Over the course of Yemen's civil war, African migrants determined to reach oil-rich Saudi Arabia have endured unspeakable cruelties - torture, rape, detention, extortion - often perilously close to front lines.

Now, the coronavirus pandemic has dealt yet another blow to vulnerable migrants caught in Yemen's war zone.

Wandering Cairo's bustling streets, Zeinab was struggling to survive by selling tissues when the coronavirus left her even more vulnerable, along with thousands of other homeless people and street children.

An Algerian appeals court Tuesday reduced a journalist's jail term to 15 months over Facebook posts deemed to support anti-government protests, his lawyer said.

A young Tunisian woman was sentenced to six months in jail by a Tunis court on Tuesday over a parody posted on Facebook linking the Quran and COVID-19.

Qatar on Tuesday welcomed a ruling by the International Court of Justice that backed Doha in an aviation dispute with neighboring states, saying the blockading countries will face justice for violating international rules.

Three Russian and several Turkish soldiers were wounded Tuesday in Syria's restive Idlib province when a joint military patrol was hit by an improvised explosive device, Russia's defence ministry said.

Libya's parliament has passed a motion authorising Egypt to intervene militarily if needed to safeguard the "national security" of both countries in light of what it termed a Turkish "occupation".

The Palestinian Authority has arrested several people who said they would favour Israeli annexations in parts of the West Bank, corroborating sources say, despite Ramallah's denial. 

Morocco on Monday announced a return to lockdown measures in the northern port city of Tangiers to smother a new outbreak of the novel coronavirus, weeks after easing nationwide restrictions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged immediate financial aid to Israelis whose livelihoods have been devastated by the coronavirus, as his government faces mounting anger over its pandemic response.