Middle East Experience

David Brog finished with just over 17% of the vote, a distant second to Mark Robertson’s commanding 30%.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Campus pro-Israel group head loses Nevada GOP congressional primary

Tanzanian authorities must immediately halt the violent forced eviction of the Indigenous Maasai community in Loliondo, and launch an urgent investigation into the security crackdown which has left dozens of people injured, many missing and a police officer killed, Amnesty International said today..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Tanzania: Halt brutal security operation in Loliondo

The UAE in October approved a 2022 federal budget of 58.9 billion dirhams..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UAE aims to increase 2022 federal spending by 5 million

The UAE’s continued efforts to improve gender diversity in the boardroom have led to more women holding board positions this year (8.9 percent), up from 3.5 percent in 2020, according to research undertaken by Aurora50, a social enterprise working towards gender parity in GCC boardrooms, and Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG).The report, ‘Non-executive Board Careers in the UAE: A Path to Gender Balance,’ which was sponsored by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), reveals that 77 of the 868 board seats from the 115 listed companies on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), are now held by women.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.This represents 8.9 percent representation of women in UAE boardrooms, up from 3.5 percent in 2020, according to the research findings by Aurora50 in its report which was released on Thursday.The boost to women on boards in the UAE follows the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) setting a quota last year mandating all listed companies in the UAE to appoint at least one woman to their boards.In a first-of-its-kind study undertaken in the GCC, the report interviewed 16 women with independent board directorships to understand key steps that aspiring women board directors can proactively take throughout their careers to reach non-executive board roles.The UAE-based Aurora50 was co-founded by Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan and Diana Wilde in 2020.Aurora50’s first -- successful -- initiative is to increase the number of women on boards in the UAE through the Pathway20 accelerator program. They have now expanded their focus to support listed corporations, large private organizations and high-growth businesses alike with all their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) objectives.Wilde, co-founder of Aurora50, said, “It is excellent to see such progress being made in boardrooms across the UAE, but we know there is a lot more that can be done to accelerate the pace of change. We hope this report will help women in the region to confidently make their way to the top. As one of the existing women board directors who was interviewed for this report said, ‘Women need to strategically plan the career they wish to have.’ If an aspiring woman does this, using our five-step plan, her timeline to become a non-executive board director, or NED, is just 10-15 years. While this is encouraging news for women, it is imperative for them to plan a board career early, to plan it well and with careful thought.”“It is vital now that boards embracing greater diversity must also ensure they do so through inclusive leadership to reap the rewards of higher performance and profitability,” Wilde added.Fatema Al Nuaimi, Chief Executive Officer for ADNOC LNG said, “ADNOC is committed to supporting gender balance and helping women develop, grow and excel in their careers, which is why we are proud to have collaborated with Aurora50. This important research provides us with better insight and actionable recommendations to further accelerate gender diversity on boards in support of the national gender balance agenda.”Al Nuaimi is one of ADNOC Group’s three female chief executives and the energy company has committed to ensuring at least one woman sits on the board of every ADNOC Group company by the end of 2022. Currently, 16 women sit on its 18 boards. ADNOC has its own gender balance committee and women’s leadership development program and was Aurora50’s first corporate client.Dr. Maryam Buti Alsuwaidi, Chief Executive Officer of UAE Capital Markets regulatory authority, the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), said, “I am delighted by the news that over two years, the market has seen a growth in the number of board seats held by women, now 59.1 percent of listed companies having at least one woman board member and 8.9 percent of all board members of listed companies being women.”“The regulatory requirement of having at least one woman board member on each listed company’s board that SCA mandated a year ago has clearly had the desired positive impact, as it has in other countries that have set similar mandates. Norway and France, the world leaders in having women on corporate boards, both had set 40 percent quotas and have been successful in surpassing that target in the past two decades.”“Gender diversity on boards positively impacts a company’s future success and profits by creating diversity of thought, while such inclusive leadership encourages more women to join, thrive, and succeed in listed companies at all levels.”Five steps to the topTo ensure UAE companies continue to find talented women board directors, the report sets out five steps to ensure aspiring women are appointed to their first non-executive board director in 10-15 years or less:Plan: Women should take the opportunity to plan their career to the board very early on, then hone their technical competencies, industry expertise and independent thinking to develop the governing skills vital to board directors.Build: In this phase of their career, women should aim to develop soft skills and networks as well as learn their craft to gain experiences valuable to the boardroom.Brand: Next, women should focus on their personal brand to raise awareness about who they are and to make it widely known that they are ready for a board role, rather than waiting for good performance to shine through.Sustain: This phase of the career is about balance. Women need to develop and maintain a strong support system in life as they add ongoing board director duties to their role in an executive day job.Give: Lastly, having reached the board pinnacle, women can help other women climb up the ladder and give back by mentoring and nominating other talented women, sharing their experiences, and helping to change mindsets.Read more: GCC boardrooms making progress in gender diversity, private sector lags: GCC BDI exec
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Gender diversity on the rise in the UAE as more women take top board positions

