Middle East Experience

Jordan has moved Syrian activist Hasna al-Hariri to Azraq Camp for her unspecified..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Jordan sanctions Syria activist for 'illegal activities’

The first Sa'ar 6 warship, the INS 'Magen,' arrived in Israel in December, and two more are slated to arrive by the end of 2021, and will become the backbone of the Israeli Navy.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Second Sa'ar 6 corvette warship on its way to Israel

Itamar Ben-Gvir announced earlier today that he will be setting up office in the high-alert neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Clashes spark between Palestinians, Otzma members in Sheikh Jarrah

‘Way to fight racism isn’t to cease discussion and debate,’ say dozens of Jewish intellectuals and writers, assert opposition to ‘the imposition of ideology’
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Letter slams Jewish community's ‘suppression of dissent’ on racial justice

A crown prince bent on modernization, young and tech-savvy consumers, and a global pandemic are transforming commerce in the desert kingdom.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Saudi Arabia buys into e-commerce

Saudi Arabian authorities released on Monday new pictures that offer a never-before-seen close up view of the Black Stone in the Kaaba in Mecca.The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques captured the details on the Black Stone – known as Hajar Aswad in Arabic – with a new technique that uses stacked panoramic focus.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The stone was photographed for a total of seven hours to produce a single image with the highest resolution, according to authorities.The images are up to 49,000 megapixels and took 50 hours to develop.Muslims believe the famous Black Stone descended directly from heaven and was given to the Prophet Abraham by the angel Gabriel.The stone is set within a pure silver covering and is located in the corner of the Kaaba, about a meter and a half from the ground.During the Umrah or Hajj pilgrimage, Muslims are encouraged to touch the stone after every Tawaf – or circumambulation – around the Kaaba.However, due to the large number of pilgrims who visit every year, it is acceptable to wave at it from a distance.Read more:WATCH: A close look into the Kaaba’s Black StoneCoronavirus: Islam’s Holy Kaaba, black stone cleaned, perfumed five times a dayWho are the 24 men that guard the sacred Black Stone in Mecca?
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabian authorities release never-before-seen images of Kaaba’s Black Stone

Cairo has announced the discovery of 110 ancient tombs in Dakahlia governorate in north Egypt spanning three civilizations, including the Hyksos era.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt discovers 110 ancient tombs spanning three civilizations

With a growing population, limited water resources, and the prospect of a decreased annual share from the Nile River, Egypt finds itself obliged to revert to water-saving agricultural practices.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt unveils strategy to adapt to water shortages

Seven men went on trial on Tuesday in Paris for the 2014 attack on Saudi prince’s convoy that saw them make off with bundles of cash, jewelry and diplomatic papers.The prince left his suite at the George V hotel in the evening of August 17, heading to to Le Bourget airport north of Paris.He was later followed by his official convoy of cars led by a Mercedes Viano van, which was forced to a halt by two stolen BMWs just as it entered the access ramp for the motorway leading to the airport.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The prince was already airborne as the heist unfolded, headed for Spain, Le Parisien daily reported.Armed men wearing balaclavas stormed and hijacked the Mercedes, threw out its passengers and drove off. No shots were fired and nobody was harmed.The stolen loot included 250,000 euros ($300,000 at current rates) in cash, another $300,000 in cash, luxury watches and documents.Investigators suspected the assailants had help since they appeared to know exactly which car to target in the robbery.The cars were later found torched in a small town northeast of Paris.The paper said days earlier anti-gang police, suspicious of increased activity in the Paris underworld consistent with a planned robbery, had put some of the group’s members under increased surveillance.As the formal investigation got underway, data from that surveillance helped police assemble evidence of the conspiracy, Le Parisien said.Suspicions hardened when the alleged attackers started freely spending cash on holidays, cars and motorbikes. One suspect opened two convenience stores and another a shisha bar outside Paris.Nine months after the heist, in May 2015, police arrested around a dozen people and later charged six of them, aged 27 to 51, with aggravated robbery.Some of the men were from gritty housing projects near the French capital, while others were part of Roma communities. Most had police records involving violent robbery or drug trafficking.A seventh suspect was arrested in 2017.Only one of the accused, identified as Ludovic L., has admitted any wrongdoing, saying he had stolen the two BMWs used in the heist.The suspects risk up to 30 years in jail if found guilty of the charges of “armed robbery in a gang” and “membership of a criminal conspiracy”.The trial is to last just under three weeks.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Seven on trial in France for 2014 attack on Saudi prince’s convoy in Paris

President Joe Biden told Mossad chief Yossi Cohen in the White House that the United States will not abandon Israel on Iran.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel not reassured by Biden’s meeting with Mossad chief