Middle East Experience

Competing demands on donors and concerns about aid obstruction in Yemen have contributed to the shortfall..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: As funds dry up, Yemen faces more cuts in humanitarian aid

The Russian defense ministry said its forces were pulling back after exercises in southern and western military districts near Ukraine.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: US and NATO say Russia is building up troops near Ukraine, not withdrawing

The project mainly aims to increase traffic safety. Once finished, the transit time to pass through the canal will remain at about 11 hours..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Egypt to lengthen two-way stretch of Suez Canal by 10 kilometres

You may have heard that Google and Facebook’s business model is built on gathering and monetising huge amounts of data about people – but what does that mean? Google and Facebook’s services dominate the internet. Their services range from browsers (Chrome), mobile operating systems (Android), video sharing platforms (YouTube), messaging services (WhatsApp), social media (Facebook, ..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: What is Big Tech's surveillance-based business model?

NATO tasked its commanders to draw up plans for a deployment of battlegroups to the alliance's southeastern areas in response to Russia's military build-up around Ukraine, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.“Ministers decided to develop options to further strengthen NATO's deterrence and defense, including to consider establishing new NATO battlegroups in central and eastern and southeastern Europe,” he said.“Our military commanders will now work on the details and report back within weeks,” he added.International tensions remain high as the US said 150,000 Russian troops are massed to the north, south and east of Ukraine, and Western officials said a Russian invasion could still happen at any moment.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“So far we do not see any sign of de-escalation on the ground. No withdrawals of troops or equipment on the ground. This of course may change, however, what we see today is that Russia maintains a massive invasion force ready to attack with high end capabilities from Crimea to Belarus. This is the biggest concentration of forces in Europe since the Cold War,” Stoltenberg said.“Moscow has made it clear that it is prepared to contest the fundamental principles that have underpinned our security for decades and to do so by using force. I regret to say that this is the new normal in Europe.”“If they [Russia] use force, it will come with a high price,” Stoltenberg stressed.NATO defense ministers issued a statement saying they are “deploying additional land forces in the eastern part of the Alliance, as well as additional maritime and air assets, as announced by Allies, and have increased the readiness of.. forces.”“Our measures are and remain preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory. We are prepared to further strengthen our defensive and deterrent posture to respond to all contingencies,” they added.What does Russia say? Russia insists it has no intention of invading Ukraine.Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Wednesday: “We urge the Western countries to stop whipping up anti-Russian hysteria, which is actually already anti-Ukrainian as well, we urge them to stop pumping Kiev with weapons. These actions negatively affect both the settlement of the conflict in Donbass and the general situation on the track of security and stability in Europe,” state news agency TASS reported.Moscow claims it is “ready for talks that the West offered to conduct on certain security issues if it doesn’t mean putting aside the country’s crucial demands such as halting NATO’s eastward expansion,” according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.“We believe it’s a positive step and will be ready for this dialogue but not at the expense of clarification of the principled issues of our position, which concern the need to put a stop to NATO’s headlong expansion to the east and look for other ways of providing security for all the Euro-Atlantic countries,” he added.NATO said it would not send troops to fight Russia in Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance. However, thousands of US, UK and NATO troops have been sent to strengthen the defenses of Eastern European countries, including Poland and the Baltic states.Russia accuses NATO of having an “expansionist” agenda and moving closer to its borders.Also, one of Moscow’s demands during the flurry of diplomatic negotiations that have been taking place over the past few weeks has been for Ukraine to drop its ambitions of NATO membership. However, NATO rejected the Russian demand and stressed that Kyiv has the right to make its own decisions.Read more:NATO chief says it is reaching out to Russia but is ‘prepared for worst’NATO warns Moscow against recognizing breakaway regions in eastern UkraineUkraine will persist with NATO goal, Zelenskiy says as receives Scholz
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: NATO plans for new possible battlegroups in Europe amid Russia tensions: Stoltenberg

