Middle East Experience

Dudi Amsalem made a speech about Supreme Court President Esther Hayut that was so bad, she broke from tradition and responded.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Dudi Amsalem's vile rhetoric needs to stop - editorial

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Saturday the Kingdom was looking to schedule a fifth round of direct talks with rival Iran despite a “lack of substantive progress” so far, and urged Tehran to change its behavior in the region.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Saudi Arabia and Iran, which cut ties in 2016, launched talks last year hosted by Iraq as global powers sought to salvage a nuclear pact with Tehran, which Gulf states deemed flawed for not tackling Iran’s missiles program and network of proxies.Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said if the 2015 nuclear pact was revived that should be “a starting point, not an end point” in order to address regional concerns, and that Riyadh remained interested in talks with Iran.“That will indeed require from our neighbors in Iran a serious desire to address the underlying issues that exist ... We hope that there is a serious desire to find a new modus operandi,” he said.“If we see substantive progress on those files, then yes rapprochement is possible. So far we have not seen that,” he told the Munich Security Conference.Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran are vying for influence in a rivalry that has played out across the region in events such as Yemen’s war and in Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah’s rising power has frayed Beirut’s Gulf ties.Earlier this month, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said Tehran was ready for more talks if Riyadh was willing to hold them in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect.Tensions between the two countries spiked in 2019 after an assault on Saudi oil plants that Riyadh blamed on Iran, a charge Tehran denies, and continue to simmer over Yemen where an Arab coalition including Saudi Arabia is battling the Iran-backed Houthi militia.Prince Faisal said Iran continued to provide the Houthis with ballistic missile and drone parts as well as conventional weapons, a charge both Tehran and the group deny.“This does not contribute to finding a path to settle that conflict, but we are committed and we are supportive of the United Nations representative,” he said, referring to stalled UN-led efforts for a ceasefire in Yemen.Read more: Saudi cabinet says supports US efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weaponsArabs and Iran: aligning with Saudi Arabia is a mustUS envoy Malley meets with Saudi diplomat to discuss Iran nuclear deal
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia plans for fresh round of talks with Iran: Foreign minister

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially inaugurated electricity production from the country's mega-dam on the Blue Nile on Sunday, a milestone in the controversial multi-billion dollar project.Abiy, accompanied by high-ranking officials, toured the power generation station and pressed a series of buttons on an electronic screen, a move that officials said initiated production.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.After flicking a digital switch to turn on the turbines in the first phase of the project, Prime Minister Abiy soughtto assure those nations that his country did not wish to harm their interests. “Ethiopia’s main interest is to bring light to 60 percent of the population who is suffering in darkness, to save the labor of our mothers who are carrying wood on their backs in order to getenergy,” Abiy said.“This great dam was built by Ethiopians but not only for Ethiopians, rather for all our African brothers and sisters to benefit from,” an official presiding at the launch ceremony said.The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is set to be the largest hydroelectric scheme in Africa but has been at the center of a regional dispute ever since Ethiopia broke ground there in 2011.Ethiopia’s downstream neighbors Egypt and Sudan view the dam as a threat because of their dependence on Nile waters, while Addis Ababa deems it essential for its electrification and development.The $4.2-billion (3.7-billion-euro) project is ultimately expected to produce more than 5,000 megawatts of electricity, more than doubling Ethiopia’s electricity output.State media reported that the dam, which lies in western Ethiopia not far from the border with Sudan, had started generating 375 megawatts of electricity from one of its turbines on Sunday.Egypt’s Foreign Ministry accused Ethiopia of further violation of a preliminary deal signed between the three nations in 2015, prohibiting any of the parties from taking unilateral actions in the use of the river's water. The first violations of the initial agreement related to the filling of the dam, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.There was no immediate comment from Sudan.Read more: Egypt, Sudan urge UN action on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ethiopia says ‘no’
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Ethiopia PM inaugurates electricity production at Nile mega-dam

