Middle East Experience

An Iranian who was arrested in Sweden in 2019 on suspicion of carrying out crimes against humanity in the 1980s in Iran will be tried in June, according to one of the plaintiffs in the case. “The trial of Hamid Nouri will be held on June 8. This is the biggest court case in Sweden’s history,” Iraj Mesdaghi, former political prisoner and one of the plaintiffs in the case, tweeted on Wednesday. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Mesdaghi added that he will appear in court as the first plaintiff on June 22 and June 24. This would be the first trial ever for an alleged perpetrator of Iran’s mass executions of political prisoners in the summer of 1988. Nouri’s arrest has been extended several times since he was detained at an airport in Stockholm in November 2019. He was allegedly a member of what came to be known as the “death committee,” a group of Iranian judiciary and security officials put together by former Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini in 1988. The committee oversaw the mass executions of thousands of political prisoners – mostly leftists and members of dissident group Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) – at the time. Several members of the committee hold key positions in Iran today, such as Ebrahim Raisi, who heads the judiciary and is often viewed as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. As many as 5,000 people were executed, according to international rights groups. MEK puts the number at 30,000. Iran has never fully acknowledged the executions. Read more:Sweden arrests Iranian suspect in 1988 crimes against humanity caseKhamenei defends Iran’s 1980s political executions that killed thousandsANALYSIS: Unveiling the secrets of Iran’s 1988 massacre
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Suspect in Iran 1988 mass executions to be tried in Sweden in June 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hopes to reap the economic and political benefits that normalized ties with estranged allies and traditional partners would bring.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: How likely is Turkey’s international charm offensive to succeed?

Saudi Arabia has reported 510 new COVID-19 cases and seven virus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health (MoH).For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The majority of new cases were detected in the capital, Riyadh (213), while the Kingdom’s Eastern Province saw the second-highest (94), and the holy city of Mecca had third-most (79).A total of 6,637 people have now died from COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. The total number of cases has reached 387,292, and 376,203 people have recovered.Case numbers in the Kingdom have been steadily rising over the last few weeks.Workers in certain fields are now required to take a PCR test every week at the expense of their employers, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing announced on Wednesday.Employees in barbershops, female salons, restaurants, cafes, and food outlets must be vaccinated starting from May 13, the ministry said.Read more:Saudi Arabia requires PCR test every week for some unvaccinated workersOver 3 mln people in Saudi Arabia received COVID-19 vaccine: Health ministryNo severe side effects of AstraZeneca dose reported in Saudi Arabia: Health Authority
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi daily COVID-19 figures continue to rise with 510 new cases, seven deaths

Israel’s first digital bank wants to create a revolution in the banking sectors, much like Spotify revolutionized the music industry and Tesla the vehicle market.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel’s first digital bank now rolling

The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has arrived in Abu Dhabi as part of a deployment that France says is committed to “freedom of navigation.”
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: France’s aircraft carrier in Gulf after Israeli ship reportedly targeted

The container ship blocking the Suez Canal could cost global trade $6 billion to $10 billion a week, a study by German insurer Allianz showed onFriday.The study by Europe’s biggest insurer also found that each week of immobilization shaves some 0.2 to 0.4 percentage points off annual trade growth.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The problem is that the Suez Canal blockage is the straw that breaks global trade’s back,” the study’s authors wrote.“First, suppliers’ delivery times have lengthened since the start of the year and are now longer in Europe than during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.”The length of delivery times in the United States was twice as bad, the study said, as inventories are depleted on expectations that President Joe Biden’s massive stimulus package will boost demand.The Suez Canal stepped up efforts on Friday to free the giant stuck container ship and end a blockage that has sent shipping rates for fuel tankers soaring and disrupted global supply chains.Read more:Oil prices up 3 pct on fears Suez Canal blockage may last weeks, squeezing suppliesRescue teams to work on plan to refloat ship stuck in Suez Canal: EvergreenSuez Canal Authority says will cooperate with US to float stranded cargo ship
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Suez Canal blockage could cost bln to bln in lost trade, says study by Allianz

Egypt and Libya concluded a cooperation agreement to set up mechanisms aimed at attracting Egyptian workers to reconstruction projects in Libya, where a new executive authority in Libya came to power.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt seeks role in Libya’s reconstruction

The prime minister has already agreed not to directly appoint a new attorney general, state prosecutor or police commissioner, as well as judges to the Jerusalem District Court and Supreme Court.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Netanyahu banned from top law enforcement appointments - High Court

As the ship sailed between Indian and Oman, it was hit by a missile that damaged it.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Iran fired missile at Israeli ship in Arabian Sea - report

Oman has announced a nighttime curfew and hinted at an impending full lockdown in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases, according to the official Oman News Agency (ONA).For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.All commercial activities will be shut down and restrictions will be placed on the movement of people and vehicles between 8 pm and 5 am from Sunday, March 28 to Thursday, April 8.Specialists expect the period between April 1 and May 31 to be “extremely difficult,” according to ONA. To lessen the impact of the virus, the country’s Supreme Committee is considering imposing a total ban on all movement between April and May 31.New cases in the sultanate have been rising since February 7, when 192 cases were detected. On Thursday, 733 new cases were detected.A total of 1,650 coronavirus patients have now died in the country since the beginning of the pandemic.Government schools have been instructed to continue online learning until the curfew’s set end-date of April 8, apart from those in Grade 12 who will continue with a blended approach mixing in-class and online lessons.Read more: Oman agrees $2.2 billion loan with large group of banksOman COVID-19 curfew: All commercial activities shut down from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.Oman suspends entry of travelers from several countries amid COVID-19 spike
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Oman announces nighttime curfew, threatens full lockdown amid COVID-19 case surge