Middle East Experience

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Monday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.They also talked about “the problems of the Middle East settlement in the context of escalating tensions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem,” the Kremlin said.Last Friday, at least 152 Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Israeli riot police inside the al-Aqsa mosque compound, the latest outbreak in an upsurge of violence that has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict.Read more:Russia’s Putin has ‘his own war logic’, believes he’s winning: Austria’s ChancellorTwo Palestinians wounded by Israeli troops in West Bank raidIsrael police enter flashpoint al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, arrest two
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Putin holds call with Palestine’s Abbas to discuss Russia-Ukraine talks, Middle East

Russian troops on Monday captured the east Ukraine town of Kreminna, local authorities said, as Kyiv’s armed forces launched salvos on Russian forces in the nearby settlement of Rubizhne.“There was a major attack in the night” from Sunday to Monday in Kreminna, the Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said in a statement on social media.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The Russian army has already entered there, with a huge amount of military hardware ... Our defenders have retreated to new positions,” he added.Kreminna, with a pre-war population of nearly 20,000 people is around 50 kilometers (31 miles) northeast of Kramatorsk, the region’s administrative center, and is a strategic target for invading Russian forces.Rubizhne, which is under control from Russian forces, was under intense fire from Ukrainian artillery and mortars, AFP journalists reported.Powerful explosions could be seen in Rubizhne, sometimes followed by fires and plumes of white or black smoke.Russian forces have stepped up their offensive to capture the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine having pulled back troops deployed around the capital Kyiv at the beginning of the invasion in late February.Read more:Two captured Britons appear on Russian state TV, ask to be swappedPutin holds call with Palestine’s Abbas to discuss Russia-Ukraine talks, Middle EastExplosions reported in Ukraine’s Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk regions
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Russian forces capture east Ukraine town of Kremmina   

Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh praised "every Palestinian and Jordanian Islamic Wakf worker" throwing stones at "pro-Zionists who are defiling al-Aqsa Mosque."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Jordanian PM praises Palestinian assaults on ‘pro-Zionists defiling Al-Aqsa’

The United Arab Emirates announced a new system for residence visas and entry permits on Monday, offering new types of residence permits for skilled employees, investors, self-employed persons, and family members.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Family members UAE residents will now be able to issue visas for family members under new guidelines.According to the UAE Media Office, residents can now sponsor their family members including their spouses and children until the age of 25. In the case of unmarried daughters, parents will be able to sponsor their visas regardless of their age.Green Residency holders will also now be able to sponsor first-degree relatives.As for children of determination, they will be granted a resident permit, regardless of their age.“The duration of family members residence shall be the same as their sponsor’s residence duration,” the UAE Media Office revealed in a tweet on Monday.Humanitarian cases Residence permits will be allowed in specific humanitarian cases.According to the UAE federal government memo, a female resident whose husband of UAE nationality passed away in the country and has one child or more will be eligible for a residence permit.Also included in this category are parents or children of a UAE citizen who holds foreign passports, as well as spouses and children of Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) state citizens who hold foreign passports.WorkGreen Residence for freelancers and self-employed people as well as skilled employees will be required to renew their residency every five years without the need for a sponsor or employer to partake in the process.Additionally, Standard Employment Residence permits will need to be renewed every two years.Investors and students Investors, who are eligible for the Green Residency, will be able to hold a five-year visa and do not need a sponsor.Students enrolled in UAE educational institutions will be eligible to hold their visa for two years and sponsorship (by a licensed educational established in the country) will be required to uphold their residency status.“The new system for residence visas and entry permits offers new types of residence permits for investors, skilled employees, self-employment and family members. The new types provide customized benefits to each category,” the UAE Media Office said in a tweet.Read more:Dubai sets up specialized inheritance courtDubai electric vehicle chargers power 58 mln kilometers of drivingRetiring early still an unreachable prospect for many in UAE, poll finds
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE issues new system for visas, entry permit categories

Though this year's attendance was poorer than usual, thousands participated at Monday's Birkat Kohanim at the Western Wall Plaza.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Thousands participate at Birkat Kohanim, a lot less than usual

Originally called Al Esteqlal and established in 1961, Qatar Sports Club became its official name in 1981..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Qatar Sports Club terminates contract with Algerian footballer Benlamri

Jordan summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires to protest Israel’s actions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in recent days..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Israel, West Bank on edge as violence flares again

Religious groups find an opportunity to develop their role and infiltrate the minds of people who see in them a channel for the expression of the anger seething within them..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Egypt’s religious genie

The menorah became employed as a Jewish symbol sometime in the 3rd century, so far three have been found in ancient Ephesus which had a flourishing Jewish community.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Menorah graffiti: Carving on Ephesus Celsus Library stairs an enigma

A senior US defense official said Monday that Russia had increased its military presence inside Ukraine, specifically in the east, over the last few days.The official said that Russia had added 11 battalion tactical groups inside Ukraine over the last week, bringing the total number to around 76.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“I don’t know where all of them are… but all the Russian forces are in the east or in the South. That is where they physically have ground forces,” the official said. “They [Russia] have added to their capability inside Ukraine.”Read more: Analysis: West’s failure to hold Syria’s Assad accountable motivated Russia’s Putin
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Russia increased footprint in east Ukraine over last week: Senior US defense official