Middle East Experience

Social media users focused on Sheikha Jawaher's being seen in public without a veil, speculating that the matter bore political connotations..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: In Spain, Qatar’s Sheikha Jawahir appears in public without veil

Rice is one of the single most important food crops grown worldwide but its harvests are in danger. Finding ways to strengthen them is essential for saving them.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Rice survive droughts, floods thanks to gene network producing suberin - study

Cooper might have escaped justice but for a Channel 2 program on March 25, 2010, about the murders, which caused a public uproar and led to a reopening of the investigation and an indictment.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Supreme Court upholds murder conviction of first, third wife

Women and children at the scene were evacuated by police after extremist Haredim began violently rioting.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Lag Ba'omer: Riots break out at Meron, site closed to further visitors

Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Defense Prince Khalid Bin Salman has met with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during his US visit to Washington, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.During the meeting, they discussed the strategic relations between the two countries, in addition to reviewing the Saudi-US partnership and aspects of strategic cooperation in the existing and future defense and military fields.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz expressed the Kingdom's appreciation for the close cooperation between the two countries' defense ministries, and for the efforts of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to promote the two countries' common interests and enhance security and peace at the regional and international levels.Prince Khalid also headed the Saudi side in the meeting of the Joint Strategic Planning Committee between the Ministries of Defense in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Colin H. Kahl headed the US side.During the meeting, the latest developments and the rapid regional and international changes were discussed, in addition to discussing many issues and files as part of the two countries' vision to defend common interests and maintain international peace and security.On Tuesday, Prince Khalid also met with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan who reaffirmed President Joe Biden's commitment to “help Saudi Arabia defend its territory”.During the meeting Sullivan also underscored the longstanding partnership between the two nations, the White House said in a written statement.“Mr Sullivan reaffirmed President Biden's commitment to help Saudi Arabia defend its territory, and expressed appreciation for Saudi Arabia's leadership in securing a UN-brokered truce in Yemen," the White House said. "They also discussed the importance of coordinating efforts to ensure global economic resilience.”Read more:Saudi vice defense minister meets NSA adviser Sullivan in WashingtonSaudi Arabia’s deputy minister of defense to hold talks with officials in WashingtonSaudi Arabia’s Prince Khalid, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince discuss regional developments
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khalid meets with US Secretary of Defense in Washington

The leader of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged his party and its allies had lost their parliamentary majority in elections but said no single group had taken it, in his first televised speech since Sunday’s election.“Unlike the situation in parliament in 2018, no political group can claim a majority,” he said.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Hezbollah and its allies scored 62 seats during Sunday polls, according to a Reuters tally, losing a majority they secured in 2018, when they and their allies won 71 seats.Hezbollah and its ally Amal held on to all of parliament’s Shia seats. But some of its oldest allies, including Sunni, Druze and Christian politicians, lost theirs.The elections saw gains by the anti-Hezbollah Lebanese Forces party and more than a dozen reform-minded newcomers, as well as a smattering of independents.The results mark a blow for Hezbollah, though Nasrallah declared the results “a very big victory.”Nasrallah called for “cooperation” between political groups including newcomers, saying the alternative would be “chaos and vacuum.”The results have left parliament split into several camps, none of which have a majority, raising the prospect of political paralysis and tensions that could delay badly needed reforms to steer Lebanon out of its economic collapse.Read more: US welcomes Lebanon elections, calls on politicians to ‘rescue’ the economy
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Hezbollah chief Nasrallah acknowledges loss of Lebanon parliamentary majority

