Middle East coronavirus cases continue to rise

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A Baghdad resident stands inside a coffee shop with a sign in Arabic which reads ‘Coffee shop is closed, due to corona following a decision by the health ministry’ on March 16, 2020. (AFP)
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Updated 19 March 2020
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Middle East coronavirus cases continue to rise

  • Rest of the world also reporting bleak scenarios
  • The death toll in Iran has reached 1,135 on Wednesday

DUBAI: Middle East countries are reporting a higher number of coronavirus cases, with Iran recording its single biggest jump in deaths during the past 24 hours, as the rest world experiencing similar bleak scenarios. Countries are implementing tighter rules on international and domestic travel to strengthen efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Jordan has limited movement even between governorates in order to contain the disease, as UN reported that some refugees have been infected with coronavirus.

Wednesday, March 18 (All times in GMT)

21:15 - Applause rang out from windows across France Wednesday night as housebound residents cheered in solidarity with healthcare workers on the frontline of the coronavirus outbreak gripping the country.

France has imposed sweeping lockdown measures, confining millions to their homes for much of the day. Residents are only permitted to leave with good reason -- and that includes legions of nurses, doctors and other medical professionals caring for the thousands of people infected with coronavirus across the country.

20:59 - The United Arab Emirates suspended issuing all types of work permits starting Thursday until further notice as a precautionary measure against coronavirus spread, state news agency (WAM) reported late on Wednesday.
The decision excludes internal transportation permits and employment permits for Expo 2020, WAM added.

20:55 - The Saudi Center of Disease Prevention and Control shared on Wednesday the tools they use to pinpoint the origin of coronavirus cases and the epidemiological link between the cases. Read more here.

20:25 - Death toll in Turkey from coronavirus rises to two, number of confirmed cases rises to 191 from 98 a day earlier, the country's health minister said.

"The test results today show that measures are very necessary. There are 93 new diagnosed case for which treatment has begun," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca wrote on Twitter. The number of cases had similarly doubled the previous day.

20:05 - Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan said that his government is taking precautionary financial measures to address the effects of the global coronavirus epidemic on Wednesday. 

19:35 - The United States is suspending all routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa services as of Wednesday in most countries worldwide due to coronavirus outbreak, a spokeswoman for the State Department said.

The spokeswoman did not mention which or how many countries are halting services. She said US missions abroad will continue to provide emergency visa services "as resources allow," and that the services to US citizens will remain available.

Missions will resume routine visa services as soon as possible, the spokeswoman said, without giving a date.

19:30 - Egypt’s health ministry says 14 new cases of coronavirus have been reported, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 210.

19:25 - Sudan's government said it will open airports in the country for two days so that its citizens who are stranded abroad can return.

19:15 - Oman reported six new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday. 

19:00 - Pakistan on Wednesday confirmed its first two deaths from coronavirus as the total number of infected patients in the country climbed to 260, the health minister said on Twitter.

Both deaths were reported from northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where so far 19 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed.

"Sadly, a second patient in Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar, a 36 year old from Hangu district has also passed away from coronavirus," Taimur Khan Jhangra, provincial minister for health of north west province said in a tweet.




A health worker sprays disinfectant to a bus following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Islamabad, Pakistan March 18, 2020. (Reuters)

18:55 - The coronavirus epidemic has caused 89 new deaths across France over the last 24 hours bringing the total death toll in the country to 264, the top French health official said on Wednesday.
"We have an epidemic that is rapidly becoming more serious," Jerome Salomon told reporters, adding that France now had 9,134 confirmed cases, 3,626 of whom were in hospital.




A man wearing a facemask for protective measures does his grocery shopping at the Barbes Market, on March 18, 2020, in Paris, as a strict lockdown came into in effect in France to stop the spread of COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus. (AFP)

18:45 - The city of Venice is enjoying crystal clear waters in its world-famous canals due to a lack of debris from tourists and near-zero boat traffic under Italy's ongoing coronavirus lockdown.

The clear waters are a tiny bright spot in the beleaguered but beautiful city, whose economy has been virtually wiped out since tourists fled the area beginning last month, spooked by the spread of coronavirus in the country's north.

Since March 9, the city like the rest of Italy has been a so-called "red zone," with hotels, restaurants, cafés and most businesses shuttered, and residents ordered to stay inside and avoid travel.

18:10 - Pakistan on Wednesday confirmed its first death from coronavirus as the total number of infected patients in the country climbed to 260, the health minister said on Twitter.
The death was reported in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where so far 19 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed.




A worker cleans benches in front of closed food street stalls after a ban for public imposed by the national authorities amid concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, in Karachi on March 18, 2020. (AFP)

17:55 - Israel barred entry to all foreign nationals unless they have residency in the Jewish state, in the latest measure to contain coronavirus.
“It has been decided that from today, foreign nationals who are not citizens of Israel and who do not hold Israeli citizenship or residency will not be allowed entry into Israel,” a foreign ministry statement said.

17:40 - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that school closures across the country were necessary from Friday for most pupils, to slow the spread of coronavirus.

"We must apply downward pressure, further downward pressure on the upward curve by closing the schools," Johnson said at a news conference on Wednesday.

"After schools shut their gates from Friday afternoon, they will remain closed for most pupils, for the vast majority of pupils, until further notice.

17:30 - Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health announced 67 new cases of the virus in the Kingdom on Wednesday.

17:10 Italy death toll from coronavirus outbreak surges by 475 to 2,978.

17:00 - The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday said the new coronavirus was an "enemy against humanity", as the number of people infected in the pandemic soared past 200,000.
"This coronavirus is presenting us with an unprecedented threat," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists in a virtual news conference, stressing that it was "an unprecedented opportunity to come together as one against a common enemy: an enemy against humanity."

16:20 - UK says 32 more people have died after testing positive for coronavirus - taking the total number of UK deaths to 104

16:20 - US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is invoking the Defense Production Act for use against the coronavirus pandemic, putting in place a law that will allow the US government to accelerate production of needed equipment.
Trump also said a hospital ship will be sent to hard-hit New York to help people affected by the contagion, and that a second hospital ship will be deployed to the West Coast.

15:45 - The UAE said on Wednesday that all people entering the country will have to remain at home in self-isolation for 14 days and that legal action would be taken against people who do not comply with the order, according to Emirates News Agency (WAM).

15:40 - A city in Germany's Bavaria region has become the first city in the country to impose a curfew due to the virus, according to German media reports on Wednesday said.

15:20 - Turkey will close its rail and land border with Greece and Bulgaria from midnight over the new coronavirus fear, after Ankara opened the gates for refugees heading to Europe.

"The land and rail border gates will be closed to exits and entries from 2100 GMT today (Wednesday)" as ordered by a circular issued by the interior ministry, the private Dogan news agency reported

15:00 - A British professor who was in Downing Street this week after convincing Prime Minister Boris Johnson to stiffen his response to the coronavirus outbreak has self-isolated after developing a persistent dry cough and a fever.

Neil Ferguson, a professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College London, produced a projection of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak for the British government and was in Downing Street on Monday.

It was not immediately clear whether Ferguson had met Johnson face to face although the professor attended Johnson’s news conference.

14:55 - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said his government would provide C$27 billion ($18.6 billion) in stimulus directly to Canadian families and businesses struggling because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Trudeau also told reporters the government would provide C$55 billion in additional aid to businesses and households through tax deferrals. 

14:45 - Israel closed off Palestinian-administered areas of the occupied West Bank on Wednesday to limit the spread of the coronavirus, officials from both sides said.

"From today, a closure has taken place in the West Bank," said Yotam Shefer, who heads the international department of COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories.

He told journalists the decision had been taken in conjunction with the Palestinian government, based in Ramallah.




Palestinian police stand guard outside the Church of the Nativitiy in Bethlehem, in Israeli-occupied West Bank, amid the coronavirus outbreak. (Reuters)

14:09 The UN’s International Labor Organization estimates that fallout from the new coronavirus outbreak could cause nearly 25 million job losses and drain up to $3.4 trillion worth of income by the end of this year.
ILO laid out a number of scenarios on the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, estimating an increase in worldwide unemployment of between 5.3 million and 24.7 million people. That’s on top of the estimated 188 million that the agency had predicted late last year in its annual forecast.
The agency noted the global financial crisis boosted global unemployment by 22 million people.

13:55 - President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the closure of the US-Canada border, though underlining that trade will not be impacted.

The shutdown builds on Trump's barring of visitors from most of Europe, China and other parts of the world hit by coronavirus.

"We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic. Trade will not be affected. Details to follow!" Trump tweeted.

13:50 - Germany has suspended its refugee intake programmes including a deal with Turkey, an interior ministry spokesman said Wednesday, as the European Union shut its borders to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The interior ministry has halted the programmes on refugee resettlement "due to the restrictions on travel", said the spokesman, adding that they will resume "when possible".

