Middle East & North Africa

(AP) --- U.N. Security Council diplomats and Muslim foreign ministers convened emergency weekend meetings to demand a stop to civilian bloodshed as Israeli warplanes carried out the deadliest single attacks in nearly a week of Hamas rocket barrages and Israeli airstrikes.

President Joe Biden gave no signs of stepping up public pressure on Israel to agree to an immediate cease-fire despite calls from some Democrats for the Biden administration to get more involved.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli warplanes unleashed a new series of heavy airstrikes at several locations in Gaza City early Monday, hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the fourth war with Gaza’s Hamas rulers would rage on.

ADDIS ABABA, May 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — African countries have acquired 38.03 million Covid-19 vaccines so far, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed.

The Africa CDC, the specialised healthcare agency of the 55-member African Union, said 22.4 million Covid-19 doses have been administered, out of the over 38.03 million acquired by member states.

16 May 2021; MEMO: Cruise operator Royal Caribbean is cancelling a new line that had been scheduled to run from Israel to Greece and Cyprus from next month, citing regional security concerns, reports Reuters.

The sailings out of Haifa port would have been the first for Royal Caribbean's new ship "Odyssey of the Seas" and were intended to exploit a travel corridor being set up among the three countries for travellers vaccinated against COVID-19.

16 May 2021; MEMO: Turkey will start easing its strict coronavirus lockdown on Monday by allowing movement during the day while keeping overnight and weekend curfews in place, the Interior Ministry said in a directive on Sunday, reports Reuters.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday Turkey would gradually ease out of a full lockdown imposed 2-1/2 weeks ago, and lift restrictions more significantly in June.

16 May 2021; MEMO: All members of a Palestinian family were killed on Thursday night as Israeli warplanes continue to bombard northern Gaza.

The Tanani family which consisted of a father, a pregnant mother, and four children were in their home in Beit Hanoun town when the Israeli army bombed the area without any warning. The entire residential square was destroyed, including the family's home.

16 May 2021; MEMO: Egypt has opened the Rafah border crossing a day earlier than planned to allow the passage of students, people needing medical treatment, and other humanitarian cases, two sources at the border told Reuters on Sunday.

The border had been closed for the Eid al-Fitr holiday and was due to reopen on Monday.

16 May 2021; MEMO: It is time to show unity and determination on Palestine, and Turkey is ready to take any necessary step, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu at an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday, reports Anadolu Agency.

At the virtual meeting to discuss Israel's attacks on Palestine, Cavusoglu said that Israel also targeted members of the press and that half of those who lost their lives in Gaza were women and children.

16 May 2021; MEMO: Israel pounded Gaza with airstrikes into the early hours of Sunday, destroying a tower block that housed news media organisations, while Palestinian militants fired rocket salvoes at Tel Aviv, reports Reuters.

(Reuters) --- U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday held his first phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas since taking office, amid heavy fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip.

Biden has dispatched an envoy to try to quell the violence that has killed dozens in Gaza and at least 10 in Israel, but U.S., regional and international efforts have yet to show any signs of progress.