Middle East Experience

Premiered in Cairo 150 years ago, set in an exoticised ancient Egypt and written by a man who refused to visit the country for fear of ‘being mummified’, the beloved opera has left a complex legacy in the country its drama is set..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Travesty or tragedy? What Egypt thinks of Verdi’s Aida

Iran’s top diplomat said on Thursday that if Western powers want their concerns over the progress of Iran’s nuclear program to be dispelled, they must lift all nuclear-related sanctions on Tehran.“When [Western powers] say that they are concerned about the progress of Iran’s nuclear program, we say out loud that if you want your concerns to be dispelled, all JCPOA-related sanctions must be lifted,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahain said, using the acronym for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Talks between the remaining signatories to the 2015 deal – Iran, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain –resumed in Vienna in November after a five-month pause.Amir-Abdollahian slammed France, Germany and the UK, saying they did not always play a constructive role in the negotiations and that they did not “show any new initiative in the negotiations.”“In general, we did not see the position of some European countries, specifically France, as constructive. We hope that the French side will play a constructive role,” he said.Amir-Abdollahian thanked Russia and China for their roles in the talks.Iran is participating in the talks “in good faith and with seriousness,” he said, adding that Iran will not allow the other parties to “give one concession and get ten in return.”The talks in Vienna will resume next Monday, officials said on Thursday. The US is participating indirectly in the talks that aim to bring Iran back into compliance with the pact and facilitate a US return to the agreement.Under the deal, Iran limited its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.Washington withdrew from the deal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, reimposing sweeping sanctions on Tehran.US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley said Tuesday that there are only “some weeks left” before there will no longer be a nuclear deal to revive.“If they (Iran) continue at their current pace, we have some weeks left but not much more than that, at which point, I think, the conclusion will be that there’s no deal to be revived,” Malley said.Read more: Iran nuclear talks to resume next week: EU chair
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Lift sanctions to dispel concerns over Iran nuclear program, Tehran tells West

Hotel occupancy in Dubai exceeded 90% in mid-November, according to data firm STR..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Government policies, COVID-19 measures spur boom season in Dubai

Russia moves tens of thousands of regular troops to eastern Ukraine, but the Kremlin says it has nothing to do with Russian regular forces in eastern Ukraine.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Russian mercenaries deploy to eastern Ukraine - sources

Imam of al-Aqsa mosque Issam Amira claimed homosexuality and the Israeli government and media are to blame for the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Al-Aqsa Imam: COVID-19 Omicron outbreak due to homosexuality and Israel

Illinois has become at least the fifth American state to divest from Ben and Jerry’s parent company.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Illinois divests from Unilever over Ben and Jerry’s Israel boycott

On Wednesday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan had warned that the troubled talks with Iran could be exhausted within weeks.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Top Iran diplomat: European stance not constructive at nuclear talks

Thrust into pop culture by "Seinfeld" and the holiday made by Frank Costanza (played by Jewish-American comedian Jerry Stiller), here are the holiday's origins, traditions and legacy.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Festivus: What is the holiday 'for the rest of us?'

Opposition politicians have accused Erdogan, who has been in power for two decades, of dragging the country into crisis..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Turks compelled to queue for bread, petrol amid currency crisis

"These exercises had a very clear message: a serious, real ... warning to threats by the Zionist regime's authorities to beware of their mistakes."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Iran's war games in Gulf were warning to Israel - top Iranian commanders