13:45 - AC Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimović has set up a fundraiser to help Italian hospitals in the center of the coronavirus outbreak. According to the website accepting donations, Ibrahimović has donated 100,000 euros ($109,000) to the fund. It quickly raised a further 10,300 euros ($11,300).

The site states that all the money raised will be “directly donated to Humanitas to help strengthen the intensive care and emergency units of Milano, Bergamo, Castellanza and Torino's hospitals.” Italy has been the second hardest hit country with more than 31,000 cases of the virus.

The 38-year-old Ibrahimović rejoined Milan in January from the Los Anegles Galaxy. He has also played for Italian clubs Inter Milan and Juventus.

13:15 - The UAE banned its citizens from traveling abroad over coronavirus fears on Wednesday, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.  

13:05 – The parallel administration controlling eastern Libya will impose a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., excluding security and emergency personnel, to stop any spread of the coronavirus, its interior ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Libya has not yet confirmed any cases of the virus, but both its internationally recognized government in Tripoli and the rival parallel administration in Benghazi have imposed tight restrictions on travel over the crisis.

11:50 – The European Union has accused the Russian media of spreading misinformation about coronavirus.

10:30 – The coronavirus death toll in Iran has reached 1,135, with 147 fatalities in the past 24 hours. Iran’s number of infected people from coronavirus also climbed to 17,361, state TV reported.

09:50 – Oman’s central bank is preparing to provide some 8 billion Omani rials ($20.8 billion) in extra liquidity to banks as one of several measures aimed at supporting the economy, state TV reported, as coronavirus fears escalate in the Gulf region.

09:30 – A total of 276 Indians have tested positive for coronavirus overseas to date, an Indian government minister said. The vast majority, 255, tested positive in Iran, with others in the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Rwanda and Hong Kong, V. Muraleedharan, minister of state for external affairs, said in a written reply to a question in India’s parliament.

09:20 – Indonesia announced on Wednesday 55 new coronavirus cases, taking the total to 227 in the Southeast Asian nation and marking the biggest daily rise in positive cases. Achmad Yurianto, a health ministry official, also told a news conference that the number of deaths from the disease rose to 19, with deaths recorded in seven different provinces, while 11 patients had recovered.




A worker wearing protective suit sprays disinfectant on some restaurant tables in Jakarta, Indonesia on March 14, 2020. (Reuters)

09:00 – Malta will stop all incoming passenger flights on Saturday and only allow cargo, humanitarian and repatriation flights to land to stop the spread of coronavirus, officials said. The Mediterranean island, which depends heavily on tourism, has reported 38 cases so far, of which 32 were people who had caught the disease abroad.

08:45 – The Philippines has reported 15 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the country’s total number to 202.

08:15 – Panic buying by British shoppers escalated on Wednesday with shelves stripped bare by alarmed customers hoarding for the coronavirus isolation, prompting Tesco and Sainsbury’s to restrict purchases.

07:45 – The Philippines lifted a deadline for thousands of foreign travelers to leave the northern third of the country, including the capital, after quarantining the region due to an increase in coronavirus infections

07:20 – Taiwanese authorities say all foreigners will be barred from entering Taiwan from Thursday to contain the spread of the new coronavirus. Diplomats, alien resident card holders and those with special entry permits will be allowed in, but must undergo 14 days of quarantine.

06:35 – Oman College of Health Sciences will cancel online studies during the suspension period, a senior administrator said. “Based on the directives of the higher management at the Oman College of Health Sciences, it is decided to cancel remote study through electronic teaching aids during the suspension period, as the school year will be rescheduled and the remainder of the second semester will be moved beyond the study suspension period,” the college administration said in a statement.

06:00 – Dubai’s Department of Economic Development (DED) has suspended the issuance of all permits for business events, covering conferences, exhibitions and meetings, across the emirate until March 31 as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus.

05:40 – The UAE and Bahrain have topped the number of people tested for the coronavirus with a combined total of 19,165 per one million individuals, UAE state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday.

03:35 – Vietnam reported new case of coronavirus, which is linked to Malaysia’s mosque event, taking country’s tally to 67.

03:30 – Kyrgyzstan has confirmed its first three coronavirus cases, healthcare minister Kosmosbek Cholponbayev said on Wednesday. Three Kyrgyz nationals tested positive after arriving from Saudi Arabia, he told a briefing.

Tuesday, March 17 (All times in GMT)

22:15 – France could stop British travelers from entering the country if Britain fails to lockdown to battle the coronavirus, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said.

22:00The UAE’s two major bourses are implementing a tighter limit down cap of listed securities starting Wednesday as a precaution against market volatility because of the coronavirus outbreak.

