Middle East Experience

Four Saudi women made it to this year’s Forbes list of top 50 most powerful businesswomen, which featured women from 19 countries and 17 sectors.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Saudi Arabian women who made it to the list are Sarah al-Suhaimi, Hutham Olayan, Lubna Olayan, and Basma al-Maiman.Sarah al-Suhaimi In fourth place was Sarah al-Suhaimi, the first Saudi woman to chair the Kingdom’s Stock Exchange Tadawul. The Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange is the Middle East’s largest stock market.She is also a board member of the country’s largest telecom operator Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and is a trustee of the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation.Al-Suhaimi also serves on the Board of Directors of the Saudi Cultural Development Fund and Saudia airlines.Hutham Olayan Hutham Olayan ranked in sixth place is the chairwoman of the Olayan Group, a private, multinational enterprise with an actively managed portfolio of global investments. Founded in 1947, the Olayan Group is an international investor that operates in an array of different sectors.In January 2021, Olayan was appointed to the board of Brookfield Asset Management Inc.Real estate assets include 550 Madison Avenue in New York, Knightsbridge Estate in London, and the Hotel Ritz in Madrid, according to Forbes Middle East.In Saudi Arabia, the Olayan Group bottles Coca-Cola, runs Burger King restaurants, and manufactures cans and paper.Lubna Olayan Lubna Olayan ranked 11th place in the Forbes list. She served as the Chief Executive officer of Olayan Finance for over 30 years and retired in 2019.In 2019, she became the chairwoman of Saudi British Bank (ABB). She also chaired the board of Alawwal Bank which merged with SABB in 2021.Olayan was the first woman to join the board of directors of a Saudi-listed company.Additionally, she is part of the board of Olayan Finance, Schlumberger and Ma’aden, Allianz, McKinsey & Cp, Bank of American Merrill Lynch and Akbank.Basmah Abdulaziz al-Mayman In 15th place was Basmah al-Mayman, the Regional Director for the Middle East at the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a position which she has held since 2018, making her the first GCC national to hold a leadership position at UNWTO and the first woman to spearhead the region in the organization’s history.Al-Mayman also established the World Tourism Academy in Saudi Arabia in cooperation with the UNWTO. In 2020, she was recognized by the World Bank as one of the MENA region’s youngest CEOs.Prior to this, she worked at the Saudi Commission for Tourism and national heritage (SCTH) for over 17 years.This year’s Forbes Middle East list of the top 50 most influential and successful businesswomen also includes women from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Kuwait and Oman.When creating the ranking, Forbes said that it took revenues, assets, market capitalization, designation, overall work experience, accomplishments achieved over the past year, corporate social responsibility and editorial points into consideration.Read more:First Saudi female racer appointed ambassador for F1 GPHumanitarians weigh in on challenges threatening world peace, coexistenceThe changing roles of women in the Saudi workforce under Vision 2030
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Four Saudi women listed in Forbes top 50 most powerful businesswomen

The second ticket sale is expected to kick off later this year, prior to the final draw in April..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Qatar vs. Russia: who had the highest ticket requests in first sale phase of FIFA World Cup?

