Middle East Experience

The lockdown is currently scheduled to end Friday, but it seems likely that it will be extended.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Coronavirus: Businesses losing hope as Israel's 3rd lockdown continues

The European Union’s top priorities are to get the United States back into the nuclear deal with Iran and for Tehran to return to full compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a spokesman told Al Arabiya on Tuesday.Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called a day earlier on the bloc's top envoy Josep Borrell to coordinate a synchronized return of Washington into the 2015 agreement and Tehran's full compliance with it.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The High Representative Josep Borrell as a coordinator of the nuclear deal is working very hard and he's in regular contact with partners from the JCPOA participating countries, but also within the new [US] administration, with the priority to ensure a possible return of the US back to the deal and return of Iran to the full compliance,” EU Spokesman Peter Stano said.The EU, which coordinates implementation of the deal, has been scrambling along with world powers who signed it to save the pact since former US leader Donald Trump pulled out in 2018 and slapped tough sanctions on Iran.US President Joe Biden has voiced support for returning to the deal but has insisted that Tehran first come back into compliance by reversing measures it took to protest the sweeping US sanctions.Ned Price, the spokesperson for the US State Department, said on Tuesday that Washington would not budge on its demand for Tehran to return to full compliance with the JCPOA.“This is a challenge we have to tackle immediately … and that is the broader challenge of ensuring Iran is not in a position to develop a nuclear weapon,” Price told reporters during his first press briefing.For his part, Stano acknowledged that Iran is moving away from full compliance to the deal but said Tehran was still away from a “full breach.”“To stay that there is a full breach, Iran would need to do more dramatic steps. For us, the most important thing is the assessment of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, which still has full access, which still is able to verify everything that needs to be verified based on the deal,” Stano said.Read more:Iran is a ‘far cry’ away from returning to JCPOA commitments: US State DepartmentUS has ‘urgent’ responsibility to ensure Iran doesn’t get nuclear weapons: BlinkenPriority for US is dealing with Iran moving closer to nuclear weapon: Official
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: EU priority to get US back to Iran nuclear deal: Spokesperson

The continuing coronavirus pandemic puts a damper on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s diplomatic achievements.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Netanyahu’s diplomatic blitz now victim of the coronavirus

Doctors in the UAE said the number of people suffering from seasonal flu has plummeted this year due to increased hygiene and health safety practices to limit the spread of COVID-19.While December, January and February is normally the peak of influenza-like symptoms being reported among patients, health experts say the cases have fallen dramatically this year.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Dr Pankaj Tardeja, head of department and a specialist pediatrician at NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain, is among the health experts who have witnessed a fall in patients suffering with seasonal flu.He said – given the flu and COVID-19 are similar in its nature; given they are both spread by human-to-human transmission – often by respiratory droplets – as people take steps to limit the chance of contracting coronavirus, cases of flu have fallen.“Public health measures such as proper hand hygiene, good respiratory etiquette (coughing into your elbow or into a tissue and immediately disposing tissue), mask usage, social distancing, staying indoor have limited the spread of viruses - including the flu virus,” he told Al Arabiya English.“Additionally precautionary measures taken at schools, nurseries, day care centers and community centers for COVID-19 has in return curbed the spread of seasonal flu.”UAE-wide campaigns to encourage the general public in taking the influenza vaccine has also helped curb the number of flu cases, he said.“Als, the pandemic has cultivated better and nutritious eating habits that has again helped in building immunity against multiple diseases.”The doctor said, ultimately, the pandemic has caused better health practices among the community.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Dr Siddeg Fadul, a specialist in family medicine at Bareen International Hospital, agrees.“In order to slow the spread of COVID-19, many countries have implemented protective strategies such as social distancing , hand sanitizer, face masks, quarantines, and schools and public places closures.”“Many countries around the world reported decreasing numbers of COVID-19 cases after these precautions – but preventions in place have also led to reports of other decreasing virus activity.”“Our new habits of hand hygiene and social distancing to limit the impact of COVID-19 have the potential to reduce yearly flu transmission. This can help prevent any further strain on our already stretched healthcare system."Dr Rasha Alani, a specialist in family medicine at Medcare Medical center, in Al Khawaneej, said up to half-a-million people were estimated to have died during the first year influenza was discovered.“With the availability of the treatment these numbers started to reduce. Now, compared to cases as last year, there is decline in the curve of this kind of infection.”Rules, such as wearing face masks and hand hygiene, have led to “good protection in our community to stop viral transmission”, said the doctor, who has reported zero cases of influenza this year.Read more:Coronavirus: Could the pandemic knock out flu in Europe this winter?Coronavirus survives on skin for nine hours, five times longer than flu, study showsUAE records over 3,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, seven deaths
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Hygiene, social distancing leads to plummeting flu rates: Health experts

The USS Nimitz spent more than 270 days at sea conducting exercises with the Indian navy and seeking to deter Iran from retaliating for last year's killing of Qasem Soleimani.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Pentagon sends aircraft carrier Nimitz home from Middle East

As local councils in northern Syria, which is under the control of Turkish-backed rebels, fail to make car dealers obtain licenses and register their offices, chaos prevails in the car market, as car bombs and explosions claim the lives of dozens of civilians.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: How car bombs are making their way into northern Syria