Dubai residents who contract monkeypox must quarantine for 21 days, health officials have said, amid a global outbreak of the potentially fatal disease.A circular from the Dubai Health Authority, seen by Al Arabiya English, states that adult patients with minor symptoms and stable vital signs can isolate at home.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Patients who have a fever higher than 38.5 degrees, have a rash that covers more than 30 percent of the body surface area, have unstable vital signs must isolate in hospital, as should pregnant women, children below the age of six, elderly patients aged over 70 and critically ill patients. Patients will undergo complete isolation in hospitals until they recover.Earlier this month, the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced five new cases of monkeypox in the country.It also said that two people recovered from the disease that the World Health Organization (WHO) called “self-limited with symptoms lasting from two to four weeks.”The first in-country case was detected on May 24 when a traveler from a west African country was found to be carrying the disease.The ministry has warned members of the public to take precautions against the disease during travel and social gatherings.Transmission and symptomsMonkeypox can spread through transmission of bodily fluids or sores on an infected person, or through materials they have touched such as clothing or bed linen, according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).It can also be passed from mothers to babies in the womb.Their health will be closely monitored during the period of isolation.Symptoms include headaches, fever, muscle aches, exhaustion, and distinctive sores on the skin.Most people who catch the disease usually recover in a few weeks, but it does have a mortality rate of around 10 percent.Dr. Neema Madhusoodanan Nambiar, GP at Bareen International Hospital – MBZ City, said the monkeypox infection can be transmitted by the affected person from animals to humans via contact with infected body fluids, bites or scratches.“Monkeypox can also be transmitted directly by an infected person through direct contact with skin lesions, body fluids, and respiratory droplets,” the doctor said.“Infected individuals can be contagious from 1 day before the onset of the rash to 21 days after the first symptoms, or until all skin lesions become scabs and the other symptoms disappear,” Namibian continued.“Educating the general public about monkeypox to raise awareness of risk factors and reduce exposure to the virus is the most important part of prevention strategy.”Health experts in the UAE told Al Arabiya English that smallpox vaccines may protect against monkeypox by up to 85 percent.Monkeypox was first identified in humans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it would hold an emergency meeting next week to determine whether to classify the global monkeypox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern.“The outbreak of monkeypox is unusual and concerning,” World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists.“For that reason, I have decided to convene the Emergency Committee under the international health regulations next week, to assess whether this outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.”The emergency committee will meet on June 23 to discuss the designation, which is the highest alarm the UN agency can sound.“WHO is also working with partners and experts from around the world on changing the name of monkeypox virus... and the disease it causes,” Tedros said.Read more:UAE health experts urge caution after first case of monkeypox detectedWHO to assess if monkeypox an international health emergencyUAE reports five more monkeypox cases, two recoveries
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Dubai residents who contract monkeypox must quarantine for 21 days: Circular

