Middle East Experience

OPEC+ ministers are set to meet on Thursday and are expected to agree to raise production targets by 432,000 barrels per day (bpd) for June..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: OPEC+ to stick to existing deal despite demand concerns

Medical official says at least eight people have died in southern Iran after drinking toxic home-made alcohol..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: New deaths highlight Iran’s problem with bootleg alcohol

Videos of crowds in several areas around the country during Eid have circulated on social media. They were perceived with two different views..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Locals rush to defend expats after attacks surface over crowds during Eid

Following Remembrance Day, the annual torch lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl began on Wednesday night.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Independence Day: Torch lighting ceremony begins - watch

Israeli police entered a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem to clear away Palestinian protesters on Thursday, after Jewish visits that had been paused for the Muslim holidays resumed.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Recent weeks have seen several rounds of clashes at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site for Muslims, which is built on a hilltop that is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount. It lies at the emotional heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.As the visits resumed, dozens of Palestinians gathered, chanting “God is greatest.” Scuffles broke out when the police went to arrest one of them. Police fired rubber-coated bullets on the sprawling esplanade as some Palestinians sheltered inside the mosque itself. The police could later be seen just inside an entrance to the mosque.The police said they responded to dozens of people who were shouting incitement and throwing stones, and that one police officer was lightly injured.But unlike in previous confrontations, Palestinian witnesses said there was no sign of rock-throwing initially. Some of those who sheltered inside the mosque began throwing stones when police started to enter the building. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.Under informal arrangements known as the status quo, Jews are allowed to visit the site but not pray there. In recent years, they have visited in ever-increasing numbers with police escorts and many have discreetly prayed, angering the Palestinians as well as neighboring Jordan, which is the custodian of the site. The Palestinians have long feared that Israel plans to eventually take over the site or partition it.Israel says it is committed to maintaining the status quo, and accuses the group Hamas of inciting the recent violence.The visits, by mostly nationalist and religious Jews, resumed Thursday after being paused for the last 10 days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday.Thursday is also Israel’s Independence Day, and in recent days fringe groups had called on Jewish worshippers to celebrate by waving Israeli flags at the holy site. The calls were widely circulated by Palestinians on social media, along with calls to confront any such display.Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official who serves as the main liaison between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, tweeted about the controversy, saying that raising the flag would show “outrageous disregard” for Palestinian feelings and mark the “continuation of extremist racist campaigns.”Hamas warned Wednesday that Israel was “playing with fire and dragging the region into an escalation for which the occupation bears full responsibility.”Clashes in and around Al-Aqsa last year helped ignite an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas.Read more: At least 42 hurt in clashes at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound: ReportUAE FM says important not to violate sanctity of al-Aqsa Mosque amid clashesClashes erupt at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque, at least 152 injured
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Israeli police enter al-Aqsa compound as Jewish visits resume

Journalists in Ukraine are being targeted as they continue to face “unprecedented dangers” in carrying out their duties during the Russian invasion, top independent rights experts from the United Nations said on Wednesday.UN-appointed independent rights experts, including the organization’s Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, said that there were several accounts of journalists being “targeted, tortured, kidnapped, attacked and killed, or refused safe passage” from Ukrainian cities that are under Russian siege.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.According to the UN’s latest data, seven journalists were confirmed to have been killed in the country since the inception of the Russian invasion on February 24, in what Moscow deems “a special military operation.”The last time this many media professionals lost their lives reporting in Ukraine was back in 2014 during Russia’s annexation of Crimea.The rights experts added that the Ukraine war has made it easier for Russia by the “silencing of critical voices… over a prolonged period of time,” in reference to the way in which Russia has censored social media platforms and news websites that are against Russia’s actions in Ukraine, as well as disrupting foreign media services.Moscow has also been “labeling” independent media as “foreign agents,” in a move that the rights experts deemed “equally concerning,” as they also denounced Russian legislation which threatens 15-year prison sentences to journalists “for spreading ‘fake information about the war in Ukraine’” or for even “mentioning the word ‘war’” in their reports of the invasion.“We deplore the systematic crackdown on political opponents, independent journalists and the media, human rights activists, protesters and many others opposing the Russian government’s actions,” the UN experts added in their statement. “All these measures amount to the creation of a state monopoly on information in blatant violation of Russia’s international obligations.”They also expressed their concern about how Russia has been using “propaganda for war” against Ukraine, by spreading “disinformation” about the country in Russian state-owned media.“Promoting access to diverse and verifiable information, including ensuring access to free, independent and pluralistic media, is a more effective response to disinformation,” they said.They continued, “We call on the Russian government to fully implement its international human rights obligations, including by respecting, promoting and protecting the freedom to seek, receive and impart information regardless of frontiers, and by ensuring a safe working environment for independent media, journalists and civil society actors.”Read more:US intelligence helping Ukraine kill Russian generals: NY TimesUkrainian TV reporter-turned-soldier killed in fighting: President ZelenskyyRussia says killed 310 Ukraine fighters, destroyed 36 military equipment in 24 hours
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UN: Journalists being ‘targeted, tortured, kidnapped, killed’ in Ukraine amid war

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Season attracted over 200,000 visitors in the first three days of its launch, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.The festival began on May 2, coinciding with Eid al-Fitr, and saw the launch of the Jeddah Art Promenade and Cirque du Soliel.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Daily fireworks are also on the roster.The event is spread across the city to allow visitors to experience many of the unique attractions.Jeddah Jungle for wildlife; Jeddah Yacht Club and the Jeddah Pier for luxury waterfront experiences; City Walk and the Jeddah Superdome for vibrant displays of art – all complemented by Cirque du Soleil shows, are part of the Jeddah mega-event.The season will be run for 60 days and feature over 2,800 events, 60 entertainment games, 20 concerts, and four international exhibitions, according to information from the organizers.A similar experience, the Riyadh Season, welcomed over 15 million visitors by the time it shut its doors on March 31.Organized by the Kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), Riyadh Season hosted thousands of music, art, culture, food and sports events across its 13 zones, spanning 5.4 million square meters.This year’s Riyadh Season, held under the slogan ’Imagine More,’ included several concerts performed by the likes of Sean Paul, Pitbull, Amr Diab, and Mohamed Hamaki, among many others.It also hosted the Kingdom’s first cosplay event, attended by hundreds of Saudi nationals, residents and visitors who dressed up as their favorite movie and cartoon characters.The five-month event was part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which was launched in 2016 to push for a set of social and economic reforms that aimed to enhance the quality of life for residents and citizens in Saudi Arabia and diversify the economy.Al Arabiya English’s Tala Michel Issa contributed to this reportRead more:Saudi Arabia gears up for Eid al-Fitr celebrationsAmmar al-Attar’s ‘Out of Range’ contemplates the ‘performance’ of work‘Wings of Vision 2030’: SAUDIA airline carried over 5 mln guests in 2022 so far
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Season visitors exceed 200,000 in first three days

More than 1,000 Iraqis were rushed to hospital with respiratory ailments on Thursday due to a sandstorm, the seventh to hit the country in the past month, state media said.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Residents of six of Iraq’s 18 provinces, including Baghdad and the vast western region of al-Anbar, awoke once again to a thick cloud of dust blanketing the sky.Authorities in al-Anbar and Kirkuk provinces, north of the capital, urged people to stay indoors, said the official INA news agency.Hospitals in al-Anbar province had received more than 700 patients with breathing difficulties, said Anas Qais, a health official cited by INA.The central province of Salaheddin reported more than 300 cases, while the central province of Diwaniya and the province of Najaf, south of Baghdad, each recorded about 100 cases, the news agency added.Iraq is particularly vulnerable to climate change, having already witnessed record low rainfall and high temperatures in the past few years.Experts have said these factors threaten to bring social and economic disaster in the war-scarred country.In November, the World Bank warned Iraq could suffer a 20-percent drop in water resources by 2050 due to climate change.In early April, a government official warned Iraq could face “272 days of dust” a year in coming decades.The environment ministry said the weather phenomenon could be addressed by “increasing vegetation cover and creating forests that act as windbreaks.”Read more: Two rockets target coalition troops in Iraq, no casualtiesEight killed in Iraq clashes over farmlandIraq summons Turkey envoy in protest at Kurdistan offensive
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iraq sandstorm sends more than 1,000 to hospital

Jordan’s central bank raised the main interest rates by 50 basis points in line with a move by the US Federal Reserve in the face of inflation at highs not seen in decades, a bank official said on Thursday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The move will take effect on Sunday after the end of a long Muslim Eid holiday. Jordan’s currency is pegged to the dollar. Read more: Jordan warns of ‘provocation’ in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa, Israel decries ‘incitement’Jordan’s Prince Hamzah relinquishes royal titleIsraeli president to visit Jordan in latest sign of closer ties: Officials
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Jordan central bank raises interest rates

Berkowitz is working to create a different kind of summer camp experience for children — and staff — who are LGBTQ.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Jewish summer camp veterans are opening a camp for trans kids