Shabtabnews In this dark night, I have lost my way – Arise from a corner, oh you the star of guidance.

RFL/RE – The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) has suspended all flights to and from Iran, where the outbreak of the new coronavirus has already killed at least 15 people — the highest death toll outside the disease’s epicenter in China. Fears of a coronavirus pandemic grew this week after sharp rises in new cases in Iran, Italy, and South Korea. …

Iran’s Health Ministry has dismissed a claim by a lawmaker from Qom that the death toll from the disease in the holy Shi’ite city is about four times higher than the official number and that the government is covering up the extent of the disease’s spread in Iran. Speaking in parliament on February 24, Qom lawmaker Ahmad Amirabadi-Farahani was quoted …

HRW – Iranian authorities have failed to hold security forces accountable for excessive and unlawful use of lethal force in confronting large-scale protests that began on November 15, 2019, Human Rights Watch said today. Members of the United Nations Human Rights Council should take urgent action to address the brutal crackdown. Over three months later, the government has failed to announce …

Al-Monitor – Tehran and Muscat have for decades maintained close relations, a tradition that was upheld even after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. However, Oman’s long-servingleader, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, died Jan. 10 at the age of 79, and the prospect of cordial Iran-Oman relations is subject to speculation. Some concern had already been sparked by recent news of the sultan’s deteriorating health after a long battle …

PayvandNews – Fears of a coronavirus pandemic, or global outbreak, are growing as countries including Iran, Italy, and South Korea are battling to contain the spread of the disease that has already killed around 2,600 people in China. Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait on February 24 reported their first cases of the COVID-19 virus — all involving people who had …