Middle East Experience

The first ever Saudi-Japanese anime film “The Journey” is set to hit theaters across the Middle East in the summer of 2021, Manga Productions revealed in a newly-released trailer. Inspired by Arabian folklore, the movie tells the story of Aws, a potter with a secret past who is caught up in a battle while trying to defend his city.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The Journey” will premiere in 4DX technology, which will provide a unique cinematic experience for movie-goers across the region, Manga Productions said in a statement.The trailer was first released at the Berlinale film festival in Germany and can also be viewed on Manga Productions and VOX Cinemas’ social platforms.“The Journey movie will provide the audience with a one-of-a-kind and unique experience, as the movie has been produced at a high standard from talented and well experienced professionals from Japan and Saudi,” Dr. Essam Bukhary, CEO of Manga Productions, said. The anime movie is a co-production with major Japanese studio TOEI Animation and is directed by animation director Shizuno Kobun.“We at Manga productions are very happy that it will be available across the Middle East and internationally to support our vision of exporting Saudi culture and the historical stories the Arabian Peninsula retains. The Journey movie will be the start of Manga Productions’ step in the cinematic industry in the Middle East and the world,” Bukhary added. Manga Productions, which is a subsidiary of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s MiSK Foundation, focuses on producing value-driven animations and developing video games and comics with creative and positive content that targets different local and international social groups.Read more:Meet the Saudi actor leading the Kingdom’s first coming-of-age film ‘The Book of Sun’Netflix will stream six award-winning Saudi Arabian filmsNetflix signs deal with Saudi Arabia animator Myrkott, creator of Masameer cartoons
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Manga Production’s first ever Saudi-Japanese anime film set to hit theaters in 2021

All Ramadan tent permits in Dubai have been cancelled as part of the United Arab Emirates’ efforts to curb the rising number of coronavirus infections, the Dubai Media Office announced on Tuesday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Tents outside of mosques, houses, or any other public places will be prohibited during the holy month, the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD) in Dubai announced.Charitable distribution of food will also be banned, unless it is in collaboration with charities and institutions that are approved and licensed by the IACAD to ensure the distribution complies with the latest COVID-19 protocols, Ahmed Darwish, Executive Director of Charitable Works at IACAD, said. Dozens of tents are usually set up outside of mosques and other public spaces around the UAE to serve food to Muslims who want to break their fast.“Compliance with preventive and precautionary measures is a collective community responsibility to protect public health,’’ Darwish added.IACAD said it would continue to reach out to the needy through its digital Meals of Hope initiative during Ramadan.The decision to cancel all permits for Ramadan tents, majlises and iftar gatherings was taken as part of the country’s plans to combat the coronavirus pandemic, Ahmed Darwish, Executive Director of Charitable Works at IACAD, said.This year, Ramadan is expected to begin on April 12, pending the moon sighting. Ramadan is the month-long period when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and is usually celebrated with family and friends.Dubai last week announced that it would be extending coronavirus countermeasures it currently has in place until the beginning of Ramadan.The maximum capacity allowed in venues with indoor seating, including cinemas, entertainment and sports venues, will remain at 50 percent, the emirate’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management said.Shopping malls, hotels, swimming pools and private beaches in hotels are permitted to only operate at 70 percent capacity, the committee said. Restaurants and cafes across the city must close by 1 a.m., it added.Health officials introduced new restrictions earlier this month after the country began seeing the rate of infections rise rapidly due to an influx of vacationers arriving at the tourist hub.Read more:Dubai extends COVID-19 precautionary measures until mid-AprilAbu Dhabi labs processing PCR samples from all over the world
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Dubai cancels Ramadan tent permits to curb rising COVID-19 cases

While pressuring Washington to drop sanctions and renew the JCPOA, Beijing has expanded trade and military relations with Tehran and its neighbors.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: China, Iran relations widen amid renewed nuclear talks

