Middle East Experience

Several universities across Saudi Arabia are preparing to open coronavirus vaccination centers as part of efforts to support the Kingdom’s inoculation drive, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Friday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The centers in the capital Riyadh will be located at the King Saudi University, the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, the Majmaah University and the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, SPA said.The Bisha University will open a vaccine center in the south-western province of Asir. In Mecca, the Umm al-Qura University is setting up an inoculation center.The Taif University, the Hail University, the Jazan University, and the University of Hafr al-Batin will also open centers in their respective cities, according to SPA.Vaccines will be available at the universities for faculty members and their family members, as well as the general public.The doses will be given to people according to priority and age group, and as per the approved electronic systems.Specialized administrative workers will organize medical teams to ensure that the inoculation drive runs smoothly at the new centers.The move comes as part of the Ministry of Education’s efforts, under the guidance of the education minister Hamad al-Asheikh, to join national efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic, SPA said.Under the directives of al-Asheikh, universities across Saudi Arabia have been implementing emergency plans to fight the coronavirus pandemic since February 2020, according to SPA.This includes programs, events, and community activities that aim to raise awareness about the threat of the COVID-19 disease.Universities in the Kingdom also provided technical and human support to state institutions in university hospitals and health centers, as well as allocated buildings for the isolation and quarantine of patients infected with the virus.Hundreds of faculty members and university researchers in Saudi Arabia have been encouraged throughout the pandemic to present scientific studies, research, and innovations to aid the global fight against the coronavirus.The Kingdom is ranked first in the Arab world, 12th among G20 countries, and 17th at the global level in publishing scientific research on the coronavirus.Read more:Saudi Arabian university begins first phase of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials Saudi Arabia ranks 1st in Arab world, 17th globally in coronavirus research efforts
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Universities across Saudi Arabia open COVID-19 vaccine centers 

The Arab Coalition said on Saturday it intercepted and downed an explosive-laden drone launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia towards Saudi Arabia’s Khamis Mushait.The attempted attack comes less than 24 hours after the Arab Coalition thwarted three attacks by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia. For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The coalition had announced on Friday night that a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis was targeting civilian areas in the southern regions of Saudi Arabia.The Arab Coalition had thwarted a second attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia on Saudi Arabia just hours after it had destroyed a drone that was launched by the group towards the Kingdom’s Khamis Mushait on Friday afternoon. The Arab Coalition intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia towards Saudi Arabia’s Khamis Mushait, the coalition’s spokesperson General Turki al-Maliki said on Friday.“Joint Coalition Forces have intercepted and destroyed this morning (Friday) a bomb-laden UAV launched systematically and deliberately by the terrorist Houthi militia to target civilians and civilian objects in (Khamis Mushait),” al-Maliki said, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).“These acts of aggression to deliberately and systematically target civilians and civilian objects by the terrorist, Iran-backed Houthi militia amount to war crimes.”The terrorist group has been ramping up its efforts to strike Saudi Arabia and several areas in Yemen outside its control.Read more:Arab Coalition stops second Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia hours after failed attemptArab Coalition intercepts Houthi ballistic missile targeting Saudi Arabia
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Arab Coalition intercepts Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia; fourth in less than 24 hours

As Lebanon’s economy sinks into a crippling depression, it is the frontline heroes who helped the country battle the COVID-19 crisis that is bearing the brunt; with redundancies forcing nurses out of jobs and into unemployment, according to a nursing chapter in the Middle Eastern nation.Lebanon’s economy began collapsing in 2019; a crisis made worse by nationwide anti-government protests, the coronavirus pandemic and the August 4 Beirut blast; a triple whammy which has brought the country to its knees.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.It means Lebanon is facing a dangerous depletion of resources, or a “brain drain”, warns Dr Myrna Doumit, president of Order of Nurses in Lebanon.According to Dr Doumit, nurses are being laid off by private hospitals across the country, as part of cost-cutting measures as finance-stricken businesses look to balance their books.About 600 nurses – those who have been at the frontline to treat patients suffering with COVID-19 - have been laid off over the past year, she said. Those remaining are at risk of burn-out. “Hospitals have downsized and laid off nurses,” said Dr Doumit. “The nurses that are left are exhausted. They have either had COVID-19 or treated those with COVID-19 and now a smaller pool of resources are trying to makeup for a huge shortfall.”Many university-trained nurses are now without a job in Lebanon or have relocated to other countries in the region in search of work.“What hospitals and health care institutions are doing is jeopardizing the care of nurses, which is unacceptable.”“We are asking hospitals to recruit, but they do not want to open new positions, they just want to make more money and this is dangerous.”In 2020, Lebanon defaulted on its debt, banks imposed capital controls and inflation has reached triple-digit rates, plummeting the country into its worst ever economic crisis.Dr Doumit says the situation is unique in the Middle East. Most countries, she says, have a lack of university-trained nursing professionals and are actively trying to recruit from overseas.In Lebanon, there are trained-nurses – but who cannot find employment.Earlier this year, the Order of Nurses launched a new initiative which helped place unemployed nurses within local communities to deal with the coronavirus response.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.But many more are still hunting for work.For those who still have a job, working conditions are poor, says Dr Doumit, especially in the north of the country.“Hospitals are reducing salaries by a third. Nurses ultimately have less more pressure and it is very tough.”“Physical working environments are also not often safe. There are more patients than ever per nurses, who are often to have inadequate access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).”While across the country frontline staff have been universally praised by the people of Lebanon, nurses need more “tangible” benefits from their employers and the government, says Dr Doumit.“People’s image of nursing has changed, they are being recognized by the people of Lebanon. But working conditions are not changing.”“Nurses are afraid of doing any action on the ground or speaking up.”“We have 1,200 new nursing graduates this year – I would like to see them be actively recruited, instead of them being forced to leave the country to find work.”“We know the economic crash in the country, but give nurses some incentives. Improve the ratio of patients to nurses, revise salary packages, or offer them benefits such as reduced mobile phone rates or reduced prices in supermarkets.”“This is what we are asking for. Something tangible to help these nurses who have, themselves, helped so many others.”Read more:Coronavirus: Multiple daily COVID-19 deaths at Lebanon hospitals becomes new normalCoronavirus: More than half of French nurses approaching burn-out, says surveyCoronavirus: First nurse in Lebanon dies from COVID-19 following death of doctor
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Exhausted by COVID-19 fight, Lebanese nurses want pay not praise

