Middle East Experience

Alvarez & Marshal will conduct a type of audit focused on financial crimes and money tracing amid allegations of corruption and money laundering by top Lebanese officials.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Lebanon hires international consulting firm to conduct audit

Erdogan’s choices limited as Russian-backed Syrian forces increase attacks, weigh final assault on Idlib
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Turkey faces gathering storm in Syria

Abu Dhabi’s Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee announced new rules for home quarantine for international travelers and those who come into contact with a positive COVID-19 case.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Home quarantine will not require wearing a tracker bracelet, effective from September 19. However, those who test positive for COVID-19 will still have to wear the tracking device.The decision comes as the authorities implement enhanced measures to prevent the spread of the virus, the announcement on Twitter read, adding that the committee “approved continued strict adherence to home quarantine procedures and required testing schedules based on personal responsibility.”The committee has also approved “monitoring by healthcare systems to ensure compliance with precautionary measures,” it added. “Violators will be reported to the Attorney-General.”Also on Saturday, the committee announced the removal of the long-standing requirement for COVID-19 testing at the Abu Dhabi border. This will also be effective as of September 19.The UAE’s COVID-19 cases have dropped significantly, accounting for a 0.2 percent infection rate last week. The country reported a new low in daily coronavirus infections on Friday with 521 cases.Total diagnosed cases since the pandemic’s onset now sit at 731,828 and total recoveries are at 723,337.With over 19 million vaccine doses already administered, around 80 percent of the country’s population have been inoculated against the virus.Read more:Abu Dhabi to remove COVID-19 testing requirement at border starting Sep. 19UAE reports 521 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths in 24 hoursFour in five UAE residents now fully vaccinated against COVID-19
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Abu Dhabi announces COVID-19 home quarantine without tracker from Sep. 19

While the exact length of long-COVID is unknown, a new study has found that children who contract the virus will rarely experience after-effects lasting more than 12 weeks.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.“Long-COVID is a range of symptoms that can last weeks or months that can happen to anyone who has had COVID-19,” Dr. Azeem Abdul Salam Mohamad, Internal Medicine Specialist at Abu Dhabi’s Bareen Hospital, told Al Arabiya English.Long-COVID symptoms “The symptoms may affect a number of organ systems and frequently get worse after physical or mental activity. Symptoms vary from headache, extreme fatigue, muscle weakness, muscle pain, joint pain, and changes in memory,” he added.A new study conducted by a team of researchers from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal has found that the most common symptoms include: headache, fatigue, sleep disturbance, abdominal pain and concentration difficulties.“The low risk posed by acute disease means that one of the key benefits of COVID vaccination of children and adolescents might be to protect them from long-COVID,” the study’s lead author Professor Nigel Curtis from the University of Melbourne was quoted as saying in a statement.“An accurate determination of the risk of long COVID in this age group is therefore crucial in the debate about the risks and benefits of vaccination.”Delta COVID-19 variant The study’s authors also found that after 10 months of circulation, delta variant infections were not as severe in children than previous variants.According to the United States’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention, children above the age of 12 are eligible to receive the vaccine. Evidence has suggested that being inoculated against the virus halves the risk of getting infected with the delta strain and reduces the chances of getting a severe infection or spreading it to other people.After analyzing and combining data from 14 studies conducted across the world involving over 19,000 kids who experience persistent problems after contracting COVID-19, the researchers found that those with chronic kidney disease, obesity, immune system disorders and cardiovascular disease were 25 times more likely to suffer a severe case of the virus.When infected with COVID-19, children usually exhibit mild symptoms or none at all. They are also known to be hospitalized with the virus less than adults. However, despite this, the risks of long-COVID in this age group remains poorly understood.Tackling the need for further research Existing studies on long-COVID in children and adolescents have major limitations, according to the study’s authors.“Current studies lack a clear case definition and age-related data, have variable follow-up times, and rely on self- or parent-reported symptoms without a lab confirmation,” said Curtis.“Another significant problem is that many studies have low response rates meaning they might overestimate the risk of long-COVID.”One of the study’s co-authors, Dr. Petra Zimmermann of MCRI said that some symptoms of long-COVID in children were difficult to distinguish from the indirect effects of school closures, not socializing with friends in person or partaking in sports activities and hobbies.“This highlights why it’s critical that future studies involve more rigorous control groups, including children with other infections and those admitted to hospital or intensive care for other reasons,” she said.Co-chair of the MCRI COVID-19 governance group Professor Andrew Steer echoed this sentiment and said that “more data is needed to describe the burden of COVID-19 in children and adolescents following the emergence of the highly transmissible delta variant and because adults have been prioritized for vaccines.”“As restrictions ease and other respiratory viruses increase in circulation, we also need to understand whether co-infection with other respiratory viruses, such as RSV or influenza, increases disease severity in young people,” he added.Read more:High stress levels increase heart attack risk, here’s what you can do to prevent itAbu Dhabi announces COVID-19 home quarantine without tracker from Sep. 19Pandemic fuels EdTech boom in UAE, Google-backed startup sees surge in enrollment
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Long-COVID symptoms rarely last more than 3 months in children: Study

