Middle East & North Africa

CAIRO (AP) — Journalism in Egypt has effectively become a crime over the past four years, as authorities clamp down on media outlets and muzzle dissent, Amnesty International said in a report released Sunday.

As the number of coronavirus infections in Egypt continues to rise, the government is strengthening its control over information, the London-based rights group said, instead of upholding transparency during the public health crisis.

Abu Dhabi; 03 May 2020 (UMM):  A patent has been granted by UAE’s Ministry of Economy for an innovative and promising treatment for Covid-19 using stem cells.

According to Khaleej Times, the treatment was developed by a team of doctors and researchers at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center, ADSCC, and involves extracting stem cells from the patient's own blood and reintroducing them after activating them.

CAIRO, May 2. /TASS/: The Libyan National Army (LNA) headed by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar is currently holding consultations for the purpose of forming the Supreme National Council and the government of expert executives for administration of the country over the transitional period, a source in the House of Representatives of Libya told TASS.

3 May 2020; MEMO: On Friday Iraq announced the start of implementing the decision of OPEC+ to reduce crude oil production by 23 per cent, aiming to stabilise prices in the international markets, DPA International reported.

Sources in Basra Oil Company confirmed that it had started the reduction plan on 1 May in its oil fields.

3 May 2020; MEMO: On Thursday the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned Germany’s blacklisting of the Lebanese Hezbollah, claiming the move is in line with aspirations of the Zionist regime of Israel and the US, Iranian media reported.

3 May 2020; MEMO: On Thursday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlined the benefits of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP) in an article he penned for the latest issue of The Diplomat magazine.

ABU DHABI, May 2 (NNN-WAM) – Yas Mall, on Yas Island, and Al Jimi Mall, in Al Ain, will be the first in the emirate to reopen – but with measures in place, to protect shoppers from the spread of Covid-19.

Opening hours during Ramadan will be 12.00 pm to 9.00 pm, to avoid overlapping with disinfection hours that last from 10.00 pm to 6.00 am. Supermarkets and pharmacies – which can be visited in cases of absolute necessity during the disinfection period – will open from 9.00 am to midnight.

BAGHDAD, May 2 (NNN-NINA) – Iraq said, it exported more than 103 million barrels of crude oil in Apr, bringing in revenues of more than 1.42 billion U.S. dollars.

Iraq’s total exports of crude oil during the month exceeded 103.14 million barrels, with an average of 3.43 million barrels per day, Iraqi Oil Ministry said, citing statistics of the State Organisation for Marketing of Oil.

The average selling price for crude oil in Apr was 13.8 dollars per barrel, the statement said.

SANAA, May 1 (Xinhua) -- More than 110,000 suspected cases of cholera have been recorded in Yemen since the beginning of 2020, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of the Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Friday.

The cases were recorded in 290 of Yemen's 333 districts since January, the OCHA said in a statement on Twitter, warning that the number of cases could increase in the rainy season, which began in April and would last until August.

The Lebanese government yesterday approved an economic rescue plan prepared by Prime Minister Hassan Diab in a bid to save the country from the worst economic crisis in its history.

The Lebanese presidency said on Twitter that the cabinet has unanimously approved the economic plan, after making minor amendments to the proposal.

Diab said it will be used to apply for loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that could save the deteriorating economy.