21:30 – Morocco’s Ministry of Health said there are 6 new infections with COVID-19, bringing the total number to 44.

19:35 – UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention recorded 15 new cases, bringing the total to 113.

17:30 – Egypt’s Ministry of Health recorded 30 new coronavirus cases and two new deaths, which brings tolls to 196 patients and 6 deaths. So far, 26 people have recovered.


Wildfires kill two in western Turkiye, little-known group claims arson attacks

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Wildfires kill two in western Turkiye, little-known group claims arson attacks

The latest casualty was a backhoe operator, Ibrahim Demir, who died while battling the flames in the Odemis district
A group calling itself “Children of Fire” claimed responsibility

ISTANBUL: A wildfire killed a second person in Türkiye’s western Izmir province on Tuesday as blazes raged for a seventh day across several regions, while a little-known group claiming ties to Kurdish militants said it was behind dozens of arson attacks.
The latest casualty was a backhoe operator, Ibrahim Demir, who died while battling the flames in the Odemis district, the state-run Anadolu news agency said.
Earlier, an 81-year-old bedridden man who was home alone in the same area died when fire reached his house, marking the first death since the fires began.
A group calling itself “Children of Fire” claimed responsibility for “tens of fires across six Turkish cities”, according to a statement shared online.
The group, which is little known, says it is affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), designated a terrorist group by Türkiye, the United States and European Union. The PKK, which said in May that it was ending a 40-year insurgency and disbanding, has not commented on the claim.
Firefighters continued to battle flames with helicopters and planes dropping water over mountainous terrain in Izmir, while authorities closed some roads to the Aegean resort town of Cesme, Anadolu said.
Broadcasters showed footage of flames lining the main highway as water tankers arrived.
Türkiye, Greece and other countries in the Mediterranean are in an area scientists dub “a wildfire hotspot” — with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate.
Wildfires across Türkiye’s west have damaged around 200 homes and victims have been provided alternative accommodation, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. Some 50,000 people were temporarily evacuated earlier this week from areas of fires fueled by high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds.
New fires also broke out on Thursday in the southern resort province of Antalya and in forested areas near Istanbul, Türkiye’s largest city, Anadolu said. Authorities have managed to contain several of the blazes.

US imposes fresh sanctions targeting Iran oil trade, Hezbollah

Updated 6 min 10 sec ago
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US imposes fresh sanctions targeting Iran oil trade, Hezbollah

WASHINGTON: The US imposed sanctions on Thursday against a network that smuggles Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi oil, and on a Hezbollah-controlled financial institution, the Treasury Department said. A network of companies run by Iraqi-British national Salim Ahmed Said has been buying and shipping billions of dollars worth of Iranian oil disguised as, or blended with, Iraqi oil since at least 2020, the department said.
“Treasury will continue to target Tehran’s revenue sources and intensify economic pressure to disrupt the regime’s access to the financial resources that fuel its destabilizing activities,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
The US has imposed waves of sanctions on Iran’s oil exports over its nuclear program and funding of militant groups across the Middle East.
Reuters reported late last year that a fuel oil smuggling network that generates at least $1 billion a year for Iran and its proxies has
flourished in Iraq since 2022.
Thursday’s sanctions came after the US carried out strikes on June 22 on three Iranian nuclear sites, including its most deeply buried enrichment plant Fordow. The Pentagon said on Wednesday the strikes had degraded Iran’s nuclear program by up to two years, despite a far more cautious initial assessment that had leaked to the public.
The US and Iran are expected to hold talks about its nuclear program next week in Oslo, Axios reported.
The Treasury Department also issued sanctions against several senior officials and one entity associated with the Hezbollah-controlled financial institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan.
The officials, the department said, conducted millions of dollars in transactions that ultimately benefited, but obscured, Hezbollah.

One person killed, 4 injured in Israeli airstrike on car in Beirut

Lebanese soldiers cordon off the site after a reported Israeli strike on a vehicle in Khaldeh, south of the capital Beirut.
Updated 50 min 54 sec ago
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One person killed, 4 injured in Israeli airstrike on car in Beirut

  • Israeli military spokesperson says the army ‘targeted a terrorist in Lebanon who was involved in arms smuggling and advancing terrorist plots against Israeli citizens and army forces’
  • Israeli army forces enter Kfar Kila, the closest Lebanese town to Israel, on Thursday morning and blow up a civilian home

BEIRUT: An Israeli drone attack hit a car on Khaldeh Road in southern Beirut at about 5 p.m. on Thursday. Initial reports suggested one person was killed and at least four injured.

