Middle East Experience

Despite the cease-fire agreement, Hamas is threatening to resume fighting if Israel does not allow Qatari aid and other help to reach it soon.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Gazans struggle with continued Israeli restrictions

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold their June 16 summit in an 18th-century Swiss villa overlooking Lake Geneva, a soothing setting for what promises to be heated talks.Bitter disputes over election interference, cyber attacks, human rights and Ukraine hang over their first face-to-face meeting since Biden took office on January 20.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Strategic nuclear stability and regional conflicts will be on the table. Biden, who was due to arrive in Britain on Wednesday at the start of his first trip abroad, has said he would press Putin to respect human rights.Putin said last Friday he expected the talks to be held in a positive atmosphere, though he anticipated no breakthrough.He added that allegations that Russian hackers were behind a cyber attack that disrupted meat production in North America and Australia were an attempt to provoke a political row ahead of the summit, Interfax news agency reported.Diplomatic sources expect confirmation of the Geneva venue later on Wednesday. The Swiss police and army have closed the two parks surrounding the Villa La Grange and installed barricades and barbed wire.Neutral Switzerland, which did not join Western sanctions against Russia for its 2014 annexation of the Crimea region from Ukraine, lobbied hard to land the first big power summit in the Alpine country in decades.In the Cold War era, US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev held their first summit in Geneva in November 1985 and agreed to pursue cuts in their nuclear arsenals.In Geneva in 2009, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a yellow box bearing a red “reset” button to symbolize improved ties under President Barack Obama. But the word “reset” was mistranslated into the Russian word for “overcharge,” creating an awkward moment.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Lavrov will accompany Biden and Putin.The classic villa is located in a park along the left bank. Dotted with redwood trees, rose bushes and ancient fountains, the park offers a stunning view of Lake Geneva and sailboats.Biden is also scheduled to hold talks with Swiss President Guy Parmelin.Switzerland has represented US interests in Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, often facilitating the transfer of prisoners between the two foes. Tax issues are likely to be raised after Biden referred to Switzerland as a “fiscal paradise” in April.Read more:Biden says US will stand with European allies ahead of Putin summitRussia expects no ‘breakthrough’ at Putin-Biden summit, says Foreign Minister LavrovRussia threatens to send array of ‘unpleasant’ signals to US ahead of summit
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Biden, Putin set to meet in 18th-century Swiss villa for summit on June 16

The fires west of Jerusalem are the latest in a series of blazes to break out near the Israeli city in recent days.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Large fires erupt near Jerusalem, force evacuations

US President Joe Biden departs for Britain on Wednesday on his first trip abroad since taking office, an eight-day mission to rebuild trans-Atlantic ties strained during the Trump era and to reframe relations withRussia.The trip represents a test of the Democratic president’s ability to manage and repair relationships with major allies who grew disenchanted with then-President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and withdrawal from international treaties.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“Will the democratic alliances and institutions that shaped so much of the last century prove their capacity againstmodern-day threats and adversaries? I believe the answer is yes.And this week in Europe, we have the chance to prove it,” Biden said in an opinion article published in the Washington Post.Speaking to reporters on the tarmac as he left for Europe, Biden said his goals were “strengthening the alliance, making it clear to Putin and to China that Europe and the United States are tight.”His summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 16 in Geneva is the capstone of the trip, an opportunity to raise US concerns directly with Putin about ransomware attacks emanating from Russia, Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine and a host of other issues.Biden will make his first stop at the seaside village of St. Ives in Cornwall where he will participate in the G7 summit. The meeting is expected to be dominated by vaccine diplomacy, trade, climate and an initiative for rebuilding infrastructure in the developing world. US officials see that effort as a way to counter China’s growing influence.Biden may face pressure to do more to share US vaccine supplies with other countries after an initial pledge of 20 million doses announced last week. Before leaving the United States, Biden said he planned to announce a vaccine plan for the world.His push for a global minimum tax on multinational corporations faces opposition at home. G7 finance ministers agreed before the summit to pursue a global minimum tax rate of at least 15 percent and to allow market countries to tax up to 20 percent of the excess profits -- above a 10 percent margin -- generated by about 100 large, high-profit companies.Republicans came out against the plan this week, potentially complicating the US ability to implement a broader global agreement.Biden will have a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday in Cornwall, a chance to renew the US-British “special relationship” after Britain’s Brexit break from the European Union.After three days of G7 summitry, Biden and his wife, Jill, will visit Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. The 78-year-old Biden met the queen back in 1982 when he was a US senator from Delaware.Afterwards Biden travels to Brussels for talks with leaders of NATO and the European Union. The agenda is expected to be dominated by Russia, China and the perennial issue of getting NATO allies to contribute more to the common defense.Biden closes out the trip in Geneva for what could prove to be the most difficult meeting of the week -- a session with Putin, who had enjoyed friendly relations with Trump.White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that Biden hoped his G7 and NATO meetings will bolster a sense of allied unity as he goes into his session with Putin.No major breakthroughs are expected from the summit. Sullivan said Biden would press Putin on US priorities. The two sides were negotiating whether to hold a joint news conference.Asked by reporters if his meeting with Putin would yield some accord on cybersecurity, Biden was non-committal.“Who knows?” said Biden. “It’s going to be a subject of our discussion.”Read more:Biden G7, NATO to-do list: Unite allies, fight autocracy, attack COVID-19 pandemicCelebrities call on G7 to share COVID-19 vaccines with poor nations
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: With G7 summit stop first, President Biden embarks on eight-day Europe trip

A senior official at the National Iranian Oil Company said that if the United States lifts sanctions on Iran, the country expects to restore its crude oil output to pre-sanctions levels in a matter of months.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Iran expects to restore oil output within month of US lifting sanctions

It’s important to read the signs and educate children about the condition..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: How to control diabetes in children

Lebanon recorded 139 coronavirus cases and six deaths in the last 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Wednesday, as Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan announced plans for a vaccine..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Lebanon reports 139 coronavirus cases, vaccine 'marathon' planned for weekend

The head of Lebanon’s powerful Shia movement Hezbollah said Tuesday that the country could soon be forced to rely on fuel imports from Iran, amid an ongoing economic collapse..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Hezbollah threatens to import fuel from Iran if shortages persist

The Israeli authorities’ decision to shut down the Palestinian Union of Health Workers Committee (UHWC) will have catastrophic consequences for the health needs of Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), said Amnesty International today..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Israeli shutdown of Palestinian health organization will have major consequences

The critically-acclaimed Malayalam film Nayattu is a raw, gritty thriller with political underpinnings, set amid the backdrop of a caste conflict..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Nayattu Review: The wrong arm of the law