Kuwait supports the statements made by Saudi Arabia on the United States’ intel report pertaining to the Kingdom’s leadership regarding the murder of the late Jamal Khashoggi, the Kuwaiti foreign ministry said on Saturday.The United Arab Emirates also supports Saudi Arabia’s position on the US intelligence report on the killing of Khashoggi, the Emirates News Agency reported on Saturday.The two countries expressed their confidence that the Kingdom would continue to implement the law in a transparent and impartial manner, and would hold all those involved in the case of Khashoggi accountable.The Saudi Arabian government in a statement on Friday said it completely rejects the negative, false, and unacceptable assessment made by the US.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The report declassified by President Joe Biden alleged that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the 2018 operation that led to the murder of Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate.“The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia completely rejects the negative, false and unacceptable assessment in the report pertaining to the Kingdom’s leadership, and notes that the report contained inaccurate information and conclusions,” the Saudi Arabian foreign ministry said in a statement.“The Ministry reiterates what was previously announced by the relevant authorities in the Kingdom, that this was an abhorrent crime and a flagrant violation of the Kingdom’s laws and values. This crime was committed by a group of individuals that have transgressed all pertinent regulations and authorities of the agencies where they were employed,” the statement added.Read more:US wants change but not ‘rupture’ with Saudi Arabia: BlinkenSaudi Arabia ‘completely rejects’ US report’s assessment on murder of Jamal Khashoggi
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE, Kuwait support Saudi Arabia’s response to US report on murder of Khashoggi

Egypt’s parliamentary Defense and National Security Committee is discussing a plan to remove any mention of Quranic verses from the curriculum and limit them to religious courses, claiming to be part of a plan to fight extremism.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt's plan to remove the Quran from school textbooks faces backlash

Turkey’s information tsar Fahrettin Altun’s announcement of a “next-generation application” to combat “false facts” raised fears of further control over social media.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Turkish government's fact-checking app brings concern, ridicule

The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation (GCC) Council Nayef al-Hajraf expressed his support for the statements made by Saudi Arabia on the United States’ intel report pertaining to the Kingdom’s leadership regarding the murder of the late Jamal Khashoggi, the council said in a statement on Saturday.The assessment on the Saudi Arabian leadership’s involvement in the murder of Khashoggi is not based on conclusive evidence, al-Hajraf said.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The GCC Secretary General affirmed his appreciation for the great and pivotal role that the Kingdom plays in enhancing regional and international peace and security, and for its great role in combating terrorism and supporting the efforts of the international community to do the same. The Saudi Arabian government in a statement on Friday said it completely rejects the negative, false, and unacceptable assessment made by the US.The report declassified by President Joe Biden alleged that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the 2018 operation that led to the murder of Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate.“The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia completely rejects the negative, false and unacceptable assessment in the report pertaining to the Kingdom’s leadership, and notes that the report contained inaccurate information and conclusions,” the Saudi Arabian foreign ministry said in a statement.Read more:UAE, Kuwait support Saudi Arabia’s response to US report on murder of KhashoggiUS wants change but not ‘rupture’ with Saudi Arabia: BlinkenSaudi Arabia ‘completely rejects’ US report’s assessment on murder of Jamal Khashoggi
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: GCC Secretary General says US intel report on Khashoggi not based on evidence

“There is no corona! It is over!” A woman shouted during a Purim street party while not wearing a mask or keeping social distance.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: COVID-19: Hundreds party in Jaffa, many without masks, as curfew looms

Despite the COVID-19 health restrictions, protesters mean to stand on Balfour St in Jerusalem outside the PM's house on Saturday evening and speak out.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: From Finland to Tel Aviv: Israelis wave flags and call on Netanyahu to go

Health officials, who could not immediately confirm how the person got infected, said genome sequencing of the new infection was under way.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: New Zealand's largest city Auckland back to lockdown after COVID-19 case