Middle East Experience

The Taliban will announce a complete cabinet within a week, and it will include not just ministers but leaders as well, group spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters on Saturday.The group appointed governors and police chiefs in 33 out of the 34 provinces in the country.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“It is difficult to anticipate whether women will be part of the cabinet in Afghanistan. The final decision will be taken by top leaders on the issue,” Mujahid said.After the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan on August 15, they launched a charm offensive to rehabilitate their image. The group promised amnesty to government employees and soldiers and vowed to protect the rights of women.Activists and local journalists, however, say the reality on the ground is quite different, with many concerning reports of home searches and arrests of the very people the Taliban said they would not retaliate against.And women activists and former female political leaders saying they expected to be treated as second class citizens at best.The spokesman said that Kabul airport will be under the Taliban’s complete control “very soon”.“We have enough security and technical staff to operate Kabul airport,” Mujahid said.The group had said on Friday they took control of sections of the airport evacuated by Americans, which the Pentagon denied and said the Taliban are not in charge of any gates or airport operations, stressing that it was still under US military control.Turkish and Qatari media have reported that the Taliban asked each of the two countries for help running Kabul airport.But Mujahid told Reuters: “It’s a bit too early to decide whether we will need Turkey or Qatar’s help to operate Kabul airport.”The Taliban spokesman also appealed to the West to maintain diplomatic ties with Afghanistan. This comes at a time when the White House said the US and its allies were in no rush to recognize the Taliban government.With ReutersRead more:US should have informed us before conducting airstrike: TalibanTaliban say have taken control of sections of Kabul airport, Pentagon deniesNo rush to recognize Taliban government by US or allies: White House
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Taliban to unveil full cabinet in a week, will control Kabul airport ‘soon’: Reuters

A new report has shown that 50% of Israel's students are getting a third-world education.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel’s education system is a ‘ticking time bomb’

While it was nice to see Kohavi fight for career officers, he left tens of thousands of his soldiers behind, forgetting the regular conscripts and their needs.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: IDF pension bump leaves regular soldiers behind - opinion

Biden did not refer to the two-state solution in his public statements during the meeting with Bennett but did so in an official statement issued by the White House after the meeting.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: PA: Biden’s commitment to two-state solution good, but insufficient

The bloodbath continues: 30-year-old Ibrahim Nasr Abu Omra from Tel Sheva was shot over the night on Friday. A few hours later 18-year-old Anas al-Wahwah was shot to death in Lod.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israeli-Arab murder spate continues - two men shot dead hours apart

At a time when the Palestinian Authority and several Arab countries were silent about expressing their position on the victory of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, Hamas published an official statement in which it congratulated its victory and praised its performance.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Hamas welcomes Taliban’s triumph in Afghanistan

The approval by Polish President Andrzej Duda of legislation limiting the ability of Jews to recover property seized by Nazis in Poland during World War II deeply angered Jerusalem and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel-Poland row escalates over law limiting WWII restitution

The rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations for patients aged between 30 to 39 have hit a new record, data from the US government has shown, indicating that the superspreading delta variant is taking its toll on the unvaccinated, US-based news media the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Saturday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Before the delta COVID-19 variant, which was first identified in India, patients in this age bracket were less likely to end up in hospital after an infection.Yet there has now been an increase in coronavirus patients in their 30s being admitted to hospitals which has become apparent in the country’s recent delta-driven virus surge. The WSJ reported that doctors and epidemiologists have attributed the rise in hospitalizations to their failure to get vaccinated. As of Wednesday, the COVID-driven hospitalization rate for this age bracket reached about 2.5 per 100,000 people, according to the US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services, up from 2 in 100,000 people in January, indicating a significant upsurge. “It means delta is really bad,” infectious disease physician and codirector of the Global Center for Health Security at US-based University of Nebraska Medical Center James Lawler told WSJ. He said that the delta strain is much more transmissible, adding that various studies have shown that people infected with the variant can develop more a severe reaction to the virus compared to other strains. The delta COVID-19 variant has gained greater ground in the US since early July, according to WSJ, resulting in a serious spike in new infections.Read more:One vaccine dose isn’t enough to protect against delta variant: Saudi ministyVaccine-resistant lambda COVID-19 variant appears in USMan who chugs two-liter soda bottle in less than 20 seconds sets new world recordUAE 24-hour hotline to answer COVID-19 queries, provide mental health support
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Delta variant sparks surge in US hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients aged 30 to 39

China is ready to deepen “friendly and cooperative” relations with Afghanistan, a government spokeswoman said Monday, after the Taliban seized control of the country.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Beijing has sought to maintain unofficial ties with the Taliban throughout the US’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, which spurred an advance by the extremists across the country that saw them capture the capital Kabul on Sunday.China shares a rugged 76-kilometer (47-mile) border with Afghanistan.Beijing has long feared Afghanistan could become a staging point for Muslim minority Uyghur separatists in Xinjiang.But a top-level Taliban delegation met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin last month, promising that Afghanistan would not be used as a base for militants.In exchange, China offered economic support and investment for Afghanistan’s reconstruction.On Monday, China said it “welcomed” the chance to deepen ties with Afghanistan, a country that has for generations been coveted for its geo-strategic importance by bigger powers.“The Taliban have repeatedly expressed their hope to develop good relations with China, and that they look forward to China’s participation in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters.“We welcome this. China respects the right of the Afghan people to independently determine their own destiny and is willing to continue to develop... friendly and cooperative relations with Afghanistan.”Hua called on the Taliban to “ensure a smooth transition” of power and keep its promises to negotiate the establishment of an “open and inclusive Islamic government” and ensure the safety of Afghans and foreign citizens.China’s embassy in Kabul remains operational, Hua said, although Beijing began evacuating Chinese citizens from the country months ago amid the deteriorating security situation.In a statement Monday, the embassy told Chinese citizens remaining in Afghanistan to “pay close attention to the security situation” and stay indoors.US President Joe Biden promised a complete withdrawal of US troops by September 11, marking an end to two decades of war.But Washington was left shocked by the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s sweeping advance.The Taliban has sought to reassure the international community that Afghans should not fear them, and they will not take revenge against those who supported the US-backed alliance.The US earlier released a statement with more than 65 nations urging the Taliban to let Afghans leave the country, warning of accountability for any abuses.Read more: Taliban want ‘peaceful’ transition of power ‘as soon as possible’: SpokesmanChinese state media looks to strengthen oversight on online gamesChina rejects WHO’s call for new probe into COVID-19 origins
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: China says it is ready for ‘friendly relations’ with Taliban

Israel has begun implementing a Judaization project at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron to install an external elevator, open a route for pedestrians and a parking lot, amid Palestinians' protests that are likely to escalate in the coming weeks.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel implements Judaization project at Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron