Middle East Experience

Might rights activist Malcolm Bidali, who frequently wrote about working conditions in Qatar, has broken his silence for the first time since his arrest in May..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Migrant rights activist Malcom Bidali reveals details of Qatar arrest – Doha News | Qatar

Qatar’s Paris Saint-Germain team is scheduled to visit Doha for the first time since 2019 to compete in the Qatar Winter Tour from 16-20 January next year..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: PSG stars Messi, Neymar, Mbappe scheduled to kick ball in Qatar – Doha News | Qatar

Lebanon registered 616 coronavirus cases and four deaths in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry reported Sunday..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Lebanon registers 616 COVID-19 cases, four deaths in last 24 hours

A photo of a seahorse dragging a face mask that won an Ocean Photography Award this year reveals a troubling reality of how human-induced pollution is impacting the underwater world.Greek photographer Nicholas Samaras captured the image in the waters of Stratoni Halkidikis in northern Greece, about 90 minutes from Thessaloniki.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.His image was selected from a pool of 3,500 others, submitted under the category ‘Conservation Photographer of the Year’ in the competition which required photographers to capture the challenges the earth was facing.In a Facebook post, Samaras said that he captured the photo during one of his “regular dives with the intent to photograph the rich biodiversity of the seabed of the northern Aegean” when he “noticed a mask floating in the background.”“Out of curiosity, I went closer and then I understood. A rare seahorse had caught the elastic band of the mask in its tail and was struggling to swim. After I photographed him, I released him safely…. Unfortunately, the biggest problem on the planet is not climate change. Our own actions are to blame,” he said.“I was shocked and disappointed with the image, but I had to maintain my composure to elicit the shot. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have seen dozens of discarded masks and plastic gloves floating in the sea,” he added, in a bid to raise awareness of the extent of the pollution caused by humankind.Also on Facebook, Samaras went on to explain that Greek seahorses could only be found in Stratoni, the area where he captured the award-winning photo.“At the bottom of this area of Stratoni is the only known colony of seahorses in Greece,” he said. “People should know that. Despite this peculiarity, despite the fact that it is a place that needs protection, it is also a place that is under attack, from fishing, from the mines and finally from COVID-19.”Read more:‘Feel-good’ Dopamine hormone increases in response to stress, not just pleasureCats have seven different personality and behavioral traits: StudyDutch, world’s tallest people, could be shrinking due to poor diet: Study
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Photo of seahorse dragging a mask wins award, reveals troubling pollution reality

At the top of the agenda is achieving a sustainable ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and whether progress can be made in Israeli-Palestinian talks.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Sisi-Bennett meeting opens new chapter in Israel-Egypt ties

The event will also be graced by the presence of Sheikh Mohammed..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UAE: Winners of Dh11 million Arab Reading Challenge to be announced tomorrow

A third tanker has sailed from Iran carrying Iranian fuel for distribution in Lebanon, TankerTrackers..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Third Iranian tanker carrying fuel sails to Lebanon: TankerTrackers

Iran’s new foreign minister will make his first official trip to the US on Monday where he will meet with his counterparts from countries which are part of the abandoned 2015 nuclear deal, but will not meet US officials.Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Tehran’s new hardline FM, will travel to New York for the UN General Assembly that begins Tuesday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a press conference on Sunday.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Amir-Abdollahian “will have separate and bilateral meetings” with the foreign ministers of UK, France, Germany, Russia and China. However, a meeting with US officials is “not on the agenda”, Khatibzadeh said.Talks between Iran and the US to revive the abandoned 2015 nuclear deal have stalled under new Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.Experts also believe that Raisi is stacking his cabinet with hardliners to pressure the US into making concessions in the nuclear talks.Iran appointed hardline senior diplomat Ali Bagheri Kani, a relative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as chief nuclear negotiator. Bagheri Kani replaced Abbas Araqchi who led the negotiations under former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.US Secretary of State Antony Blink said earlier in the month that time was running out for Iran to return to the nuclear deal.Read more:Iran president selects hardline cabinet to drive hard bargain with USUS inching ‘closer’ to closing door on return to Iran nuclear deal: BlinkenIran will have enough fuel for a nuclear warhead within a month: Experts
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran’s new hardline FM to make first official trip to US for nuclear deal talks

