Middle East Experience

The colonisation of Algeria and the horrors of the Algerian war of independence (1954-1962) continue to mar relations, but was hardly discussed in France in public for decades..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Filmmakers at Cannes festival urge France to face up to colonial past

Russia said on Saturday it had so far banned 963 Americans from entering the country - including previously announced moves against President Joe Biden and other top officials - and would continue to retaliate against what it called hostile US actions.The largely symbolic travel bans form part of a downward spiral in Russia’s relations with the West since its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, which prompted Washington and its allies to impose drastic sanctions on Moscow and step up arms supplies to Ukraine.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Separately, the Foreign Ministry said it had added 26 new names to a list of Canadians it has barred from travelling to Russia, including defense chiefs, defense industry executives and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.Publishing the full list of banned Americans for the first time, the ministry said: “We emphasize that the hostile actions taken by Washington, which boomerang against the United States itself, will continue to receive a proper rebuff.”It said Russian counter-sanctions were a necessary response aimed at “forcing the ruling American regime, which is trying to impose a neo-colonial ‘rules-based world order’ on the rest of the world, to change its behavior, recognizing new geopolitical realities.”Previously announced names on the huge list included Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and CIA chief William Burns.The new Canadian list was published four days after Canada introduced a bill that will ban President Vladimir Putin and about 1,000 members of his government and military from travelling there.It included Jocelyn Paul, Eric Kenny and Angus Topshee, who were named last month as the new heads of the Canadian army, air force and navy, and executives of companies including Lockheed Martin Canada and Raytheon Canada.In response to sanctions, Russia had already banned Justin Trudeau, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and hundreds of other Canadians from entering the country.Read more:Explainer: Who were Mariupol’s last defenders?US President Biden signs $40 billion aid bill for Ukraine’s war effort: White HouseUS, other APEC delegates walk out on Russian speaker
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Russia bans 963 Americans from entering country, adds 26 new Canadians

Saudi Arabia’s health ministry said on Saturday that it was fully ready to monitor and deal with any monkeypox cases, noting that no cases have been recorded in the Kingdom so far, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.All necessary medical and laboratory tests are available in the Kingdom, the ministry also said, adding that it issued guidelines to healthcare workers on the matter.The ministry also has a complete preventive and curative healthcare plan to deal with any cases shall they emerge in the Kingdom.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.It added that Saudi Arabia’s health authorities continuously communicate with the World Health Organization (WHO) to remain up to date about the developments of the disease.Monkeypox cases have now been confirmed in several countries including the United Kingdom, Spain Portugal, Germany, Italy and the US.First identified in monkeys, the disease typically spreads through close contact and has rarely spread outside Africa. This series of infections has thus triggered concern.Scientists, however, do not think the outbreak will develop into a pandemic similar to COVID-19 because the virus does not spread as easily as SARS-COV-2.Read more:WHO calls emergency meeting as monkeypox cases cross 100 in EuropeDubai to ‘enhance surveillance’ over globally rising monkeypox cases: DHA circularTwo cases of monkeypox in Canada, one in Australia
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia says fully ready to monitor, deal with monkeypox cases

Turkey says Sweden and Finland harbor people linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group and followers of Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Erdogan discusses NATO concerns with Finland and Sweden

The Bank of England governor warned last week of ‘apocalyptic’ food price rises. Yet war in Ukraine, climate change and inflation are already taking their toll all over the world..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Apocalypse now? The alarming effects of the global food crisis

The Health Ministry has asked that anyone who develops a fever and rash shortly after returning from abroad contacts a medical professional. 
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Health Ministry to hold emergency meeting on monkeypox

Excessive humidity, insane temperatures, constant thirst and a big stomach? This is how to survive pregnancy when it’s sizzling outside.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: How to handle a pregnancy when it’s sizzling hot outside

Wind coming from an easterly direction has brought a dust storm from Jordan into Israel, causing the Health ministry to issue a warning for increased air pollution.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Dust storm coats Jerusalem in sand for the second time in a month

Tourists have returned, but one of the main visible sources of pollution in the area are visitors who throw away their..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Iraq’s ’Garden of Eden’ at risk of extinction

European and American health authorities have identified a number of monkeypox cases in recent days, mostly in young men. It’s a surprising outbreak of a disease that rarely appears outside Africa.Health officials around the world are keeping watch for more cases because, for the first time, the disease appears to be spreading among people who didn’t travel to Africa. They stress, however, that the risk to the general population is low.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.What is monkeypox?Monkeypox is a virus that originates in wild animals like rodents and primates, and occasionally jumps to people. Most human cases have been in central and west Africa, where the disease is endemic.The illness was first identified by scientists in 1958 when there were two outbreaks of a “pox-like” disease in research monkeys — thus the name monkeypox. The first known human infection was in 1970, in a 9-year-old boy in a remote part of Congo.What are the symptoms and how is it treated?Monkeypox belongs to the same virus family as smallpox but causes milder symptoms.Most patients only experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more serious illness may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands that can spread to other parts of the body.The incubation period is from about five days to three weeks. Most people recover within about two to four weeks without needing to be hospitalized.Monkeypox can be fatal for up to one in 10 people and is thought to be more severe in children.People exposed to the virus are often given one of several smallpox vaccines, which have been shown to be effective against monkeypox. Anti-viral drugs are also being developed.On Thursday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control recommended all suspected cases be isolated and that high-risk contacts be offered the smallpox vaccine.How many monkeypox cases are there typically?The World Health Organization estimates there are thousands of monkeypox infections in about a dozen African countries every year. Most are in Congo, which reports about 6,000 cases annually, and Nigeria, with about 3,000 cases a year.Patchy health monitoring systems mean many infected people are likely missed, experts say.Isolated cases of monkeypox are occasionally spotted outside Africa, including in the US and Britain. The cases are typically associated with travel to Africa or contact with animals from areas where the disease is more common.In 2003, 47 people in six US states had confirmed or probable cases. They caught the virus from pet prairie dogs that been housed near imported small mammals from Ghana.What’s different about these cases?It’s the first time monkeypox appears to be spreading among people who didn’t travel to Africa.In Europe, infections have been reported in Britain, Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium and Sweden.Britain’s Health Security Agency said its cases are not all connected, suggesting that there are multiple chains of transmission happening. The infections in Portugal were picked up at a sexual health clinic, where the men sought help for lesions on their genitals.On Wednesday, US officials reported a case of monkeypox in a man who had recently traveled to Canada. The Public Health Agency of Canada also confirmed two cases related to that positive test.Health officials in Quebec earlier said they suspected 17 cases in the Montreal area.Is monkeypox being spread through sex?It’s possible, but it’s unclear at the moment.Monkeypox has not previously been documented to have spread through sex, but it can be transmitted through close contact with infected people, their body fluids and their clothing or bedsheets.Michael Skinner, a virologist at Imperial College London, said it’s still too early to determine how the men in the UK were infected.“By nature, sexual activity involves intimate contact, which one would expect to increase the likelihood of transmission, whatever a person’s sexual orientation and irrespective of the mode of transmission,” Skinner said.Francois Balloux of University College London said the UK cases “do not necessarily imply any recent change in the virus’ route of transmission.”Read more:Two cases of monkeypox in Canada, one in AustraliaCOVID-Zero: This is how China rounds up thousands of people for quarantineNYC nears high COVID-alert level, may consider requiring masks
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Explainer: What is monkeypox and where is it spreading?