos of trucks passing through the Alican checkpoint at the Turkish side of the Aras river separating the two countries.

ATAREB, Syria (AP) — After years of war, residents of areas in northwest Syria struck by a massive earthquake are grappling with their new and worsening reality.

Almost one week after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck northern Syria and neighboring Turkey, the United Nations has acknowledged an international failure to help Syrian quake victims.

13 Feb 2023; MEMO: Tens of thousands of people throughout Israel have rallied for the sixth consecutive week to express their opposition towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's legislative effort to constrain the authority of the judiciary and his ultra-conservative policies.

Demonstrations, which have been organised each Saturday evening across the nation by the extremist right-wing coalition government led by Netanyahu, persisted during this sixth week of protests.