Middle East & North Africa

TASS, February 2: A Turkish military convoy has crossed the border with Syria, Al Arabiya TV channel reported on Sunday.

According to the report, the new convoy consists of several dozen armored vehicles, including tanks.

Asharq Al-Awsat reported that at least 40 armored vehicles and tanks of the Turkish army had crossed the border through the Kafr Lusein checkpoint located in the north of Syria’s Idlib Governorate.

02 Feb 2020; MEMO: Tunisian prime minister-designate, Elyes Fakhfakh, confirmed that the participating parliament parties will approve his government’s program next Saturday.

This came in a press conference held by Fakhfakh in Carthage, where he indicated that ten parties expressed their willingness to participate in the government that will be formed.

02 Feb 2020; MEMO: Jordanian King Abdullah II confirmed on Friday his country’s “firm” position on the Palestinian cause, as well as its support for the Palestinian people, Jordanian and official Palestinian media reported.

02 Feb 2020; MEMO: On Friday Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, slammed Arab and Muslim leaders for accepting or remaining silent on the issue of the US “deal of the century”, Turkish media reported.

TEHRAN, Feb 2 (NNN-IRNA) – Iranian Minister of Road and Urban Development, Mohammad Eslami, said that, Iran and Ukraine are jointly investigating the black box of the downed Ukrainian plane in Iran.

The aircraft accident investigating board of Iranian and Ukrainian experts, is investigating the black box according to standards of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Eslami was quoted as saying.

“If the examination team cannot decipher the data, another decision will be made,” he added.

TEHRAN, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Saturday started 10-day Fajr (Dawn) celebrations for the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The first day of the celebrations on Feb. 1 marks the return of Sayyid Ruhollah Khomeini, the late leader of the Islamic Revolution, to Iran from exile.

Earlier in the day, the incumbent supreme leader of Iran Ali Khamenei, in the company of the senior Iranian civil and military officials, paid tribute to Khomeini's mausoleum in the suburbs of the capital Tehran, the state TV reported.

BEIRUT, Feb 2 (NNN-NNA) – A Lebanese official, said that, the country’s tourism sector has suffered a loss of 700 million U.S. dollars, since the beginning of nationwide protests in the country, the online independent newspaper, Elnashra, reported.

“If the situation remains the same, this sector will totally collapse by the summer,” said Jean Beyrouthy, head of the Federation of Touristic Syndicates, adding, the sector is a very important source of revenue for Lebanon.

MUSCAT, Feb 2 (NNN-ONA) – Bank Muscat, a leading financial institution in Oman, reported a net profit of 185.55 million Omani riyals (481.96 million U.S. dollars) in 2019, the bank said in an official statement.

The net profits increased by 3.3 percent in 2019, from 179.63 million riyals in the previous year, said the statement.

The operating expenses of the bank amounted to 195.93 million riyals, compared to 190.34 million riyals in 2018, registering an increase of 2.9 percent, it added.

TEHRAN, Feb 2 (NNN-IRNA) – Iran on Saturday, started 10-day Fajr (Dawn) celebrations, for the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

The first day of the celebrations, on Feb 1 (yesterday), marked the return of Sayyid Ruhollah Khomeini, the late leader of the Islamic Revolution, to Iran from exile.

Earlier in the day, the incumbent supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, in the company of senior Iranian civil and military officials, paid tribute to Khomeini’s mausoleum, in the suburbs of the capital Tehran.

CAIRO, Feb 2 (NNN-MENA) – Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, said here that, his authority informed the Israeli and U.S. sides that it will “cut all relations” with them, over the recently released U.S. peace plan.

“We told the Israelis that we will not have any relations with them or with the United States, including security relations,” Abbas told an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers, at the Arab League (AL) headquarters in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.