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Coronavirus cases, deaths rise across the Middle East

Baghdad remains under strict government curfew to contain the novel coronavirus, but small groups of volunteers are making food packages for needy families. (File/AFP)
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Updated 06 April 2020
Arab News
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Coronavirus cases, deaths rise across the Middle East

  • Public bus services in Dubai will be free of charge for people permitted to leave their homes during the extended sterilization period
Updated 06 April 2020
Arab News

DUBAI: The Middle East has encountered more coronavirus cases and fatalities, with Iran recording its biggest jump in deaths.

Countries are implementing tighter rules on international and domestic travel to strengthen efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Sunday, April 5 (All times in GMT)

21:20 - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is admitted to hospital for precautionary tests for COVID-19.  

18:13 - France reported 357 new coronavirus hospital deaths, bringing the toll to 8,078, and the number of confirmed cases in hospitals rose to 70,478 from 68,605 on Saturday.

17:34 - The UAE recorded 294 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of cases so far to 1,798, with 19 cases cured.

17:21 - Turkey’s death toll from the new coronavirus rose by 73 to total 574, and new confirmed cases rose by 3,135 to bring the country’s total to 27,069, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.
He added that 20,065 tests for the COVID-19 disease had been performed in Turkey in the last 24 hours.

17:16 - Morocco recorded 107 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths.

16:53 - Kuwait recorded 77 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 556.

16:20 - Algeria recorded 22 coronavirus deaths in one day, bringing the toll to 152, and 69 new infections, bringing the total to 1,320 cases.

16:14 - Italy recorded its lowest daily death toll from the novel coronavirus in over two weeks and saw the number of critical care patients decline for the second day.
The 525 official COVID-19 fatalities reported by the civil protection service were the lowest since 427 registered on March 19.

16:01 - Former Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril died of coronavirus in Cairo.

15:40 - Iraq recorded 81 new coronavirus cases and five new deaths, bringing the total number of cases so far to 961.

15:19 - The number of people killed by the coronavirus in Canada has jumped by just over 20% to 258 in a day, official data posted by the public health agency showed on Sunday.
By 11:05 eastern time (1505 GMT), the total number of those diagnosed with the coronavirus had risen by almost 12% to 14,426. The respective figures on Saturday were 214 deaths and 12,924 positive diagnoses.

15:16 - New York state reported 594 deaths from the coronavirus and 8,327 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, increasing the numbers to 4,159 dead and 122,000 cases since the outbreak began, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

15:16 - Europe needs debt mutualization and a common Marshall plan to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Sunday.

14:59 - Mahmud Jibril, the former head of the rebel government that overthrew Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, died of the coronavirus.
Jibril, 68, died in Cairo where he had been hospitalized for two weeks, said Khaled Al-Mrimi, secretary of the Alliance of National Forces party founded by Jibril in 2012.

14:41 - Nearly 20 million jobs at risk in Africa due to coronavirus pandemic and the African government could lose 20% to 30% of fiscal revenue, according to an African Union study.

14:34 - Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry says it has launched an electronic service to receive requests for the return of citizens from abroad and set travel times.

The ministry said registration of requests to return citizens from abroad begins on Sunday and will continue for 5 days, adding that all returning citizens will be subjected to isolation for 14 days.

"We developed an integrated plan for the return of citizens, guaranteeing their safety," it said in a statement on Twitter.

14:32 - Saudi Arabia's King Salman directs the foreign ministry to work on the procedures of citizens wishing to return from abroad amid the coronavirus outbreak. 

14:18 - Egypt expects economic growth to slow to 4.5% in the third quarter and to 1% in the last three months of the 2019/2020 fiscal year to June due to the effects of the coronavirus, Planning Minister Hala Al-Saeed said on Sunday.
The government had been targeting annual growth of 5.6%, but was now looking at 4.2%, she said.

