Middle East Experience

Philip, known as the Duke of Edinburgh and at his wife's side throughout her 69-year reign, died on Friday at Windsor Castle aged 99.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Prince Philip's funeral to be held on April 17, Harry to attend but not Meghan

The operation was reportedly classified as high-risk for the soldiers involved.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Sensitive IDF operation leaked to foreign media - Haaretz

It also renewed its commitment to the two-state solution “based on the foundations of international legitimacy.”
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Palestinians ‘optimistic’ about resumption of peace process

People who were diagnosed with COVID-19 had a 34% increased chance to be diagnosed with a neurological or mental health disorder within six months after contracting the virus.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: COVID-19 may increase chances of mental health and neurological conditions

Europe’s drug regulator said on Friday it is reviewing rare blood clots in four people in the United States who received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine.The European Medicines Agency’s safety committee has also been looking at how AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine is associated with very rare cases of unusual blood clots and said it was now reviewing reports of capillary leak syndrome in people given AstraZeneca’s vaccine.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Johnson & Johnson (J&J) said it was aware of the rare reports of blood clots in individuals given its COVID-19 vaccine, and was working with regulators to assess the data and provide relevant information.“At present, no clear causal relationship has been established between these rare events and the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine,” the company said in an emailed statement.Of the four serious cases of clotting and low platelets, three occurred in the United States during the rollout of J&J’s vaccine from its Janssen unit, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said. That was in addition to one person who died from a clotting disorder reported in J&J’s clinical trial.The US Food and Drug Administration said it is aware of a few reports of individuals who had serious blood clots - sometimes linked with low levels of blood platelets - after they received the J&J vaccine, and noted that these conditions can have many different causes.“We have not found a causal relationship with vaccination and we are continuing our investigation and assessment of these cases. Our analysis of the data will inform the potential need for regulatory action,” the agency said in an emailed statement.Nearly 5 million people in the United States had received J&J’s vaccine as of Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The report from the EMA is the first to mention a probe of blood clots associated with the J&J vaccine. The FDA said it was aware of the EMA’s statement and provided the agency with the data that formed the basis of its report.The EMA’s statement follows an investigation of blood clots in the brain reported by some people given the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has prompted some European countries to change their vaccine recommendations.In its report on Friday, EMA’s safety committee said unusual blood clots linked with low blood platelets should be listed as very rare side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine.It has also started to investigate reports of capillary leak syndrome - which causes blood vessel swelling and a drop in blood pressure - in five people who received the AstraZeneca vaccine. The safety panel said it was not clear whether these were linked with the vaccine. AstraZeneca did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Ian Douglas, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the reports were part of a normal process in which the EMA’s safety committee reviews important safety signals as they arise.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine under EU review over blood clots

Egypt and Sudan on Saturday rejected an Ethiopian proposal to share data on the operations of its giant hydropower dam on the Blue Nile after negotiations between the three countries in Kinshasa this week ended without progress.Ethiopia is pinning its hopes of economic development and power generation on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Egypt fears will imperil its supply from the Nile. Sudan is also concerned about the impact on its own water flows.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“Ethiopia invites Sudan and Egypt to nominate dam operators for data exchange before the filling of GERD in upcoming rainy seasons,” the Ethiopian foreign ministry wrote in a tweet on Saturday.But Cairo and Khartoum maintained that they are seeking a legally binding agreement over the operations of the dam, which Addis Ababa says is crucial to its economic development.“Sudan believes that exchanging information is a necessary procedure, but that the Ethiopian offer to do so in the manner indicated by their letter implies suspicious selectivity in dealing with what has been agreed upon,” the Sudanese irrigation ministry said on Saturday.After the Kinshasa meeting, Ethiopia emphasized that the second-year filling of the dam reservoir would be carried out as scheduled.Sudan will hold 600 million cubic meters (785 million cubic yards) of water at its Jebel Awliya reservoir to “ensure the continued operation of the pump stations on the White Nile and the Nile river to meet agricultural and drinking water needs” in preparation for Ethiopia’s second fill, Sudan’s state news agency SUNA reported on Saturday.The Egyptian irrigation minister on Saturday told a local television talk show that while reserves at the Aswan High Dam could help stave off the effects of a second fill, his chief concern was drought management.Sudan and Egypt had proposed including the European Union, the United States and the United Nations as mediators in addition to ongoing African Union facilitation of the talks. Both countries said Ethiopia rejected the proposal during the Kinshasa meeting.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Egypt, Sudan reject Ethiopian proposal for data sharing on Renaissance dam

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel on Sunday on the first visit by a senior representative of the Biden administration, whose stance on Iran has worried Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Austin was due to meet Netanyahu and Israeli defense Minister Benny Gantz during the two-day visit, which officials said would include discussions of US arms supplies to Israel.Washington has sought to reassure Israel on regional security issues while restarting talks - so far indirect and inconclusive - about a US return to the 2015 nuclear deal between major powers and Iran that the previous Trump administration quit.Israel has long been critical of the deal that it sees as putting a temporary cap on Iranian nuclear capabilities that would pave the way to Tehran producing bombs in the long run. It has said it would not be bound by the diplomacy.Israel and Iran have in recent weeks reported sabotage to their ships at sea. Syria has accused Israel of air strikes on its territory. Israel says it is trying to stem a build-up of Iranian forces within next-door Syria.On Sunday, Iran’s Press TV said an electricity problem had caused an incident at the Natanz underground uranium enrichment site, without casualties or pollution. Tehran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.Israel, which lists cyber-sabotage in its arsenal, had no immediate comment on the Natanz incident.Read more:‘Accident’ strikes Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility: OfficialPentagon chief to visit Jerusalem amid Iran talksTop US defense official to Israel for talks on Iran, Lebanon, Syria: Report
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US defense secretary makes first Israel visit by Biden official, Iran on agenda

The consortium led by the United Arab Emirates’ Masdar and EDF Renewables and Saudi Arabia’s Nesma Company announced it is starting construction of a 300-megawatt (MW) utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant in Jeddah, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Saturday.“The Renewable Energy Project Development Office (REPDO) of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy awarded the consortium the 300 MW Jeddah project, after it had submitted the most cost-competitive bid of SAR60.9042 (US$16.24) per megawatt hour,” according to WAM.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.WAM stated that the consortium led by Masdar will design, finance, build and operate the plant, which will be located in Third Jeddah Industrial City, 50km south-east of Jeddah.The plant is set to begin operations in 2022.“This project demonstrates Masdar’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives and its climate goals,” Mohamed Jameel al-Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, said.“Through its National Renewable Energy program, Saudi Arabia is fast developing into a global renewable energy player, and Masdar will continue to work closely with the Saudi government and our partners here to help the Kingdom achieve its clean energy transition, while reducing environmental impacts in line with the Saudi Green Initiative,” he added.According to WAM, the Jeddah solar plant will utilize the latest technology in the PV market, combining bifacial PV modules with mounting structures that utilize single-axis tracking technology to maximize energy generation by following the sun’s position throughout the day.For his part, the President of Nesma, Faisal al-Turki, said: “Masdar, EDF Renewables and Nesma will continue to innovate and optimize solar power projects; the Jeddah project is an excellent example of how the consortium is leveraging international, regional and local expertise to great effect.”In 2019, a consortium led by EDF Renewables in partnership with Masdar was selected to build a 400 MW utility-scale wind farm in Dumat Al Jandal, which was Saudi Arabia’s first wind energy project and the largest in the Middle East.The plant will start operations and generate carbon-free electricity by late 2022, WAM said.Read more:Abu Dhabi’s Masdar seals $188 mln funding for Jordan solar projectUAE’s Masdar wins bid to develop Uzbekistan solar projectSaudi Arabia awards $500 mln wind project to EDF, Masdar consortium
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE’s Masdar to start construction on solar project in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah

China’s top disease control official says the government is considering mixing COVID-19 vaccines to give them a boost as their effectiveness showed to be low.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Chinese vaccines “don’t have very high protection rates,” said the director of the China Centers for Disease Control, Gao Fu, at a conference Saturday in the southwestern city of Chengdu.“It’s now under formal consideration whether we should use different vaccines from different technical lines for the immunization process,” Gao said.Experts say mixing vaccines, or sequential immunization, might boost effectiveness rates. Trials around the world are looking at mixing of vaccines or giving a booster shot after a longer time period. Researchers in Britain are studying a possible combination of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.Gao gave no details of possible changes in strategy but mentioned mRNA, a previously experimental technique used by Western vaccine developers while China’s drug makers used traditional technology.“Everyone should consider the benefits mRNA vaccines can bring for humanity,” Gao said. “We must follow it carefully and not ignore it just because we already have several types of vaccines already.”Gao previously raised questions about the safety of mRNA vaccines. He was quoted by the official Xinhua News Agency as saying in December he couldn’t rule out negative side effects because they were being used for the first time on healthy people.Chinese state media and popular health and science blogs also have questioned the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine, which uses mRNA.As of April 2, some 34 million people have received both of the two doses required by Chinese vaccines and about 65 million received one, according to Gao.With the Associated PressRead more:Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine under EU review over blood clotsAstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots: Here’s what you need to knowSouth African variant can ‘break through’ Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine: Israeli study
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Chinese government considers mixing COVID-19 vaccines for boost amid low efficacy

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which controls Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, is close to ending the presence of al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Din, after arresting one of its top active commanders and closing its military facilities in the area.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Is al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria’s Idlib on its way to demise?