Israel’s economy minister will travel to Morocco next week to sign an economics and trade deal, as the countries look to broaden cooperation since they normalized ties in late 2020.Economy Minister Orna Barbivai will start her visit on Sunday and meet ministers, government officials and business leaders in Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakeh, the Economy Ministry said on Thursday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.On Monday, she is slated to meet her Moroccan counterpart to sign the cooperation agreement that the ministry said would lay the economic infrastructure for expanding trade between the countries.“Morocco is an important country for Israel - politically, economically and culturally,” said Barbivai, whose Moroccan-born husband is also making his first trip since leaving the country in 1957 at the age of 2.“Despite the existing trade ties and the Israeli industry that exists in Morocco, the scope of economic cooperation is limited in relation to the potential, which if realized will significantly contribute to the economic welfare and growth of both countries,” she said in a statement.Bilateral trade has been small but on the rise, the ministry said, reaching $131 million in 2021.Read more:Israel strikes town south of Damascus: Report17 Israelis arrested over attack on Palestinian villageMorocco to map makeshift wells after Ryan tragedy
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Israeli minister to sign trade deal during Morocco visit next week

Iran is not seeking nuclear weapons and its nuclear program is only for “peaceful purposes,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Thursday, amid talks between Tehran and world powers aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“We are not pursuing nuclear weapons. We seek the peaceful use of nuclear energy,” Khamenei said in a speech broadcast live on state TV.Statements from the West about how close Iran is to building a nuclear weapon are “nonsense and meaningless,” Khamenei added.“They [the West] know that we are not seeking [nuclear weapons],” he said.“Diplomatic efforts by our revolutionary brothers to have sanctions removed are good,” Khamenei said, referring to ongoing talks between Iran and world powers aimed at restoring the 2015 nuclear deal. “But the main task is to neutralize the sanctions.”Talks between the remaining signatories to the deal – Iran, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain – are currently taking place in Vienna.The US is participating indirectly in the talks due to Iran’s refusal to negotiate directly with Washington.French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday that a decision on salvaging the deal was just days away. Later the same day, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani said on Twitter that “we are closer than ever to an agreement” but added that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”Western officials have for months warned that there are only weeks left to save the deal. Their primary concern is that the agreement would soon become obsolete due to Iran’s nuclear advances.The Vienna talks, which began in April 2021, aim to bring Iran back into compliance with the deal and facilitate a US return to the agreement. The deal offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.Washington withdrew from the deal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, reimposing sweeping sanctions on Tehran.Iran began breaching the deal’s restrictions following the US’ withdrawal from the deal. Tehran has since started enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity – a big step closer to the 90 percent required for weapons-grade material.Read more:Decision on Iran nuclear deal days away, ball in Tehran's court: FranceOriginal nuclear deal has become ‘empty shell’ for Tehran: Senior Iran official
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Khamenei says Iran not seeking nuclear weapons amid talks with world powers

Sales of marine fuel in the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah marine refueling and oil storage hub dropped seven percent in January, official data showed, falling for a third consecutive month since hitting a record high in October.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Fujairah’s January bunker sales volumes totaled about 646,000 cubic meters, according to the latest data from the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone (FOIZ), equivalent to about 619,000 tons, Reuters calculations showed.In December, Fujairah bunkering volumes were at 698,000 cubic meters, while Reuters calculations showed Fujairah bunker sales totaled 8.17 million cubic meters, or about 7.83 million tons in 2021.Combined low-sulphur bunker sales in January plunged 11 percent from the previous month to 526,000 cubic meters, Reuters calculations showed.The share of low-sulphur sales to overall bunker volumes were at 81 percent in January, compared with 84 percent in December, Reuters calculations showed.Sales of 380-cst high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) rose to about 120,000 cubic meters in January, up 10.5 percent from the previous month, while demand for the mainstream 380-cst very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) was 11 percent lower to a four-month low of 498,000 cubic meters.Sales of low-sulphur marine gasoil (LSMGO) climbed 11 percent in January to 27,000 cubic meters, while marine gasoil (MGO) volumes slumped 58 percent from the previous month to 1,200 cubic meters.Read more: UAE’s Dragon Oil makes first oil discovery in Gulf of Suez: Egypt ministryTighter oil market confirmed by IEA demand revisionGeopolitics, not fundamentals, driving oil higher, UAE energy minister says
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE’s Fujairah marine fuel sales in January drop for third straight month

