Region

RABAT — Deprived of work and access to aid, thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa living in Morocco are struggling to make ends meet under COVID-19 restrictions.

"The misery is across the board," said Ousmane Ba, head of the Collective of sub-Saharan Communities in Morocco.

"Those who worked as vendorsare under lockdown without financial resources and the situation are getting worse for illegal migrants living in camps.

"They can't go anywhere and non-government organisations can't come to help them."

The north African kingdom has long been a transit country for migrants and refugees seeking a better life in Europe, and it has also become a host country for many.

At least 20,000, the vast majority from sub-Saharan Africa, are trapped "in a humanitarian emergency", said sociologist Mehdi Alioua of the anti-racism foreigners' support group GADEM.

Many of them work in the informal sector, which accounts for more than 20 percent of Morocco's economy, and tend to live precariously, hand to mouth, even in normal times.

Parking attendants, cleaning women without contracts and street vendors lacking social security "are panicking" now and many "do not eat every day", Alioua said.

To contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, Morocco -- with 6,380 virus infections and 188 deaths officially recorded -- imposed a lockdown throughout the country.

A state of emergency declared on March 20 has been extended until May 20.

Controls are strict, movement is subject to authorisation and non-compliance with the restrictions is punishable by fines or one to three months' jail.

'Misery' 

The most vulnerable remain those who are looking to reach Europe by sea or by scaling barriers around the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco's north.

Border closures and movement restrictions imposed under a public health state of emergency have piled new challenges onto the already dangerous journey.

While covert crossings into Spain have decreased since the start of the pandemic crisis, many people are still making the trip.

A total of 986 arrivals were recorded between mid-March and early May, compared with 1,295 during the same period in 2019, according to the Spanish interior ministry.

Morocco has also progressively become a host country, after launching two "regularisation" campaigns for migrants in recent years.

A migration policy adopted in 2013 led to 50,000 people -- mostly from West Africa -- receiving residency permits, according to government figures.

Additionally, non-government groups estimate, there are several thousand illegal immigrants currently in the kingdom.

Whatever their legal status, members of sub-Saharan communities are suffering the effects of a pandemic-induced economic paralysis.

"People don't know what to do," said Lokake Aimee, secretary-general ofthe Council of sub-Saharan Migrants in Morocco.

"Those that didn't save have problems. They used to go out every day to get money and now they are in trouble."

Mutual aid 

The kingdom dispensed financial aid to employees and informal sector workers who lost their jobs amid the crisis, but no such steps were taken for migrants or immigrants.

Those who are legally in the kingdom also do not benefit from the state aid distributed to Moroccans.

"No one in the government had a word for these people, even as Morocco has invested so much in its migration policy," Alioua said.

Solidarity within the community, the charity sector and Catholic parishes have alleviated some of the burden.

Abdoulaye Diop, head of the Federation of sub-Saharan associations in Morocco,organises food basket distribution within the Senegalese community.

Other groups have launched similar initiatives, but resources are limited, Diop said.

"Today you eat rice, tomorrow pasta, the day after rice," said Eouani Mambia Morelline, the 40-year-old Congolese head of a collective for migrant women in Morocco.

"And then, there are the bills and rents that are piling up ... and who knows when we will get back to normal life."

TEHRAN — In spite of their fears over the coronavirus, hundreds of pious Iranians took advantage of the temporary opening of mosques on Wednesday to pray at one of the holiest times of year.

The mask-clad faithful for the most part adhered to social distancing guidelines as they sat in designated areas of Reihanat Al Hussein Mosque, in west Tehran.

Clutching their own prayer mats and Korans, they showed up with their families, including a couple with a baby, and appeared to be in high spirits.

Worshippers spilled out into grounds outside the mosque were disinfected by a sanitary worker in a hazmat suit who sprayed them as he walked among them.

But some of the gaps between those seated at the back appeared to be too close for comfort, and the Basij militia was on hand to ensure they kept apart.

"Of course, everybody is worried about the disease, even my own family," said one of the worshippers who gave his name only as Mahmoudi.

"When I decided to come they were concerned about me and I promised them to respect the directives," he said.

"So I came and saw that everyone is respecting the [social] distancing, otherwise, I wouldn't have stayed and I'd have gone back home."

