Middle East & North Africa

4 May 2020; MEMO: The Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) expects that Russia, Turkey and Iran will reach a consensus to remove the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar Al-Assad, and establish a ceasefire in exchange for forming a transitional government that includes the opposition, members of the regime and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

4 May 2020; MEMO: Journalism has become a crime in Egypt and the authorities are targeting supporters and oppositionists to strengthen their control, Amnesty International warned yesterday, accusing the regime of a lack of transparency and withholding information about the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

RABAT, May 4 (NNN-WAM) – The United Arab Emirates’ Sharjah Library, allowed access to its more than six million e-books and digital knowledge resources for free, said a statement on Sunday.

The statement, announced by the Rabat-based Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO), said, the initiative came, in a bid to enrich the contents of “ICESCO Digital Home” and “Distance Culture” initiatives, and to support the efforts, to limit the impact of COVID-19 on the educational, scientific and cultural fields.

DAMASCUS, May 4 (NNN-SANA) – A convoy of 30 Turkish military vehicles entered Syria’s northern Idlib province on Sunday, a war monitor reported.

The military convoy carried logistic and military gears, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said, 2,980 Turkish military gears entered Idlib since Mar 5, when Russia and Turkey established a cease-fire deal in Idlib, between the rebels and the Syrian army.

ISTANBUL, May 4 (NNN-ANADOLU) — Turkey’s biggest city, Istanbul, with a population of 16 million, spent Sunday under lock-down, in line with the government’s measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several on-duty officials, press members, and police forces were seen patrolling the city’s usually most crowded spots, while avenues, streets, and district centres were all deserted

“We can say that Istanbulites this weekend have fully complied with the curfew,” a local journalist said. “The entire city was left to birds.

BAGHDAD (AP) — The man wearing an explosive vest emerged from a car and calmly marched toward the gates of the intelligence building in Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk. When he ignored their shouts to halt, guards opened fire, and he blew himself up, wounding three security personnel in the first week of Ramadan.

Days later, a three-pronged coordinated attack killed 10 Iraqi militia fighters in the northern province of Salahaddin — the deadliest and most complex operation in many months.

Dubai; 03 May 2020 (UMM):  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has provided medical aid to India to boost the country's efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. A plane carrying seven tonnes of medical supplies from UAE landed in India on Saturday.

The aid will assist some 7,000 medical professionals as they work to fight the infection.

JERUSALEM (AP) — With the fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the line, Israel’s Supreme Court began discussions Sunday on the question of whether the embattled leader can form a new government while facing criminal indictments.

The court’s decision, expected later this week, is shaping up as a watershed moment in Israeli history.

3 May 2020; MEMO: Malls in the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi began reopening to a restricted number of customers this weekend as the UAE eases lockdown measures imposed more than a month ago to combat the novel coronavirus, reports Reuters.

Three Abu Dhabi malls reopened on Saturday at 30% customer capacity after adopting safety measures, including installing thermal inspection devices, the government media office tweeted and Sharjah emirate said it would reopen malls on Sunday.

3 May 2020; MEMO: An economic rescue plan that will form the basis of Lebanon’s talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was panned by banks on Friday as one that would “further destroy confidence” in the country, reports Reuters.