Middle East & North Africa

TUNIS, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia's new head of government Elyes Fakhfakh and members of his cabinet took the oath in front of President Kais Saied on Thursday, said Tunisian presidency.

"It is a historic moment that we are experiencing after a difficult and painful struggle," Saied said on the sidelines of the ceremony.

He said that the greatest challenge facing the new government "is the economic and social issues."

The Tunisian president called on the new ministers to fight against corruption which has spread to all sectors in the country.

KHARTOUM, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sudan and Germany on Thursday voiced willingness to enhance bilateral ties.

Chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan held talks at the Presidential Palace with visiting German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Speaking to reporters after the talks, Al-Burhan hailed the support offered by Germany and the European Union to help Sudan overcome current challenges.

BEIRUT (AP) — An air strike by Syrian government forces killed 29 Turkish soldiers in northeast Syria, a Turkish official said Friday, marking the largest death toll for Turkey in a single day since it first intervened in Syria in 2016.

The deaths were a serious escalation in the direct conflict between Turkish and Russia-backed Syrian forces that has been waged since early February.

ANKARA, February 27. /TASS/: Three Turkish troops have been killed in the Syrian province of Idlib, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech aired on NTV on Thursday.

"Three of our troops were killed in Idlib but the forces of the [Assad] regime are facing far more losses. The struggle in Idlib will continue," Erdogan emphasized.

TASS, February 27: Syrian troops have liberated Kafr Weid, a city located in the south of the Idlib Governorate, SANA news agency reported.

Assad’s forces have regained control over another 15 settlements in its outskirts over the past day, defeating terrorists of the Jabhat al-Nusra group (outlawed in Russia). The Syrian forces have launched a mop-up operation in the residential quarters and a mine clearance effort in the streets.

27 February 2020; AFP: Syrian rebels on Thursday reentered a key northwestern town they had lost earlier this month, reversing one of the main gains of the government's devastating offensive in the region.

The counteroffensive could be short-lived however and Russian-backed Syrian troops continued to chip away at other parts of the rebel bastion, ignoring growing appeals for a ceasefire.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq’s parliament on Thursday adjourned a session to approve a new cabinet proposed by Prime Minister-designated Mohammed Allawi, state television reported.

It said the parliament had failed to convene a quorum as many lawmakers unhappy with Allawi’s ministerial nominees boycotted the session.

The delay prolongs political deadlock after mass anti-government protests forced the resignation of former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi in November. He remains in a caretaker capacity.

27 Feb 2020; MEMO: Authorities in Kuwait announced on Wednesday 26 February that it would close schools for two weeks at the beginning of March, out of fear of the Coronavirus, after registering infected cases in the country.

Tariq Al-Muzram, head of the Government Communication Centre and government spokesman, said in a press statement that after the extraordinary cabinet meeting ended, it has been decided to suspend classes in all government and private schools and colleges for two weeks, starting from 1 March.

27 Feb 2020; MEMO: Tunisian Prime Minister-designate, Elyes Fakhfakh, identified seven major economic and social priorities that top his government’s work plan, aimed at covering large economic sectors and supporting all social categories.

Fakhfakh said, in a statement today before Parliament to gain confidence, that his government will deal with the file of economic monopoly through working to counter-trafficking activities, especially smuggling of subsidised commodities.

27 Feb 2020; MEMO: Israeli police yesterday arrested two senior Palestinian Authority (PA) officials in occupied Jerusalem after raiding their homes and searching them, Quds Press reported.

Local sources told Quds Press that the Israeli occupation police arrested the Director of Arab Studies Society Khalil Tafakji from the Juz neighbourhood in Jerusalem.