Middle East & North Africa

CAIRO, June 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Egypt will allow scheduled international flights and foreign tourists to resorts that have been least affected by the coronavirus starting from July 1, the cabinet said.

Egypt suspended regular international flights in March and shut down restaurants, hotels, and cafes.

Airports remain closed to all but domestic and repatriation flights, but hotels were last month allowed to reopen for domestic tourists at reduced capacity if they met strict health protocols.

DAMASCUS, June 12 (NNN-AGENCIES) —Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has sacked Prime Minister Imad Khamis, as he struggles with a worsening economic crisis that has triggered protests.

State media did not give a reason for the decision to replace Khamis, who had been prime minister since 2016.

But it came after days of rare anti-government demonstrations in the mainly Druze city of Suweida, at which people called for the overthrow of Assad.

BEIRUT, June 12 (NNN-Xinhua) — Thousands of Lebanese took to the streets on Thursday night to protest against the hike in the price of US dollar to the Lebanese pound and the deteriorating economic situation, the National News Agency reported.

Protesters cut roads in several areas in Beirut, Tyre, Sidon, Tripoli and other regions.

They attempted to cut the road near the Association of Banks in Lebanon which prompted the intervention of riot police and led to clashes with protesters.

WASHINGTON, June 12 (NNN-Xinhua) — The United States will continue reducing its military presence in Iraq over the coming months, said a joint statement issued by the United States and Iraq.

The two countries will also discuss the status of remaining forces in the months ahead, according to a statement following the U.S.-Iraq strategic dialogue held virtually on Thursday.

More than 5,000 US troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Daesh militants, mainly providing training and advice to the Iraqi forces.

BEIRUT, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Lebanese took to the streets on Thursday night to protest against the hike in the price of U.S. dollar to the Lebanese pound and the deteriorating economic situation, the National News Agency reported.

Protesters cut roads in several areas in Beirut, Tyre, Sidon, Tripoli and other regions.

They attempted to cut the road near the Association of Banks in Lebanon which prompted the intervention of riot police and led to clashes with protesters.

BEIRUT (AP) — In scenes not witnessed for years in government-controlled parts of Syria, dozens of men and women marched through the streets this week, protesting a sharp increase in prices and collapse of the currency, some even calling for the downfall of President Bashar Assad and his ruling Baath party.

“He who starves his people is a traitor,” some of the protesters chanted at the protest in the southern city of Sweida.

11 June 2020; MEMO: Libya’s renegade General, Khalifa Haftar, will remain in the Egyptian capital Cairo for at least a few weeks until he finds a place to retire, Egyptian media reported.

11 June 2020; MEMO: The Palestinian Authority (PA) has submitted a counter-proposal to US Preisdent Donald Trump’s so-called ‘deal of the century’ to the diplomatic Quartet – a group comprising the United Nations, European Union, Russia and the US, tasked with mediating talks – the Times of Israel reported.

11 June 2020; MEMO: Kuwait’s Minister of Oil and acting Minister of Electricity and Water, Dr. Khaled Al Fadil announced yesterday that the Gulf state will no longer hire expatriate workers in state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and its subsidiaries for the year 2020-21.

The minister also announced, during a parliamentary session held to discuss the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic, that the number of special contracts awarded to expats will be reduced.

ANKARA (Reuters) - The United States needs to play a more active role in Libya, both in achieving a ceasefire and in political talks, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, as Libya’s warring sides restarted U.N.-led ceasefire talks.

Turkey supports Fayez al Serraj’s internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), whose forces have in recent weeks repelled a 14-month assault on Tripoli by Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA).