Middle East & North Africa

BEIRUT, Jul 30 (NNN-NNA) – The massive fire that broke out in Lebanon’s northern village of Qoubaiyat is continuing to rage in the region, for the second day, a local news outlet reported yesterday.

The massive fire has engulfed large swathes of the area, causing residents to collect water to help extinguish the fire. Meanwhile, the country’s fire brigade and army are trying to control the fires, fanned by strong wind.

Started on Wednesday, the fire has killed two people and caused many residents to evacuate.

30 July 2021; MEMO: Azerbaijan opened its trade and tourism office in Tel Aviv yesterday, a move considered as a first step towards opening an embassy, announced the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.

The ceremony, attended by Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Mikayil Jabbarov, comes 30 years after diplomatic relations were established between the two countries.

TRIPOLI, July 30 (Reuters) - Libya's warring sides reopened the main coast road across the frontline on Friday, a key element of a ceasefire they agreed last year that has involved months of negotiations.

The U.N.-backed 5+5 committee drawn from commander Khalifa Haftar's eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) and western-based forces that have supported Tripoli-based governments said in a statement the road was open from 0900 GMT.

July 30 (Reuters) - The amount of ammonium nitrate that blew up at Beirut port last year was one fifth of the shipment unloaded there in 2013, the FBI concluded after the blast, adding to suspicions that much of the cargo had gone missing.

As the first anniversary approaches on Aug. 4, major questions remain unanswered, including how a huge quantity of ammonium nitrate - which can be used to make fertiliser or bombs - was left unsafely stored in a capital city for years.

Jerusalem, Jul 30 (PTI) Israel has launched a probe into the allegations of wrongdoing against the NSO Group in the Pegasus snooping scandal, with authorities inspecting the cybersecurity company's offices over alleged abuses of its spyware by several government clients which have raised eyebrows the world over.

Representatives of several bodies visited the office of NSO to assess the allegations raised in regards to the company on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Defence said.

BEIRUT, July 30 (Reuters) - Lebanon's President Michel Aoun told the country's public prosecutor on Friday he was ready to give a statement about last year's port blast in the capital Beirut if needed.

"No one is above the law no matter how high up, and justice can only be achieved through the specialised judicial branches that provide guarantees," Aoun told prosecutor Ghassan Ouidat during a meeting,according to a statement released by the president's office.

TEHRAN, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Iran's foreign ministry urged on Thursday neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia to overcome tensions and conflicts, and vowed to offer "any kind of assistance" to broker a lasting peace between the two countries.

In a statement published on the ministry's official website, spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh expressed Iran's concern over continuing border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

ADDIS ABABA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, on Thursday started a six-day mission to Ethiopia.

"It was important to me that I carry out my first official mission as the UN's humanitarian chief to Ethiopia," a statement by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) issued Thursday quoted Griffiths as saying.

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Days of political turmoil in Tunisia over a crippled economy and surging coronavirus infections have left the country’s allies in the Middle East, Europe and the United States watching to see if its fragile democracy will survive.

European countries — most notably nearby Italy — worry about a flood of migrants should Tunisia slide further into chaos.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli health authorities began administering coronavirus booster shots Friday to people over 60 who’ve already received both does of a vaccine, in a bid to combat a recent spike in cases.

The decision was announced Thursday by the Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennet, making Israel the first country to offer a third dose of a Western vaccine to its citizens on a wide scale.

″Israel is a pioneer in going ahead with the third dose for older people of the age of 60 and above,″ Bennet said during Friday’s launch.