Iran reopened the mosques for two hours from midnight for Laylat Al Qadr, a high point during the fasting month of Ramadan that marks when the Koran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed.

The Islamic republic shut its mosques and shrines in March as part of its efforts to contain the Middle East's deadliest outbreak of COVID-19.

The first cases emerged in the Shiite holy city of Qom on February 19 and spread rapidly to all 31 of the country's provinces.

It has gone on to claim nearly 6,800 lives in Iran.

'Special ceremony' 

President Hassan Rouhani, whose government has faced criticism for being slow to react to the crisis, praised worshippers for abiding by health guidelines.

"There were concerns about how people would follow health guidelines if mosques were opened, but last night, you found that it was a special ceremony," he said on Wednesday.

"Wherever people participated, they followed all the instructions," he said in televised remarks.

Health Minister Saeed Namaki had sounded a note of caution on Tuesday as he announced the special reopening for three out of the next five nights.

And on Wednesday he admitted it had been a "difficult and risky decision... criticised by some of my colleagues".

"Everywhere people observed the instructions, except in one county where, contrary to our protocols, tea was offered to the participants," he said.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said another 50 people died of coronavirus and 1,958 were infected in the previous 24 hours, taking the overall tolls to 6,783 dead and 112,725 infected.

The Qadr ceremony lasts three nights because the exact time of the revelation of the words of God is unknown.

Those at the first gathering overnight at Tehran's Al Hussein Mosque appeared to be exalted at the chance to finally pray after being shut out for more than two months.

"We have brought masks and gloves and everything. I think that if we follow the security and health protocols, then nothing will happen to us and we will be able to continue with this ceremony," said Masoumeh, a housewife.

For Amir Hosein, a private sector worker, it was a chance not to be missed.

"These nights are special for people and I think the government wasn't able to cancel these ceremonies because we go out and pray together: that is the whole joy of this ceremony."

GIZA, Egypt — In his Cairo living room, Egyptian Ashraf Al Helw reprimanded his lioness Joumana for not obeying him after bringing her home for live-streamed performances during the coronavirus pandemic.

"I am very unhappy with you Jojo," the 26-year-old lion tamer yelled at the lioness, who returned to her stool before snatching a piece of raw meat from a nearby table.

Since March, Cairo has closed entertainment facilities, including the circus, in a bid to contain the outbreak -- forcing the famous Helw family of big cat trainers into a rethink.

Ashraf has decided to bring the lioness home for a few hours twice a week.

Thousands of viewers confined to their homes watched Joumana's first online show last month on Instagram and Facebook.

The family now hopes to use the videos to claw back lost revenue to cover their 30 assistants' salaries and feed their 40 lions and tigers.

"Business has always gone well in Egypt, especially as people here love the circus," said Ashraf. "But everything has come to a halt since the coronavirus."

No swipes from neighbours 

Ashraf is a third-generation lion tamer and says his grandmother Mahasen was wildly popular -- known as "the iron lady" for being the first Arab and Middle Eastern woman to tame big cats.

In 1978, his grandfather Mohamed Al Helw was mauled to death by a lion during a live show.

But this did not dissuade his descendants from continuing the family business.

Three of Ashraf's sisters and one brother are also big cat trainers.

"This is the first time that I have brought a big lion home," said Ashraf, who normally only brings cubs back to his pad. "I only brought Joumana here to entertain people."

Currently Ashraf brings Joumana home twice a week for training, transporting her in a metal cage in the back of an SUV. The rest of the time she lives in a park outside Cairo.

Upon her arrival, the family and assistants block the staircase as the lioness is led into the elevator.

"The neighbours never had problems with us, they trust us," said Ashraf.

Hussein Suleiman, the building's security chief, said there had been "no complaints" from the neighbours.

"The family is lovely and people like to take photos when they see the lioness passing by."

After videos of Joumana performing at home went viral, some on social media voiced fears over possible animal mistreatment.

But Ashraf, who first publicly performed with lions at the age of 15, dismissed such charges as "false".

Meanwhile, even younger members of the Helw family are planning to one day crack the whip.

"I will start training [with lions] as soon as I finish my studies," said 20-year-old Karim, a business school student and the youngest of Ashraf's brothers.

BEIRUT — While walking in Beirut during the coronavirus lockdown recently, Omar Frangieh was struck by the number of face masks and gloves littering the Lebanese capital.