The United States Tuesday announced sanctions against senior Russian officials and entities for their role in poisoning and attempting to assassinate Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.Senior Biden administration officials revealed the decision in a phone call with reporters.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“We expect our relationship with Russia to be challenging,” one US official said, adding that the Biden administration did not want to reset or escalate ties with Russia.With Tuesday's announcement, the US was “catching up” to the European Union in sanctioning Russia for its “gross violations of human rights.”The list of individuals sanctioned includes some names that Navalny’s supporters have been proposing to be sanctioned, but the officials would not elaborate. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the US officials, said had a role in the operation to try to kill Navalny.A second official said that 14 parties would be added to the US restrictions list, which prevents companies from exporting or dealing with them. Nine of the companies are in Russia, three in Germany, 1 in Switzerland and another is a government research center.Navalny, 44, was taken to Germany last year after being poisoned with what US officials have said was poisoned with nerve agent Novichok.Upon returning to Russia in January, he was immediately arrested and sentenced to more than two-and-a-half years in jail.More sanctions comingUS officials hinted that more sanctions would be announced against Russia in the coming weeks and months, without specifying a date.The sanctions for the Navalny poisoning were the first batch.There are four separate assessments related to four areas of Russia’s activity the US considers malign. The others are related to the bounties on US troops, the Solar Winds hack and election interference, according to the officials.US coordination with EUThe sanctions move was coordinated with Washington's European partners. EU member states have already sanctioned Russian officials for the poisoning despite warnings from the Kremlin that such moves could harm bilateral ties.Following the US decision on Tuesday, the EU announced more sanctions on four senior Russian officials for the Navalny case.The 27-nation bloc imposed bans on travel and froze the assets in Europe of Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Igor Krasnov, the prosecutor general, Viktor Zolotov, head of the National Guard, and Alexander Kalashnikov, head of the Federal Prison Service.One US official said earlier Tuesday: "We share the EU’s assessment that Russia is moving towards authoritarianism."Read more:Kremlin says US sanction on Russia’s treatment of Navalny will worsen relationsFM Lavrov says Russia will respond in kind to any newly imposed US sanctions: Ifax- with AP
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US sanctions Russian officials over Navalny poisoning as Biden toughens stance

The United Arab Emirates has administered around one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in two weeks, according to the National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA).For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page. A total of six million doses of the vaccine have now been given to nearly half (46.6 percent) of the country’s population of 9.9 million, with some people receiving a second dose.The UAE has now issued the second-highest number of vaccines relative to population out of any country in the world, behind Israel and ahead of the UK.Vaccines have been given to 61.4 percent of elderly people in the UAE.NCEMA says that a recent drop in case numbers (after peaking in late January) is attributable to the mass vaccination program.“Today we are witnessing a gradual decrease in the number of cases,” NCEMA said in a Tweet.“This is a positive indicator, achieved through the implementation of all national protocols & precautionary measures & proactively providing vaccines to all members of society.”New COVID-19 cases in the UAE have fallen by an average of one-fifth since the late January peak, although there has been a slight increase at the beginning of March.The UAE started its mass vaccination program in December 2020, aiming to inoculate 50 percent of its population by March 2021.It will continue until December 2021 when the government aims to have vaccinated 70 percent of the country.Read more: UAE vaccinates 40 percent of population, 48 percent of elderly residentsUAE COVID-19 cases drop 22 pct from January peak, slower decline than in UK, IsraelUAE reports 2,721 new COVID-19 cases, 15 deaths
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE administers 1mln COVID-19 vaccine doses in two weeks

The UK government said it would provide..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UK's 'inexplicable' cut to Yemen aid sparks outrage

Heysem Topalca, a fugitive whose name was implicated in some of the most controversial chapters of Ankara’s Syria policy due to his alleged role in the Turkish intelligence operations in Syria, has died, taking all his secrets to the grave.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Elusive figure of Syrian war dies with secrets in Turkey

Israel advances its measures to annex Jerusalem by implementing several settlement projects, including one on the site of Palestine’s old airport.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Palestinians to lose only airport in Jerusalem to Israeli settlements

The family was in Dubai for a month to visit their relatives..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UAE: Family forgets Covid info form; barred from boarding India flight

Justice minister’s comments contradict calmer messages from gov't experts.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Gantz says Israel moving to protect citizens from ICC