Middle East Experience

Russia’s defense ministry on Friday released a video showing an injured British man captured in Ukraine being questioned by unidentified Russian forces.The man, who said his name was Andrew Hill and spoke with a British accent, was shown with a bandaged left arm, some sort of makeshift bandage around his head and blood on his right arm.“I don't have a rank... I just know the foreign legion said I could help,” the man said under questioning about his rank.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Russian defense ministry said he had surrendered to Russian troops in the Mykolaiv region of southwestern Ukraine.He was carrying a weapon, he said.Britain’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The captured man told his Russian questioners that he was from Plymouth in southern England and had four children and a partner. He said he had travelled of his own accord to help Ukraine. Russian soldiers took his passport, he said.When the man asked if he was safe, one of the Russians answered: “Yes you are safe absolutely.”The Russians said he would get medical care for his injuries - which appeared to include a bullet wound of some kind.Russia calls the invasion it launched on February 24 a “special operation” to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists.Ukraine and the West say the fascist allegation is baseless and that the war is an unprovoked act of aggression.Read more:Two UK aid workers ‘captured’ by Russian forces in UkraineUS warns citizens against fighting in Ukraine after American killedUkraine seeks urgent WHO meeting on impact of invasion on health
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Russia releases video showing British man captured in Ukraine

Mitsotakis said there was room for further cooperation between the European Union and the UAE on renewable energy..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Greece, UAE agree .2 billion joint investments

The presidential decree published by the state news agency SANA gave no reason for Ayoub’s removal nor why Abbas was chosen as the new defence minister..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Syria names Ali Mahmoud Abbas as new defence minister

Winners will also be honoured in a ceremony at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair later this year..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Sheikh Zayed Book Award announces this year’s winners

Saudi Arabia has launched the first phase of the cloud seeding program in areas above the capital Riyadh, al-Qassim and Hail, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.The operating room for the program was launched on Tuesday at the headquarters of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM) in Riyadh, SPA reported citing the CEO of NCM and supervisor of the cloud seeding program, Dr. Ayman Ghulam.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The team of international experts and researchers will monitor the progression of the program around the clock and issue periodic reports, according to SPA.The current rate of rainfall in Saudi Arabia does not cross 100 millimeters annually, making it one of the driest countries in the world, according to various reports.Ghulam also said that the cloud seeding program is one of the “promising ways” of maintaining water balance, in a safe, flexible and cost-effective manner.Phase two of the program will see cloud seeding over Asir, al-Baha, and Taif.The cloud seeding program is part of the larger Middle East Green Initiative announced in October 2021 by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.The initiative is expected to reduce carbon emissions, secure the county’s water sources and minimize desertification.Similar technology is being used by neighboring United Arab Emirates which has seen intermittent rainfall round-year, outside the expected season.Read more:Saudi government orders up to 100,000 electric vehicles from PIF-owned LucidSaudi Arabia boasts higher women-in-tech startup rates than Europe: Research reportSaudi Arabia’s new investment law to increase international business by over 50 pct
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s first cloud seeding mission launched over three cities

In response to the conviction of 12 men over the 2018 killing of MacDonald Masambuka, a person with albinism,Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa, Deprose Muchena, said:..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Malawi: Convictions over 2018 killing of a man with albinism a victory for justice

Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has warned that Lebanon will be deprived of promised regional and international aid if Hezbollah and its allies control the country by winning a parliamentary majority in the elections set for May 15.“There are no signs that Arab and international aid will be forthcoming if Hezbollah continues to control Lebanon,” Siniora told Al Arabiya English on Monday.In another statement carried earlier in the day by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, Siniora, a harsh critic of Hezbollah, said: “What does it mean if Hezbollah and its allies gain a majority in Parliament? Amid Hezbollah’s control [of Parliament], will there be a possibility for any salvation, reforms, and Lebanon’s recovery after it was pushed into this deep abyss: a kidnapped state, a fully collapsing economy, the threat of depositors losing their money and the need for reforms in all aspects of life such as electricity, water, food, medicine and education? Definitely, no.”“With the expansion of the control of Hezbollah and the sectarian and confessional parties allied with it, this will be at the expense of the Lebanese state and its institutions, which will lead to the continued implementation of Iran’s agenda in the region. In this case, there will be no aid and no Arab or international support,” Siniora added.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Although he is not running in the upcoming polls, Siniora is supporting an 11-member electoral list that will compete to gain mainly Sunni seats in parliament in the Beirut district after former Prime Minister Saad Hariri decided to remove himself from political life.A professor of economics and international relations agreed with Siniora, warning that an election victory for Hezbollah and its allies will further complicate the Lebanese crises and impede efforts for the country’s economic rescue.“A victory by Hezbollah and its allies in the elections is bound to block the road to the possibility of Lebanon’s economic salvation. Consequently, the situation will continue to deteriorate and Lebanon will no longer exist on the map because the economic collapse means the state’s inability to survive, while it is already unable to survive,” Dr. Sami Nader, a professor of economics and international relations at Universite St. Joseph in Beirut, told Al Arabiya English.“When a central authority collapses, the entire country heads toward disintegration. Frankly speaking, Hezbollah’s victory will further complicate the situation in Lebanon,” said Nader, who is also the director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, a Beirut-based think tank.The concern over the outcome of the elections comes as Lebanon’s embattled government, grappling with a series of crises, received a new lease of life from two positive developments earlier this month, raising hopes for the country to begin emerging from its deepest economic depression.First, Gulf Arab states announced their intention to restore ties with Lebanon, ending a five-month boycott. Then a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was signed which should lead to a bailout program to rescue the country’s crumbling economy burdened with over $90 billion in public debt.Yet, it remains to be seen whether Lebanon will fulfill its obligations by implementing long-overdue reforms demanded by the IMF and international donors as a condition for unlocking billions of dollars in promised aid.These developments come amid a warning by Hezbollah that moves are afoot to delay the elections to prevent it from gaining a majority in the next parliament.In a televised speech earlier this month, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah claimed that results of surveys conducted by polling companies indicated that the group and its allies would retain the majority they currently hold in the outgoing parliament.Nasrallah went on to accuse the US and other foreign embassies in Beirut of seeking to “disrupt” the elections by delaying them for several months. It’s in the hope that the Future Movement bloc, with the largest Sunni representation in Parliament, will review its decision not to field candidates or participate in the polls deemed “crucial” by the international community and most of the Lebanese people, he claimed.Lebanon is reeling from the worst monetary slump in the country’s history following the collapse of the economy and banking sector. There is hope that the elections will bring political change to steer the nation out of the economic crisis, described by the World Bank as one of the world’s worst since the 1850s. It is posing the gravest threat to its stability since the 1975-90 Civil War.But, according to a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut, the elections’ outcome will not change anything.“When it comes to Lebanon, expect the unexpected, even though I do not think the elections will be postponed. Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah is probably warning about postponing the elections to prod Shia voters to go to the polls in large numbers.” Dr. Hilal Khashan explained to Al Arabiya English.He added that the polls will not solve the key problems from which Gulf Arab states have been complaining, namely Hezbollah’s growing influence in Lebanon and its intervention in regional conflicts.“Hezbollah and its allies already control the Parliament. Even in the unlikely event that Hezbollah and its allies do not win a parliamentary majority, nothing will change in Lebanon,” Khashan said. “Lebanese politics is not determined in the parliament, which is only a rubber stamp for cabinet compromises and accommodation. I do not see the elections as providing a panacea for Lebanon and its financial collapse. The elections will not resolve the key issues that the Gulf countries have against Hezbollah - its military component and ties with Iran,” he added.Khashan suggested that regardless of who wins a parliamentary majority, Lebanon will remain under Iran’s control via Hezbollah. “No matter who emerges victorious from the general elections, Iran will continue to control Lebanon via Hezbollah,” Khashan said. “Let me reiterate, the Lebanese parliament is not a decision-making body and it does not differ from other Arab parliaments, it ratifies and endorses agreements made outside its walls.”Read more:Israeli forces kill Palestinian in West Bank: Palestinian news agencyUS wants deal with Iran, but it does ‘nothing’ to address missile program: BlinkenLebanon’s judicial independence is vital for the nation’s democracy
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Fears grow over negative impact of Hezbollah victory in Lebanon elections

The rate of executions in Iran accelerated after the June election of hardline former judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi to the presidency..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Iran executions see ‘alarming rise’ in 2021

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Action (KSrelief) signed an MoU with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the French Agency for Development (AFD) to support humanitarian work in Lebanon, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.The combined $76 million aid came to be under the framework of the Saudi-French partnership.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The agreement was signed by a KSrelief department director Mubarak bin Saeed al-Dossari, the French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Griot, and the AFD Director in Lebanon Gilles Gran-Pierre.The first phase of aid will include aid in “food, nutrition and health,” SPA reported.Earlier this month, Lebanon signed a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a 46-month extended fund facility, under which Lebanon has requested access to the equivalent of around $3 billion.But access to those funds is contingent on enacting a slew of economic reforms and financial sector restructuring.The currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value, and more than 80 percent of the population now lives below the poverty line.With the government too poor to afford imports of basic commodities such as medicines, many are struggling to source lifesaving drugs, including those used to treat chronic illnesses.According to a UNICEF report, more than 50 percent of families were unable to obtain the medicines they needed and at least 58 percent of hospitals reported drug shortages.Making matters worse, the financial crash has sparked an exodus of healthcare professionals. According to UNICEF, 40 percent of doctors and 30 percent of midwives have left the country.Saudi Arabia’s aid comes after ties between Lebanon and the Kingdom began to recover following corrective measures applied by Beirut.Critical comments made by former Information Minister George Kordahi on the war in Yemen in October 2021 led the expulsion of Lebanon’s envoy to the Kingdom, recalling its ambassador and banning all imports from Lebanon, dealing a new blow to the country’s ailing economy.Other Gulf states that are historical allies of Lebanon, including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, took similar punitive diplomatic measures.However, the latest replacement of the ambassador comes after Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry responded to appeals from Lebanese politicians and after Mikati said his government was committed to taking the needed measures to enhance ties with Riyadh and the Gulf.With AFPRead more:Lebanon’s cabinet orders military to investigate deadly migrant boat capsizeLebanon’s judicial independence is vital for the nation’s democracyIsrael retaliates after projectile fired from Lebanon: Israeli military
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia, France partner to provide million in humanitarian aid to Lebanon

Opinion: Luke Hilton explains HaYovel's largest project to date - "Greening Israel."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: 'Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree'