Middle East Experience

Saudi Arabia is gearing up for three days of Eid al-Fitr celebrations following the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.Every year, Muslims all over the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr after a month of fasting, prayer, and reflection during Ramadan which falls on the ninth month of the Islamic Hijri calendar, which consists of 12 months of 345 to 355 days a year.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Kingdom officially announced that Eid will begin on Monday. The holiday is determined by the sighting of the Shawwal moon, which was not seen on Saturday, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).After Eid prayers, families and friends gather to celebrate and give gifts which include money, toys, and new clothes, often provided to children. They then enjoy a traditional feast of delicacies, which in Saudi Arabia often includes Mugalgal, a dish comprised of spiced lamb and tomatoes, Jareesh, ground wheat mixed with spiced meat, and several other sweet Arabic deserts.Eid al-Fitr is about sharing, including giving Zakat al-Fitr, a special payment made by devout Muslims to charity. According to the organization Islamic Relief, Zakat is “the minimum amount due is the equivalent of about two kilograms of wheat flour, even if they do not live in the same house. Approximately $7 per head is a safe estimated amount.”On the evening of the Eid, people tend to go out in their finest fashionable attire, usually new clothes purchased specifically for the celebration, to watch fireworks and wish each other a happy and blessed Eid.To mark the end of the holy month, several concerts and events will take place across the Kingdom and many local holiday destination packages have been released.Jeddah Season 2022 In its second edition, Jeddah Season 2022 will fall on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, offering a range of exciting events to look forward to.Held under the slogan, ‘Our Good Days,’ the mega-festival will include around 2,800 activities which will be available over the next two months, SPA reported on Sunday.Based on the Kingdom’s reimagined entertainment industry and new vision, there will be 70 interactive experiences, more than 60 entertainment offerings for gamers, seven Arab plays, two international plays, five marine experiences and events, and the international circus group Cirque du Soleil, as well as four international exhibitions, an interactive waterfall, and over 90 stores and restaurants for visitors to enjoy a wide range of different cuisines.Eid staycations in Saudi Arabia AlUla, one of the regions most popular up-and-coming tourism destinations, has launched several packages for Saudis looking for a staycation to celebrate the Eid.Habitas AlUla offers visitors a wellness program called the ‘Eid Escape’ package, which includes bonus deals to mark the long-anticipated holiday.The wellness package includes aroma Stone Therapy, Body Energy Harmonization, and Date Seed Body scrub, among many other treatments, ranging from 15 to 60 minutes.There are also glamping (glamorous camping) experiences on offer at AlUla this year, featuring 22 caravan rooms against a backdrop of the area’s picturesque scenery.Aside from AlUla, other cities in the Kingdom including Jeddah, Riyadh, Khobar, and Makkah have a range of staycation offerings.Read more:Maldives, Mauritius, Dubai among top destinations booked for Eid al-Fitr in GCCSaudi Arabia, UAE officially announce Eid al-Fitr start dateEid holiday dates announced for schools and private sector in Saudi Arabia
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia gears up for Eid al-Fitr celebrations

Authorities have granted approval for firefighting aerial drones in Dubai, the WAM news agency reported on Saturday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The flying vehicles will provide support for firefighters by tackling hard-to-reach areas such as high-rise buildings, confined spaces, and warehouses containing hazardous materials.Drone systems are also said to improve response time, WAM reported.Approval for 180 firefighting drones was granted by the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority.The authority also licensed 870 drones for commercial and government use.Around 20,000 amateur drone pilots are registered in the UAE, which brought in stricter regulations on the remote-controlled vehicles following an attack by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis in January.The group attacked targets in Abu Dhabi, killing three people and injuring several others, and Abu Dhabi Police said at the time that drone parts were found at the scene.The innovative emergency response vehicle has been some time in the making.In 2017, Dubai Media Office reported that the emirate was developing the technology.Approval has now been granted by the federal authority so that the drones can go into operation.They will join a range of other technologies employed by Dubai Police, including its fleet of supercars and artificial intelligence systems used to detect crimes.Read more: Dubai ruler announces $1.72 billion investment in housing for citizensDubai fire forces evacuation of luxury hotel, no injuriesDubai’s most expensive mega mansion sells for $76 million
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Dubai firefighting drones approved

