Middle East Experience

Turkish authorities have ordered Istanbul-based TV channels affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood to stop airing criticism geared toward Egypt immediately, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.The announcement comes as Cairo and Istanbul have looked at ways to ease tensions between the two, which boiled over in 2013 after Egypt’s army ousted Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Mursi, an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Cairo has since designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, while Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted AK Party supported Mursi’s short-lived Egyptian government. Many Brotherhood members and their supporters have fled to Turkey since their activities were banned in Egypt.In recent days, officials from Egypt and Turkey have said there is an ongoing dialogue between the two, albeit limited.Sources familiar with the matter told Al Arabiya that Turkey issued an order for three Muslim Brotherhood channels (El Sharq TV, Watan TV, Mekameleen) to immediately stop airing political shows critical of Egypt and to only air non-political shows and series.Penalties will be imposed on those who defy the order; this includes permanently closing down the TV stations.A tweet from El Sharq TV’s official account read: “To our dear followers, we apologize [for not airing] tonight’s episode of ‘The Streets of Egypt.” No further clarification was given.Read more: Turkey’s relationship with the Muslim BrotherhoodIt’s time for Palestine to stand with its Gulf friends against Turkey, Iran, Qatar
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Turkey orders Muslim Brotherhood TV channels to stop airing anti-Egypt rhetoric

Iran’s defense minister pledged a more vigorous pursuit of the Islamic Republic’s missile activities, shrugging Western worries about the controversial program.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Iran vows to boost missiles despite pressure

Lebanon’s murder and theft crimes have increased by 144 percent amid the ongoing national crisis compared to the same period last year, according to a study conducted by the Beirut-based research and consultancy firm International Information.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Data collected from the Internal Security Forces (ISF) found that homicides have increased sharply by 45.5 percent this year across the country during the months of January and February 2021. The death toll reached 32 compared to 22 in the same period in 2020.The firm also confirmed that theft crimes increased by 144 percent during January and February 2021 compared to the same period last year.“It’s not surprising at all that violent crime rates increased during world-historical public health and economic crisis, as inequality in the country, along with despair has skyrocketed,” Pierre al-Khoury, a public affairs researcher and member of the Board of Directors of the Lebanese Economic Association, told Al Arabiya English. “Lebanon now is a perfect example of systematic and planned crimes like drug dealing, money laundering, and stealing from people.”A victim of the ongoing theft saga said she had parked her car in a busy area thinking it would be safe, only to have her backpack stolen from the vehicle soon after.“I came back to find the back windows of the car smashed, and my backpack was taken,” Lama Hajj told Al Arabiya English. “This made me realize that things are rapidly changing in Lebanon, and it is no longer the country we all know and once felt safe at.”Currency tumblesLebanon’s local currency has continuously crashed and lost over 90 percent of its value since October 2019.The economic crisis has pushed half the population into poverty, with stories circulating daily about fights breaking out between people in supermarkets over subsidized products, which are at an all-time low.Lebanon also has seen average salaries plummet by 84 percent over the past twelve months.Minimum wage dropsPrior to the current economic crisis, a law passed in 2017 set the minimum wage at LBP 675,000, equivalent to $450. At this time, the dollar was priced at the old official rate of 1,500 LBP. The minimum wage has now dropped to $45.According to the Central Administration of Statistics, hyperinflation hit 84.9 percent in 2020, compared to 2.9 percent in 2019. Consumer prices jumped 145.8 percent in December in comparison to the same month of 2019.The chaos has become so pronounced that even the authorities have begun to acknowledge that the country’s lawbreakers are no longer in their control. Speaking in an interview with the local VDL News earlier this month, the Lebanese Minister of Interior Mohammed Fahmy warned of lawlessness as security forces hit rock bottom.“The country’s security forces are drained and unable to fulfil their duties as a financial meltdown and political deadlock bite,” Fahmy said as he blamed political parties that were unable to agree on a national rescue plan.The problem appears not only in the difficulty of finding a winning strategy in the long war against acts of crimes but having to face economic constraints that loom large in the public debate.Read more:Lebanon pharmacies on strike, petrol stations ration fuel amid political stand-offPressure on Lebanon’s politicians by France, others to increase, says diplomatProtesters try to storm Lebanon’s economy ministry over currency crisis
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Lebanon’s theft crimes increased by 144 pct amid ongoing national crisis

