Author: Steven Sahiounie

The number of coronavirus cases in Russia has increased by 601 over the past 24 hours, amounting to 4,149 in 78 regions. A total of 281 patients have recovered, 34 people have died, the coronavirus crisis center said on Friday. “Four coronavirus patients have died over the past 24 hours. In total, 34 people have died,” the center said. Fatalities have been recorded in Komi Region (2), Moscow (1) and Perm Region (1), TASS reports. New coronavirus cases have been recorded in 32 regions over the past 24 hours, including Moscow (448), Moscow Region (34), Krasnodar Region (17), Penza Region (11),…

Iraq’s anti-terror resistance groups have reiterated their readiness to counter any possible attack by US occupation forces, saying that they are also on high alert for any false-flag US operation aimed at creating further unrest in the Arab country. Asbat al-Thaireen, or League of the Revolutionaries, showed off its intelligence power by releasing its drone footage of US-occupied Ain al-Asad Airbase. The group also released drone footage of another US-occupied base, the Harir Camp north of Erbil. Asbat al-Thaireen had earlier issued a statement to caution Iraqi forces against staying close to Americans in order to protect their lives. The group said…

Israel and Saudi Arabia have launched crackdown on certain population centers as cases of COVID-19 infections surge there. According to the Saudi SPA state news agency, the kingdom will advance a pre-existing curfew to 3 pm local time in the Eastern Province’s Dammam city and Qatif Governorate along with the Makkah Province’s Ta’if Governorate starting on Friday. With 1,885 recorded infections and 21 deaths, the Saudi kingdom is worst affected among the six Persian Gulf Cooperation Council states. The curfew extension comes as observers fear that Saudi authorities may be seeking to use allegedly coronavirus-related measures to crack down on human rights…

The Russian president made the announcement in a televised address, his second in eight days, as the government introduces additional measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic. President Vladimir Putin thanked doctors, volunteers and ordinary Russians for their efforts to battle and contain COVID-19, but stressed that Russia isn’t in the clear yet. “Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel are working hard, and they do not have it easy now. They are our frontline defenders, protecting us in hospitals and infectious wards from the advancing pandemic. They are treating and saving people,” Putin said in an address to the nation on…

The National Disaster Management Operations Room released its daily report on coronavirus in Lebanon. The report includes the epidemiological curve according to the daily number of infections, in addition to the distribution of confirmed cases according to districts, gender, age and nationality.

An international committee fighting against the ongoing Israeli-imposed land, air, and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip has called for a collective international action to lift the siege as humanitarian and health conditions are deteriorating in the Palestinian enclave amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The head of the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza, Zaher Birawi, in a statement demanded urgent international action to end the blockade on Gaza, and provide the coastal sliver with medicine and necessary medical supplies, especially in light of the new coronavirus pandemic. Birawi also warned about underestimating a looming crisis in Gaza, highlighting that…

US President Donald Trump has said he expects that Russia and Saudi Arabia could drastically curtail their oil output after a conversation between the two nations’ leaders. Moscow denies that any talks took place at all. Trump took to Twitter on Thursday to relay some “great” news for the oil and gas industry, as he expressed his hopes for some supposedly upcoming cuts in crude oil production by Saudi Arabia and Russia which could reverse the current plunge in oil prices. According to the president, oil production could be scaled back by as many as 10 million barrels in total – or…

The spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA), Major-General Ahmad Al-Mismari, announced on Thursday that the death toll for the Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries had reached 500 after more than four months of fighting. Over the past week alone, the Syrian mercenaries have suffered dozens of casualties at the hands of the Libyan National Army. Many of these casualties in the ranks of the Syrian mercenaries came as a result of the Libyan National Army’s rapid advance through the southern outskirts of Tripoli, which has since come under the control of LNA. While the LNA reports 500 Syrian mercenaries killed, the…

The UN envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said on Thursday he was engaged in talks with the country’s warring parties to secure a nationwide ceasefire to help counter the threat of the coronavirus. The envoy’s office said he is discussing “concrete steps” with the warring sides despite a recent escalation in the long conflict. Yemen has so far not recorded any case of COVID-19. However, aid groups are concerned that when or if it does hit, the impact will be catastrophic for a country already facing what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, AFP said. Griffiths is in…

Syria’s Ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Ja’afari has reiterated a call by his country for immediate and unconditional lifting of all US economic sanctions, a few days after the coronavirus killed the first patient in the Arab country. In a letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres and president of the UN Security Council Zhang Jun, Ja’afari lambasted remarks by US State Department official James Jeffrey who accused Damascus Monday of using “cynical ploys” and urged Syrians to “count” on Washington in “delivering humanitarian assistance to people in need”. Ja’afari said such “irresponsible and misleading” comments by US officials “are just an attempt to cover the US crimes…