Middle East Experience

The student exchange program comes following a normalization agreement between the two countries.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel and UAE to start student exchange program

There are currently a record six gay MKs, but all of them are men.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: LGBT group head aims to be Knesset’s first open lesbian

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be speaking shortly on the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).Last December, the PIF, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, said it had established a company to develop and expand the private security sector in the Kingdom. The National Security Services Co (SAFE) will focus on providing services such as security consulting, security solutions, training and development, and a range of specialized services, the PIF said in a statement on its website.Established in 1971, the role of the PIF has changed significantly since the introduction of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 back in April 2016. Vision 2030 envisions the fund controlling more than $2 trillion in assets, which would make it the largest SWF in the world.Since the plan calls for the PIF to become a massive investment vehicle to help move the Kingdom away from its historic reliance on oil revenue, the fund has already made great strides to diversify its investments. The PIF has invested in many big-ticket projects and institutions, such as the Blackstone Infrastructure Fund, Virgin Galactic, and the Softbank Vision Fund.Read more:Saudi Arabia’s PIF launches company to develop private security sectorSaudi Public Investment Fund to be world leader: ReportHere are the top 10 sovereign wealth funds in the Arab world(Developing)
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Crown Prince to speak on Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund

“We trust you to enforce rules with wisdom and sensitivity. You are the Police Commissioner of all Israelis – Jews and Arabs. You are responsible for public order for all of us,” said Rivlin.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Rivlin calls on new top cop to be responsible

Other Fatah operatives said they were “surprised” to hear about the idea of joining forces with Hamas.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Will Fatah and Hamas run together in the parliamentary election?

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issues several new royal decrees, including the joining of the Ministry of Housing with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.According to the first royal decree issued on Sunday, the new ministry will now be renamed the "Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing," and the appointment of Majed bin Abdullah al-Hogail as minister responsible for the portfolio.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The royal decree concerning the housing ministry porfolio tasked the Council of Experts in the Kingdom's Council of Ministers - in coordination with whomever it deems appropriate from the relevant authorities and within a period not exceeding three months - to completing the necessary legal procedures to enforce the royal order including transferring and defining the functions, equipment, employees, jobs, properties, items, credits, and others, and reviewing the laws, regulations, orders, royal decrees, decisions and others that have been affected by the latest decree.Another royal decree relieved Dr. Ahmed Abdulkarim Alkholifey from his post as Governor of the Central Bank of Saudi Arabia and replaced by Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah bin Abdullatif al-Mubarak at the rank of minister. Alkholifey was then appointed as an advisor at the Royal Court at the rank of Minister by another royal order.Read more:Saudi Arabia’s PIF to invest 3 trillion riyals over next 10 years: Crown PrinceSaudi Arabia’s Crown Prince reveals project ‘THE LINE’ in futuristic city of NEOMSaudi Arabia Ministry of Energy signs MoU with NEOM on energy cooperation
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issues several new royal decrees

The United States said it will be helping its ally Saudi Arabia defend against attacks on its territory, according to a US State Department statement, a day after the Houthis in Yemen launched an air attack targeting Riyadh.“The United States strongly condemns the latest attack on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We are gathering more information, but it appears to have been an attempt to target civilians. Such attacks contravene international law and undermine all efforts to promote peace and stability,” said Ned Price, a State Department Spokesperson.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Arab Coalition intercepted an apparent missile or drone attack over Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.“As we work to de-escalate tensions in the region through principled diplomacy, including by bringing an end to the war in Yemen, we will also help our partner Saudi Arabia defend against attacks on its territory and hold those who attempt to undermine stability to account,” Price added.The Houthis were designated by the Trump administration this month as a foreign terrorist organization. New US President Joe Biden said his administration has initiated a review of the designation.Read more:Arab Coalition intercepts missile, drone attack targeting Saudi Arabia’s RiyadhFull interview: Saudi FM says Kingdom optimistic about ties with US under BidenSaudi Embassy in Qatar to open within ‘days,’ says Prince Faisal bin Farhan
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US will help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks on its territory: State Department

World leaders, former presidents, CEOs and heads of economy will be among those converging for Saudi Arabia’s fourth annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference next week. Discussions about the future of global economies in a post-pandemic world are on the agenda.The event will feature over 140 speakers and will officially be opened on Wednesday by Yassir al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and chairman of energy-giant Saudi Aramco, with the theme: “The Neo-Renaissance.”For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The first day of the conference will see Al-Rumayyan discuss how, given the resurgence of COVID-19, the World Bank recently lowered its projections and now expects the global economy to grow by just 4 percent in 2021. It contracted 4.3 percent in 2020, the deepest recession since World War II.Al-Rumayyan will talk about the economic aftershocks the pandemic will reverberate for the years ahead, and how institutions can anticipate economic scars much deeper than previous financial crises. As CEOs and policymakers continue to engineer new strategies for the post-crisis economic recovery, the global investment community can leverage the economic downturn to build a stronger, more sustainable future for everyone.Attended by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, day one will also see a panel discussion about a new era of interdependence and how it can reinvigorate international investment.Speakers including, Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’ Minister of Investment, Dr Rania Al-Mashat, Egypt’s Minister of International Cooperation, and the UAE’s Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, of DP World, will discuss how the global investment community can use the global economic downturn, caused by the coronavirus, to build a more sustainable future.Local, regional and international experts will also gather to discuss key sessions, including: ’Health of nations: A CEO’s guide to investing in the next decade of global health’; ’The new CEO playbook: How are leaders reinventing work for the post-COVID world’, and ’Leaps and bounds: How immersive technologies amplify human potential.”Also in attendance will be Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Kingdom’s Minister of Energy, who will be joined by Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of Total, and Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy and group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). They form a panel discussing the future of investment in the energy sector.Other high-profile names that have already been confirmed include, Lord Gerry Grimstone, the UK’s Minister of State for Trade, and Khaldoon Al Mubarak, CEO and managing director of Mubadala.Also on topic for day one, will be the future of the sports industry in a post-pandemic world in a discussion led by Saud Arabia’s Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al Faisal al-Saud, and featuring international Olympic medalists, and sporting chiefs from France, the UK, Kenya and Jamaica.Also on the agenda will be sustainable investment, global digital policy and technological transformation post-COVID-19, new pathways of global growth and regional resilience against COVID-19 - and the importance of forward-looking investments that prioritize economic diversification and resiliency in securing a new era of growth and stability for GCC nations. The day will conclude with a topical discussion addressing the power of partnerships in a post-COVID-19 world.The second, and final day of the summit will see world leaders, including former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Argentina’s president Alberto Fernandez and the French Minister of Economy, Bruno La Maire, discussing how world leaders can realize the mandates set by the G20.Day two will also see discussions about investment opportunities presented by the new generation of ’tech for good’ ventures Artificial Intelligence (AI) will lead the resurgence of the global economy, and the importance of innovation in global sustainable development, and the investments needed in infrastructure to enable the next wave of growth are being discussed.World environmental leaders will also come forward to discuss Climate Change and the action needed under the Paris Agreement.While international CEOs will discuss how business leaders are building more adaptive companies, and financial experts will debate the future of digital currency.Debating the future changes in education, entertainment, healthcare and travel and tourism, led by digital transformation, will happen, while experts will also gather to discuss how inspired leadership is the catalyst for forward-thinking institutions, alliances, and frameworks to improve international cooperation and drive progress and prosperity over the next decade and beyond.Richard Attlas, CEO of the FII Institute, will close the two-day conference with a discussion looking at the road ahead for global nations.In the lead up to the conference, al-Rumayyan said in a statement: “There has never been a more important time for leaders, investors and policy makers to come together to work towards re-energizing the global economy.”Saudi Arabia previously postponed the fourth FII conference to January 2021 from October 2020 due to global travel issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.“The 4th edition of FII will see the most innovative technologies to facilitate global conversations and to be inclusive at the benefit of all of humanity,” said Richard Attias, the CEO of the FII Institute said.“The FII Institute will act as a catalyst and a pioneer to allow interaction and exchange of disruptive ideas. There has never been a more important time to bring the greatest minds together to harness this opportunity to reimagine our world.”This year the conference will differ from previous editions, as the main program is live streamed from Riyadh, the Kingdom’s capital, without participants in attendance due to coronavirus social distancing measures.Read more:Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative conference to host over 140 speakersSaudi Arabia’s fourth FII conference will focus on ‘reimagining the global economy’ Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative (FII) to be physical, not virtual: Attias
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s FII: World leaders to discuss building a strong economy post-pandemic

The ‘E3’ group of European powers - France, the United Kingdom and Germany - said in a joint statement on Monday that they condemned the air attack by the Houthis in Yemen targeting Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh.The statement read: “The E3 – France, Germany and the United Kingdom – strongly condemn the January 23 attempted aerial attacks on Riyadh.“Proliferation and the use of missiles and drones undermine the security and stability of the region, to which we are strongly commited.“We reiterate our firm attachment to the security and integrity of Saudi territory.”For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Arab Coalition intercepted an apparent missile or drone attack over Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh on Saturday, launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.The Houthis have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since September 2014. Riyadh has been targeted in sporadic missile attacks, while the Houthis also have launched missile and drone strikesThe condemnation by France, the UK and Germany follows a similar statement issued by the US.Ned Price, a State Department Spokesperson, said the US will be helping its ally Saudi Arabia defend against such attacks on its territory.“The US strongly condemns the latest attack on Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” said Price.“We are gathering more information, but it appears to have been an attempt to target civilians. Such attacks contravene international law and undermine all efforts to promote peace and stability.“As we work to de-escalate tensions in the region through principled diplomacy, including by bringing an end to the war in Yemen, we will also help our partner Saudi Arabia defend against attacks on its territory and hold those who attempt to undermine stability to account.Read more:US will help Saudi Arabia defend against attacks on its territory: State DepartmentArab Coalition intercepts missile, drone attack targeting Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Britain, France and Germany ‘strongly condemn’ air attack on Saudi Arabia

Dubai restaurants have begun offering discounts to customers who have been inoculated against coronavirus, amid a vaccination drive as the emirate seeks to fight the pandemic without closing its doors.The United Arab Emirates says it has already vaccinated some 2.5 million of its population of about 10 million, the second highest rate globally after Israel.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.“Spread love, not Rona,” say social media fliers for three restaurants run by Gates Hospitality, offerings a 10 percent discount to residents who have taken the first dose of a vaccine and 20 percent for those who have taken two.Diners must show proof of inoculation, such as a medical certificate, to get the discount.While some people welcomed the move, it raised eyebrows on social media.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“There’s two ways to look at it, either it’s another marketing stunt, or a genuine motivation to get more people vaccinated,” said one tweet.The UAE, made up of seven emirates including Dubai, began mass inoculations in December after approving vaccines made by Chinese firm Sinopharm and US drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.Dubai’s health authority said this week it would have to scale back on vaccinations after Pfizer announced shipment delays due to works at its key plant in Belgium. The Sinopharm vaccine is still freely available.Despite a sharp spike in cases since the New Year, Dubai is still open for tourism and restaurants and services are operating, although with rules on masking and distancing.Over the weekend the guidelines were tightened, with the number of people allowed at social gatherings slashed from 200 to 10, and restaurants and cafes ordered to increase spacing between tables from two metres to three.The glitzy emirate has also suspended non-essential surgery in hospitals after a surge in COVID-19 infections.While other tourist destinations are applying tight restrictions to control the pandemic, Dubai reopened to visitors in July.On Monday, the UAE announced 3,591 COVID-19 cases, a new high for the 14th consecutive day. It has so far recorded over 281,546 infections, including 798 deaths.Read more:Coronavirus: Dubai orders hospitals to cancel surgeries amid surge in COVID-19 casesCoronavirus: Dubai's latest COVID-19 rules for weddings, restaurants, gyms, concerts
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Dubai restaurants offer discounts for vaccinated diners