Middle East Experience

The sharpest increases in annual prices were in the transportation sector, at 123.37%, followed by food and non-alcoholic drinks prices at 93.93%, according to official data..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Official data puts Turkey’s annual inflation at 78.6%, a 24-year high

The income is over a fifth higher than the previous fiscal year’s $5.8 billion in transit fees and the highest figure ever recorded..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Egypt's Suez Canal revenue rises 20.7% in 2021/22 to bn

Responding to reports of use of unlawful force in Nukus, which left at least 18 protesters dead following a demonstration against a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would strip away Karakalpakstan’s autonomy within Uzbekistan, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Director, said: “The images we saw last weekend on social media, ..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Uzbekistan: End use of unlawful force against Karakalpakstan protesters

Protesters broke into Libya’s parliament in Tobruk on Friday evening and set a fire in front of the building to express their anger towards Libya’s warring political parties, witnesses told Reuters.Security forces protecting the parliament withdrew from the site, the witnesses added.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Demonstrations took place on Friday in Tobruk, Benghazi and some smaller towns over a failure of government.Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi. In 2014, it split between warring eastern and western factions before a peace process beginning in 2020 tried to knit the country back together.However, after a scheduled election was halted in December, the eastern-based parliament said the interim unity government of Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah had expired and it appointed Fathi Bashagha to replace him.Read more: Libya suspends oil shipments from key port amid political crisis
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Protesters break into Libya’s parliament building in Tobruk: Witnesses

The US unveiled another massive arms package intended for Ukraine on Friday, bringing the total amount of weapons for Kyiv to $6.9 billion since the beginning of Russia’s invasion on February 24.The Pentagon announced $820 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine, which includes a Presidential Drawdown of $50 million and $770 million in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The fourteenth Presidential Drawdown will include more ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Pentagon Press Secretary Todd Breasseale said in a statement.The USAI will include two National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), four counter-artillery radars and up to 150,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition, Breasseale said.Under the USAI, the US procures the weapons instead of delivering equipment drawn from the Pentagon’s stocks.Breasseale also singled out Norway for its cooperation in providing air defense systems that will help Ukraine “defend against Russia’s brutal air attacks.”“The United States continues to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its evolving battlefield requirements,” he added.A senior US defense official told reporters that Russia was paying “a very steep price,” but also noted that Ukraine was paying a “great price as well.”Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was committed to the independence, security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine.In a statement authorizing the drawdown of arms and equipment from the Pentagon’s inventories, Blinken said Washington’s commitment to the Ukrainian people “will not waver.”Read more: Russia trying to stop flow of Western weapons to Ukraine, no evidence of success: US
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: More surface-to-air missile systems for Ukraine to fight Russia, US announces

At least five people were killed and 19 injured when a strong earthquake shook southern Iran early Saturday, the state news agency IRNA reported.The 6.0 magnitude quake hit 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of the port city of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan province, the US Geological Survey said. The quake struck just a minute after a 5.7 tremor.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Hormozgan governor Mahdi Dosti said the quakes killed five people and injured 19 others, IRNA reported.Dosti said most of the damage occurred in the village of Sayeh Khost, close to the epicenter.One person was killed in November last year when Hormozgan province was hit by twin 6.4 and 6.3 magnitude quakes.Situated on the edge of several tectonic plates and crossing various fault lines, Iran is an area of strong seismic activity.Iran's deadliest quake was a 7.4-magnitude tremor that struck in 1990, killing 40,000 people in the north of the country.Read more:Earthquake of magnitude 5.6 strikes southern Iran, one dead
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Five killed as strong earthquake rocks Iran: Media

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Season 2022 saw record-breaking six million visitors within the 60 day festival, officials announced on Saturday as the two-month extravaganza drew to a close.The visitors were various nationalities and ages from inside and outside Saudi Arabia, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The event began on May 2, marking the first day of Eid al-Fitr following the holy month of Ramadan, and saw a variety of entertainment offerings.Held under the slogan, ‘Our Good Days,’ the festival’s second edition includes a total of around 2,800 activities over the two-month period.Based on the Kingdom’s new vision for the entertainment industry, Jeddah Season included 70 interactive experiences, more than 60 entertainment offerings for gamers, seven Arab plays, two international plays, five marine experiences and events, as well as four international exhibitions, an interactive waterfall, and over 90 stores and restaurants.The season created a numerous opportunities and partnerships for the private sector, as well as a wide range of employment opportunities for young Saudi men and women working at the event zones.During the season, more than 80 percent of all workers were Saudi, whether they were employed in stores, restaurants, cafes, markets, or other organizational and logistical services.Earlier this month, the Director-General of Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Season 2022, Nawaf Qumosan, said that the festival has created more than 74,000 jobs for Saudi citizens.The Director-General praised the Kingdom’s entertainment industry, stating that the Season has contributed a great deal to the sector’s vision for the future and has improved the quality of life in the community, attracting investments and achieving economic returns.The festival has had a positive economic, social, and cultural impact on residents and tourists in Jeddah and has contributed significantly to the city’s economic recovery due to the increased participation of small and medium-sized enterprises, he said.Read more:Jeddah Season 2022 creates 74,000 jobs for Saudi youths
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi’s Jeddah Season 2022 sees record-breaking six million visitors in 60 days

IMF mission will be in Tunisia from July 4 to initiate negotiations on the IMF-supported programme..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: IMF sends mission to Tunisia to begin formal aid talks

The UAE announced 1,796 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the official Emirates News Agency reported.This brings the current total active cases in the UAE to 17,551 and the total number of COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic to 949,384, according to data from the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA).For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The cases were determined out of 232,943 tests in the last 24 hours.No deaths from the virus were recorded on Saturday, maintaining the total deaths caused by COVID-19 to 2,317 in the UAE.At least 1,727 patients recovered in the previous 24 hours, bringing the total COVID-19 recoveries to 929,516.On June 13, the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) announced it would strictly enforce its mask rules – with penalties for those flouting the protocol – and announced it would tighten its rules on the Al Hosn green pass system amid rising coronavirus cases across the country.NCEMA said that it has recently “monitored some behaviors that have become a danger to society and public health,” referring to people not adhering to COVID-19 precautionary and preventative measures and how it has “negatively” impacted recovery efforts.“Negligence and recklessness in following precautionary measures, and failure in the societal role in maintaining public health and acquired immunity, has resulted in a rise in the number of infections and new waves of the virus,” the authority spokesman said in the briefing.The authority reaffirmed the need to wear masks in closed public spaces, reiterating that it was mandatory and that not adhering to this rule would result in a fine of up to $816 (AED 3,000).According to the World Health Organization, more than 4.1 million cases were reported globally in the last week.It added, however, that the worldwide number of deaths remained relatively similar to the week before, at about 8,500, noting that COVID-related deaths increased in three regions: the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Americas.Read more:Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccines could increase protection as boosters: EMAWorld Bank creates fund to better prevent, respond to pandemicsWHO: Over 4.1 million new COVID-19 cases reported globally, 18 pct increase
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE reports 1,796 new COVID-19 cases, no deaths

Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier airline of Türkiye and IndiGo, India’s largest airline have resumed their codeshare flights and partnership by opening the sale earlier this month. Scheduled operations…..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Turkish Airlines, IndiGo resume codeshare partnership