Middle East & North Africa

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A missile fired during an Iranian military training exercise mistakenly struck a naval vessel instead of its intended target in waters near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, killing 19 sailors and wounding 15 others, Iranian authorities said Monday.

The bungled training exercises took place Sunday and raised new questions about the readiness of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces amid heightened tensions with U.S., just months after they accidentally shot down a Ukrainian jetliner near Tehran, killing 176 passengers.

11 May 2020; MEMO: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman today ordered the distribution of “Ramadan Aid” worth 1.85 billion riyal ($492.6 million) for social security beneficiaries, the state news agency reported.

Providers of families will get 1,000 riyals ($267) each while family members will get 500 riyals ($133) each.

With curfews in place, oil prices at new lows and pilgrimage cancelled, the Saudi economy is suffering its worst slump in decades.

11 May 2020; MEMO: Lebanon has renewed a strict night-time curfew after a spike in local cases over the weekend, with the government warning that if numbers do not drop, a 48-hour lockdown could be imposed.

11 May 2020; MEMO: Thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in central and southern Iraq yesterday only a few days after the government of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi took office, Anadolu Agency reported.

The protesters, sceptical of the new government, gathered in Tahrir Square demanding an end to rampant corruption, improved living conditions and an overhaul of the country’s political elite.

11 May 2020; MEMO: Iraq’s newly inaugurated Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi on Saturday ordered the release of all anti-establishment protesters who have been detained since October 2019 and to compensate the relatives of the nearly 600 protesters who were killed in demonstrations.

11 May 2020; MEMO: The Iraqi residents of a number of Sunni-dominated governorates are afraid that the redeployment of Shia factions in their areas as part of the security forces’ campaign to combat Daesh will lead to sectarian unrest.

Dubai, May 11 (PTI) An Indian dentist in Kuwait has died from the novel coronavirus, becoming the country's second medical professional to succumb to COVID-19, according to a media report.

Dr Vasudeva Rao, 54, died on Saturday in Jaber hospital where he was undergoing treatment for coronavirus infection, news website timeskuwait.com reported.

Tehran, May 11 (AP) An Iranian navy sailor was killed and several injured in an unexplained incident on a military support ship in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian media reported Monday.

Iranian state television, as well as the semiofficial Fars and ISNA news agencies, said the incident happened Sunday aboard the Konarak, a Hendijan-class support ship.

DAMASCUS, May 11 (NNN-SANA) – An explosive device went off, in the Turkish-held city of al-Bab, in northern Syria on Sunday, a war monitor reported.

The explosion rocked the Centre Roundabout in al-Bab, in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, killing one and wounding five civilians, including children, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Al-Bab is controlled by the Turkish forces and Turkey-backed rebels.

The observatory has previously reported a state of lawlessness, in areas controlled by Turkey and Turkey-backed rebels in northern Syria.

TRIPOLI, May 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A withering bombardment shook Tripoli as the eastern-based forces of Khalifa Haftar fought overnight for new territory in the southern suburbs after losing ground recently around the city.

Adding to the misery of Tripoli residents, the main water supplier to northwest Libya said armed men in the south had stormed one of its facilities, reducing supply.

“My father said we should be ready to leave at any moment … the fighting last night was heavier than at any time before,” said a resident of Abu Salim district, near a frontline.