The photographer, concerned that contaminated waste could itself transmit the disease, took 200 photos of discarded personal protective equipment and posted them in a Facebook album he titled "Invaders in Beirut".

From Baghdad to Gaza, the disposable masks and gloves that remain in high demand to protect populations from the coronavirus pandemic are discarded after use, adding to pollution.

"The major concern though is the fact that this protective equipment is turned into a health hazard by being littered all over Beirut streets," Frangieh told AFP.

While the virus is usually transmitted by close human contact via respiratory droplets, studies show it can survive on some surfaces for days, suggesting that discarded gloves and masks could pose a risk of transmission to whoever cleans them up.

Since the coronavirus emerged in China in December, countries across the Middle East have reported 7,711 deaths and 233,522 COVID-19 cases.

In Saudi Arabia, which has reported over 40,000 coronavirus cases, some supermarkets have introduced rules requiring shoppers to wear disposable gloves.

Many discard them in the parking lots after they emerge, with the plastic waste blowing in the hot desert wind.

Amid panic buying by shoppers, pharmacies in Saudi Arabia have seen persistent shortages of items such as disposable gloves, masks and sanitisers.

The run on the protective gear has come even as opinion is divided on how useful they are.

The World Health Organisation says washing hands regularly is more effective than wearing gloves for preventing the spread of the virus.

The US Centre for Disease Control advises ordinary people to wear washable cloth masks in public, allowing in-demand single-use respirators and surgical masks to be used by healthcare workers and other at-risk groups.

In the Palestinian enclave of Gaza on the eastern Mediterranean, the beachfront -- already polluted with rubbish -- is now also littered with masks and gloves.

The items are designed to be single use, are not recyclable and most will not biodegrade making them an unsightly source of pollution and potential hazard to marine life if they end up in the ocean.

Some small shop owners have taken the initiative to collect them and put them in the trash bin but the beach has long been dotted with rubbish, with poor Gazans often dumping their waste there.

Lina Ouda, who was out for a stroll with her husband, stopped to pick up several discarded items.

"I noticed masks and gloves lying on the cornice and put them in the garbage bin because these things pollute the beach," the 30-year-old told AFP.

Her husband Jamal Ouda explained: "There is no general culture of cleaning the beaches in Gaza but some people take the initiative to collect the remnants of protective medical gear such as masks and put them in the trash."

But unfortunately, he said, "many people walk wearing masks and gloves and [at the end] throw them on the ground".

BEIRUT — Lebanon on Tuesday ordered a four-day-long lockdown to stem the spread of the coronavirus after recording an uptick in infections in recent days amid eased restrictions.

The "total lockdown" -- which will start at 7:00 pm (16:00 GMT) on Wednesday and end at 5:00 am (02:00 GMT) on Monday — excludes the health, agriculture, food and manufacturing industries, Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad said after a cabinet meeting.

But "citizens should stay home and avoid going out except for urgent cases", she told journalists.

Lebanon has officially announced 870 cases of COVID-19, including 26 deaths.

Last month the crisis-hit country started to slowly emerge from a weeks-long lockdown that has aggravated its worst economic crisis since 1975-1990 civil.

Restaurants and cafes have reopened at 30 per cent capacity, mosques have resumed prayers, and many people are back at work.

But "the rate at which the coronavirus is spreading from one person to the other has accelerated in our community in the past three days", Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Tuesday, explaining why his government is tightening lockdown measures.

He said the country has recorded more than 100 new infections over four days, accusing some of "negligence and lack of responsibility" for violating government measures to stem the coronavirus.

The new virus cases include repatriated Lebanese nationals who have returned to the country en mass in recent weeks.

TEHRAN — Virus-hit Iran will reopen its mosques for three nights over the next week so that worshippers can pray during one of the holiest times of year, a minister said on Tuesday.

The Islamic republic shut its mosques and shrines in March as part of its efforts to contain the Middle East's deadliest outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

The reopening was granted for Laylat Al Qadr -- a high point during the fasting month of Ramadan that marks when the Koran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed.

But Health Minister Saeed Namaki sounded a note of caution as he announced that worshippers would be allowed to attend mosques and ceremonies for three of the next five nights.