The US, Britain, and Australia announced they formed a new security deal that will equip Australia with nuclear submarines. The announcement enraged France that accused the US of “duplicity” and declared that a crisis struck at the heart of Western alliances.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Here’s a breakdown of the situation:President Joe Biden announced that the US was forming a new security alliance with Britain and Australia that will equip Australia with nuclear-powered Submarines.Australia also announced that it was backing out of a 2016 contract with France to build 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines worth nearly $100 billion.France said it was not informed of the US deal in advance and found the new alliance to be a stab in the back between supposed allies.“It was really a stab in the back. We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed. This is not done between allies,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.France recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia. It was the first time in history that France recalled its ambassador to the US.Paris also said that Biden acted like former US President Donald Trump who was seen by the majority of Europe as having had disregarded the importance of US-Europe alliances.Significance of the Indo-Pacific region:The Indo-Pacific region stretches from India and China through Japan to Southeast Asia and eastward past New Zealand to the Pacific, is growing in importance given its rising population and political weight, its role in global trade and security and its impact on climate change.The US new security alliance is aimed at the Indo-Pacific region where China is seen to be bolstering its influence there.US-China ties have been rocky at best under Biden’s presidency, and a call between the countries’ two leaders ended with President Xi Jinping refusing to commit to an in-person meeting with Biden, according to official Xinhua News Agency.However, the US is not the only one with concerns about Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific region. France also believes it has a role to play since there has long been a French presence in the region too.France, since Britain’s handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, is the only European nation to have significant territorial possessions or a permanent military presence in the Pacific.“What’s at play in this affair, this crisis… are strategic issues before being commercial issues. The question is... the forces present, the balance, in the Indo-Pacific where part of our future is at play, and our relations with China,” said French government spokesman Gabriel Attal.With The Associated PressRead more:US move to dislodge France from Australia submarine deal is incoherent: MinistersBiden, Macron to talk in ‘coming days’ about submarines spatUS, France discussed Australia submarine deal before announcement: White HouseFrance says US President Biden acted like Trump to sink Australia defense deal
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: West imploding over submarines deal: What is going on with US, UK, Australia, France?

The UAE’s economy minister will lead a high-level delegation to Britain this week to discuss deepening trade ties between the two countries, the Gulf country’s ministry said on Sunday.Abdulla Bin Touq al-Marri and the delegation “will hold meetings with senior government officials and British private sector representatives to discuss ways to facilitate trade and double non-oil trade exchanges,” the ministry added.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The delegation will focus on enhancing cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, and small and medium enterprises, health care, renewable energy, food security, the financial and banking sector, transportation and logistics, education, innovation and technology, and intellectual property, state news agency WAM reported.Britain is the UAE’s third largest European trading partner with the volume of non-oil trade amounting to nearly $8.1 billion in 2020.The announcement of the visit comes days after the UK Office of Investment and Abu Dhabi's wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company signed an agreement for the UAE to invest 10 billion pounds ($13.7 billion) in the UK over the next five years.Earlier this month, the UAE announced comprehensive global campaigns to attract foreign investment and initiatives to boost partnerships with major economies across the world.The Gulf country plans to attract 550 billion dirhams ($150 billion) in foreign direct investment over the next nine years.Read more:UAE, UK ink $10 billion deal during Abu Dhabi Crown Prince state visitUAE highlights economic achievements of Israel ties after a year of Abraham AccordsUAE to pursue aggressive timeline on trade talks with eight countries: Trade minister
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE economy minister to visit Britain to further bilateral trade