13:33 - The United Kingdom’s death toll from the coronavirus rose by 621 to 4,934 at 1600 GMT on April 4, the health ministry said on Sunday.
As of 0800 GMT, a total of 195,524 people had been tested of which 47,806 tested positive, the health ministry said.

12:41 - Saudi Arabia has confirmed 206 new coronavirus cases and five deaths, bringing totals to 2,385 infections, 34 deaths and 488 recoveries.

12:40 - Ethiopia’s health minister has reported the first death of a COVID-19 patient. The total number of cases in the country is 43 with four recoveries.

12:27 - Albania has recorded 28 new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 361.

12:25 - Libya said total number of COVID-19 cases reached 9.

12:15 - The number of deaths caused by the new coronavirus in the Netherlands has increased by 115 to 1,766, health authorities said on Sunday.
Confirmed infections increased by 1,224 to 17,851, the Dutch Institute for Public Health said.

11:35 - Singapore’s health ministry on Sunday confirmed 120 more coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 1,309 infections and six deaths.

11:31 – The UAE cabinet held its second virtual meeting to discuss government efforts amid the coronavirus outbreak. It has ordered factories to mee the needs of the country’s health sector and issued other directives to support the community.

 

 

10:52 - South Sudan has confirmed its first case of COVID-19, its vice president said on Sunday.

10:45 - Lebanon started repatriating nationals stranded abroad in its first flight in weeks since it closed its international airport to stem the novel coronavirus.

09:54 - Iran’s total coronavirus death toll has reached 3,603, with cases raised to 58,226.

09:34 - Spain reported 6032 new coronavirus cases and 674 deaths, bringing totals to 130,759 infections and 12,418.

09:19 - Kuwait has announced 77 new coronavirus cases, bringing total to 556.

09:04 - Malaysia has reported 179 new coronavirus cases and four deaths, bringing total to 3,662.

08:47 - Lebanon has confirmed seven new coronavirus cases, increasing total to 527.

08:25 - Philippine Health Ministry has reported eight new coronavirus deaths and 152 new cases.

08:22 - Palestine has recorded nine new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 226.

08:21 - Morocco has announced 41 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 960.

08:13 - Jordan said it is to use drones and surveillance cameras to monitor compliance with a nationwide curfew imposed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

07:19 - More than 130 people were newly infected with the novel coronavirus in Tokyo, Japan’s NHK public broadcaster reported on Sunday, citing officials from the metropolitan government.

06:31 - Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has pardoned 5,654 prisoners and ordered measures to protect inmates from the coronavirus outbreak, the justice ministry said on Sunday.

06:22 - Oman has recorded 21 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 298.

06:04 - Greece has quarantined a second migrant facility this week after a 53-year-old man tested positive for coronavirus, the migration ministry said on Sunday. 

03:38 - Baghdad remains under strict government curfew to contain the novel coronavirus, but small groups of volunteers are making food packages for needy families.

“What we’re doing is a humanitarian duty toward society, and anyone who can afford it should do the same,” said businessman, Abu Hashim.

03:35 - Australian health officials said on Sunday they were cautiously optimistic about the slowing spread of coronavirus in the country but warned social distancing restrictions are to stay in place for months.

Confirmed cases rose by 181 during the 24-hour period to early Sunday, bringing the national total to 5,635, health ministry data showed. The death toll from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, rose to 34.

Saturday, April 4 (All times in GMT)

19:58 - Abu Dhabi will extend the closure of entertainment destinations including commercial centers, shopping malls and cinemas until further notice, state news agency WAM reported citing the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development.

19:42 - Public bus services in Dubai will be free of charge for people permitted to leave their homes during the extended sterilization period, state news agency reported citing the Roads and Transport Authority.

Taxis in the emirate will also provide a 50 percent discount on fares. 

17:46 - Egypt’s Minister of Health Dr. Hala Zayed arrived in Italy on Saturday with a military delegation to deliver medical aid equipment, protective suits, detergents and sanitizers transported by two jets, local daily newspaper Egypt Today reported.

