Middle East & North Africa

10 May 2020; MEMO: The coronavirus death toll in Iran rose to 6,640 with 51 more fatalities over the past 24 hours, state media reported on Sunday, Anadolu Agency reports.

A further of 1,383 people tested positive for COVID-19 over the past day, raising the overall count to 107,603, Iran’s state broadcaster reported, citing a statement by the Health Ministry.

It said 83,143 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals so far, while 2,675 patients remain in critical condition.

10 May 2020; MEMO: Newly elected Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said Saturday that a strategic agreement with the US on the basis of protecting the unity and sovereignty of Iraq will be reviewed, Anadolu Agency reports.

Following his first Cabinet meeting, al-Kadhimi told reporters the group established a crisis desk consisting foreign affairs experts.

BAGHDAD, May 10 (NNN-NINA) – Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, ruled out Iraq as the ground for “settling accounts” by the U.S. and its rival, Iran.

Al-Kadhimi made the remarks, after separately receiving the U.S. and Iranian ambassadors to Iraq, during which he expressed his country’s keenness to cooperate with all countries.

ABU DHABI, May 10 (NNN-WAM) – The Ministry of Education said that, distance learning system, for all educational levels, will remain effective, until the end of the current academic year, in accordance with a previous decision.

The Ministry further clarified that, any decision for the academic year 2020-2021, is still under review and will be taken, based on the health situation and precautionary measures.

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has approved amendments to the country’s state of emergency that grant him and security agencies additional powers, which the government says are needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

An international rights group condemned the amendments, saying the government has used the global pandemic to “expand, not reform, Egypt’s abusive Emergency Law.”

9 May 2020; MEMO: Israel stressed on Friday that it would discuss the reports about cutting the number of US forces involved in the multinational peacekeeping force in the Sinai Peninsula, agencies reported.

9 May 2020; MEMO: Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Saturday that Saudi Arabian authorities recently detained and are holding incommunicado Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, who had previously been netted in an anti-corruption drive and released in late 2017.

TRIPOLI, May 9 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), condemned the indiscriminate shelling of the capital, Tripoli, which killed two policemen and one civilian.

“UNSMIL is deeply alarmed by the intensification of indiscriminate attacks, at a moment when Libyans deserve to peacefully observe the holy month of Ramadan, and a time when they are battling the COVID-19 pandemic,” UNSMIL said.

RAMALLAH, May 9 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, warned, on Friday, that measures will be taken against Israel and the United States, if Israeli plan of annexing West Bank is implemented.

Abbas’ warning was made in a meeting he chaired at his office, in the city of Ramallah, for the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Executive Committee.

“As soon as Israel announces that it adopts the annexation plan, we will take the proper measures, which will not be against Israel alone, but also against America,” said Abbas.

TRIPOLI, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Indiscriminate shelling on Friday hit a residential area in the south of the Libyan capital Tripoli, killing four civilians, according to a health ministry official.

"Four people of the same family were killed by indiscriminate shelling that hit Ain Zara area," Amin Hashemi, information advisor of the Ministry of Health, told Xinhua.

The shelling happened at the time of Iftar, the evening meal for breaking fasting during Ramadan, and ambulances could not reach them on time, Hashemi said.