Middle East Experience

At least 15 people were killed and 34 wounded when two explosions followed by gunfire hit Afghanistan’s biggest military hospital in Kabul, a Taliban security official said on Tuesday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The explosions took place at the entrance of the 400-bed Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital in central Kabul and security forces had been sent to the area, Interior ministry spokesman Qari Saeed Khosty said. There was no confirmation of casualty numbers but a Taliban security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were at least 15 dead and 34 wounded.Italian aid group Emergency, which runs a trauma hospital some 3 kilometers from the site of the blast, said nine wounded had been brought in so far.Photographs shared by residents showed a plume of smoke over the area of the blasts near the former diplomatic zone in the Wazir Akbar Khan area of the city and witnesses said at least two helicopters were flying over the area.There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But the official Bakhtar news agency quoted witnesses saying a number of ISIS fighters entered the hospital and clashed with security forces.The blasts add to a growing list of attacks and killings since the Taliban completed their victory over the previous Western-backed government in August, undermining their claim to have restored security to Afghanistan after decades of war.A health worker at the hospital, who managed to escape, said he heard a large explosion followed by a couple of minutes of gunfire. About ten minutes later, there was a second, larger explosion, he said.He said it was unclear whether the blasts and the gunfire were inside the sprawling hospital complex.ISIS attacks over the yearsISIS, which has carried out a series of attacks on mosques and other targets since the Taliban’s seizure of Kabul in August, mounted a complex attack on the hospital in 2017, killing more than 30 people.The group’s attacks have caused mounting worries outside Afghanistan about the potential for the country to become a haven for militant groups as it was when an al-Qaeda group attacked the US in 2001.The concern has been worsened by a spiraling economic crisis that has threatened millions with poverty as winter approaches.The abrupt withdrawal of international support following the Taliban victory has brought Afghanistan’s fragile economy to the brink of collapse just as a severe drought has threatened millions with hunger.Read more: How the Beirut blast led a Bahraini doctor to launch a Lebanon mental health lifelineSaudi Arabia foils plot to smuggle 1.8 mln amphetamine pillsAfghan spies and soldiers turn to ISIS after US exit: Reports
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Taliban security official says 15 people killed, 34 wounded in Kabul hospital blasts

A Bahraini psychologist shared how the Beirut blast in 2020 led her to co-found a vital mental health support lifeline in Lebanon to provide help to those suffering from trauma, anxiety and depression.Luma Bashmi was born in Bahrain but studied in the American University of Beirut before continuing her studies in London and the US and moving back to the Gulf to continue her work in psychology.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Fast forward to August 4, 2020, Bashmi watched, along with the world, the blast that destroyed neighborhoods and devastated Lebanon; a country already witnessing major economic and social-political turmoil.The blast killed more than 215 people, injured thousands and destroyed swathes of the Lebanese capital.“The first thing I did was call one my friends in Lebanon and I asked her, ‘what can I do to help you?” Bashmi told Al Arabiya English. “She said, ‘You are in mental health so you know, better than me, what can you do?’… The first thing that I thought of was how I could give mental health psychosocial support.”Bashmi turned to her network and connected with Dr. Summer Fakro, a clinical psychologist at The Lighthouse Arabia, a clinic in Dubai.Together, they discussed the loss and the complex trauma citizens across the Middle Eastern country would be feeling in the aftermath of the blast.Together, they also connected with Lisa Luxx, a co-founder and director who has worked on the ground in Lebanon, distributing fund, medicine and urgent aid alongside NGOs.The trio decided to join forces and co-found a coordinated mental health support to those in suffering in times of struggle and conflict in Lebanon.Elaa Beirut was born.Bashmi, Fakro and Luxx began spreading the word and began to accrue a network of mental health professionals – from Saudi Arabia, the UK, the US, Portugal among other nations – who offered their services for free.“We’ve grown to be a great group,” she said. “I mean, we’ve become an international group of mental health professionals from all over the world.”As Elaa Beirut grew in traction, the organization partnered with local NGOs in Lebanon and a health clinic in Beirut, and they began to deliver mental health services to those in crisis who had been stuck on waitlists waiting for mental health support.Most clients were aged 18 to 50, many of them women, but psychologists with Ella Beirut also treated children, and migrants who could not afford to pay for mental health support.Some of the referrals were those who continued to suffer with the aftermath of the Beirut blast. Others were feeling the financial strain following the economic crisis. Some were suffering with the burden of no longer being able to support loved ones.Others had lost family members in the blast or had seen family members suffer due to not getting adequate treatment at the over-stretched hospitals or health clinics in the country.The stresses and anxieties among residents in Lebanon, said Bashmi, were far-reaching.Each patient referred to Elaa Beirut is screened to make sure they do not need urgent suicide prevention help before they embark on a personalized 8-12 session program online with their assigned psychologist.All treatment referrals are done via encrypted websites and messaging services to ensure patient confidentiality.As word-of-mouth grew in Lebanon, more and more people started seeking the help of Elaa Beirut, which hopes to ease the burden on already-strained health systems in the country, as well as provide vital mental health support those who do not have access.Elaa Beirut has already been expanding itsservices; offering group mental health sessions with migrant workers and hosting virtual seminars on mental health wellbeing on their dedicated Instagram page. They have also been training local NGOs to recognize signs of stress, anxiety and trauma and equipping them with the tools to help others.Bashmi, who is about to embark on a PhD at Cambridge University, said she has further hopes for the organization; including registering Elaa Beirut which would allow it to accept donations and expand the services offered.One day, she would like to expand the service outside of Lebanon, with her top priority being Palestine.For now, Bashmi and her co-founders simply hope to ease a bit of the burden for those in the country.“I think our ultimate goal has always been to help those that are the most in need. When we speak to some of the clients, or we hear about feedback from therapists in our monthly supervisions with them is that a lot of the clients see psychosocial support as a luxury because their priority is to just bring food to the table and just support the family. But mental health is a necessity,” Bashmi told Al Arabiya English.“We all know Lebanese people are resilient. But they can only take on so much.”Read more:As Lebanon’s crises weigh heavy, people light candles in suicide prevention walkBeirut blast: Lebanon’s crisis hotline witnesses surge in calls as anniversary nears‘They kill us every day’: Survivors of Beirut port blast call for justice one year on
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: How the Beirut blast led a Bahraini doctor to launch a Lebanon mental health lifeline

