Middle East & North Africa

TRIPOLI, Aug 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A decade after Libya descended into chaos, a host of countries are eyeing potential multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects in the oil-rich nation if stability is assured.
 
Economist Kamal Mansouri expects Libya’s reconstruction drive to be one of the biggest in the Middle East and North Africa.
 
He estimates “more than 100 billion dollars” are needed to rebuild Libya, which has been gripped by violence and political turmoil since dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled in a 2011 uprising.
 

15 Aug 2021; MEMO: The Palestinian Health Ministry said Sunday that most coronavirus cases in the West Bank were caused by the highly infectious Delta variant, reports Anadolu Agency.

"The Delta variant is widely spread with more than 70% of the diagnosed cases were due to the highly contagious strain," ministry official in the West Bank, Wesam Sbeihat, told the official Palestine Voice Radio.

Sbeihat confirmed a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Palestinian territories in recent weeks.

14 Aug 2021; MEMO: Turkey's iconic Ephesus Theatre will reopen its doors for art-lovers following a three-year break due to restoration works and coronavirus, Anadolu reports.

The ancient theatre will host the 4th International Ephesus Opera and Ballet Festival.

15 Aug 2021; MEMO: Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab has blamed corruption for Sunday's fuel tanker explosion, describing the incident as a "humanitarian tragedy", reports Anadolu Agency.

At least 28 people were killed and 79 others injured when a fuel tanker exploded in Akkar region in northern Lebanon early Sunday.

15 Aug 2021; MEMO: Lebanon is in contact with Turkey and Egypt to transfer those seriously injured in the fuel tanker explosion for medical treatment, the country's High Relief Commission said on Sunday, reports Anadolu Agency.

At least 22 people were killed and 79 others injured when a fuel tanker exploded in Akkar region in northern Lebanon early Sunday.

BOZKURT, Turkey, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Flash floods that have swept through towns in the Turkish Black Sea region have killed 58 people, authorities said on Sunday, in the second natural disaster to strike Turkey this month.

The floods brought chaos to northern provinces just as authorities were declaring wildfires had been brought under control after raging through southern coastal regions for two weeks.

JERUSALEM, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A coronavirus vaccine developed by the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) and the U.S.-based company NRx Pharmaceuticals was starting new second phase trials in Georgia, an Israeli government spokesperson said Sunday.

During the weekend, a shipment of 1,125 vaccine vials have been delivered to Georgia, where the second phase of clinical trials for the BriLife coronavirus vaccine will be expanded later, the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement.

TRIPOLI, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Saturday denied reports saying it allowed discussion of proposals contradicting the roadmap adopted by the UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF).

"The mission reiterated that its role is to bring Libyans together and facilitate their discussion or mediation, provided that parties are ready for mediation and working for a compromise," the UNSMIL tweeted.

BEIRUT (AP) — A warehouse where fuel was illegally stored exploded in northern Lebanon early Sunday, killing 20 people and burning dozens more in the latest tragedy to hit the Mediterranean country in the throes of a devastating economic and political crisis.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion near the border with Syria. Fuel smuggling operations have been ongoing for months.

BEIRUT, August 14. /TASS/: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that consultations on a ceasefire between government forces and the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) are underway.

"Consultations are ongoing, and the results will be shared with you soon," he said in a televised address on Saturday. The president stressed that it was essential to find a political solution that would guarantee lasting peace and stability.