The United Kingdom is set to scrap its golden visa scheme for investors that fast-tracks residency for wealthy investors in the UK over money-laundering concerns, the BBC reported on Thursday.A source from within the UK government reportedly confirmed reports of an announcement that is set to take place next week on Tier 1 investor visas which offer golden visa residency to those spending at least $2.7 million (GBP 2 million) in investments.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Tier 1 visa, also known as the investor visa or the golden visa, offers investors and their families residency. Tier 1 visa holders have been permitted to apply for permanent residence in the UK, but the speed of this differs depending on how much they invest.Holders of these visas can apply for permanent residency within five years, but this can be shortened to three years if around $6.8 million (GBP 5 million) is invested or two years if they invest around $13.6 million (GBP 10 million).First introduced in 2008, the scheme aimed to encourage wealthy people from outside the European Union member state countries to invest in the country, according to the BBC.After concerns about it being open to abuse and corruption, the BBC reported that it has been under review for some time.A spokesperson from the UK Home Office told the BBC that it would report “in due course” on an ongoing review of Tier 1 visas granted before changes were made to the scheme in 2015.The expected announcement comes at a time of immense pressure on UK ministers to cut the country’s ties to Russia amid the impending threat of a Russian-led Ukraine invasion.Russia has so far gathered more than 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border but denies that it is planning to invade the country.The country has reportedly issued over 14,000 investor visas to Russian citizens since 2008. Since the scheme was reformed in 2015, some changes were introduced to the approval system including extra checks on how and when applicants earned their wealth.In addition, banks are now required to complete specific checks and investigations before opening new accounts for applicants, according to the BBC report. Applicants are also required to submit extra documentation if their qualifying funds are being invested through a chain of companies.As part of a report on Russian influence in the UK, the Parliament’s intelligence and security committee in 2020 argued for a more thorough and “robust” approach to Tier 1 visa approvals.Read more:DIFC achieves best annual performance to date with $244 million in 2021 revenuesIndian village mourns family who froze to death on US-Canada borderBahrain introduces ‘golden’ permanent residency visas to attract talent
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UK to scrap foreign investor ‘golden visa’ scheme over money laundering concerns

Rescuers were desperately scrambling Thursday to reach a nine-year-old boy trapped for two days down a well in a remote southern Afghan village.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The operation in Shokak village, Zabul province, comes less than two weeks after a similar attempt to rescue a child from a Moroccan well gripped the world -- but ended with the boy found dead.Video shared on social media -- including by officials of Afghanistan’s new Taliban government -- showed a boy named as Haidar wedged in the well, able to move his arms and upper body.“Are you okay my son?” his father can be heard saying.“Talk with me and don’t cry, we are working to get you out.”“Okay, I’ll keep talking,” the boy replies in a plaintive voice.The video was obtained by rescuers lowering a camera down the narrow well by rope.Local officials said the boy appeared trapped about ten metres (33-feet) down the 25 metre shaft.“A team is there with an ambulance, oxygen and other necessary things,” tweeted Abdullah Azzam, secretary to Deputy Prime Minister Abdulghani Barada.Rescuers were digging an open slit trench from an angle at the surface to try to reach the point where the boy is trapped.It appeared similar engineering to what rescuers attempted in Morocco in early February, when a boy fell down a 32 metre well, but was found dead five days later.The ordeal of “little Rayan” gained global attention and sparked an outpouring of sympathy online, with the Arabic Twitter hashtag #SaveRayan trending.Read more: Morocco to map makeshift wells after Rayan tragedyMoroccans say farewell to boy who died in well: ‘The son of us all’Moroccan boy who fell into well died before rescuers reached him
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Rescuers battle to save boy trapped down Afghan well