Each year, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) – also known as Doctors Without Borders – clinics in Gaza treat around 5,000 burn victims, the vast majority of whom are children injured in domestic accidents due to unsafe housing conditions, MSF told Al Arabiya English.In 2021 alone, MSF treated 5,540 new burn patients, up from 4,591 in 2021 and 3,675 in 2019.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Over 60 percent of these burn victims were children under the age of 15 and 35 percent were below the age of five, many of whom were injured in domestic accidents brought on by poor housing conditions.Gaza is home to a huge number of Palestinian refugees, comprising 70 percent of its population, the majority of whom reside in camps. More than half of the city’s population is grappling with poverty, according to the United Nations.As a result, many people live in overcrowded, unsafe housing environments, without proper access to basic needs such as heating, electricity, clean water and sanitation.“Sticking to a treatment plan is very important, but it is very challenging for our patients in Gaza,” said MSF’s burn activity manager Séverine Brunet, adding that “poor hygiene due to inadequate access to clean water and sanitation increases the risk of infection and antibiotic resistance, which is prevalent in Gaza.”“Many patients also lack access to good nutrition or have co-morbidities that slow their healing process,” she said.Burn injuries can have a long-lasting impact on one’s physical health. Treatment can often involve prolonged hospitalization and months of follow-up appoints to avoid disability or severe disfigurement care that Gaza’s healthcare system cannot offer due to political circumstances.Ensuring proper treatment is provided to burn victims within the first 48 hours of injury is critical for their recovery, but most victims and families in the city are not familiar with the appropriate first aid that is required in such situations due to a lack of awareness.Toothpaste, tomatoes, and coffee powder are some of the most common home remedies for burn injuries, but some people have resorted to applying bleach or salt to burns.“The first thing to do is hold the burned area under cool running water,” said Brunet, “and if the injury is serious, you should seek medical treatment as soon as possible.”Reaching a hospital has proven to be a challenge in Gaza. When four-year-old Nabeel accidently leaned his back against a hot oven in which is grandmother was baking bread, he severely burnt his lower back. Unable to afford a taxi, it took them almost an hour to reach the hospital on a horse draw cart, according to MSF.To ensure that patients have the best chance of recovery, their burns need frequent dressing changes, follow-up treatments and in some cases, physiotherapy. In an effort to avoid this problem, MSF provides transport to and from its Gaza clinic.Another severe case involved newborn baby Abdallah who was severely burned when he was just 11 months old. The scalding burn he suffered damaged 50 percent of his body surface area, resulting in two months of hospitalization and a skin transplant from his father.“A few more sessions and he could be discharged,” said Reem Abu Lebdeh, physiotherapist at the MSF clinic in Khan Younis, based in southern Gaza.While this is good news, it does not mean the end of the 21-month-old’s treatment.“Scars do not restrict his movement at the moment,” said Abu Lebdeh, “but this could change as he grows up. He’ll need to keep wearing a pressure garment until his scars stop growing and he should be reassessed regularly.”Two-year-old girl Sham, a refugee who lives in a rented room with her family of four in Gaza’s Khan Younis refugee camp, a small space that fits a bed, a mattress and two cupboards. With no kitchen, her mother often cooks on the floor of the landing outside the rented room. One day, Sham fell then a hot stove fell on top of her, burning 10 percent of her body.The girl is also being treated at the same clinic, because of yet another domestic accident.“Many burn injuries could be prevented through safer housing and through educating people about the risks,” said Brunet.To improve access to quality care for victims of burns, MSF provides physiotherapy, wound and pain management, and psychological support to burn victims and their caregivers at four clinics located in the Gaza strip. However, if people continue to live in unsafe, overcrowded and unsanitary housing conditions, burn injuries might continue to weigh on Gaza.Read more:Israeli, Palestinian figures propose two-state confederationIsraeli forces kill three Palestinian militants in the West BankTwo potential successors to Palestinian president named to top posts
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Unsafe houses: Burn injuries now chronic health problem among Gaza’s youth

After recent talks about a revised nuclear deal, Iran is hoping to encourage tourism ahead of the Fifa World Cup 2022..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Iran uses World Cup 2022 to boost tourism

A Saudi princess who was one of the first women to document the Hajj pilgrimage with her photography has launched a non-fungible token (NFT) collection featuring some of her historic shots.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Prices for NFTs of Reem al-Faisal’s Mecca and Medina series start from $630 and go up to $5,677 on the OpenSea NFT marketplace.Al-Faisal spoke to Al Arabiya English about how she sees the NFT market as a new medium of expression, part of the merging of the digital and physical worlds.NFTs are digital items that are listed on blockchain ledgers – essentially a public database that proves ownership and is allowing digital artists to commodify their work.Getting her start in analog photography, where the prints have a “very in-depth, sensual feeling” to them, al-Faisal several years ago switched to digital when she felt that the technology had caught up with her artistic vision.Now, moving into the uncharted territory of NFTs, which are often associated with the idea of a digital “metaverse,” al-Faisal sees significant opportunities for artists and art enthusiasts.“The possibilities of our visual experience being eventually transferred into the metaverse” caught her imagination, she said.“The idea for me is, imagine: You can eventually be in your living room and you can go and visit the Prado Museum.“And you’ll see it really. Not a cheap copy. But you’re really there physically experiencing the beauty of the art. This is what I find fascinating.”‘An intensely visual experience’Images from al-Faisal’s historic 1999-2003 Hajj pilgrimages were selected to be digitally tokenized and listed on the OpenSea marketplace.The photographs depict the energy of a thronging crowd of worshippers amidst the striking architecture of Mecca’s Grand Mosque.Reflecting on those trips, al-Faisal remembers the difficulties involved that ultimately led to the impactful series.“There were difficulties, of course. I was harassed. But there were also many positive things,” she said.“As I always say to young photographers, if you’re a documentary photographer: If you’re going to have issues, don’t cry about it. Just go on. It’s part of nature, it’s part of life.“It’s an intensely physical experience and it’s an intensely visual experience. So I wanted to start with that.”‘Great things will come out’Saudi Arabia has seen a boom in its creative industries in recent years as reforms under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 bolster artistic talent.But for al-Faisal, “there has always been art in Saudi Arabia. It’s as old as Saudi Arabia.”“If you’re talking about art and expression, I can go back to Imru al-Qais,” she said, referencing the sixth century poet.“We have a saying in Arabic: ‘You have to be the son of the moment.’ [The younger generation] will be the artists of this moment, using tools that are available of this era, of this time.“So: NFTs, digital art, virtual galleries, virtual exhibitions, all these things will be part of it.”As her NFT collection shows, al-Faisal’s approach to art mixes the latest technology with a culture that is steeped in centuries of tradition.“There is no true art anywhere in the world that does not have roots in its past,” she tells Al Arabiya English. “Each artist is an expression of his society.”When asked about the developing character of the Saudi art scene, she gives a balanced but optimistic response.“It’s too soon to say, but it is fantastic. It’s like the NFTs. You open up, and everything will happen.”“Some people will say ‘this is bad,’ some people will say ‘this is good,’ and then eventually it will sift itself, and great things will come out. And already are coming out.”Read more: ‘Stream Sessions’ to be displayed on Ain Dubai, featuring Saudi DJs Dish DashMDLBeast Soundstorm festival symbolizes a new society for young SaudisNFT ownership in the UAE is double the global average: Survey
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi photographer princess launches NFT collection featuring historic Hajj shots