Tanzania’s Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as president on Friday, becoming the first female head of state in the east African country following the death of president John Magufuli.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Hassan, 61, was sworn in at State House in the country’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam. She assumes the presidency following Wednesday’s announcement of the death of Magufuli, after a more than a two-week absence from public life that drew speculation about his health.In a statement, the presidency said Hassan would address the nation after being sworn in and would also hold a cabinet meeting.The absence of Magufuli, Africa’s most vehement COVID-19 skeptic, since Feb. 27 had fuelled speculation about his health and sparked rumors he had contracted the disease, although officials had denied he was ill. Hassan said he had died of heart disease.Described as a soft-spoken consensus-builder, Hassan will also be the country’s first president born in Zanzibar, the archipelago that forms part of the union of the Republic of Tanzania.Her leadership style is seen as a potential contrast from Magufuli, a brash populist who earned the nickname ‘Bulldozer’ for muscling through policies and who drew criticism for his intolerance of dissent, which his government denied.Read more:Tanzania’s COVID-19 skeptic leader Magufuli dies of heart diseaseTanzanian PM Majaliwa says President Magufuli healthy, workingTanzania politicians question virus-denying president's health
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Tanzania swears in Samia Suluhu as president, country’s first female head of state

Myanmar security forces shot dead eight opponents of a Feb. 1 coup on Friday, a funeral services provider said, as Indonesia sought an end to the violence and urged that democracy be restored, in an unusually blunt call from a neighbor. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Ousted lawmakers explored whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) can investigate crimes against humanity since the coup, while authorities arrested two more journalists, including a BBC reporter, media said.Military and police have used increasingly violent tactics to suppress demonstrations by supporters of detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but that has not put off the protests, with crowds turning out again in several towns.Security forces used teargas to disperse protesters in the central town of Aungban and later opened fire in a confrontation as they tried to clear a protesters’ barricade, media and a witness reported.“Security forces came to remove barriers but the people resisted and they fired shots,” one witness, who declined to be identified, said from the town by telephone.An official with Aungban’s funerary service, who declined to be identified, told Reuters eight people were killed, seven on the spot and one who was wounded and died after being taken to hospital in the nearby town of Kalaw.The spokesman for the junta was not immediately available for comment but has said security forces have used force only when necessary. Critics have derided that explanation.The total number killed in weeks of unrest has risen to at least 232, according to the latest report and a tally by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group.Police in the main city of Yangon forced people to clear protesters’ barricades, residents said, while demonstrators were also out in the second city of Mandalay, the central towns of Myingyan and Katha, and Myawaddy in the east, witnesses and media reported.Western countries have condemned the coup and called for an end to the violence and for Suu Kyi’s release. Asian neighbors, led by Indonesia, have offered to help find a solution but a March 3 regional meeting failed to make headway.The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has long held to the principle of not commenting on each other’s internal affairs but there are growing signs the Myanmar crisis is forcing a reassessment.Indonesian President Joko Widodo called in a speech for democracy to be restored and violence to end and for Southeast Asian leaders to meet to discuss the situation.“Indonesia urges that the use of violence in Myanmar be stopped immediately so that there are no more victims,” Jokowi, as he is affectionately known, said in a virtual address.“The safety and welfare of the people must be the top priority. Indonesia also urges dialog, that reconciliation is carried out immediately to restore democracy, to restore peace and to restore stability.”Read more:Myanmar faces growing isolation as military tightens gripOusted Myanmar lawmakers eye ICC probe, more deaths reported after protestsMyanmar factory attacks raise questions on Chinese influence
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Myanmar security forces kill eight protesters amid calls to end violence

Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said yesterday that over 105,000 Palestinians who cross into Israel to work have received the first coronavirus vaccination dose over the last two weeks.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Over 105,000 Palestinian workers in Israel vaccinated with first dose

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only managed to get into a diplomatic row with Jordan, he also succeeded in angering the Emiratis.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: After Jordan, Emirates also furious with Netanyahu

Turkey warned last week both Israel and Greece that they must seek its permission before launching works on a proposed undersea power cable in eastern Mediterranean waters.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Turkey irks over Israeli-Greek project for undersea power cable

Drones targeted an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh Friday morning, causing a fire which was brought under control, a Ministry of Energy official said, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The source also said there were no injuries reported, adding that the attack did not affect the oil supply nor its derivatives.“The Kingdom asserts that such acts of terrorism and sabotage, repeatedly committed against vital installations and civilian… do not target the Kingdom alone, but more broadly the security and stability of energy supply to the world, as well as the global economy,” the source said, according to SPA.On March 7, the Arab Coalition said a barrage of drones and missiles had been intercepted en route to targets including an oil storage yard at Ras Tanura, the site of a refinery and the world's biggest offshore oil-loading facility. A residential compound in Dhahran used by Saudi Aramco was also targeted.With ReutersRead more:UN Security Council condemns Iran-backed Houthi offensive in YemenSaudi Arabia urges extension of Iran arms embargo amid increased Houthi attacksArab Coalition destroys Houthi explosive-laden drone heading towards Saudi Arabia
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Drones target Riyadh oil refinery, fire brought under control: Saudi official

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they attacked a state-owned Aramco refinery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday with six explosive drones.

“The designated target was hit with high precision,” Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sarae’e wrote on Twitter.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Yemen’s Houthis hit Saudi Aramco refinery with drones