Iran is responsible for the attempted bomb attack by a diplomat and several others at an event held by an exiled Iranian opposition group in France in 2018, the civil party’s lawyer Rik Vanreusel told Al Arabiya.“There was a bomb planted, or almost planted, on a gathering of the opposition of the state of Iran. That the bomb was planted by a diplomat… That this spy has recruited several other agents to perform this heinous attack and this having been done without Iran knowing, to me, is impossible,” Vanreusel said in an interview.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.A Belgian court is expected to issue its final verdict against the Vienna-based diplomat Assadolah Assadi, and three other Iranians on Thursday for planning to bomb a meeting held by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in France.The verdict was initially due at the end of January, but the Antwerp court deferred it to February 4, without giving any reason for the delay.Over 1,000 Iranian dissidents, politicians, activists, and lawmakers, including members of the US Congress, the European Parliament, and members of parliaments from several Arab countries, had attended the meeting.A joint operation between France, Germany, and Belgium thwarted the attack.“The state of Iran as a governing body is responsible and can therefore be identified with state sponsored terrorism. I think this case is a clear example of that,” Vanreusel said.Assadi, who was the third counselor at Iran’s embassy in Vienna, did not only act on orders from Iran, but also recruited others to help plant the bomb, the lawyer claimed.Posted in Vienna, the diplomat’s mission covered cracking down on Iranian opposition groups operating outside the country, authorities believe.While Iran has denied allegations of involvement in the attack, Vanreusel told Al Arabiya that Tehran has never distanced itself from the diplomat, and sent foreign dignitaries from the embassy to visit him in prison.“Iran never said on international levels ‘This diplomat is a lone wolf. He has gone rogue.’ They never acknowledged this. They always denied their own involvement, but they never parted ways with the diplomat,” Vanreusel said.Arrested in 2018, while on holiday in Germany, Assadi’s extradition to Belgium followed two accomplices detained with half a kilogram of the explosive TATP and a detonator.During an interrogation interview, Assadi threatened Belgian authorities of possible retaliation if he is found guilty.Read more:Belgian court postpones verdict in Iranian diplomat caseBelgium court charges Iranian diplomat with 20-year prison term over terrorismIranian diplomat, three others face trial in Belgium over suspected bomb plot
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran responsible for attempted bomb attack on opposition group in France: Lawyer  

Dubai received its first shipment of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, making it the third COVID-19 vaccine approved and offered by the UAE in its nationwide inoculation drive.The vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, was manufactured in, and shipped to the UAE from India.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The vaccine’s genetic make-upThe Oxford vaccine consists of adenovirus which causes the common cold in chimpanzees. Modified to prevent it from reproducing it prevents adenovirus from causing an infection. It carries a fraction of the coronavirus to deliver it to the cells in the human body to trigger an immune response.Unlike the mRNA viruses, AstraZeneca’s vaccine uses double-stranded DNA and a tough coat of adenovirus to help protect the genetic material inside, ensuring freezing of the vaccine is not required.Who is eligible to take the vaccine and where can they take it?The CEO of DHA’s Clinical Support Services and nursing Sector, and Chairperson of the COVID-19 Vaccination Steering Committee, Dr. Farid al-Khaja, told Gulf News that the AstraZeneca vaccine will be available to Emiratis between the ages of 18 and 60, people of determination and people will chronic diseases within the same age group, provided they have a valid visa in the country.The Oxford vaccine will be available to the groups at the One Central Vaccination Center, according to Dr. al-Khaja.She also added that frontline and vital sector workers from both public and private entities would be able to take the vaccine at the Vaccination Field Center. Individuals in these categories will be able to schedule appointments via the institutions that they work for.However, children are not eligible for this vaccine specifically as its safety in this space has not been assessed yet in minors.Read more:Dubai receives first AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine shipmentSinopharm vaccine explainer: Everything you need to know after UAE approvalSputnik V vaccine explainer: Everything you need to know after UAE approval
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: AstraZeneca vaccine explainer: All you need to know after UAE approval

The United Arab Emirates detected 3,977 new cases of the novel coronavirus, the highest daily toll since the outbreak began in the country, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced on Wednesday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The total number of confirmed infections in the UAE now stands at 3133,626.Twelve people died due to complications caused by COVID-19, which raises the virus-related death toll in the country to 878.Meanwhile, 4,075 people recovered from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries in the UAE to 289,276.Health officials have been reporting a surge of infections this past month. Over 3,000 new cases have been recorded per day for weeks.Officials said they will begin to enforce harsher punishments against COVID-19 regulation rulebreakers to help curb the outbreak.Read more:UAE to enforce ‘more stringent’ punishments for COVID-19 rulebreakers: NCEMAHygiene, social distancing leads to plummeting flu rates: health experts
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE detects record number of new COVID-19 cases, 12 deaths in 24 hours

Once more, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria’s Idlib is making appearances in public places and visiting camps in a bid to present himself as a popular leader and to have his organization’s name removed from the international terrorist list.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Al-Qaeda-linked leader again descends on Idlib streets to polish his image