Middle East & North Africa

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria, already shattered by nine years of war, has banned entry for foreigners arriving from many countries hit by the coronavirus as part of widening measures to combat the epidemic.

Although the government says it has yet to document any infections, Syria is seen at high risk.

“We have vulnerable populations in camps, refugees, slum areas at the outskirts of large urban centers,” the World Health Organization’s Syria representative, Nima Saeed Abid, told Reuters.

21 Mar 2020; MEMO: Two men have been arrested by the authorities in Saudi Arabia after posting videos online showing them drinking disinfectant and sterilising liquid that is unfit for human consumption, and thus misleading others into believing that it can protect them from the coronavirus.

21 Mar 2020; MEMO: Bahrain’s Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al Khalifa returned to the kingdom after medical treatment in Germany, the state news agency BNA said on Friday.

The agency said King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received the prime minister on his return after a “full recovery.”

Khalifa, 84, has served as Bahrain’s prime minister since the Sunni Muslim-led island kingdom declared independence from Britain in 1971. The al-Khalifa family has ruled since 1783.

21 Mar 2020; MEMO: Tunisia’s president on Friday ordered a general lockdown, limiting citizens’ free movement in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, reports Reuters.

The North African country, which has already shut down cafes, restaurants, and mosques, has so far reported 54 confirmed cases of coronavirus and one death.

21 Mar 2020; MEMO: Iraqi political sources revealed on Thursday that Shia blocs have agreed to form a committee to inform President Barham Salih of their rejection of the appointment of Adnan Al-Zurfi as the new prime minister-designate.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Uber Technologies has suspended the option to book regular taxi services through its app in Saudi Arabia until further notice, a company statement said on Friday.

Saudi Arabia is in virtual lockdown and has suspended regular, accredited taxi services as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. It has reported 344 cases of the virus.

“As per the measures announced by the Ministry of Interior, we are suspending Uber Taxi in the Kingdom until further notice”, an Uber spokesman told Reuters.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that social distancing measures to combat the coronavirus outbreak in the country, including travel restrictions, will apply for only two to three weeks as he expects the crisis to ease by then.

Iran “has to do everything necessary to return economic production to normal,” he said in comments broadcast on state TV. He also accused “counter-revolutionaries” of plotting to shut down economic production.

BEIRUT, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Finance Minister Ghazi Wazne said that negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) aimed at restructuring the country's debt showed huge differences, a statement issued by the Finance Ministry reported on Friday.

"We cannot take measures that will increase the suffering of the population; the upcoming negotiations will be tough," Wazne said.

However, Wazne emphasized the need for international funding in a bid to be able to solve Lebanon's problem.

BEIRUT, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday that the resistance has nothing to do with the decision issued by the military court in Lebanon to acquit Amer Fakhoury, former head of an Israeli-linked prison.

Nasrallah made the remarks in a speech broadcasted on al-Manar local TV channel.

Lebanon's Military Tribunal issued a decision on Tuesday to drop charges against Amer Fakhoury who has been accused of collaborating with Israel in torturing prisoners in Khiam in southern Lebanon.

DAMASCUS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received a phone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, according to the state news agency SANA.

The two sides discussed the development of a cease-fire agreement which was reached by Turkey and Russia and went into force in Idlib, Syria, on March 5, the report said, adding that violations committed by the rebels were also discussed.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday that cautious calm is prevailing in part of Idlib province.