Middle East Experience

Yossi Cohen, the former Mossad chief, argued that it is not too late for Joe Biden and Naftali Bennett to prevent the region from falling like Afghanistan.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Ex-Mossad chief: Use positive Bennett-Biden meeting to stop Iran

It is time for Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked to step up and make sure that the permits are processed at a faster pace. 
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: We must ease the process with entry permits - editorial

Top stories on #TheRoundUp today 🇦🇫 Taliban says gov. formation in final stages 🩺 Qatar Charity bolsters Syria women’s hospital with new equipment 🥚 Eat Just’s new Qatar base to produce vegan eggs for region ⚽ Qatar preps for European qualifiers match against Serbia..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: The Round Up | 1 September 2021 – Doha News | Qatar

The booster jab is available only to immunocompromised people..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UAE Covid vaccine: Dubai announces third dose of Pfizer for some residents

Beginning Friday, regulations will ease for Israelis who had third jab, but they won’t apply to people inoculated outside the country.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: COVID: Only people jabbed in Israel are to be exempt from quarantine

"We think this might destabilize this government and I don't think the American administration wants this to happen," Lapid said.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem jeopardizes Israel - Lapid

The activity comes after Israel moves to the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israeli Navy holds joint security patrol with US 5th fleet

Huw Groucutt passes rolling sand dunes as far as his eye can see when traveling to archaeological sites in the northern Arabian Peninsula.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.But the same desert regions were once intermittently lush and green, attracting early humans and large animals such as hippopotamuses migrating out of Africa to linger at ancient lakes, new evidence suggests.Until a decade ago, the Arabian Peninsula was a blank spot on the map for scientists trying to reconstruct the story of early human evolution and movements out of Africa.Much more is known about early human settlements in the Levant region — modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and parts of Syria — where extensive archaeological research has been carried out for more than a century.But the Arabian Peninsula may have also played an important role as a bridge between Africa and Eurasia, a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature suggests.“Arabia has not been part of the story of early human migration because so little work was done there before,” said co-author Michael Petraglia, a paleolithic archaeologist at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany.The research team included scientists from Germany, Saudi Arabia, Australia, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.The impetus to look closely for archeological remains in the region came from satellite imagery that revealed traces of prehistoric lakes in now-arid regions.“We noticed color patterns made by ancient lakes — sand dunes are kind of orange-colored, while ancient lakes are tinted white or gray,” said Groucutt, who is also based at the Max Planck Institute.Extensive excavations over a decade revealed stone tools from multiple periods of prehistoric settlement by early human groups, the oldest 400,000 years ago.Analysis of sediment samples from the ancient lakes and remains from hippos and other animals revealed that during several periods in the distant past, the peninsula hosted year-round lakes and grasslands.During these windows of hospitable climate, early humans and animals moved from northeast Africa into the Arabian Peninsula, the researchers say.“Flowing rivers and lakes, surrounded by grasslands and savannah, would have attracted animals and then the early humans that were in pursuit of them,” said Petraglia.Hippos require year-round water bodies several yards (meters) deep to live. Remains of other animals, including ostriches and antelopes, indicate “a strong biological connection to northeast Africa,” he said.“What this research group has done is really exquisitely combine archaeology and climate records going back 400,000 years to show that early humans moved across this landscape when the climate changed,” said paleoanthropologist Rick Potts, who directs the Human Origins Program at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.“The episodic presence and absence of populations in the Arabian Peninsula was in tune with climate oscillations,” said Potts, who was not involved in the new study.Read more: Scientists discover hundreds of thousands of animal, human bones in Saudi Arabia caveNew discovery: Saudi Arabia’s ancient stone structures older than Egyptian pyramidsSaudi Arabia discovers ‘world’s oldest human bone’
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Middle East deserts were once home to rivers, lush green grassland with hippos: Study

The governors of New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency late on Wednesday as record-breaking rains from tropical storm Ida led to flooding and hazardous conditions on the roads, with media reporting at least six deaths.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“I am declaring a state of emergency to help New Yorkers affected by tonight’s storm,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Twitter.New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio described the flooding and weather on Wednesday night as a “historic weather event”.At least one person was killed in flash flooding that inundated the New Jersey city of Passaic, Mayor Hector Lora told CNN.NBC New York reported that one more person had died in New Jersey and four had died in New York City on Wednesday night when they were trapped in their basements as the storm sent water surging through the city.Lora said the body of a man in his seventies was retrieved from floodwaters. The vehicle the man was riding in was swept away by the water, and firefighters were in turn swept under the vehicle making it nearly impossible for them to reach the man, CNN reported.Nearly all New York City subway lines were suspended late on Wednesday as the remnants of Ida brought drenching rain and the threat of flash floods and tornadoes to parts of the northern mid-Atlantic, CNN reported earlier.All non-emergency vehicles were banned from New York City’s streets until 5 a.m. (0900 GMT) on Thursday due to the weather, city authorities said on Twitter.At least five flash-flood emergencies were issued on Wednesday evening by the National Weather Service, stretching from just west of Philadelphia through northern New Jersey.Earlier in the night, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency in response to Ida.All New Jersey Transit rail services apart from the Atlantic City Rail Line were suspended due to the extreme weather, the service said on its website.Storm damage from Ida astounded officials three days after the powerful hurricane pounded southern Louisiana, as reconnaissance flights revealed entire communities devastated by wind and floods.Tornadoes spawned by the storm ripped through parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, images on social media showed. At least nine homes were destroyed in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, Philadelphia’s NBC10 television station reported.New Jersey’s Newark Liberty Airport said on Twitter it was experiencing “severe flooding”. It said it resumed “limited flight operations” close to midnight after all flight activity was suspended late on Wednesday.New York City also experienced flooding, with social media images showing water gushing over subway platforms and trains.Subway service was “extremely limited” due to the flooding, the Metropolitan Transit Authority said.First responders evacuated people from the subway system, the acting chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Janno Lieber, said in a statement.New York City’s mayor urged people to not go outside.“Please stay off the streets tonight and let our first responders and emergency services get their work done. If you’re thinking of going outside, don’t. Stay off the subways. Stay off the roads. Don’t drive into these heavy waters. Stay inside”, he said on Twitter.Read more: Flash floods hit New York as Ida brings record-breaking rainSudan floods caused by heavy rain damage thousands of homesMississippi highway collapses in Ida’s wake, killing two people
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: At least six dead in New York, New Jersey flooding: Report

Saudi Arabia’s first batch of women soldiers have graduated from the Armed Forces Women’s Cadre Training Center Wednesday after completing their course, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.The Kingdom’s Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant-General Fayyad al-Ruwaili sponsored the graduation ceremony, according to SPA.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Armed Forces Women’s Cadre Training Center aims to provide distinguished training services for female employees of the Ministry of Defense efficiently and professionally in the functional areas needed by the ministry, according to the head of the Armed Forces Education and Training Authority, Major General Adel al-Balawi.The center’s mission is “to provide distinguished training programs and curricula and an ideal educational environment in accordance with international quality standards that meet the needs of the armed forces of female cadres with the aim of achieving better performance that helps achieve the ministry’s goals in the future,” he added.Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense announced in February that men and women in the Kingdom can apply for positions in the military through their unified admission portal.Women are now able to sign up to join the Saudi Arabian Army, Royal Saudi Air Defense, Royal Saudi Navy, Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force, and Armed Forces Medical Services.Read more:Saudi female police officer supervises Ramadan pilgrims in MeccaSaudi Armed Forces launch first women’s wing in major new advanceSaudi Arabia opens military recruitment to women in latest move for inclusivity
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s first batch of women soldiers graduate