The drone fired two guided missiles at the vehicle, scoring direct hits. The road on which it was traveling was described as a typically busy road.

The Israeli army confirmed the attack. In a message posted on social media platform X, military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said: “The Israeli army targeted a terrorist in Lebanon who was involved in arms smuggling and advancing terrorist plots against Israeli citizens and army forces on behalf of the Iranian Quds Force.”

The attack took place three days before US envoy Thomas Barrack is due visit to Beirut to receive Lebanon’s response to US disarmament proposals designed to restrict control of weapons in the country to the Lebanese state, and a day after Hezbollah reiterated its rejection of the demand.

Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, said on Wednesday that the group “categorically rejects any efforts to disarm. We do not accept being led into humiliation, nor surrendering our land or weapons to the Israeli enemy.”

The matter of weapons is “an internal Lebanese issue that must be addressed internally, without external supervision or interference,” he added.

“The party will not submit to any external threat or pressure. No one decides for us or imposes choices on us that we do not accept. Our weapons are our legitimate and legal right to confront the Israeli occupation.”

On Thursday morning, Israeli army forces entered the southern town of Kfar Kila and blew up a civilian home. Located across the border from the Israeli settlement of Metula, Kfar Kila is the closest Lebanese town to Israel, separated only by a border fence. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon and the Lebanese army maintain a permanent presence in the area.


Algeria jails historian who questioned Amazigh culture

Updated 03 July 2025
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Algeria jails historian who questioned Amazigh culture

  • He was arrested on May 3 for “the crime of undermining national unity“
  • Belghit’s lawyer Toufik Hichour said on Facebook that a court sentenced him to five years

ALGIERS: An Algerian court on Thursday sentenced historian Mohamed Amine Belghit to five years in prison for offending national symbols, his lawyer said, after remarks questioning the existence of the native Amazigh culture.

Belghit sparked outrage in the North African country when he said in a recent interview that “the Amazigh language is an ideological project of Franco-Zionist origin,” and that “there’s no such thing as Amazigh culture.”

He was arrested on May 3 for “the crime of undermining national unity” by targeting “symbols of the nation and the republic” as well as “disseminating hate speech,” the prosecution said at the time.

On Thursday, Belghit’s lawyer Toufik Hichour said on Facebook that a court outside the capital Algiers sentenced him to five years behind bars.

The prosecutor had requested seven years jailtime and a fine of 700,000 dinars ($5,400).

Algeria in 2016 granted official status to Tamazight, the language of the Amazigh people, who are also known as Berbers.

The Berber new year celebration, Yennayer, was added in 2017 to the list of national holidays.

Belghit, a university professor, is no stranger to controversies.

His remarks often cause uproar, with critics accusing him of historical revisionism and hostility toward the Amazigh people.


Iran committed to Non-Proliferation Treaty, foreign minister says

Updated 03 July 2025
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Iran committed to Non-Proliferation Treaty, foreign minister says

  • Abbas Araqchi made the comment a day after Tehran enacted a law suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog
  • Iran has accused the IAEA of siding with Western countries and providing a justification for Israel’s airstrikes

Iran remains committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its safeguards agreement, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday, a day after Tehran enacted a law suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
“Our cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) will be channeled through Iran’s Supreme National Security Council for obvious safety and security reasons,” Araqchi wrote in a post on X.
President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday enacted the legislation passed by parliament last week to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, a move the US called “unacceptable.”
Araqchi’s comment on X was in response to a call from Germany’s Foreign Ministry urging Tehran to reverse its decision to shelve cooperation with the IAEA.
Araqchi accused Germany of “explicit support for Israel’s unlawful attack on Iran, including safeguarded nuclear sites.”
Iran has accused the IAEA of siding with Western countries and providing a justification for Israel’sJune 13-24 airstrikes on Iranian nuclear installations, which began a day after the UN agency’s board of governors voted to declare Tehran in violation of its obligations under the NPT.
Western powers have long suspected that Iran has sought to develop the means to build atomic bombs through its declared civilian atomic energy program. Iran has repeatedly said it is enriching uranium only for peaceful nuclear ends.
IAEA inspectors are mandated to ensure compliance with the NPT by seeking to verify that nuclear programs in treaty countries are not diverted for military purposes.
The law that went into effect on Wednesday mandates that any future inspection of Iranian nuclear sites by the IAEA needs approval by Tehran’s Supreme National Security Council.
“We are aware of these reports. The IAEA is awaiting further official information from Iran,” the Vienna-based global nuclear watchdog said in a statement.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a regular briefing on Wednesday that Iran needed to cooperate fully with the IAEA without further delay.