The war in Ukraine has given rise to a global food crisis, with surging prices for cooking oils, grains, fuel, and fertilizer.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Ukraine, often referred to as the world’s breadbasket, was invaded by Russia on February 24 in what Moscow calls a “special military operation.” Since then, countries across the world have imposed tough sanctions on Russia as the conflict rages on, heavily disrupting the Ukrainian economy and restricting global trade.Trade has been hit particularly hard since the war because Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat supplies. Russia is also a key fertilizer exporter and Ukraine a major supplier of corn and sunflower oil.Monika Tothova, an Economist at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), weighed in on what governments and individuals can do to mitigate the effects of the hunger crisis in a recent interview with Al Arabiya English.What can be done in the medium-term? “Above all, keep the global trade system open, and ensure that exports of food and agricultural products are not restricted in any way,” said Tothova.The FAO economist added that “trade in fertilizers” was a crucial part of ensuring “future harvest,” which would, in turn, help with global recovery from the crisis.In 2021, conflict – in combination with economic shocks – affected around 139 million people worldwide and since the onset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, this figure is likely to increase, a recent report released by the FAO and the UN’s World Food Program revealed.According to the report released last week, acute food insecurity is expected to worsen in several countries between June and September this year, indicating that the hunger crisis is affecting many countries and it is happening at such a rapid pace.Tothova suggested other intermediate-term solutions.“Maintaining market transparency is crucial in times of uncertainty to help to stabilize markets and prices,” she told Al Arabiya English.She added that people needed to offer their support to “countries that are facing difficulties related to the sudden increase in their food import bills.”The FAO recently proposed a global food import financing facility which aims to present a mechanism to respond to rising food import and input costs, she explained.“On the level of individual countries, help those most affected by high food prices by providing targeted assistance [such as] vouchers, direct payments, safety nets,” she advised.Long term solutions With food costs and market uncertainty on the rise, UN organizations have recognized that immediate action needs to be taken to ensure the situation does not worsen, especially since the war in Ukraine is well into its fourth month of conflict.“There are many countries that are in a precarious situation. Over the last year, we have experienced yet another spike in hunger across the world,” said the FAO economist.“Even people who are not yet in emergency levels of food insecurity are likely to be affected as their purchasing power will decrease, they will need to turn to less nutritious foods or skip meals, withdraw kids from school – all sorts of negative coping strategies will impact their health and wellbeing, including increasing prevalence of undernourishment, as well as wasting and stunting of children,” Tothova warned.The WFP predicted that between 179 million and 181 million people will be in crisis or worse when it comes to food security, a staggering increase from the 139 million already affected in 2021, which accounted for an increase of 40 million people since 2020.Weather variability is also a very worrying factor for many in the agricultural sector, as the effects of climate change begin to take shape in several countries, impacting the future of food production.Tothova suggested to “identify in which countries and regions it is possible to sustainably produce more and better, taking into account increasing weather variability” and also urged governments to diversify their set of exporters, in order to not rely on a few producing countries to satisfy all their needs.Read more:Food security was ‘deteriorating’ before Ukraine war, but has worsened since: ExpertUkraine war risks 11 mln-19 mln more hungry people over next year: FAOInflation to staycation: UAE expatriates staying put for the summer, hotels cash in
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: What can be done to mitigate the food security crisis? FAO economist weighs in

Two officials have said the Iran-backed Houthi militia has recruited several hundred children including as young as 10 over the past two months.In a video, a man stands in front of a blackboard in a full classroom, teaching the parts of an AK-47 rifle. He then hands it over to a boy, showing him how to cock it.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Other children crowd around, many who appear to be no older than 10, asking for their turn. The video, leaked online this month, provides a rare window into child soldier indoctrination by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia. Local residents confirmed to The Associated Press that it was filmed in recent weeks in Yemen’s Houthi-held province of Amran, northwest of the capital, Sanaa.Despite an agreement with the UN in April to halt the practice, the Houthis continue to recruit children into the military ranks to fight in the country’s grinding civil war, Houthi officials, aid workers and residents told the AP.Two Houthi officials said the group recruited several hundred children including as young as 10 over the past two months. Those children have been deployed to front lines, as part of a buildup of forces taking place during a UN-brokered truce, which has held for more than two months, one official said.The officials, both hardliners within the Houthi movement, said they see nothing wrong with the practice, arguing that boys from 10 or 12 are considered men.“Those are not children. They are true men, who should defend their nation against the Saudi, American aggression, and defend the Islamic nation,” one of them said. The two spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid frictions with others among the Houthis.The Houthis have used what they call “summer camps” to disseminate their religious ideology and to recruit boys to fight. Such camps take place in schools and mosques around the Houthi-held part of Yemen, which encompasses the north and center of the country and Sanaa.Yemen’s conflict erupted in 2014 when the Houthis descended from their northern enclave and took over Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee to the south. An Arab Coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try to restore the government to power, waging a destructive air campaign and arming anti-Houthi forces.The war has killed more than 150,000 people, including more than 14,500 civilians and has plunged the country into near famine, creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.Child soldiers have been involved for years. Nearly 2,000 Houthi-recruited children were killed on the battlefield between January 2020 and May 2021, according to UN experts. Pro-government forces have also used child fighters but to a much lesser degree and have taken greater measures to halt the practice, according to UN and aid officials.Overall, the UN says over 10,200 children have been killed or maimed in the war, though it is unclear how many may have been combatants.In April, the Houthis signed what the UN children’s agency described as an “action plan” to end and prevent the practice. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the Houthis committed to identifying children in their ranks and releasing them within six months.UNICEF and the Houthis did not respond to requests for comment on the continued recruitment since.Four aid workers with three international organizations operating in Houthi-held areas said they observed intensified Houthi efforts to recruit children in recent weeks. The Houthis’ ranks have been thinned because of battlefield losses, especially during a nearly two-year battle for the crucial city of Marib.The aid workers spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of their safety and that their groups could be barred from working in Houthi-held territory.They said the Houthis have pressured families to send their children to camps where they learn how to handle weapons and plant mines, in return for services including food rations from international organizations.One aid worker who operates in remote northern areas described watching children as young as 10 manning checkpoints along the road, with AK-47s hanging on their shoulders. Others are sent to the front line. He said children have returned wounded from fighting at Marib.Thousands of fighters were killed in the battle for government-held Marib. The Houthis’ long attempt to capture it was finally stopped in late 2021 when government forces were bolstered by better-equipped fighters backed by the United Arab Emirates.Abdel-Bari Taher, a Yemeni commentator and former head of the country’s Journalists’ Union, said that the Houthis are exploiting local customs to the children’s and society’s detriment. Having or carrying a weapon is a tradition deeply rooted in Yemen, especially in rural and mountainous communities, he said.“It is a source of pride and kind of manhood for the boys,” he said.The Houthis also condition crucial food aid on children attending the training camps, some say.Two residents in Amran province said Houthi representatives came to their homes in May and told them to prepare their children for camps at the end of the school year. The residents, who are farmers, spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.They said their five children, aged between 11 and 16, were taken in late May to the school where the video was taken. One father said he was told that if he didn’t send his children, his family would no longer receive food rations.The UN panel of experts said earlier this year that the Houthis, a Zaidi-Shia religious movement turned-militia with ties with Iran, have a system to indoctrinate child soldiers, including using humanitarian aid to pressure families.Children are taken first to centers for a month or more of religious courses. There, they are told they are joining a holy war against Jews and Christians and Arab countries that have succumbed to Western influence. Seven-year-olds are taught weapons cleaning and how to dodge rockets, the experts found.The Houthis have in the past officially denied enlisting children to fight.But they have also provided evidence to the contrary. A high-ranking Houthi, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, posted a video in early June from a visit he paid to one of the camps in Dhamar province. It shows dozens of children in uniforms standing in a military-like formation and declaring allegiance to rebel movement’s top leader, Abdul-Malek al-Houthi.“Soldiers of God,” they shout. “We are coming.”Read more:Official says Yemeni journalist killed in explosion in AdenUS, Saudi Arabia welcome extending Yemen truce, urge for permanent peaceYemen PM expresses support for extending truce in meeting with US envoy
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: In Yemen, child soldiering continues despite Houthi promise

