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19th March 2020
From today Jordan's capital, Amman, is sealed off by the military and movement between the country's 12 governorates is prohibited. There are also restrictions on movement within the governorates.
This follows a royal decree activating Jordan's National Defence Law, intended mainly for times of war… Read more
18th March 2020
The Egyptian government has accused reporters from the Guardian and the New York Times of violating "all the rules of journalistic work" in connection with the country's coronavirus epidemic.
The Sisi regime's State Information Service said on Wednesday it was withdrawing the accreditation of the… Read more
17th March 2020
Iran reported 1,053 new coronavirus cases on Monday, with a further 129 deaths. This brings the cumulative total to 14,991 cases and 853 deaths, according to the official figures.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, a further 216 cases have been confirmed since yesterday's update, bringing the cumulative… Read more
16th March 2020
IN TODAY'S REPORT:
● Israel calls on Shin Bet to track coronavirus contacts
● Stringent new measures in Saudi Arabia
● Doubts over coronavirus "rapid tests"
● Statistical updates
● Country-by-country round-… Read more
15th March 2020
In Iran, the daily death toll from coronavirus and the numbers of new cases continue to rise – as they have done on each of the last five days. Saturday's official figures showed 97 more deaths and 1,365 new cases.
Elsewhere in the Middle East 191 new cases were confirmed, bringing the cumulative… Read more
14th March 2020
Although there are 35 known coronavirus cases among Palestinians in the West Bank, so far none have been diagnosed in Gaza. Given the siege conditions in Gaza, it's widely believed that an outbreak there would be catastrophic – and it may only be a matter of time.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz… Read more
13th March 2020
Governments in the Middle East are not providing enough information about coronavirus cases in their countries, the regional director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Thursday.
The director, Dr Ahmed al-Mandhari, reminded them of them of their duty under the International Health… Read more
12th March 2020
The coronavirus epidemic took a dramatic and terrifying turn in the Middle East on Wednesday. The total of known cases outside Iran leapt by 60% in a single day to 1,056. The number of confirmed new cases was 420 – almost five times the highest one-day increase reported previously.
These are still… Read more
11th March 2020
On Tuesday Iran reported 54 more deaths from coronavirus, bringing the total to 291. The daily death toll has risen on each of the last five days, and Tuesday's figure is the highest yet recorded.
The authorities say a total of 8,042 people have been infected since the outbreak began. On Tuesday… Read more
10th March 2020
Iran reported 595 new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the official total to 7,161. Although the official figures need to be treated with caution there are tentative signs that Iran's situation may be improving. The number of reported new cases has fallen steadily over three consecutive days,… Read more
ARAB ART ONLINE: Susan Hefuna: Al Sabr Gamil (Patience is Beautiful) 2007. Ink stained on wood 140 x 170 cm. More information | Click to enlarge
