Middle East Experience

The Belgian prime minister said the children in the notorious al-Hol camp could become “the terrorists of tomorrow.” Women will be repatriated on a case-by-case basis.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Belgian children and some women to be repatriated from IS camp in Syria.

Heart inflammation is uncommon in pro athletes who have had mostly mild COVID-19 and most do not need to be sidelined, a study conducted by major professional sports leagues suggests.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The results are not definitive, outside experts say, and more independent research is needed. But the study published Thursday in JAMA Cardiology is the largest to examine the potential problem. The coronavirus can cause inflammation in many organs, including the heart.The research involved professional athletes in the US and Canada who play in major league football, hockey, soccer, baseball and men’s and women’s basketball. All tested positive for COVID-19 before October and were given guideline-recommended heart tests, nearly 800 total. None had severe COVID-19 and 40 percent had few or no symptoms — what might be expected from a group of healthy elite athletes with an average age of 25. Severe COVID-19 is more common in older people and those with chronic health conditions.Almost four percent had abnormal results on heart tests done after they recovered but subsequent MRI exams found heart inflammation in less than 1 percent of the athletes. These five athletes all had COVID-19 symptoms. Whether their heart problems were caused by the virus is unknown although the researchers think that is likely.They were sidelined for about three months, had no further problems and at least some returned to play, said Dr. Matthew Martinez of Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. He’s the study’s lead author and team cardiologist for football’s New York Jets.Two previous smaller studies in college athletes recovering from the virus suggested heart inflammation might be more common. The question is of key interest to athletes, who put extra stress on their hearts during play, and undetected heart inflammation has been linked with sudden death.Whether mild COVID-19 can cause heart damage ‘‘is the million-dollar question,’’ said Dr. Richard Kovacs, co-founder of the American College of Cardiology’s Sports & Exercise Council. And whether severe COVID-19 symptoms increase the chances of having fleeting or long-lasting heart damage ‘‘is part of the puzzle,’’ he said.Kovacs said the study has several weaknesses. Testing was done at centers affiliated or selected by each team, and results were interpreted by team-affiliated cardiologists, increasing the chances of bias. More rigorous research would have had standardized testing done at a central location and more objective specialists interpret the results, he said.Also, many of the athletes had no previous imaging exams to compare the results with, so there is no way to know for certain if abnormalities found during the study were related to the virus.‘‘There is clearly more work to do but I think it is very helpful additional evidence,” said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, president-elect of the American Heart Association.Dr. Dial Hewlett, a member of a COVID-19 task force at the National Medical Association, which represents Black physicians, said the study ‘‘is extremely timely.’’ Hewlett is a deputy health commissioner for New York’s Westchester County and advises high schools and colleges on when to allow young athletes to return to play after COVID-19 infections.‘‘I’m grateful that we are starting to get some data to help guide us in some of our decisions,’’ Hewlett said.Read more:Nine great apes in San Diego become first non-human primates vaccinated for COVID-19Pfizer plant helping boost vaccines has repeat quality offensesObesity a driving factor in COVID-19 deaths: Global report
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Heart problems may be rare in pro athletes after COVID-19

The United Arab Emirates hinged its inoculation program on the vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm Group, given early availability and the potential to produce the shots locally.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section. The UAE, which has one of the fastest vaccine rollouts in the world, entered talks with 23 companies and engaged with them over three main factors, said Omar Najim, executive office director at Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health.Early procurement and purchasing were among the main considerations, while conducting local clinical trials and manufacturing the vaccines in the country were the other points of engagement. “Sinopharm, we felt very happy about, Najim said. “We have our own results.The oil-rich nation has so far administered 6.2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines and aims to inoculate half of its 10 million mostly expatriate population before the end of this month. The Sinopharm vaccine is the most widely used shot in the UAE and showed an efficacy rate of 86 percent in local Phase III trials.The UAE approved the shot after carrying out trials that included 31,000 volunteers and plans to start manufacturing the vaccine this year. Russia’s Sputnik vaccine has also been granted emergency authorization.In addition, vaccines developed by AstraZeneca Plc and Pfizer Inc. have also been approved, though these are available mostly in Dubai -- one of the UAE’s seven sheikhdoms.“I think we secured enough, hopefully to get to good numbers to continue the vaccination drive we have, Najim said, adding that the UAE continues to have a delivery schedule on Sinopharm doses. “We haven’t hit a place where we’re struggling to find people to vaccinate.The country has reported about 400,000 cases since the start of the outbreak. About 1,200 people have died, giving the UAE one of the lowest case-mortality rates in the world, according to data by Johns Hopkins University.“We are putting things in place, which is investing more into manufacturing and localizing some of what we needed, even though it might not pay return on investment in the longer term, Najim said. “But nevertheless, it becomes a national security element. That’s something that we’ll be taking forward.Read more:UAE may ‘soon’ be first country to vaccinate all population, reach herd immunity: DocUAE reports 2,742 new COVID-19 cases, 17 deaths in 24 hoursAlmost 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine distributed in the Middle East
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE prioritized early availability, local production in picking Sinopharm vaccine