Seventeen million ticket requests have been made for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as the application period concluded on Tuesday, according to a statement from FIFA.The largest number of applications came from Qatari residents, according to the same statement, bringing an end to the 20-day request period.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.FIFA also said that the final match at Lusail Stadium attracted the most number of requests, 1.8 million.Prevalent football hotspots including Saudi Arabia and the UAE saw some of the highest number of ticket requests.The outcome of the request will be announced on March 8 after “FIFA Ticketing will verify that ticket requests meet the sales and household restrictions prior to allocating tickets,” read the statement.The restriction implies that no more than six tickets (per match) may be purchased by a household sharing the same postal address.Ticket prices for visitors started around $70, one third the cost of the tournament in Russia.World Cup organizers have also said more than 1.2 million visitors will be present for the games.The group stage features 32 teams with games across 12 days when Qatar anticipates 559,000 flying in with a peak of 276,000 ticket holders around November 27 and 28 requiring an estimated 128,000 rooms, according to details provided in December 2021 to the Associated Press.Local organizers have reserved most hotels in Qatar, according to the Associated Press, so there was no availability showing on Tuesday to book for the duration of the tournament when searching online.Rooms in hotels, apartments and cruise liners will be made available via a website later this year. Only around 90,000 rooms will be made available to the public with 40,000 set aside for teams, officials, sponsors and media.Read more:IOC fumes over plans for biennial soccer World Cup, says will have negative impactUS Iran envoy criticized for ‘parroting Iranian propaganda’ about women in stadiumsWorld Cup hotel shortage for supporters planning Qatar trips
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: FIFA Qatar phase one ticket applications end, marks 17 million requests in 20 days

The United Arab Emirates will gradually lift restrictions imposed to check the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the number of infections and hospitalizations has gone down, the state news agency (WAM) reported on Wednesday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Venues will be allowed to function at maximum capacity by mid-February, it said, citing the National Emergency Crisis Management Authority.The UAE reported on Wednesday 1,538 new coronavirus infections and four deaths in the past 24 hours, according to WAM.The total numbers of COVID-19 related cases and deaths recorded in the country are respectively 862,514 and 2,273, it said.The UAE has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates.Read more:COVID-19 infections, deaths on the rise in Middle East: WHOChinese scientists say new highly accurate virus test gives results within minutesGlobal COVID-19 case counts decline 17 pct in latest week, says WHO
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE to gradually lift COVID-19 related restrictions

Egypt’s president on Wednesday swore in the first-ever Coptic Christian to head the country’s highest court..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Egyptians welcome first-ever Christian pick as chief of supreme court

Complex months-long joint operation leads to arrest of antiquities thief

Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Thousands of rare antiquities recovered in unique pre-dawn raid

Women and young people are more susceptible to experiencing the side effects of the booster shot, a Health Ministry study showed.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: COVID-19 booster shot can cause irregular menstrual periods - Health Ministry