Middle East Experience

Rail traffic resumed Saturday in southern Egypt, authorities said, a day after two trains collided, killing at least 32 people and injuring 185 others.The collision of two passenger trains in the province of Sohag, about 440 kilometers (270 miles) south of Cairo, was the latest in a series of deadly accidents involving the country’s troubled railways.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Egypt’s Minister of Health Hala Zayed said at a news conference Saturday in Cairo that the death toll could be fewer than the 32 initially released. She said the ministry had tallied 19 dead but also collected three bags of human remains that could not be immediately identified or counted. She accounted for the higher toll released Saturday by saying that some unconscious victims were wrongly pronounced dead.Video from the scene Saturday showed twisted piles of metal with passengers covered with dust trapped inside — some bleeding and others unconscious. Bystanders removed bodies and laid them on the ground nearby.An Associated Press video journalist at the scene saw the reopening of the railway early Saturday. Authorities had replaced the rail track in the area where the collision took place. The damaged tracks and wrecked train cars were on the side of the railway.The two trains had collided Friday at the town of Tahta, causing two carriages to derail and flip on their side.Rail officials initially said someone activated the emergency brakes on one of the trains, which was headed to the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly however said no cause has been determined.Egypt’s rail system has a history of badly maintained equipment and mismanagement, and official figures said there were 1,793 train accidents in 2017.In 2018, a passenger train derailed near the southern city of Aswan, injuring at least six people and prompting authorities to fire the country’s railway chief.The same year, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said the government needed about 250 billion Egyptian pounds ($14.1 billion) to overhaul the rail system. Those remarks came a day after a passenger train collided with a cargo train, killing at least 12 people.A year earlier, two passenger trains collided just outside of Alexandria, killing 43. In 2016, at least 51 people were killed when two commuter trains collided near Cairo.Egypt’s deadliest train crash was in 2002, when over 300 people were killed after a fire broke out in a train traveling from Cairo to southern Egypt.Read more:CCTV captures moment of deadly train collision in Egypt’s SohagMore than 30 people killed, 66 others injured after trains collide in Egypt
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Railway traffic resumes in southern Egypt after deadly train crash

Saudi Arabia reported an increase of 502 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the Kingdom to 387,794, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The capital Riyadh recorded 226 new cases, the highest number of infections across Saudi Arabia in the last 24 hours. Mecca recorded 94 new cases, while the Eastern Province recorded 86 new cases. The other infections were reported in cities and governorates around the Kingdom.Infections have been on the rise in the country in the past week. On Friday, health officials reported over 500 new cases for the first time in over a month. As of Saturday, 4,593 coronavirus cases are active out of which 635 are in critical condition.Six people died on Saturday due to complications caused by COVID-19, raising the virus-related death toll to 6,643.Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries in the Kingdom rose to 376,558 after 355 people recovered in the last 24 hours.Read more:COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for Hajj, Umrah workers in Mecca and MedinaSaudi Arabia requires PCR test every week for some unvaccinated workers
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia reports 502 new COVID-19  cases as infections continue to surge 

Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority chief said Saturday that strong wind was not the main reason for the grounding of the MV Ever Given cargo ship in the waterway.“Strong winds and weather factors were not the main reasons for the ship’s grounding, there may have been technical or human errors,” Osama Rabie said at a press conference in Suez.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“All of these factors will become apparent in the investigation,” he added.Asked when the ship could be afloat again, he suggested it was possible “today or tomorrow, depending on the ship’s responsiveness to the tides.”The MV Ever Given, which is longer than four football fields, has been wedged diagonally across the canal since Tuesday, blocking one of the world’s most vital waterways in both directions.The canal authority chief said over 300 vessels are now treading water at either end of the canal, which links the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.Addressing journalists in Suez, Rabie outlined Egypt’s efforts with tugboats and excavators to free the bow and propellers of mega-ship in order to reopen the canal.Rabie noted that on 10.30 pm Friday the propellers had been able to spin, although not at full speed. However they were jammed again due to the changing tide, he said, adding that rescuers had had to resort to excavators again overnight to continue the dredging process.“The type of soil we’re dealing with is very difficult to manage, as are tides which affect the size of the vessel and its cargo load,” he added.Rabie also noted that the blockage had caused “no fatalities or pollution”.The ship’s grounding is holding up some $9.6 billion worth of cargo each day between Asia and Europe, according to Lloyd’s List data.Rabie estimated that Egypt is losing some $12-14 million in revenue from the canal for each day it is closed.The United States also said it was ready to send support, including a team of US Navy experts.Rabie thanked the US for its support along with China and the United Arab Emirates.Read more:Suez Canal remains blocked amid efforts to free stuck vesselSuez Canal blockage could cost $6 bln to $10 bln in lost trade, says study by AllianzUS military offers to help Egypt in blocked Suez Canal
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Strong winds not main reason for huge ship stranding in Suez Canal: Chairman

A loud band has been heard in Syria’s capital Damascus, according to a Reuters witness.The loud bang heard in Syria’s capital was a result of operation to clear remnants of explosives in the Damascus countryside, according to state news agency SANA.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The overall death toll for Syria’s civil war has reached 388,652 since it began a decade ago this month, a war monitor said.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the figures includes almost 117,388 civilians, among them more than 22,000 children.Attacks by the Syrian regime and allied militia forces accounted for the majority of civilian deaths, said the Britain-based monitor which relies on sources inside Syria for its reports.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Loud bang heard in Damascus, Syria: Reuters witness

Lebanon's largest Christian bloc, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), warned prime minister-designate Saad al-Hariri on Saturday against sidelining President Michel Aoun and other parliamentary blocs in talks over forming a cabinet..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: FPM warns against sidelining president

The head of Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority, Osama Rabie, has ruled out strong wind as the main cause for the grounding of the giant Ever Given cargo ship..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Strong wind not main reason for Suez ship grounding: canal chief

A tiny Egyptian village has a front-row seat to the unfolding effort to dislodge the container ship that ran aground in the canal, holding up $10 billion in global trade every day..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: ‘A Very Big Problem.’ Giant Ship in the Suez Remains Stuck.

Facing a corruption indictment and seemingly boxed in, Netanyahu is still standing.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Once again, Netanyahu could win with a draw

The US offer comes days after a giant vessel ran aground and became lodged sideways in the canal.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: US offers to help Egypt reopen Suez Canal

The UN's humanitarian aid chief has warned the UK against making a massive cut to aid to Syria, saying that such a move would..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UN warns UK not to slash humanitarian aid to Syria