Lebanon elections: The full tally is yet to come in from yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Lebanon, the country’s first since 2018, but preliminary results indicate that the Iran-aligned Shiite party Hezbollah has lost seats, while the Saudi-backed Lebanese Forces say they have made gains. (Reuters)

Mass protests in Tunisia: Thousands of Tunisians took to the streets of the capital Tunis yesterday to call for democracy to be restored. (Reuters)

Shanghai lockdown endgame? Shanghai officials have outlined plans to gradually loosen covid-19 restrictions, allowing businesses to partially reopen starting today as daily reported infections continue to fall, according to the Wall Street Journal. A harsh lockdown in place since the end of March has kept some 25 mn people confined to their homes, shuttering most businesses in one of the region’s most important financial and commercial hubs.

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