Lebanese economists do not see any benefit from the Iranian fuel shipments that recently entered Lebanon, with support from Hezbollah, amid the worsening fuel crisis in the cash-strapped country.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Will Iranian fuel solve fuel crisis in Lebanon?

The surrender of Abu Hamza al-Qadi to an Egyptian tribal union linked to the government could be a major blow to the terrorist organization.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Islamic State leader in Sinai surrenders to Egyptian authorities

It’s probably a minor effect of the immune response but it’s not a good look when the medical establishment can’t be bothered to notice..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Who says it’s no big deal if the Covid vaccine temporarily disrupts menstrual cycles | Arwa Mahdawi

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is set to participate in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season Cup in January 2022, Saudi Press Agency SPA reported on Friday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The one-match tournament will feature a football game between PSG and star players from Al Hilal SFC and Al Nassar FC, two of the GCC region’s biggest football clubs.The match will be part of the serial of events planned for Riyadh Season which are set to take place between October 2021 and March 2022, attracting visitors from across the world.In the festival’s first edition in 2019, the Kingdom had 10 million visitors.PSG is one of the world’s most glamorous clubs with a range of football superstars such as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, and will be the first French football team to ever play in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh Season will be spread across 5.4 million square meters in the Saudi capital city, with 14 different zones, each featuring a diverse array of events and experiences.Read more:Saudi Arabia desert camel carvings dated to around 7,000 years agoSaudi Arabia records 68 new COVID-19 cases, five deaths in 24 hoursSaudi Crown Prince, Qatari emir and top UAE security official meet in Red Sea
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Paris Saint-Germain to participate in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season Cup in Jan. 2022

The UAE represents an axis for rallying allies to counter threats, including the expansion of Iranian influence and the activities of extremists groups..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UAE seeks new alliance to face regional threats

Lebanese authorities have seized 20 tons of ammonium nitrate -- the same chemical behind a deadly explosion last year at Beirut’s port -- in the eastern Bekaa Valley, state media reported on Saturday. Ammonium nitrate is an odorless crystalline substance commonly used as a fertilizer that has been the cause of numerous industrial explosions over the decades.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.At least 214 people were killed and some 6,500 others wounded on August 4, 2020 when a shipment of the chemical carelessly stocked at the Beirut port for years ignited and caused a massive blast.On Saturday, the National News Agency (NNA) said security forces raided a fertilizer warehouse in the eastern Bekaa Valley, considered a hub for smuggling operations between Lebanon and Syria.Authorities seized 20 tons of the dangerous chemical stored inside a truck parked at the warehouse, the NNA said, adding the material was transported to a “safe place”. Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, who visited the Bekaa Valley on Saturday, called on security forces to conduct a sweep of the area. “We must do our best to move these materials to a safer place away from exposure to heat and sun” to avoid a “catastrophe”, the NNA quoted him as saying. The company that owns the ammonium nitrate said that the fertilizer was intended for agricultural use.“One of our employees informed the relevant authorities that we have ammonium nitrate, so they raided the warehouses on Friday,” one of the company heads told AFP on condition of anonymity.The name of the firm that owns the fertilizer has not been made public pending investigations.“We have been working in the feed and fertilizer industry for 40 years,” the company official added.When combined with fuel oils, ammonium nitrate creates a potent explosive widely used in the construction industry, but also by insurgent groups for improvised explosives.Lebanese authorities are still investigating the circumstances in which hundreds of tons of the chemical ended up in the Beirut port for years, before the monster explosion that levelled swathes of the city. Read more:Lebanon receives $1.139 bln from International Monetary Fund: StatementSix months on Lebanon’s south coast oil spill cleanup nears completionWHO director: Lebanon’s brain drain threat to health sector
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Lebanon seizes 20 tons of ammonium nitrate in eastern Bekaa Valley