Middle East Experience

Sudan’s military will exit politics after elections scheduled for 2023, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan told Reuters in an interview on Saturday, adding that the deposed former ruling party would have no role in the transition.Following a military takeover led by Burhan in late October that upended Sudan’s transition to civilian-led democracy, a deal was struck on Nov. 21 reinstating Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok to lead a technocratic Cabinet until elections in July 2023.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“When a government is elected, I don’t think the army, the armed forces, or any of the security forces will participate in politics. This is what we agreed on and this is the natural situation,” Burhan said.The coup, which ended a partnership with civilian political parties after the ouster of Omar al-Bashir, drew international condemnation after the detention of dozens of key officials and crackdowns on protesters.Neighborhood resistance committees and political parties have called for the military to exit politics immediately and have rejected any compromise including the deal with Hamdok. At least 44 people have died during demonstrations, many from gunshot wounds from security forces, according to medics.“Investigations regarding the victims of the protests have begun to identify who has done this ... and to punish the criminals,” Burhan said, adding that security forces had only dispersed non-peaceful protests.Bashir has been jailed since his overthrow on corruption and other charges. Along with several other Sudanese suspects, he is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in Darfur.The civilian government dissolved in the coup had approved Bashir’s handover but the military has yet to agree.“We have understandings with the International Criminal Court for the appearance (of suspects) before the judiciary or before the court,” Burhan said. “We have remained in dialogue with the court on how to do right by the victims.”Read more:Top Sudan general sees ‘positive’ signs coup sanctions will be liftedSudan Sovereign Council head Burhan says he will not run for presidencyDozens of security, intelligence officers in Sudan forced into retirement: SourcesSudanese soldiers killed in attack by Ethiopian forces: Sudan military
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Sudan’s Burhan says military will exit politics after 2023 elections

The US said Iran's proposal on the lifting of sanctions, presented during the latest round of talks in Vienna, were..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: US says Iran’s proposal's 'not constructive' ahead of eighth round of talks this week

The Arab Coalition announced it has destroyed four drones launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia targeting the southern region, adding that it had also conducted 19 targeted strikes on Marib and al-Jawf during the past 24 hours.During the recent operations, 14 military vehicles were also destroyed alongside the killing of more than 115 Houthi militants, pointing out that the launch of the drones coincided with the launch of four ballistic missiles towards Marib.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.On Sunday, the Houthi militia renewed its attacks on the Yemeni governorate of Marib by firing several missiles. According to Al Arabiya’s correspondent on the ground, the militias fired three missiles in the space of an hour targeting Marib, one of which landed at the airport.This Houthi attack came after the Yemeni army and resistance forces had made advances in the past few days in the strategic governorate, inflicting heavy losses on the militias.Over the past few days, the coalition announced it had conducted dozens of airstrikes and raids which targeted the Houthi militia sites and vehicles.Read more:More than 90 Houthis killed in last 24 hours in Yemen’s Marib: Arab CoalitionArab coalition targets IRGC site in Yemen’s Sanaa: ReportIran-backed Houthis holding US Embassy staff in Yemen: State Department
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Arab Coalition destroys 14 vehicles, kills more than 115 Houthis

The previous meetings resulted in the signing of 10 memoranda between the two countries. The seventh annual Qatar-Turkey Strategic Dialogue is scheduled to take place on Tuesday in Doha, Turkish ambassador to the Gulf state Mustafa Goksu told Al Jazeera on Sunday. In a statement sent to the media outlet, Goksu said that the upcoming ..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Qatar, Turkey to hold strategic dialogue in Doha this week

Qatar, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria advanced to the FIFA Arab Cup quarter-finals..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: FIFA Arab Cup: Your round up of weekend matches

Iran’s national currency stumbled to record-low levels after renewed efforts to revive the country’s beleaguered nuclear deal failed to make progress.The US dollar crossed 300,000 Iranian rials in open market on Saturday, according to two local exchange shops and media reports. The level was last seen in October 2020, when the rial crashed to record-low prices against the dollar.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Four traders at a currency exchange hub in central Tehran said on the phone that they weren’t selling the dollar on Saturday, citing market volatility.Efforts between Tehran and world powers to salvage the 2015 nuclear accord resumed in the Austrian capital this week. But negotiations ended on Friday with no sign of concrete progress. The next round of talks is scheduled for next week.Read more:Israel PM urges hard line against Iran at nuclear talksIran abandoned any compromises in latest nuclear talks: USUS hits out at Iran for not coming to Vienna with constructive proposalsIran’s recent moves don’t give room for optimism on new deal: Blinken
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran’s national currency falls to record low over nuclear deal

The speed at which the omicron variant appears to have accumulated its unusual pattern of mutations is a concern, according to Sikhulile Moyo, the scientist who first detected the new strain that has quickly spread across the world.The velocity of the mutations also raises questions about how the variant evolved and adds to the puzzle of how transmissible the variant may be.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Moyo, director for the Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory and a research fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a briefing on Friday that viruses don’t accumulate mutations in a single step. Given the global lack of adequate sequencing of the coronavirus, it’s very hard to get a good grasp of how early the omicron variant developed.“We are still trying to understand how so many mutations arose for omicron in a short space of time, he said. “If you look at the previous lineages, if you look at alpha, if you look at beta, you can see that the mutations accumulated over time.One of the theories is that this strain developed in an immuno-compromised person that harbored the virus for much longer than normal. Still, Moyo cautioned that there is no evidence for this. Another hypothesis being looked into is whether it could have been transferred from people into an animal host, adapted to that host relatively quickly and then moved back into humans.When Moyo first sequenced the sample, taken on Nov. 11 from foreign diplomats who had traveled together to Botswana, the variant it most closely resembled was B.1.1.263. That variant is known as the U.A.E lineage and was first detected in early April 2020.When he looked more closely at B.1.1.263 he saw that strain had less mutations and ruled out what he was seeing as being the same. After asking for more information from Botswana’s health department about the people from whom the positive samples had been taken, Moyo and his team deposited their findings into an international database on Nov. 23. A few hours later, a separate group in South Africa reported similar findings, followed by another group in Hong Kong that deposited a partial genome.With omicron’s sheer number of changes, Moyo initially thought this would be a weak virus, he said. Instead, it seemed to be able to replicate quickly and evade parts of the immune system, causing a higher risk of reinfection.In South Africa, daily confirmed COVID-19 cases have almost quadrupled from Tuesday as the variant spread across the country, showing how contagious the new strain may be.Read more:Omicron variant may have picked up a piece of common-cold virus: ResearchersOmicron variant could slow global growth, says IMF chief GeorgievaWHO says measures against delta work for omicron variant too
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Scientist who first sequenced omicron variant worried by speed of change

Video filmed by a Palestinian couple who were in their car at the time of the attack showed two Border Police officers, including a woman, firing two shots as Salameh lay moving on the ground.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Saturday shooting of Palestinian terrorist not comparable to Elor Azaria - analysis

If police and soldiers are scared to act for fear of being criminalized, no one will be safe.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Yes, Border Police should shoot when necessary - editorial

Mahran Khaliliyeh, 21, a resident of the village of Jaba’ in the Jenin area, was fatally stabbed during a brawl at the entrance to the AAU campus on Saturday.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Student’s killing sparks protests against PA in Jenin