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The UN's latest report on the coronavirus situation in Libya makes grim reading. Just about everything that could go wrong is going wrong.
None of it is helped by the ongoing conflict between the UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNA) in Tripoli and Field Marshall Haftar's forces based in… Read more
Syria has imposed a lockdown on the town of Ras al-Ma'ara following a cornavirus outbreak there which has so far resulted in 20 people becoming infected. This is the largest cluster of related cases reported by the Syrian authorities since the pandemic began.
According to government figures,… Read more
Saudi Arabia's Covid-19 epidemic passed two unwelcome milestones at the weekend when the daily number of new cases rose above 3,000 for the first time and the overall total of confirmed cases crossed the 100,000 mark.
During the last couple of months the kingdom has reported more new infections… Read more
Israel has seen a rise in Covid-19 infections since easing its lockdown, raising fears that a second wave of the epidemic may be on the way.
During May, most restrictions were lifted in stages, thousands returned to work and the schools reopened (though still with some precautions… Read more
Iraq reported 1,006 new Covid-19 cases on Friday – by far the highest number since the epidemic began.
Throughout March and April Iraq's official figures showed the virus spreading surprisingly slowly and it wasn't until mid-May that the daily count of new cases rose above 100.
Towards the end… Read more
Life in Jordan will look much more normal from Saturday. Cafes, restaurants, hotels, mosques and churches previously closed to due coronavirus will be allowed to reopen along with sports clubs, nurseries and tourist sites.
Shops will be permitted to stay open until 11pm and the night curfew will… Read more
During the past week confirmed Covid-19 cases in Oman have risen by 62% and now total more than 13,000. On Wednesday alone, the Gulf state recorded 738 new infections.
Health minister Ahmed al-Saidi blames the increase on people socialising during the Islamic month of Ramadan (24 April-23 May)… Read more
Iran's health ministry reported 3,117 new Covid-10 cases on Tuesday. This is the highest daily figure since the end of March – and a clear sign that a second wave of the epidemic is now under way.
The Iranian government's figures show an initial wave of infections which peaked at the end of… Read more
By world standards, Morocco's Covid-19 epidemic was never very large and it's steadily getting smaller.
At the peak in April, new cases were averaging more than 200 a day but the average during the past week has been only 43 a day.
Between May 10 and the beginning of June, the number of active… Read more
The health minister in one of Yemen's two rival governments has defended its policy of concealing information about the Covid-19 epidemic in the areas it controls.
The virus appears to be spreading rapidly throughout the country – many deaths have been reported in the south – but the Houthi… 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