The Dubai government plans a stock market flotation of utility Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), it said on Tuesday, among 10 state-backed companies to be listed as part of plans to boost activity on the local bourse.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The listing plans are aimed at making Dubai a more competitive market against bigger bourses in the region, such those in as Saudi Arabia and neighboring Abu Dhabi, that are seeing larger listings and strong liquidity.The DEWA listing plan comes a day after the emirate’s deputy ruler Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said Dubai is aiming to list 10 state-backed companies, state news agency WAM reported.“The announcement of DEWA is a very strong signal to the market and investors that what they announced yesterday was not a proposed plan, but a done (deal), and execution has started,” Mohammed Ali Yasin, chief strategy officer at Al Dhabi Capital, said.Dubai will also launch a $545 million market-maker fund to boost trading on its stock market.“I am sure we’re going to be hearing about more listings,” Yasin said, citing Dubai-based energy company ENOC and airport services provider dnata as probable candidates.Dubai, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, had also approved a 1 billion dirham fund to encourage technology companies to list on the local bourse, WAM citing Sheikh Maktoum as saying.Dewa had 884,404 water customers and 990,258 electricity customers as of the end of 2020, according to company data.Dewa also owns the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai, which has a planned production capacity of 5,000 MW by the end of the decade.Authorities have not disclosed which other companies will be listed.Read more: Fans react to ‘Real Housewives of Dubai’ announcementExpo 2020 Dubai hails first month ‘a huge success’, with 2.35 million visitsDubai International Airport to return to full capacity in two weeks: Sheikh Ahmed
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Dubai to list DEWA as public company: Deputy ruler

International celebrities, designers and members of the royal family meet in Doha to celebrate Qatar Museum's grand fashion event..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Naomi Campbell among A-list celebrities, designers in Qatar to support young talent – Doha News | Qatar

The unquenchable thirst for profits of companies, like Pfizer, is fuelling a human rights crisis..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Covid-19: Pfizer reports massive revenues while hurting the chances of millions to get vaccinated

Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi said the thought of retiring after World Cup Qatar 2022 has not crossed his mind, according to reports..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Will Messi hang his boots after Qatar 2022? – Doha News | Qatar

Bahrain’s foreign ministry on Tuesday called on citizens in Lebanon to leave immediately, the state news agency reported.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Saudi Arabia expelled Lebanon’s envoy and banned all Lebanese imports on Friday, and Bahrain and Kuwait followed suit.Read more: Lebanon’s PM looks to resolve Gulf crisis in meetings with Qatar’s Emir, Kuwait’s PMSaudi FM: No crisis with Lebanon, but rather crisis in Lebanon due to Iran's proxiesUAE recalls ambassador from Lebanon, advises citizens not to travel to Beirut
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Bahrain calls on citizens to leave Lebanon immediately: BNA

Tunisian President Kais Saied called for the prosecution of three Tunisian political parties that benefitted from foreign funding during the last two elections..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Tunisian president calls for courts to act on foreign financing of political parties

Syrian singer Sabah Fakhri, one of the most popular in the Arab world, died in Damascus on Tuesday at the age of 88..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Iconic Syrian singer, Arabic music legend, Sabah Fakhri dies at 88

The four Palestinian families of Sheik Jarrah under threat of evacuation rejected the High Court of Justice (HCJ) compromise that would allow them 15 years of protected tenancy.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Sheikh Jarrah residents in Jerusalem reject High Court compromise