Vogelman went as far as suggesting that the opposition MKs were trying a form of a “coup” by refusing to negotiate with the government or show up at Knesset hearings.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: High Court: Likud plan to strike down Knesset cmt'ee setup is illegal
IDF pledges first ever Tomb of Patriarchs elevator within six months
The project has been controversial both from an archeological perspective and because of its intersection with the dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: IDF pledges first ever Tomb of Patriarchs elevator within six months
Lebanon’s Patriarch calls on army to confront Hezbollah
Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai called Sunday on the Lebanese army to prevent the launch of rockets from Lebanese territory towards Israel, warning that escalation in southern Lebanon is aimed at diverting attention from the ongoing investigation into the August 4 Beirut port blast..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Lebanon’s Patriarch calls on army to confront Hezbollah
Controversy in Qatar over electoral law’s exclusion of tribe
Seven people have been referred to prosecutors for “publishing fake news” regarding the Al Murrah tribe’s discontent with the regulations for Qatar’s upcoming election.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Controversy in Qatar over electoral law’s exclusion of tribe
Blinken urges UN to hold Iran accountable for Mercer Street attack
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the drone strike was the latest in a pattern of Iranian attacks and provocative behavior.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Blinken urges UN to hold Iran accountable for Mercer Street attack
US sanctions Iran-backed militias under weapons transfer ban
The US State Department issued a notice Monday of new sanctions against major Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq for violations of a US law that restricts weapons transfers involving Iran, Syria and North Korea.
The sanctions target Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Lebanese Hezbollah, all three of which receive backing from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: US sanctions Iran-backed militias under weapons transfer ban
Cairo backs Tunisian president’s actions against Brotherhood
Egypt said it fully supports Tunisian President Kais Saied, who fired the prime minister, suspended parliament and took control over the executive power in the midst of a severe political and economic crisis raging the country.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Cairo backs Tunisian president’s actions against Brotherhood
What sets delta COVID-19 variant apart is the ‘viral load’ it produces: Experts
Experts have found the key to the COVID-19 delta variant’s superspreading ability, attributing it to the high amount of virus it produces, otherwise known as the ‘viral load.’ Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.“We’ve seen through testing that people infected with the delta variant have more virus in their samples than people who had any other subtype of the virus. That’s a large part of what’s going to account for this enhanced transmissibility,” clinical microbiologist at the University of Southern California Susan Butler-Wu told US-based news media NBC News. The delta variant, deemed of high concern by the World Health Organization, is thought to be one of the most contagious strains of COVID-19, with research suggesting that it is more than twice as transmissible as the original virus. It is considered the most dominant strain in a number of countries, including the US.A Chinese study published in the medRxiv Preprint Server for Health Sciences found that people infected with the delta COVID-19 strain had viral loads almost 1,260 times higher than those produced in individuals who were infected with the original coronavirus strain. The study hasn’t as yet been peer reviewed. The viral loads observed by the Chinese researchers appears to support other research with similar conclusions about the delta variant’s superspreading ability. Health officials in the United Kingdom saw a recent surge in cases fueled by the delta strain, and found that it could be up to 60 percent more contagious than the alpha variant which was first discovered in the country.“Patients with higher viral loads are more likely to pass the virus on to other people. Also, the higher the viral load, the sicker the patient generally is,” medical director of the Molecular Diagnostics Lab at Houston Methodist hospital Dr. Randall Olsen told NBC News.An internal document from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US that was leaked last week comprised data addressing the infectiousness of the delta variant. It outlined instances of infection in individuals who were fully vaccinated against the virus. It showed that specimens tested were similar for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals who had been infected with the delta strain of the virus, meaning that people with breakthrough infections could spread the virus just as easily. The report concluded that breakthrough cases “may be as transmissible as unvaccinated cases.”The CDC’s findings also suggested that vaccines were still effective in protecting people against serious illness, hospitalization and death.Read more:Vaccine-resistant lambda COVID-19 variant appears in USDelta COVID-19 variant impacts global travel, leisure reboundFit, healthy 42-year-old bodybuilder who refused vaccine dies of COVID-19
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: What sets delta COVID-19 variant apart is the ‘viral load’ it produces: Experts
At least 7 dead as Algeria battles raging wildfires
Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud blamed criminal activity as civil defense teams worked to contain the fires.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: At least 7 dead as Algeria battles raging wildfires
Senior Pentagon official says Iran-backed Mercer Street attack came from Yemen
A senior Pentagon official said Tuesday that the drone attack on the Mercer Street tanker came from Yemen.Asked if reports were accurate that the attack originated from Yemen with Iranian-produced drones, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Dana Stroul said: “Yes, I can confirm the reports.”For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Speaking to a Senate hearing on US security assistance in the Middle East, Stroul added: “This was an Iran-backed, one-way drone attack on the Mercer Street.”But Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby quickly tweeted, claiming that Stroul did not confirm the attack emanated from Yemen.“What we see … is Iranian arming and funding of terrorist groups, non-state actors and militias across the region, all of which aims to undermine the governments and the partners that we want to work with, terrorize civilians, and prevent them from achieving stability,” Stroul said.“We have seen more attacks from the Houthis launched at Saudi Arabia this year than we have for several prior years,” the Pentagon official said. “Iran is increasing the lethality and complexity of both the equipment and the knowledge it transfers to the Houthis so that they can attack Saudis and civilians.”Stroul voiced concern over the “very sizable US population” in Saudi Arabia that is at risk because of the Iran-backed Houthi attacks.Read more: US ‘beyond fed up’ with Iran-backed Houthis: State Department
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Senior Pentagon official says Iran-backed Mercer Street attack came from Yemen