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Egypt to Impose Strict Lockdown Measures to Control COVID-19

Egyptian security man ensuring the implementation of coronavirus measures (AP)
Egyptian security man ensuring the implementation of coronavirus measures (AP)
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Egypt to Impose Strict Lockdown Measures to Control COVID-19

Egyptian security man ensuring the implementation of coronavirus measures (AP)
Egyptian security man ensuring the implementation of coronavirus measures (AP)

The Egyptian authorities will start implementing Sunday new strict measures to help limit the spread of new coronavirus during Eid al-Fitr until the end of the week, which was announced an official holiday for both private and public sectors.

The new measures include a nationwide curfew between 5 pm and 6 am, halting all public transportation between Egypt’s governorates, as well as closing all shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, and public beaches.

The government is trying to reduce movement hours on Eid to avoid any possible crowds or gatherings.

Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Youssry Shaarawy discussed with the governors the preparations for Eid al-Fitr, stressing authorities should monitor the implementation of the decisions of the government regarding the prevention of gatherings.

Shaarawy told local officials that executive bodies must coordinate with security units to implement decisions preventing the spread of the coronavirus. He stressed that all crowding must be banned especially in the sidewalks of the coastal cities.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry announced that over 41,000 persons, including 40 cafes and about 14 thousand cars, motorcycles, and vehicles owners have violated lockdown measures over the past week.

In turn, Egypt’s Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar announced that university hospitals will be at their maximum readiness at all levels during the holiday to receive any possible cases.

He also announced that emergency and intensive care units will be fully equipped, as doctors and medical staff on call had been summoned to ensure the utmost readiness.

Abdel-Ghaffar stressed the need to ensure the availability of medicines, supplies, medical equipment, and the necessary quantities of blood bags and its derivatives in all university hospitals.

On Saturday, the health ministry reported 727 new coronavirus infections, bringing the country’s total number of confirmed cases to 16,513.

The total number of COVID-19 deaths has now reached 735 nationwide, after announcing 28 deaths, while 254 Egyptians have fully recovered, with the total number of recoveries from the virus rising to 4,628.

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Arab World

Damascus Begins Establishing its Authority in Hasakeh after SDF Dissolution

A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
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Damascus Begins Establishing its Authority in Hasakeh after SDF Dissolution

A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)
A Syrian Defense Ministry delegation in Hasakeh on Monday. (Hasakeh governorate media)

The Special Task Forces of the Ministry of Interior took over a regiment on Tuesday from the disbanded Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Hasakeh city as part of a plan to deploy Syrian security forces in the Hasakeh governorate in northeastern Syria.

The move is part of completing integration procedures and taking control of all security and military positions in the governorate, and hours after the arrival of a Ministry of Defense delegation to Hasakeh to discuss measures for completing the integration process.

Internal Security and Special Task forces are expected to deploy gradually across all areas of Hasakeh to extend state control, maintain security, and boost stability.

New appointments within the Syrian security apparatus are expected as part of an integration process.

Forces are also preparing to deploy to Hasakeh city center, Qamishli, Rumeilan, Al-Malikiyah, and border regions in the coming days.

A delegation from the Ministry of Defense arrived in Hasakeh on Monday and held a meeting at the governorate headquarters with local officials, including Governor Nour al-Din Ahmed, Military Security chief Thaer Obaid al-Bilal, and Military Police chief Imad Fawaz al-Ayesh.

The meeting addressed the procedures and steps required to finalize the integration of military and security institutions within the region, said a statement.

The meeting also addressed coordination mechanisms and the strengthening of cooperation between the relevant entities to unify efforts and ensure the smooth implementation of procedures related to the integration.

The executive bureau of the Hasakeh governorate also held its first meeting on Tuesday, chaired by the governor and attended by bureau members, to discuss mechanisms for boosting coordination across various sectors.

In a related development, displaced Arab families from Haskaeh city returned to their homes in the Al-Aziziyeh neighborhood after more than 10 years of displacement. A celebration was held in their honor attended by Internal Security Commander Marwan Al-Ali and Hasakeh Deputy Governor Ahmed Al-Hilali.

Arab World

16 Dead in Bus Crash in Egypt's Sinai

Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)
Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)
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16 Dead in Bus Crash in Egypt's Sinai

Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)
Ambulance vehicles in Egypt (Egyptian Ambulance Authority)

A bus crash in Egypt's eastern Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday killed 16 people and injured 28 others, the health ministry reported.

Twenty ambulances rushed to the scene of the accident, which occurred on the road between the popular tourist towns of Dahab and Nuweiba on South Sinai's eastern coast, the ministry said.

Authorities said the injured were receiving medical care but did not say what caused the crash, according to AFP.

The area is a popular tourist destination, known for its marine biodiversity, natural beauty and mountain hiking trails.

Car crashes are common in Egypt, and often blamed on reckless driving, poor maintenance and uneven law enforcement.

Last year, nearly 6,000 people died in road accidents across the country, according to Egypt's state statistics agency.

Arab World

Yemen Announces Killing of ISIS Spokesman

Terrorist organizations in Yemen previously controlled vast areas before being mostly defeated. (Local media)
Terrorist organizations in Yemen previously controlled vast areas before being mostly defeated. (Local media)
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Yemen Announces Killing of ISIS Spokesman

Terrorist organizations in Yemen previously controlled vast areas before being mostly defeated. (Local media)
Terrorist organizations in Yemen previously controlled vast areas before being mostly defeated. (Local media)

Yemen announced on Tuesday the killing of the spokesman of the ISIS terrorist group Abou Huzayfah al-Ansari during an operation carried out by the Arab coalition special forces, with the support of Yemen's counter-terrorism force, "Force 22" in Seiyun city.

Informed Yemeni sources told Asharq Al-Awsat said the spokesman’s original name is Mithaq Thabet Haitham al-Hujaili, a Yemeni who hails from the Hajjah province.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said he was the spokesman of the entire terrorist organization, underlining the significance of the operation and his position in the group.

State security media in Yemen said the operation was carried out on Tuesday as part of the cooperation and exchange of intelligence between the State Security Service and Arab coalition joint command.

The forces were able to eliminate the target while he was hiding in a home in Seiyun, it added in a statement.

It said he was with eight civilians at the time, including a man, two women and five children. The forces managed to escort the women and children to a safe place. They were not harmed in the operation.

The other man was arrested. He was injured while resisting arrest.

The statement said that no one else was harmed and no property was damaged in the operation.

The forces discovered an explosives belt, which was detonated to avoid harming civilians, at the house. Also discovered were a laptop and five mobile phones.

The operation was declared a success. The statement did not provide more information about Abou Huzayfah or the details about how the forces were able to locate his whereabouts.

The operation took place as ISIS has lost its ability to maintain control over areas in Yemen following years of security and military operations against it.

The terrorist group had first emerged in the country in 2014, exploiting the collapse of state institutions in wake of the Houthi coup and the expansion of the war.

It managed to establish a presence in several regions, including al-Bayda, Hadramawt and Shabwa, before being dealt successive defeats that diminished its power.

The group then resorted to operating through limited cells and hiding in remote or residential areas and carrying out sporadic attacks using explosives.

The State Security Service vowed that the Yemeni government will continue to crack down on wanted terrorists and bring them to justice in cooperation with the Saudi-led Arab coalition and international partners.