"The biggest strategic mistake is to think that coronavirus is finished," he said in remarks broadcast on state television.

"At any time, we can go back to bad circumstances" due to "negligence", said Namaki.

"Our priority is to hold ceremonies outdoors" such as "in stadiums", he said, "so that social distancing is properly observed."

Namaki said his ministry agreed in a meeting to help "organise ceremonies from midnight to 2:00 am during the nights of Qadr".

He said the move came in response to "concern" expressed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but stressed the supreme leader "always supports all measures" to contain the virus.

Dozens of new fatalities 

All gatherings would need to respect "sanitary protocols to the maximum", he added.

But he warned: "They shouldn't blame the health ministry and say they wanted to open mosques but didn't care about people's health."

His remarks came shortly before Iran announced another 48 deaths from the virus taking its overall toll to 6,733.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said another 1,481 people tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 110,767 since the start of the crisis.

Iran has struggled to contain its outbreak of the virus that causes COVID-19 since announcing its first cases in the Shiite holy city of Qom on February 19.

The government closed schools, postponed major events and banned inter-city travel but it has eased restrictions gradually since April 11.

It allowed mosques to reopen on May 4 in 132 counties where the virus was deemed to be under control.

And on Friday last week worshippers were able to attend the main weekly prayers for the first time in more than two months, except for in the capital.

The government warned on Monday of a setback in its efforts to contain the virus.

"We have regressed in Khuzestan due to [people] not observing health protocols," Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said, referring to a southwestern province that is now the epicentre of the country's outbreak.

"This can happen to any other province if we are not careful," he added, noting that tighter measures would be reimposed in other places too if needed.

Experts inside and outside Iran have cast doubt on the country's official COVID-19 figures, and say the real toll could be much higher.

CAIRO — In a bustling square of Egypt's capital, four sphinx-like statues stand in wooden crates ahead of a planned unveiling ceremony following their controversial transfer from historical sites.

With the bodies of lions and heads of rams, the statues had for millennia graced Karnak temple in the southern city of Luxor representing the ancient Egyptian god "Amun".

This month, the restored sandstone statues were moved to Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square, the epicentre of a 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak.

"I am against the moving of Luxor monuments. I was especially saddened by their relocation," legislator Ahmed Idris from the city told AFP.

"Luxor has long been like an open museum which should be developed and its monuments' historical value are tied to the city," said Idris.

The statues will be the square's centrepieces, along with a 19-metre-tall pink granite obelisk of the famed Ramses II.

The 3,000-year-old obelisk -- of Ramses II facing an ancient deity as well as inscriptions of his titles -- was moved from a Nile Delta archaeological site.

The relocations which came as part of government plans to renovate Tahrir Square have drawn wide criticism from archaeologists and activists.

Some petitioned President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to stop the transfer.

Others including lawyers from a rights group filed a lawsuit citing a 1964 Venice Charter on the conservation and restoration of monuments, saying the move could "jeopardise the priceless artefacts".

Egypt signed the charter, adopted by UNESCO, in 1974.

'A touch of civilisation'

A frenetically busy square, Tahrir in downtown Cairo has long been associated with blaring car horns, traffic jams and exhaust fumes.

It stands a short stroll away from the Egyptian Museum, a tourist magnet which holds a vast collection of precious relics.

A staging ground for major protests in Egypt, the square has undergone multiple phases of renovation since the 2011 uprising.

Its renovation plan includes unifying building facades, removing street advertisements and an overhaul of its lighting.

In December, Sisi said the transfer of artefacts would add "a touch of civilisation" to the site.

But fears have grown over possible damage to the monuments.

"The high pollution in Tahrir Square will ruin the antiquities and accelerate their deterioration," Egyptologist Monica Hanna said in a Facebook post in December.

"A monument's value is diminished when removed from its original historical context and becomes an ornament rather than a monument," she said.

Egyptian architect Ayman Badr has said the square does not need "to be adorned with historical elements" as it "already holds historical value".

 'A great honour'

Antiquities and Tourism Minister Khaled Al Anani has dismissed warnings that the monuments could be vandalised or be affected by pollution.

Ancient relics in Egyptian museums or public spaces often suffer damage by graffiti, engravings or just being frequently touched.

"No-one will be able to touch them. They will be placed on a high pedestal and surrounded by a water fountain," Anani told a private television channel in March.