Saudi Arabia’s economy grew by 9.6 percent in the first quarter of 2022, compared to a year earlier, according to flash government estimates on Sunday, as a recovery in the oil sector drove the strongest growth in more than a decade.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.During the first quarter, oil activity in Saudi Arabia increased by 20.4 percent and non-oil activity by 3.7 percent, the estimates showed.If the estimates are confirmed, they would mark the highest growth rate since 2011, the Saudi General Authority for Statistics said. Read more: High oil prices to power Gulf economies amid inflation risksSaudi Arabia’s new investment law to increase international business by over 50 pctSaudi Arabia’s economy to grow by 2.8 percent amid record-high oil prices: IMF
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s economy achieves highest growth rate since 2011: Govt data

More than 50 civilians were evacuated on Sunday from Mariupol’s Azovstal steel works in a convoy with vehicles bearing United Nations symbols, signaling a deal had been struck to ease the ordeal of the most destructive siege in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.The siege of Mariupol, in which Russian and Ukrainian forces have pummelled each other for nearly two months, has turned the port city into a wasteland with an unknown death toll and thousands trying to survive without water, sanitation or food.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The city is under Russian control but some fighters and civilians remain holed up in the Azovstal works - a vast Soviet-era plant founded under Josef Stalin and designed with a labyrinth of bunkers and tunnels to withstand attack.In one of the first major signs of an evacuation deal, a group of around 40 civilians arrived on Sunday at a temporary accommodation center after leaving the area around the Azovstal plant, a Reuters photographer said.Reuters photographs showed the civilians arriving in the village of Bezimenne in the Russian-backed Donetsk Region, around 30 km east (20 miles) of Mariupol, with Ukrainian number plates in a convoy with Russian forces and vehicles with United Nations symbols.Later, another group, numbering around 14 people, arrived at the accommodation center, the Reuters photographer said.UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday that intense discussions were under way to enable the evacuation of Azovstal.A United Nations spokesman said he was unable to comment immediately. An aide to the mayor of Mariupol declared a period of silence, pending official statements about the evacuations.Two groups of civilians left the residential area around the Azovstal works on Saturday, the Russian defense ministry said on Sunday.A video released by Russia’s defense ministry on Sunday showed vehicles bearing United Nations and Red Cross symbols. Reuters was unable to verify the defense ministry video.Russian President Vladimir Putin says the “special military operation” is necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and Moscow had to defend Russian-speakers against persecution.He says Ukraine and Russia are essentially one country. Ukraine says it is fighting an imperialist land grab by Russia and that Putin’s claims of genocide are nonsense.Read more:Russia claims Ukraine shelling its own civilians in KhersonPope Francis says Ukraine’s Mariupol ‘barbarously bombarded’Russia should confiscate West’s assets over ‘theft’ of Russian money: Lawmaker
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Over 50 civilians evacuated from Mairupol’s Azovstal steel plant

Finally after two lockdowns, people in Qatar navigate freely through mosques and houses to mark this year's Eid Al Fitr festivities and indulge in its traditions, as restrictions have been lifted..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: After two lockdowns: People in Qatar look forward to an unrestricted Eid

More than 95,000 sign petition urging the release of geologist Jim Fitton, detained over artefact smuggling allegations..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Pressure grows on Foreign Office to help free Briton facing death penalty in Iraq

There have been growing concerns from international fans over accommodation prices and its availability in the country. Lodging options on the country’s newly-released accommodation portal have just increased for football fans travelling…..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Fan Villages now available to book for World Cup 2022 fans

The Israelis on the list included diplomats, consular employees and embassy security guards who helped Israelis fleeing Ukraine.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israelis helping Ukraine evacuees are mercenaries - Kremlin-linked group

The ships are at least 107 meters long and 14.70 wide with the ability to carry 112 persons on board and hold one NH90 helicopter..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Qatar receives second corvette from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri

The exhibit displays texts and artifacts tracing the connections — some speculative and most very real — between Jews and weed.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: 'Am Yisrael High': YIVO exhibit shows connection between Jews, weed