Middle East & North Africa

28 Dec 2020; MEMO: Britain and Turkey are set to sign a free trade deal on Tuesday, the UK trade ministry said on Sunday, the first since Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured a new trade agreement with the European Union, Reuters reports.

The two nations will sign a deal that replicates the existing trading terms between Ankara and London, but British trade minister Liz Truss said that she was hopeful a bespoke deal between the countries could be struck soon.

28 Dec 2020; MEMO: Turkey on Saturday urged Greece to act in a common sense and responsible manner, responding to a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) recently issued by Greece for a vast area in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, reports Anadolu Agency.

"We see that Greece continues her provocative and escalatory steps in the region," Hami Aksoy, the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in a statement.

Beirut, Dec 28 (AP-PTI) The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah said Sunday his group now has twice as many precision-guided missiles as it had a year ago, saying Israel's efforts to prevent it from acquiring them has failed.

Hassan Nasrallah, in an end-of-year interview with the Beirut-based Arabic Al-Mayadeen TV, said his group has the capability to strike anywhere in Israel and occupied Palestinian territories.

RIYADH, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday the discovery of four new oil and gas fields, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud said that the Saudi Aramco's discoveries are in different parts of the kingdom.

Non-conventional oil has been discovered in al-Reesh oil field, northwest of Dhahran, and in al-Ajramiyah Well No. 1, northwest of the city of Rafhaa in the Northern Borders Province.

CAIRO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people were killed and five wounded on Sunday in a microbus-lorry crash in the south of Egypt, a medical source told Xinhua.

"The accident took place at Aswan-Cairo desert road at the entrance of Farous village," said Ihab Hanfy, deputy to the health minister in Aswan Province.

The microbus carrying 14 people was rear-ended by a lorry carrying construction materials because of the high speed of the lorry's driver in foggy weather, he added.

The ministry of social solidarity ordered urgent aid to the families of the victims.

27 Dec 2020; MEMO: Lebanese MP Hussein Hajj Hassan has revealed that Lebanon "hesitates" to renew its electricity contract with Syria, fearing sanctions stipulated by the US Caesar Act, Anadolu Agency reported on Friday.

27 Dec 2020; MEMO: The Bank of Israel has estimated the weekly cost of the third Israeli national COVID-19 lockdown as $776 million per week. The third lockdown is due to start on Sunday, Israeli media reported on Friday.

27 Dec 2020; MEMO: Gulf Arab foreign ministers will hold a virtual meeting hosted by Bahrain on Sunday ahead of an annual summit to discuss steps towards ending a diplomatic row that has undermined regional stability and thwarted Washington's efforts to form a united front against Iran, reports Reuters.

27 Dec 2020; MEMO: The Palestinian Authority (PA) called on Friday for the United Nations (UN) Security Council to stop Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, implementing Resolution 2334.

27 Dec 2020; MEMO: Israel will enter what officials hope will be its last coronavirus lockdown on Sunday as they ramp up vaccinations to a pace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said may allow an emergence from the pandemic by March, reported Reuters.