Middle East & North Africa

TUNIS, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) will soon grant Tunisia 250 million euros (279.21 million U.S. dollars) to support the North African country in its fight against the spread of COVID-19 and reduce its social and economic repercussions, announced Tunisian Foreign Ministry on Saturday.

"In a telephone conversation, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Oliver Varhelyi informed Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Noureddine Erray that EU had decided to grant 250 million euros to Tunisia," said a ministry statement.

28 Mar 2020; MEMO: The minister of defence and support of the Iranian Armed Forces, Brigadier Amir Hatami, announced in a statement that major defence gear will be unveiled this year, noting that the Iranian naval force will receive a DANA destroyer and a minesweeper ship, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

28 Mar 2020; MEMO: An Iranian official announced on Friday that some of Tehran’s frozen funds abroad under US sanctions have been released as part of measures to help Iranian authorities combat the spread of COVID-19.

28 Mar 2020; MEMO: Head of Israel Resilience Party (Hosen L’Yisrael) Benny Gantz is concerned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not commit to the “rotation deal”, Arab48.com reported on Friday.

28 Mar 2020; MEMO: Turkey’s interior minister on Friday said 5,800 asylum seekers near the Greek border have been evacuated as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

In an interview with Turkish news channel NTV, Suleyman Soylu said: “After the risk of contamination passes, we won’t say no to anyone who wants to go back to the Pazarkule border gate.”

Soylu said that those asylum seekers are being hosted in repatriation centers in nine provinces.

28 Mar 2020; MEMO: While its public budget suffers a growing deficit due to the tumbling oil prices and the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Saudi Ministry of Finance revealed that the kingdom has sold local bonds (Islamic debt bonds) worth 15.568 billion Saudi riyals ($4.15 billion) in March.

28 Mar 2020; MEMO: A number of Egyptian media professionals have rejected the recent media council’s decision to block websites and prosecute social media users, considering it contrary to the law and constitution that stipulates freedom of the press, the right to circulate information and freedom of expression in general.

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan has been removed from his post by President Tayyip Erdogan, according to a decree published on the Official Gazette early on Saturday.

Adil Karaismailoglu has been appointed as the new minister, the decree said. It did not provide a reason for the change or any further details. A spokesman for the ministry confirmed the move, but did not provide details.

Turhan, a former head of Turkey’s Railroads Directorate and chief adviser to the president, was appointed minister by Erdogan on in July 2018.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran’s health infrastructure is strong and ready to cope with a possible escalation in coronavirus cases, President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday on state TV.

Iran is among the few countries worldwide severely affected by the pandemic. On Friday, the health ministry reported a death toll of 2,378 and total confirmed infections at 32,332.

TEHRAN, March 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 80 inmates escaped from a prison in Saqqez city in Iran's western province of Kurdistan on Friday, semi-official Fars news agency reported.

The riot erupted amid the concerns about the raging novel coronavirus pandemic in the country, the report said.

On March 19, at least 20 inmates escaped from a prison in the city of Khorramabad, the capital of Lorestan province.

Iran's judiciary has already freed 85,000 prisoners amid the concerns about the spread of COVID-19, a highly infectious disease.