When Finland and Sweden signaled they were thinking of making the historic decision joining NATO, the alliance expected a tough response from Moscow, not from one of its own.Yet at a gathering of NATO foreign ministers with their Finnish and Swedish counterparts on Saturday to celebrate the biggest shift in European security in decades, Turkey’s participant darkened the mood.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was “in crisis mode,” a NATO diplomat told Reuters of the evening meeting in Berlin. A day earlier Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had shocked fellow NATO members by saying he could not support membership for either Finland or Sweden.Cavusoglu not only set conditions for Turkey accepting the membership bids but raised his voice at Sweden’s Ann Linde in what three NATO diplomats said was an “embarrassing” break in protocol.“For us it was a historic moment and yet Cavusoglu said he was irritated at Linde’s ‘feminist policy,’ bringing so much drama,” another NATO diplomat said, describing a very tense atmosphere in the German foreign ministry in Berlin, in which many allies opted for silence to calm the situation.“We were trying to understand what our Turkish colleague wanted - you know, really wanted,” said the diplomat, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. “It was embarrassing.”Ankara’s main demands are for the Nordic countries to halt support for Kurdish militant groups present on their territory, and to lift their bans on some sales of arms to Turkey.A Turkish diplomatic source said Cavusoglu had outlined Turkey’s stance respectfully, rejecting what he said was an allegation from Linde that its opposition was due to Sweden’s feminist foreign policy.“Her comments are not helping Sweden’s NATO bid, while the statements coming from Finland are carefully crafted,” the source said. Sweden’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment after business hours.Spurred on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both countries applied to join NATO on Wednesday.Russia, which says the threat posed by NATO expansion was a major reason it sent troops into Ukraine, has played it cool.While Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Finland and Sweden joining was a “grave mistake” with “far-reaching consequences,” President Vladimir Putin said on May 16 their bids to join NATO posed no direct threat to Russia.Contact madeThe souring mood at Saturday’s meeting was all the more surprising because NATO diplomats had told Reuters in early May that all 30 allies supported Finland and Sweden’s accession to the alliance because of the security benefits it would bring.NATO allies had wanted to seal their accession in record time as a way of solidifying their response to Russia, yet on Monday, Erdogan said the Swedish and Finnish delegations should not come to Ankara as planned.On Wednesday, the Turkish presidency said a key Erdogan adviser had spoken with counterparts from Sweden, Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States. NATO membership progess was only possible if Turkey’s expectations were met, it said.One person close to the situation gave a more upbeat assessment, saying the conversation with Sweden was positive and opened the door for the delegation visits next week. Yet the calls on Wednesday came after five days of struggles by the Nordic countries to reach Erdogan’s office, the person said.“All this is muddying the waters, but not holding up the overall accession plan,” the person said, under condition of anonymity.Ankara says the arms ban - adopted by the Nordic countries in response to Turkey’s 2019 military incursion into northern Syria against Kurdish militants - is inappropriate for prospective members of a security pact.Turkish state broadcaster TRT said Sweden and Finland had not approved Turkey’s request for the repatriation of 33 people with alleged links to groups it sees as terrorists. The chairman of the Swedish parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Kenneth Forslund, said a solution could be found, but elsewhere.“That Sweden would start expelling people who are not considered terrorists according to the terror lists the EU has, that’s totally unthinkable,” he said.Unfinished businessDiplomats in European capitals say they have seen brinkmanship from Erdogan before leading to a deal. An unpredictable but strategically crucial NATO ally, Turkey under Erdogan has pursued an independent foreign policy but remains a big contributor to NATO missions.The tension has clouded ties between Washington and Ankara just as they appeared to have improved following five years of disagreements on Syria, Turkey’s closer ties with Moscow, and the erosion of rights and freedoms in the country.Cavusoglu will meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington later on Wednesday.“We are seeing the winds of the Cold War again,” Cavusoglu told members of the Turkish American community late on Tuesday.The source close to the process said Cavusoglu is taking a hard line publicly, pushed by Erdogan, but that there is a risk foreign allies will isolate Turkey if he goes too far.At home, Erdogan faces tight elections by mid-2023 and his jabs at Europe play to domestic nationalist sentiment.The United States is still confident of a solution. Blinken told a news conference on Sunday talks were ongoing over the differences between Turkey, Finland and Sweden.“When it comes to the membership process, I am very confident that we will reach consensus,” he said.Read more: Ukraine pushed Russian troops back to Russian border, regain lost territories: US
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: How Turkey spoiled NATO’s historic moment with Finland, Sweden

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the reopening of the US Embassy in Kyiv three months after it was shuttered due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.“Today we are officially resuming operations at the US Embassy in Kyiv. The Ukrainian people, with our security assistance, have defended their homeland in the face of Russia’s unconscionable invasion, and, as a result, the Stars and Stripes are flying over the Embassy once again,” Blinken said in a statement.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.But he noted that the US had taken “additional measures” to protect diplomats returning to Ukraine’s capital.While admitting that the war was far from over, Blinken said the US was reaffirming its commitment to the people and government of Ukraine.“We stand proudly with, and continue to support, the government and people of Ukraine as they defend their country from the Kremlin’s brutal war of aggression,” Blinken said.A US embassy official earlier told Reuters that consular operations would not resume.Read more: ‘This is a fight he really doesn’t want’: Pentagon chief warns Russia’s Putin
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Blinken announces reopening of US embassy in Kyiv

