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Media Summary

UN to condemn Assad for chemical attacks

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The Guardian and the Associated Press report that the UN’s chemical weapons watchdog is expected to release its first report explicitly blaming Bashar al-Assad for sarin and chlorine gas attacks on civilians in Syria.

The Times reports that a senior figure in Hezbollah was found stabbed and shot dead on a hillside in the south of Lebanon, prompting suggestions that he had been killed by agents working for Israel’s Mossad intelligence service.

BBC News reports on how coronavirus has disproportionately hit Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, yet implementing a lockdown in those communities has been challenging. Reuters and the Associated Press report that Israelis celebrating the Passover holiday this week will hold the “seder”, the traditional meal celebrating freedom from biblical slavery, confined to their homes under a national coronavirus lockdown.

The Guardian reports that a group of 24 senior diplomats and defence officials, including four former NATO secretary generals, have urged President Donald Trump to save “thousands of lives” that may be lost to coronavirus by easing medical and humanitarian sanctions on Iran. Reuters reports that Iran will never ask the US for help in the fight against the new coronavirus, quoting IranianForeign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi. The Financial Times reports that Iran has unveiled a package of state-backed loans to support poorer people and boost consumer spending as the government prepares to ease some of the work restrictions it imposed to contain the coronavirus. The Guardian reports that Iran’s Health Ministry spokesman backtracked after he described China’s official figures on the coronavirus outbreak as a “joke.”

The Financial Times and Reuters report that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has acquiredan 8.2 per cent stake in struggling cruise operator Carnival, marking the Gulf fund’s latest high-profile direct investment after previous bets on companies such as Tesla and Uber.

The Associated Press reports that at least three rockets hit near the site of an American oil field service company in southern Iraq early on Monday, Iraq’s military said, the first such attack in recent months to target US energy interests in Iraq.

The Times reports that the Taliban have warned that a peace accord struck with the U.S. is close to collapse, accusing American and Afghan forces of stepping up attacks on them and repeatedly delaying a release of insurgent prisoners.

The Times reports that Twitter has shut down more than 20,000 fake accounts linked to oppressive regimes including Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia as part of its biggest crackdown on malicious and misleading content to date.

The Financial Times reports that Iraq’s prime minister designate has warned that the global oil price collapse means the government may be unable to pay half of its public sector salaries next month.

Reuters reports that energy ministers from the Group of 20 major economies will convene an extraordinary meeting by video conference on Friday “to ensure energy market stability” in a call organised by Saudi Arabia, according to an internal document seen by Reuters.

Israeli media report on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s well-wishes to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he battled worsening Coronavirus symptoms. Speaking in a televised address to the country last night, Netanyahu said: “On behalf of all of you, I would like to send my best wishes for a rapid recovery to our friend, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is now fighting the disease.”

All Israeli media report on the government’s decision to further impose restrictions on movement during the upcoming Passover holiday to combat the spread of the Coronavirus. According to Haaretz, no inter-city travel will be allowed beginning Tuesday afternoon until Saturday night. Furthermore, a curfew will be instituted beginning early Wednesday afternoon (Passover Eve) until Thursday morning, wherein Israelis will effectively have to remain at home. In his televised address last night, Prime Minister Netanyahu raised the prospect of a gradual lifting of overall restrictions after the Passover holiday ends next week. Over 9000 Israelis have been infected with the virus as of this morning, with 59 deaths.

Israeli media report on the passage of a NIS 90 billion emergency spending package by the Knesset overnight in a 62 to 0 vote. The amendment to the Basic Law on the State Economy was required in order to increase the state budget and deficit ceilings to finance the package. The amendment to the law only passed due to the votes of 3 lawmakers from the Joint (Arab) List, as Netanyahu and Health Minister Yaakov Litzman are in quarantine and the rightwing Yamina faction boycotted the vote (in protest at the ongoing coalition talks between the Likud and Blue and White).