- PoliticsArab News
Soleimani memorials ridiculed for appearance
LONDON: Memorial statues in Iran dedicated to the late Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani have inspired ridicule for their aesthetic features. One tribute in the city of Jiroft to the former Quds Force chief, who was killed in January by a US airstrike in Baghdad, has been likened to British comic character Mr. Bean. A statue in the city of Bandar Anzali depicts Soleimani with unnaturally long arms and an awkwardly clasped hand across his chest.
- PoliticsAl Arabiya English
Iran's Rouhani launches strict new measures to try to curb coronavirus
And a government website published photos of Rouhani, who is rarely seen wearing a mask, with a face covering. Last Update: Saturday, 04 July 2020 KSA 16:12 - GMT 13:12
- NewsAl Jazeera
July Fourth weekend pivotal amid surge in US coronavirus cases
The United States headed into the Fourth of July weekend with many parades and fireworks displays cancelled, beaches and bars closed, and health authorities warning that this will be a crucial test of Americans' self-control that could determine the trajectory of the surging coronavirus outbreak. With confirmed cases climbing in 40 states, governors have ordered the wearing of masks in public, and families were urged to celebrate their independence at home.
- LifestyleCNN
Puerto Rico will require Covid-19 test results from visitors
Puerto Rico will have some stringent new rules for people traveling to the island amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced said she will sign an executive order that, among other things, will require visitors to provide a negative Covid-19 test result produced within 72 hours of arrival. "I want Puerto Ricans living in the US mainland to safely come to our island and visit their family members without fear of spreading this virus or infecting a love one," Vázquez said in a statem...
- PoliticsAl Arabiya English
Oscars voting body's invitation to Iranian director Narges Abyar sparks criticism
The Oscars voting body's invitation to an Iranian director has drawn criticism on social media among Iranian users who say the director is closely affiliated with the Iranian regime. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Tuesday it had invited 819 new members as parts of its efforts to diversify the Academy. The new class of invitees includes four Iranians: directors Narges Abyar and Samira Makhmalbaf, composer Sattar Oraki, and cinematographer Ali Abbasi. The invitees who accept their invitations will have voting rights at the 93rd Academy Awards which is scheduled to be held on April 25, 2021 – two months later than originally planned – as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
- NewsEgypt Independent
Khashoggi murder trial told oven was lit after killing
A Saudi consulate worker in Istanbul told a Turkish court on Friday he had been asked to light a tandoor oven less than an hour after Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the building where he was killed. Zeki Demir, a local technician who worked for the consulate, was giving evidence on the first day of the trial in absentia of 20 Saudi officials over Khashoggi’s killing, which sparked global outrage and tarnished the image of Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler.
- HealthAl Arabiya English
Coronavirus: UAE announces 672 new cases, one death
The United Arab Emirates has detected 672 new cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections in the country to 50,141 so far after conducting 54,000 additional tests. Last Update: Saturday, 04 July 2020 KSA 23:44 - GMT 20:44