Topics: Coronavirus (COVID-19) China Coronavirus

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Israel rallies global support to win release of a woman believed kidnapped in Iraq

Updated 3 sec ago
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Israel rallies global support to win release of a woman believed kidnapped in Iraq

Updated 3 sec ago
The official said Thursday that the matter was raised in a meeting of special envoys for hostage affairs in Jerusalem this week
Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations

JERUSALEM: A senior Israeli official says the government is working with allies in a renewed push to win the freedom of an Israeli-Russian researcher who is believed to have been kidnapped in Iraq nearly two years ago.
The official said Thursday that the matter was raised in a meeting of special envoys for hostage affairs in Jerusalem this week.
He said the envoys met the family of Elizabeth Tsurkov and that Israel asked the representatives – from the US, UK, Germany, Austria and Canada – to have their embassies in Baghdad lobby the Iraqi government and search for a way to start negotiations. Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations. He said he hopes other countries will help.
“We are counting on our allies,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing closed-door discussions. “And I hope that other nations will suggest assistance in helping us release Elizabeth. Many nations have embassies and contacts with the Iraqi government.”
Tsurkov, a 38-year-old student at Princeton University, disappeared in Baghdad in March 2023 while doing research for her doctorate. She had entered the country on her Russian passport. The only sign she was alive has been a video broadcast in November 2023 on an Iraqi television station and circulated on pro-Iranian social media purporting to show her.
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. But Israel believes she is being held by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia that it says also has ties to the Iraqi government.
The Israeli official said that after months of covert efforts, Israel believes the “changes in the region” have created an opportunity to work publicly for her release.
During 15 months of war, Israel has struck Iran and its allies, and Iran’s regional influence has diminished. Iraq also appears to have pressured militia groups into halting their aerial attacks against Israel.

Gaza war deaths pass 46,000

Updated 55 min 45 sec ago
AP
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Gaza war deaths pass 46,000

  • The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded
  • The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants
Updated 55 min 45 sec ago
AP

GAZA: Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, with no end in sight to the 15-month conflict.
The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames Hamas for their deaths because it says the militants operate in residential areas.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are now packed into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials. Israel has also repeatedly struck what it claims are militants hiding in shelters and hospitals, often killing women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.

Topics: War on Gaza Palestinians Israel Hamas

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All Jordanians living in Los Angeles are fine, Foreign Ministry says

Updated 09 January 2025
Arab News
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All Jordanians living in Los Angeles are fine, Foreign Ministry says

  • At least 5 people have been killed by wildfires raging in and around the US city; more than 100,000 forced to flee homes
Updated 09 January 2025
Arab News

LONDON: The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said on Thursday that all Jordanian nationals living in Los Angeles, California, are “fine” as deadly wildfires continue to rage through neighborhoods in several areas in and around the US city.

The fires have claimed at least five lives, more than 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, and hundreds of buildings have burned down.

The ministry sent its sincere condolences to the victims, the American people and the US government, the Jordan News Agency reported.

Topics: California wildfires Jordan

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Japan grants Sudan about $1 million in food aid

Updated 09 January 2025
Arab News Japan
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Japan grants Sudan about $1 million in food aid

  • The statement underscored the urgency of the situation in Sudan
  • The humanitarian situation has significantly worsened as the fighting areas have expanded
Updated 09 January 2025
Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan, in cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP), decided to grant Sudan 150 million yen (nearly $1 million) as ‘food aid’ to improve the situation in that country, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo stated.
Suzuki Satoshi, Japan’s Ambassador to International Organizations in Rome, and Ms. Rania Dagash-Kamara, Assistant Executive Director of the Partnerships and Innovation Department, World Food Programme, signed and exchanged notes regarding the grant aid in Rome on January 8th.
The statement underscored the urgency of the situation in Sudan, where armed conflict between the national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023.
The humanitarian situation has significantly worsened as the fighting areas have expanded and become protracted.
According to the WFP, several regions in Sudan are at risk of famine, approximately half of the population is facing acute food insecurity, and hunger-related deaths have been recorded.
At the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8) held in August 2022, Japan announced its commitment to “responding to the food crisis and supporting sustainable agricultural production.” This cooperation is a concrete step in realizing this commitment.
The Republic of Sudan has an area of approximately 1.88 million square kilometers (about five times the size of Japan), a population of approximately 50.04 million, and a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $880, according to the 2023 World Bank data.