A senior Egyptian diplomat said Tuesday that the Biden administration is not putting enough pressure on Ethiopia to help resolve the controversy surrounding Addis Ababa’s construction of a controversial dam on the Nile River.“We haven’t seen that kind of pressure for the past year, and what is needed is to continue the effort that had been spearheaded by the previous administration,” Egyptian Ambassador to the US Motaz Zahran said.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Zahran was referring to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Egypt wants to be filled slowly.“It’s existential for Egypt, simply put. Without the waters of the Nile, life will cease to exist,” the diplomat told Al Arabiya English during an event by Al-Monitor in Washington.He called on Ethiopia and all parties to reach an agreement accepted by all sides.Asked what could happen if diplomatic efforts remain stalled, Zahran said: “You will have a situation whereby Egypt will have to look at all its options.”Months after the Biden administration came to office, the US president appointed a special envoy for the Horn of Africa, signifying renewed US interest in resolving disputes there.But domestic issues, coupled with the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have taken attention away from Ethiopia and Sudan.Two different US envoys stepped down in what sources believe was the result of frustration at the lack of backing from senior administration officials.However, Zahran said Egypt would like to see a more “proactive US that is able to shepherd the process” towards a mutually agreed solution.“We’ve seen an administration that has put on the table here in Washington a document that has not catered to the interests of Egypt, Ethiopia or Sudan fully,” the ambassador said. “The United States has an important role to play. The United States has leverage, and it is always advised for the US to use that leverage in terms of bringing goodness and righteousness to the region.”Read more: Ethiopia to start generating electricity from Nile dam
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Egypt says US should use leverage, pressure on Ethiopia to resolve dam issue

Protests broke out in Iran’s central province of Isfahan on Tuesday with demonstrators chanting against Iran’s clerical leaders, videos shared on social media showed.Protesters in Isfahan’s city of Golpayegan chanted against Iran’s highest authority, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as well as President Ebrahim Raisi, videos shared on Twitter showed.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“Death to the dictator,” protesters in Golpayegan chanted, referring to Khamenei in one video. “Death to Raisi,” protesters chanted in another video. Al Arabiya English could not independently verify the videos’ authenticity.Protests have broken out in several Iranian provinces – including Khuzestan, Lorestan, Charmahal and Bakhtiari,Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Ardebil – since a government announcement last week that the cost of staple foods such as cooking oil, chicken, eggs and milk would rise as high as 300 percent.Activists have reported at least six deaths since the protests began last week, blaming security forces for the deaths. The sound of gunfire could be heard in several recent protest videos on social media.Iranian authorities have yet to report any deaths. However, one lawmaker said one person was killed during a protest in Khuzestan without giving any further details. At the same time, state media published footage of a man that said his son was shot dead by anti-regime protesters in Charmahal and Bakhtiari. Activists said authorities pressured the man into making the statement and that his son, named Saadat Hadipour, was killed by regime forces.From non-political triggers to regime changeThe latest round of protests in Iran – triggered by a sharp rise in the prices of staple foods – has quickly taken a political turn, with demonstrators calling for regime change in dozens of Iranian cities.That has been the case with protests in Iran in recent years.In 2021, protests erupted over water shortages. In 2019, an overnight increase in fuel prices sparked protests across Iran. In both 2021 and 2019, the protests’ trigger was non-political, but protesters’ eventual demands were political as they demanded regime change.“Over the past half-decade, the Islamic Republic has seen explicitly non-political triggers, be they economic or social, produce explicitly political protests,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Al Arabiya English.“In recent years, Iranians have used every available opportunity to signal their dissatisfaction and discontent for the regime that rules over them. This includes election boycotts and widespread protests,” he said.“The decline of the ballot box and embrace of street power by Iranians is fundamentally a proxy for the lack of legitimacy the system has in the eyes of Iranians,” Ben Taleblu added.Ben Taleblu believes more protests are on the horizon, given the poor state of Iran’s economy. According to official figures, inflation has risen to nearly 40 percent, and almost half of Iran’s 85 million population is under the poverty line.“Even accepting the Islamic Republic’s own figures about inflation, unemployment, and those who live below the poverty line means accepting that at any given moment, a highly combustible scenario could alter the status quo. Expect more, not less, protests like this in Iran.”Read more: Iranian lawmaker says one killed during protest against rising prices
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran protests spread to major central province; unofficial death toll rises to six