The Arab Coalition said it had destroyed six explosive drones fired towards Saudi Arabia on Friday, with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia claiming to have launched an attack into southern Saudi Arabia at dawn.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Houthis fired the intercepted drones towards Khamis Mushait near the Yemen border in attacks at dawn and during the morning, the Coalition said in a statement carried by state news agency SPA. The six drones were intercepted and destroyed.Yemen’s Houthi movement regularly launches drones and missiles into Saudi Arabia, many of which Riyadh says it intercepts.On Thursday, the Coalition destroyed a ballistic missile launched into the Kingdom's Jazan region, injuring at least five civilians.Some attacks have previously hit Abha International Airport which is about 120 kilometer (75 miles) from the border with Yemen.In February, the Houthis claimed an attack on the Abha airport which caused a civilian plane to catch fire. The militia said the airport was a military target, according to AFP.On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department imposed new sanctions on two Houthi military leaders.With agenciesRead more:Arab Coalition destroys ballistic missile launched by Houthis toward Saudi ArabiaArab Coalition destroys explosive-laden drone targeting Saudi Arabia's Khamis MushaitArab Coalition destroys Houthi ballistic missile launched toward Saudi Arabia’s Jazan
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Arab Coalition intercepts six explosive drones fired at Saudi's Khamis Mushait

The United Arab Emirates has reported 3,072 new COVID-19 cases after conducting 242,742 tests over the past 24 hours, according to the country’s NCEMA.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The new cases show a slight increase compared to the previous day, however, health authorities processed nearly 7,000 more screenings by Friday than they did on Thursday.There was also a drop in daily deaths with 10 coronavirus-related deaths recorded over the past 24 hours. The death toll has reached 1,296.Meanwhile, an additional 2,026 people who had previously tested positive for the virus recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 389,384 as of March 5.A total of 405,277 people have tested positive for the virus in the UAE since it was first detected in the Gulf country.Read more:UAE prioritized early availability, local production in picking Sinopharm vaccineUAE may ‘soon’ be first country to vaccinate all population, reach herd immunity: DocAlmost 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine distributed in the Middle East
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE reports over 3,000 new COVID-19 cases after 242,742 tests in 24 hours

Pope Francis landed in Baghdad on Friday for his most risky foreign trip since his election in 2012, saying he felt duty-bound to make the “emblematic” visit because Iraq had suffered so much for so long.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.An Alitalia plane carrying him, his entourage, a security detail, and about 75 journalists, touched down at Baghdad International Airport slightly ahead of schedule just before 2 p.m. local time.Iraq is deploying thousands of additional security personnel to protect the 84-year-old pope during the visit, which comes after a spate of rocket and suicide bomb attacks raised fears for his safety.“I am happy to be making trips again,” he said in brief comments to reporters aboard his plane, alluding to the coronavirus pandemic which has prevented him from traveling. The Iraq trip is his first outside Italy since November 2019.“This is an emblematic trip and it is a duty towards a land that has been martyred for so many years,” Francis said, before donning a mask and greeting each reporter individually, without shaking hands.Francis’s whirlwind tour will take him by plane, helicopter and possibly armored car to four cities, including areas that most foreign dignitaries are unable to reach, let alone in such a short space of time.He will say Mass at a Baghdad church, meet Iraq’s top Shia Muslim cleric in the southern city of Najaf and travel north to Mosul, where the army had to empty the streets for security reasons last year for a visit by Iraq’s prime minister.Mosul is a former ISIS stronghold, and churches and other buildings there still bear the scars of conflict.Violence and hopeSince the defeat of the ISIS terrorists in 2017, Iraq has seen a greater degree of security, though violence persists, often in the form of rocket attacks by Iran-aligned militias on US targets, and US military action in response.On Wednesday 10 rockets landed on an airbase that hosts US, coalition and Iraqi forces. Hours later, Francis reaffirmed he would travel to Iraq.ISIS also remains a threat. In January, a suicide attack claimed by the extremist group killed 32 people in Baghdad’s deadliest such attack for years.Francis will meet clergy at a Baghdad church where Islamist gunmen killed more than 50 worshippers in 2010. Violence against Iraq’s minority religious groups, especially when a third of the country was being run by Islamic State, has reduced its ancient Christian community to a fifth of its once 1.5 million people.The pontiff will also visit Ur, birthplace of the prophet Abraham, who is revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews, and meet Iraq’s revered top Shia Muslim cleric, 90-year-old Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.The meeting with Sistani, who wields great influence over Iraq’s Shia majority and in the country’s politics, will be the first by a pope.Some Shia militant groups have opposed the pope’s visit, framing it as Western interference in Iraq’s affairs, but many Iraqis hope that it can help foster a fresh view of Iraq.“It might not change much on the ground, but at least if the pope visits, people will see our country in a different light, not just bombs and war,” said Ali Hassan, a 30-year-old Baghdad resident picking up relatives at the airport.Read more:Pope Francis leaves Rome for four-day Iraq visitIraqi’s gather at a church in Baghdad in anticipation of Pope Francis’ arrival
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Watch: Pope Francis arrives in Baghdad on first papal visit to Iraq

Fighting for his political life after three inconclusive elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows that the pandemic will determine his fate on March 23.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Netanyahu gambles political fate on reopening Israel

Sources in the Syrian opposition have revealed contacts between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and some of the Turkish-allied Free Syrian Army factions on security of the areas under the control of the FSA.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army talks security with HTS in Idlib

The Coronavirus Knowledge and Information Center warned that Israel could be on the verge of another outbreak
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Only 100,000 Israelis over 50 left to be vaccinated - new data

The new option will be available in 90 countries, including Israel, who it heads to it's fourth election in two years.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Facebook introduces control to allow users to suppress political ads