Middle East Experience

On some issues, this coalition headed by Bennett accomplished more in a year than previous governments did in 10 years.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Bennett is leaving Israel in a better state than he found it - editorial

With Russia, China and North Korea developing their own hypersonic missile capabilities, with some being able to carry nuclear warheads, the Pentagon is feeling the pressure.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: US test of new hypersonic missile fails amid China, Russia pressure

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa had conducted the largest cabinet reshuffle in the country’s history..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: More Shia, less Khawalids as Bahrain reshuffles cabinet

Indian customs officials seized more than 300 grams of gold from a passenger traveling from Dubai who had concealed the contraband inside his rectum.The undeclared gold worth almost $10,000 was found concealed a passenger traveling into Chennai, officials reported on Twitter on Thursday.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The unidentified person was also caught with undeclared assorted electronics, cigarettes, and liquor worth $18,000.Officials said they regularly catch passengers trying to smuggle gold into the country.Earlier this week, 500 grams of gold worth almost $28,000 was seized by Indian customs officials from a passenger traveling from Saudi Arabia into Delhi.The unidentified person, an Indian national, was caught with four gold bars concealed in his baggage.Customs officials said the weight of the gold was about 466 grams.The person was arrested on June 21 after being caught by officials.In April, gold worth more than $74,000 and $38,000 in cash was seized by Indian customs officials from passengers travelling to and from Dubai.Undeclared gold was confiscated from an Indian passenger arriving from Dubai into Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Tuesday, April 19.The man was wearing a heavy gold chain around his neck and was found with gold bars in his pockets. He was later arrested.The same week customs officers at the same airport intercepted an Indian passenger about to board a flight to Dubai with a suitcase full of cash.Read more:India customs officials seize stack of gold smuggled from Saudi ArabiaDubai Customs seizes 6kg of marijuana concealed in peanut pasteDubai Customs made 5,000 seizures in 2021, incl. largest-ever haul of captagon drug
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: India customs officials seize gold smuggled inside rectum of Dubai passenger

The reclusive supreme leader of the Afghan Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada, hailed the group’s 2021 takeover of Afghanistan during a meeting on Thursday called to forge national unity and attended by religious leaders from around the country.Taliban spokesmen confirmed that Akhundzada, who is based in the southern city of Kandahar, had come to the capital Kabul for the all-male gathering of some 3,000 participants.After receiving pledges of allegiance from participants raising their hands, Akhundzada praised the Taliban’s victory last August, which marked the end of a 20-year struggle to overthrow a western-backed government and drive US-led forces out of the country.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The success of the Afghan jihad is not only a source of pride for Afghans but also for Muslims all over the world,” he said according to state-run Bakhtar News Agency, using the Arabic word signifying a spiritual struggle.When the movement unveiled its interim government in September, the mysterious Akhundzada retained the role he has held since 2016 of supreme leader, the group’s ultimate authority, but he is rarely seen publicly.His address to the gathering of religious leaders comes a week after a deadly earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, and exposed the lack of support the Taliban can count on from the international community.The Afghan economy has plunged into crisis, as Western governments have withdrawn funding and strictly enforced sanctions, saying that the Taliban government needs to change course on human and women’s rights.In Thursday’s speech, Akhundzada asked traders to return and invest in the country, saying overseas aid could not build the economy and would make Afghans more dependent on foreign money.“Thank God, we are now an independent country. (Foreigners) should not give us their orders, it is our system and we have our own decisions,” he said according to Bakhtar.“We have a relationship of devotion to one God, we cannot accept the orders of others who God does not like,” he said.He said the group wanted peace and security and that neighboring nations had nothing to fear.The Kabul gathering began on Thursday under tight security.At one point, sustained gunfire erupted near the venue, which Taliban spokesmen said was the result of security men firing at a “suspicious location,” and the situation was under control.At least one participant had called for girls’ high schools to be opened but it was unclear how widespread support was for that proposal.Deputy Taliban chief and acting interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani addressed the meeting on Friday, saying the world wasdemanding inclusive government and education, and the issues needed time.“This gathering is about trust, interaction, we are here to make our future according to Islam and to national interests,” he said.The Taliban went back on an announcement that all schools would open in March, leaving many girls who had turned up at their high schools in tears and drawing criticism from Western governments.Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that they would respect the decisions of those at the meeting but the final say on girls’ education was up to the supreme leader.A hardline cleric whose son was a suicide bomber, Akhundzada has spent most of his leadership in the shadows, letting others take the lead in negotiations that ultimately saw the US and their allies leave Afghanistan last August after 20 years of fighting a grinding counter-insurgency war.Read more:Taliban hold gathering of 3,000 Islamic clerics, seek advise on running AfghanistanSenior US lawmaker slams State Department for ‘blatant lies’ on Afghanistan probeQuake-hit Afghan village left in ruins
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Taliban leader praises Afghan victory at gathering to forge national unity