Topics: Sudan Unrest Japan WFP

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Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, respected army chief

A billboard celebrating the election of army chief Joseph Aoun, as the Lebanon’s president, is seen in Beirut on January 9, 2025
Updated 09 January 2025
AFP
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Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, respected army chief

  • Aoun has since 2017 headed the army, an institution that serves as a rare source of unity in Lebanon
  • The man of few words was able to count on his good relations across the divided Lebanese political class to see him elected
Updated 09 January 2025
AFP

BEIRUT: Joseph Aoun, Lebanon’s army chief who was elected president on Thursday, is a political neophyte whose position as head of one of the country’s most respected institutions helped end a two-year deadlock.
Widely seen as the preferred pick of army backer the United States, he is perceived as being best placed to maintain a fragile ceasefire and pull the country out of financial collapse.
After being sworn in at parliament, Aoun said “a new phase in Lebanon’s history” was beginning.
Analysts said Aoun, who turns 61 on Friday and is considered a man of “personal integrity,” was the right candidate to finally replace Michel Aoun — no relation — whose term as president ended in October 2022, without a successor until now.
A dozen previous attempts to choose a president failed amid tensions between Hezbollah and its opponents, who have accused the Shiite group of seeking to impose its preferred candidate.
Aoun has since 2017 headed the army, an institution that serves as a rare source of unity in a country riven by sectarian and political divides.
He has navigated it through a blistering financial crisis that has drastically slashed the salaries of its 80,000 soldiers, forcing him to accept international aid.
Since late November, he oversaw the gradual mobilization of the armed forces in south Lebanon after a ceasefire ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Under the truce, the Lebanese army has been deploying progressively alongside UN peacekeepers in the south as Israeli forces withdraw, a process they have to finish by January 26.
Speaking on Thursday, Aoun said the state would have “a monopoly” on arms.
The general with broad shoulders and a shaved head has stepped up talks with visiting foreign dignitaries since becoming army chief.
The man of few words was able to count on his good relations across the divided Lebanese political class to see him elected.
Aoun “has a reputation of personal integrity,” said Karim Bitar, an international relations expert at Beirut’s Saint-Joseph University.
He came to prominence after leading the army in a battle to drive out Daesh from a mountainous area along the Syrian border.
“Within the Lebanese army, he is perceived as someone who is dedicated... who has the national interest at heart, and who has been trying to consolidate this institution, which is the last non-sectarian institution still on its feet in the country,” Bitar told AFP.
Aoun was set to retire in January last year, but has had his mandate extended twice — most recently in November.
Mohanad Hage Ali, from the Carnegie Middle East Center, noted that “being the head of US-backed Lebanese Armed Forces, Joseph Aoun has ties to the United States.”
“While he maintained relations with everyone, Hezbollah-affiliated media often criticized him” for those US ties, he told AFP.
Washington is the main financial backer of Lebanon’s army, which also receives support from other countries including Qatar.
An international conference in Paris last month raised $200 million to support the armed forces.
The military has been hit hard by Lebanon’s economic crisis, and at one point in 2020 it said it had cut out meat from the meals offered to on-duty soldiers due to rising food prices.
Aoun, who speaks Arabic, English and French, hails from Lebanon’s Christian community and has two children.
By convention, the presidency goes to a Maronite Christian, the premiership is reserved for a Sunni Muslim and the post of parliament speaker goes to a Shiite Muslim.
Aoun is Lebanon’s fifth army commander to become president, and the fourth in a row.
Military chiefs, by convention, are also Maronites.

Topics: Lebanon Lebanese President Joseph Aoun

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