Russia and China gave alternative accounts of President Xi Jinping’s birthday call with Vladimir Putin, as both sides seek to manage perceptions of their relationship in the wake of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.The Kremlin readout said the two men, both 69, discussed increasing economic cooperation, trade and military-technical ties between China and Russia on Wednesday. Moscow’s version also implied the Chinese leader endorsed Putin’s justification for invading Ukraine, saying Xi noted the “legitimacy of Russia’s actions in protecting its fundamental national interests in the face of security challenges created by external forces.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, by contrast, said Xi “actively promoted world peace and the stability of the global economic order” during the call. He pushed all parties to find “a proper settlement to the Ukraine crisis in a responsible manner,” the report added, making no mention of military ties or increasing trade links.Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow and chair of the Russia in Asia-Pacific Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center, said the Kremlin’s readout of the call was geared toward a domestic audience. Putin is trying to project strength at home, after being forced to narrow his war goals to the east by his failure to quickly take Kyiv and other key cities.China’s version, Gabuev said, was clearly more mindful of the West, where its war response is under great scrutiny.President Joe Biden warned China in March of “implications and consequences” if Beijing backs Moscow over the invasion, either by providing military support or helping it avoid sweeping economic sanctions imposed by the US, the European Union and others. While there’s been no sign of Beijing helping Moscow in either way, it has offered rhetorical support by repeating Russian conspiracy theories -- such as the false claim that theUS runs weapons biolabs in Ukraine -- and diplomatically through Xi’s continued contact with Putin.The two men declared a “no limits friendship” in February, weeks before Putin brought war to Ukraine, and they spoke shortly after Russia’s invasion. In contrast, Xi still hasn’t spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, despite Beijing’s claims of a neutral position in the conflict.Read more:Xi tells Putin China will continue to back Russia on ‘sovereignty, security’China says it will work with Russia to promote ‘real democracy’US relieved as China appears to heed warnings on Russia
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Russia and China give differing accounts of Putin-Xi phone call 

Assuming the deal is in compliance, US global energy security envoy Amos Hochstein said gas could finally flow..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: US to evaluate if Egypt to Lebanon gas deal violates sanctions

The plaintiff claims that his daughter was expelled from the Brentwood School after he complained about the new curriculum.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Father sues California private school over antisemitic discrimination