Thousands of pilgrims started arriving in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Friday, among some one million Muslims expected to attend the 2022 Hajj pilgrimage season after two years of major disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Wrapped in white robes, with some carrying umbrellas against the burning desert sun, hundreds performed the first ritual of the Hajj, which involves walking in a circle around the Kaaba, the sacred building at the center of Mecca's Grand Mosque.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app."Praise be God... It's impossible to describe my feelings right now," said Ahmed Sayed Mahmoud, an Egyptian pilgrim. "Being in the Grand Mosque and in the land of the two holy mosques makes me very happy."Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina, allowed back foreign travelers this year to perform the Hajj. Only a few thousand Saudi citizens and residents attended the annual pilgrimage in the last two years as COVID-19 wreaked havoc across the global economy and curtailed travel.However, authorities have said only one million people can join the 2022 season, less than half of pre-pandemic levels, and access is restricted to pilgrims aged 18 to 65 who have been fully vaccinated or immunized against the virus and do not suffer from chronic diseases.Security officers mixed with pilgrims inside the mosque. A web of surveillance cameras oversaw its surroundings and checkpoints controlled access to the city to help ensure an incident-free Hajj.Over the years, the kingdom has spent billions of dollars on making one of the world's biggest religious gatherings more secure.In 2019, the last year before the pandemic struck, some 2.6 million people performed the Hajj, while around 19 million took part in the Umrah, another form of pilgrimage to Mecca which - unlike the Hajj - can be carried out at any time of the year.An economic reform plan of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aims to increase Umrah and Hajj capacity to 30 million pilgrims annually and to generate 50 billion riyals ($13.32 billion) of revenues by 2030.Read more:Saudi Arabia: Mecca, Medina ready to serve Hajj pilgrims with 41 pct more 5G towersSaudi Arabia confirms July 9 as Eid al-Adha date after moon sightingSaudi Arabia imposes $2,665 fine on people who attempt to perform Hajj without permit
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Muslim pilgrims flock to Saudi’s Mecca for first post-pandemic Hajj

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF announced the launch of an aircraft leasing company on Thursday.Termed ‘AviLease,’ the company will become a “core element” of the Kingdom’s expanding aviation ecosystem, the PIF statement said.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.It added that the company will “scale through purchase-and-lease-back transactions, secondary portfolio acquisitions, direct orders from aircraft manufacturers, and corporate acquisitions.”The company’s fleet will reportedly consist of the new generation of narrow-body and wide-body aircraft from the world’s leading manufacturers.These are expected to contribute to the reduction of value leakage for Saudi Arabia, while enhancing integration into the global aircraft financing market.At of the end of Q1 2022, PIF’s AuM reached nearly $620 billion, with the establishment of 54 companies and the creation of more than 500,000 direct and indirect jobs.The new company will also help diversify the Saudi economy, it claimed, by contributing to the non-oil GDP growth. This is in line with supporting the local aviation industry in a financially sustainable manner aligned with Vision 2030.Early in June, Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund made its second $1 billion foray into the Swedish gaming industry this year as part of a drive to build stakes in video game makers and e-sports firms globally.The Public Investment Fund’s Savvy Gaming Group will become the second largest owner in Embracer Group AB after acquiring almost 100 million shares in the Karlstad-based company.The move follows a similarly sized acquisition in January, when Savvy bought the esports division of Modern Times Group at an enterprise value of $1.05 billion.The PIF, as the $500 billion fund is known, continues to deepen its push into a gaming sector that continues to consolidate. Last month, the fund took a 5.01 percent stake in Nintendo Co., marking its third investment in a Japanese games company.With BloombergRead more:Saudi Crown Prince announces national priorities for research and development sectorTarjama, Ureed, Future Work sign MOU to empower Saudi youth in labor marketSaudis constitute 63.6 pct of 34 mln population; 8.6 pct fall in number of expats
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi PIF launches aircraft leasing company ‘AviLease’ to support local ecosystem

Predictive policing is controversial because the predictive models often don't take into account systemic bias.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Crime predicting algorithm can reveal law enforcement bias - study

Iranian hacker group Sharp Boys obtained personal data from over 20 Israeli tourism sites.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Iranian hackers leak info of over 300,000 Israelis from tourism sites

Algeria’s diplomatic mission to the European Union pooh-poohed the restriction of trade ties as a Spanish fabrication..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: As diplomatic spat escalates, Spain accuses Algeria of cutting trade ties