He said they would undergo regular restoration and maintenance.

The statues were not among those lined up on the famed Kebash (rams) avenue linking Karnak and Luxor temples, according to the minister.

Mahmoud Zaki, a tour guide from Luxor, also sided with those defending the transfers.

"We exhibit artefacts abroad for foreigners to enjoy... and now it's a great honour that antiquities from Karnak temple adorn Egypt's most popular square," he told AFP.

An unveiling ceremony is planned but an official date has yet to be announced.

"It's nonsensical that [Egyptian] obelisks could be found in public spaces across the world and none of them stands in Egypt's most popular square," said antiquities expert Ali Abu Deshish.

ADEN — Fighting broke out on Monday between government troops and separatists in southern Yemen, officials said, in the first major clash since the Southern Transitional Council declared self-rule over the region.

The two sides fought for control of Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, the separatist STC said.aden

Government troops launched an offensive on the outskirts of Zinjibar, some 60 kilometres from the main southern city of Aden, sources from both sides told AFP.

An STC official, Nabil Al Hanachi, told AFP that they managed to "stop the attack and kill many of them", without giving figures.

Video footage showed government armoured vehicles on fire, as STC forces celebrated their "victory".

The fighting complicates Yemen's five-year war between the government -- backed by a Saudi-led military coalition -- and Iran-backed Houthi rebels who control much of the north, including the capital Sanaa.

The government and the STC have technically been allies in the long war against the Houthis.

But the separatists in the south, which used to be an independent country, have agitated to break away again -- a campaign that was temporarily put to rest with a power-sharing deal signed in Riyadh last November.

On April 26, however, the STC declared self-rule in southern Yemen, accusing the government of failing to carry out its duties and of "conspiring" against their cause.

Over the past six years, the Yemen conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, and triggered what the UN considers to be the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

TUNIS — Tunisia on Monday urged continued vigilance against the novel coronavirus, a day after recording no new cases for the first time since March 2 as it eases strict lockdown measures.

The country's overall toll stood at 1,032 cases on Sunday, the same as the previous day, with 45 deaths -- unchanged for several days -- and 700 recoveries.

But Health Minister Abdellatif Mekki urged caution despite the encouraging figure.

"It's true that it boosts morale, but there could be a return of cases tomorrow," he told the health committee of the North African country's parliament.

He called on Tunisians to continue respecting hygiene and social distancing measures.

Tunisia closed its schools, places of worship and non-essential shops in mid-March, despite having recorded fewer than 20 cases of the Covid-19 illness.

It began a partial easing of the lockdown in late April, although schools will largely remain closed until September.

Hairdressers officially opened on Monday, while cafes and mosques are due to reopen on 24 May.

A broader relaxation is planned for June 14 but will depend on how the health situation develops, officials have said, warning of the risk of a second wave of infection.

But one key metric indicated that the spread of the virus was slowing down -- since late April, Covid-19 patients have each been infecting an average of less than one other person.

BEIRUT — In the harshly-lit corridors of a Beirut hospital, a team of nurses has been snapping pictures with their mobile phones of life behind the scenes of the battle against the coronavirus.

The images taken at the Hotel-Dieu de France Hospital and selected by AFP for a photo project offer a glimpse of their epic struggle against the pandemic.

Exhaustion, prayer, pride and a strong team spirit -- the photos chronicle the emotional roller coaster these nurses have been through in two months.

As they prepare to receive another accolade for their front line role with the May 12 marking of International Nurses Day, their smiles still show behind the masks and goggles.

But many of them have gone weeks without seeing their families and, while infections have remained relatively limited in Lebanon, they fear a second wave will flood their wards.

"People don't understand the difficulties we face here," said Sylvia Beudjekian, the head nurse in her unit at Hotel Dieu, one of the main hospitals in the Lebanese capital.

"Everybody's tired. We do much more than administer drugs to patients, we look after people who do not have their families by their side to battle sickness," she said.

Drinking coffee, playing guitar or celebrating Easter -- the pictures document some of the little down time they have enjoyed since COVID-19 grounded them at their workplace and permanently clad them in white and blue protective gear.

"We've laughed and we've cried and we've learnt a lot," Beudjekian said.

"We will continue to do everything we can to be there for everyone but people should be very careful and stay home."