Russia and Israel are marking 30 years of diplomatic relations this year
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Ashkenazi thanks Russia for work to recover Israelis’ remains in Syria
UAE shuns Israel electioneering: Emirati official
The UAE does not want to get involved in the upcoming Israeli elections according to officials, amid reports that Netanyahu will visit soon..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UAE shuns Israel electioneering: Emirati official
Liberman: Vision, values gap with haredim ‘existential threat’ to Israel
Yisrael Beytenu leader warns Israel likely to turn into ‘Iranian, Khomenei-style state’ of religious law if Netanyahu-led right-wing, religious bloc wins the election.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Liberman: Vision, values gap with haredim ‘existential threat’ to Israel
Saudi Arabia reports 345 COVID-19 cases, 6 deaths
Saudi Arabia on Monday reported 345 new coronavirus cases and six deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 382,752 and the death toll to 6,573, according to the Ministry of Health.The number of recoveries rose by 223 to 372,926.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.There are 3,253 active COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom, 567 of which are critical cases.More than two million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered at 500 vaccination centers across Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health announced on Saturday.There have been no reports of severe complications linked to the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine in Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom’s Public Health Authority said after several European countries withdrew the dose over its alleged link to blood clots.Read more:Saudi Arabia administered over 2 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccine: MinistryNo severe side effects of AstraZeneca dose reported in Saudi Arabia: Health AuthoritySaudi health minister assures all COVID-19 vaccines administered in Kingdom safe
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia reports 345 COVID-19 cases, 6 deaths
WHO examining AstraZeneca vaccine reports, says no evidence of causality
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that its advisory panel was reviewing reports related to AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine but there was no evidence that any health incidents were caused by the shot.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.In a reply to Reuters, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said: “As soon as WHO has gained a full understanding of these events, the findings and any unlikely changes to current recommendations will be immediately communicated to the public.“As of today, there is no evidence that the incidents are caused by the vaccine and it is important that vaccination campaigns continue so that we can save lives and stem severe disease from the virus,” he added.Read more:More countries stop using AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine amid growing fearsMedics who received AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Norway treated for blood clotsAstraZeneca side effects reviewed in India after European concerns
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: WHO examining AstraZeneca vaccine reports, says no evidence of causality
Israel, Cyprus, Greece advance underwater power cable project
Israeli, Greek and Cypriot energy ministers signed last week an agreement to advance the undersea Euro-Asia Interconnector electricity cable.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel, Cyprus, Greece advance underwater power cable project
Netanyahu: Israel has 'good relations' with Jordan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps insisting that all is fine with Jordan.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Netanyahu: Israel has 'good relations' with Jordan
Italian prosecutors seize AstraZeneca vaccine batch after death of shot recipient
Prosecutors in the northern Italian region of Piedmont said on Monday they had seized a batch of 393,600 shots of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine following the death of a man hours after he had received a jab.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The move represents another blow to the image of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Italy and will further hinder the government’s anti-coronavirus inoculation campaign.On Sunday Piedmont’s regional government suspended use of the batch, ABV5811, after Sandro Tognatti, a 57-year-old music teacher, fell ill and died in circumstances that have not yet been clarified.Magistrates in Sicily ordered the seizure of a separate batch of AstraZeneca vaccine last week following the sudden deaths of two men who had recently been inoculated.The Italian government has said there was no evidence of a connection between the deaths and the jabs and has allowed the AstraZeneca vaccine to continue to be administered.By contrast, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland have all suspended use of the vaccine following blot-clotting issues, some of them fatal, in people who had used it.Tognatti had his shot on Saturday afternoon, his wife told Italian newspapers. He developed a high temperature during the night and felt ill again on Sunday morning. An ambulance was called, but he died shortly afterwards.“It is therefore important to ensure that continued administration of the drug throughout the country does not lead to further consequences (harmful or fatal) ... until we are completely sure that (Tognatti’s) death cannot be attributed to the above-mentioned inoculation,” prosecutor Teresa Angela Camelio said in a statement.Read more:More countries stop using AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine amid growing fearsWHO examining AstraZeneca vaccine reports, says no evidence of causalityMoney, talent flowing into mRNA sector after COVID-19 vaccine success
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Italian prosecutors seize AstraZeneca vaccine batch after death of shot recipient
Washington’s Afghan plan diplomatic godsend for Ankara
A US peace plan for Afghanistan, involving intra-Afghan talks in Turkey, could offer Ankara a chance to raise its international profile and break the ice with Washington.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Washington’s Afghan plan diplomatic godsend for Ankara
Iraq drug trafficker escapes police custody, accomplices pose as soldiers
An Iraqi drug trafficker being escorted to court made a daring escape Monday when associates posing as soldiers forced police to hand him over, a police official said.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The trafficker, who was not named but who is believed to be backed by a powerful armed faction, was arrested on Sunday in possession of a “large quantity of drugs” in the southern province of Missan, the official said.On Monday, a force of around 100 policemen were escorting him to a court in Amara, the province’s capital, when armed men dressed as soldiers ambushed the convoy, forcing agents to hand him over, this police source explained.“They arrived in four 4X4 vehicles, all of them armed, and the police who numbered about 100 had no other choice but to surrender their prisoner,” he said.He said the armed men were acting on behalf of “a powerful” faction, which he declined to identify for security reasons and fear of reprisals.Missan, one of Iraq’s poorest provinces, is a haven for drug traffickers linked to powerful pro-Iran groups who impose their rule on local authorities.Drug consumption was rare in Iraq during the reign of dictator Saddam Hussein, with both users and dealers facing the death penalty if found guilty.But after Saddam’s ouster in 2003 drug consumption boomed across Iraq, which had long been a transit route for drugs making their way into Europe from Afghanistan and Iran.In 2017, Iraq stopped issuing the death penalty for drug users and dealers, opting for prison sentences.Elsewhere on Monday, three policemen were shot and wounded during a raid at the home of a suspected drug dealer in Baghdad, medical sources said.Read more:Spanish police seize 600 kg of cocaine, arrest international gang in MadridFrench police launch investigation after Argentine footballer's home burgledBelgian police arrest 10 suspected looters from BLM protest
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iraq drug trafficker escapes police custody, accomplices pose as soldiers