The United Arab Emirates warned Sunday of the rising threat of drone attacks, such as those launched against it by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia, at a defense industry conference on unmanned systems.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“We have to unite to prevent the use of drones from threatening civilian safety and destroying economic institutions,” said Mohammed bin Ahmad al-Bawardi, the UAE’s minister of state for defense affairs.The Unmanned Systems Exhibition (UMEX) kicked off in Abu Dhabi, with regional and Western military and industry representatives, including from the United States, Britain and France.While the event will showcase the latest in high-tech drone technology, the host country warned that such weapons are becoming cheaper and more widespread.They are now part of the arsenals of “terrorist groups that use the systems to terrorize civilians or to impact the global system in a negative way,” said the UAE’s minister of state for artificial intelligence, Omar bin Sultan al-Olama.“That is a challenge that requires us to... work together to ensure that we can create a shield against the use of these systems.”The UAE is part of an Arab coalition that has been fighting in Yemen since 2015 to support the government against the Iran-backed Houthis.While the Emirates announced it withdrew its troops from the country in 2019, it remains an influential player, backing fighters there.The UAE has been on heightened alert since a Houthi drone and missile attack killed three oil workers in Abu Dhabi on January 17.Authorities have since thwarted three similar attacks, including one claimed by a little-known militant group believed to have ties with pro-Iran armed factions in Iraq.The UAE’s staunch ally the United States has deployed a warship and fighter planes to help protect the Middle East financial and leisure hub, usually a safe haven in the volatile region.Meanwhile, France said it would bolster its defense cooperation with the UAE, mostly in securing its air space.Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have recently launched hundreds of drones against Saudi Arabia, while Tehran has been accused of being behind an attack on an Israeli ship last year.Israel’s military said its air defenses fired at a drone that had crossed into its airspace from Lebanon on Friday, the second such incident in as many days.Read more: US, UAE to develop tech to stop drone attacks before launch as defense ties bolsterUAE intercepts, destroys three drones targeting the country: Defense MinistryArab Coalition intercepts three drones aimed at Saudi Arabia’s southern region
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE warns of drone threat as it opens defense conference

The United States and the United Arab Emirates are seeking an additional $4 billion of global investment in an initiative launched last year to make agriculture resilient to climate change and reduce its emissions, a US official said on Sunday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The two countries launched the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) at COP26 climate talks in November, aiming for $4 billion investment from governments and non-government innovation partners between 2021-2025.AIM now wants $8 billion in climate-smart investment commitments by the November COP27 climate talks in Egypt, US Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack told Reuters ahead of AIM’s first ministerial meeting in Dubai on Monday.“We believe we actually need to set a higher goal. President Biden believes we should get $8 billion by COP27,” Vilsack said.The initiative is supported by 140 partners who have agreed to increase public and private investment in climate-smart agriculture research and practices.The initial $4 billion target comprised $1 billion each from the US and UAE governments, $1.8 billion from other governments and $200 million from non-government partners.The US Department of Agriculture recently said it would invest $1 billion in pilot projects for climate-smart commodities, promoting farming, ranching and forestry practices that cut emissions.Vilsack said that initiative could qualify as part of US AIM for Climate targets. “There are a number of different ways those resources could be identified.”The US farming industry is already battling the effects of climate change, including increased drought and flooding.The UAE, a Gulf oil producer that imports the majority of its food and desalinates seawater for potable water is investing heavily in agricultural and water technologies, and clean energy.The UAE hosts COP28 climate talks in 2023.“Agriculture and food systems offer immense opportunities for global climate action,” UAE Climate Change Minister Mariam al-Mheiri said in a statement.IBM’s pro-bono Sustainability Accelerator will become one of AIM’s partners and will start in India assisting smallholding farms to adopt climate-smart practices, Vilsack said.Washington will host an AIM for Climate summit in spring 2023.“We don’t have time to waste,” Vilsack said.Read more: Environmentalists, stakeholders react to ‘Dubai Can’ initiativeUAE’s MIPCO to issue over $1 billion bonds for refinancing, desalination projectDubai to switch upcoming coal-powered plant to natural gas in sustainability push
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US-UAE push for another bln in farming climate change investment

Queen Elizabeth, 95, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms but expects to continue light duties this week, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The queen has today tested positive for COVID,” the Palace said. “Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week.”“She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all appropriate guidelines,” the Palace said.Charles, 73, the heir to the throne, earlier this month pulled out of an event after contracting coronavirus for a second time. A palace source said he had met the queen just days before.The health of the queen, the world’s oldest and longest-reigning monarch, has been in the spotlight since she spent a night in hospital last October for an unspecified ailment and then was advised by her doctors to rest.Elizabeth on Wednesday quipped to members of the royal household that she could not move much as she carried out her first in-person engagement since Charles tested positive.Read more: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth begins celebrations to mark 70 years on the throneUK’s Prince William to visit UAE next monthBritain’s Prince William in the UAE for first official visit
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth tests positive for COVID-19

Storm Eunice killed least 16 people across Europe. A video of Qatar Airways Captain Khalifa Al Thani’s miraculous landing following a battle with Storm Eunice over the weekend took the world by surprise. The pilot managed to safely land his Boeing 777-300ER at London Heathrow Airport on Friday. The dangerous 120mph winds heavily disrupted flights ..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Qatar Airways pilot stuns the world in heroic landing during Storm Eunice

Roberto Bautista Agut was crowned the winner of Qatar's grand ATP tennis Tournament after beating third-seeded Nikoloz Basilashvili in a fierce match on Saturday to win the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Bautista Agut beats Basilashvili and secures 2022 Qatar ExxonMobil Open

Israeli Prime Minister says that Iran may..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Israeli PM says Iran close to new nuclear deal 'shortly' according to reports

‘People no longer feel safe because of the anarchy’, Hatem Shaheen, a Fatah official in the city said.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Clans filled vacuum created by PA in Hebron, Fatah official tells ‘Post’