Middle East Experience

The United Arab Emirates detected 3,407 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 246,376, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced on Friday. For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The daily number of COVID-19 cases in the UAE crossed the 3,000 threshold for the first time this week.While most coronavirus restrictions in the country have been lifted, facemasks and social distancing is still required in public.The COVID-19 death toll increased by seven in the country on Friday. The total number of deaths caused by the disease have risen to 733. Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries in the UAE rose to 218,988 after 3,168 people recovered from the coronavirus.Read more:Coronavirus: UAE COVID-19 vaccinations surpass 1 million, ranks second globallyEmirates airline expects full fleet return this year as vaccines renew confidence
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus cases in the UAE surge as authorities detect 3,407 new infections

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired “abundant” surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and tested locally manufactured new drones in a military exercise on Friday, state television reported.The drill, which it said was overseen by Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami in the central desert region, came in the waning days of high tensions with US President Donald Trump’s administration.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.It followed short-range naval missile tests on Wednesday, as well as exercises earlier this month that featured a wide array of domestically produced drones.“The bomber drones struck the hypothetical enemy missile shield from all directions, completely destroying the targets,” the state TV broadcast said of Friday’s drill.“Also, an abundant number of a new generation of ballistic missiles were fired at selected targets, inflicting deadly blows to the hypothetical enemy bases.”Iran, which routinely boasts of technological advances in its armed forces, has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East, regarding them as a deterrent and retaliatory force against US and other adversaries in the event of war.There have been periodic confrontations between Iran’s military and US forces in the Gulf since 2018, when Trump abandoned Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and reinstated harsh sanctions against Tehran.US President-elect Joe Biden, who takes office on Jan. 20, has said Washington will rejoin the deal “if Iran resumes strict compliance” with the agreement that imposed strict curbs on its nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions.Read more:Iran fires cruise missiles as part of drill in Gulf of Oman: State mediaIran seeks sanctions ‘snapback’ removed in any new nuclear talks with world powersUS designates Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Unit leader Abu Fadak as terrorist
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran fires ‘abundant’ missiles, drones in latest military drill exercise: State TV

Having brokered a cease-fire deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Vladimir Putin is now giving priority to the development of transport links in the conflict-ridden region.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Russia crowds out Turkey in post-war Caucasus

The Sharjah Art Foundation has invited filmmakers based anywhere in the world to apply for the fourth cycle of the Sharjah Film Platform (SFP) Short Film Production Grant.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the appThe annual grant provides emerging and established filmmakers with up to $30,000, determined on a need-by-need basis, for the creation and production of original short films to premiere at future editions of Sharjah Film Platform (SFP), the Foundation’s annual film festival.To be considered for the grant, applicants should submit a grant application detailing the genre, themes, plot, structure, setting and characters for their original short film before March 7, 2021.Providing a critical platform for filmmakers, producers, critics and students, SFP was launched by Sharjah Art Foundation in 2018 as a resource to support filmmaking in the UAE, the surrounding region and around the world, and furthers the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to film production, commissions, and programming.Read more: ‘168:01’ by Wafaa Bilal: Monument to Iraq’s staggering cultural loss and its recoverySince its inaugural edition in 2018, the festival has expanded its programs and seen increased participation from the film community in the region and internationally.The SFP Short Film Production Grant was conceived to support the work of filmmakers exploring new and ambitious ideas.SFP also comprises a film festival that includes short and feature-length films; a public program of talks and workshops featuring acclaimed filmmakers and experts from around the world; and Industry Hub, a professional program that aims to support the work of local and regional filmmakers through training courses and production opportunities.Grant recipient films are also eligible for awards in the documentary, experimental and narrative category for short and feature-length films at the annual film festival, which are selected by international jury members from the film industry.The annual open call for the grant has seen enthusiastic response from filmmakers across the world, with the 2020 edition attracting more than 500 applications from over 65 countries.Filmmakers Nadira Amrani (b. 1993, Manchester, UK), Soha Shukayr (b. 1989, Baljarshi, Saudi Arabia), and Pelin Tan and Anton Vidokle (b. 1974, Hilden, Germany; b. 1965, Moscow, Russia) were the recipients of the grant in 2020.Shukayr’s film Once Upon a Revolution (2020) premiered on November 14, 2020, at the third edition of Sharjah Film Platform in the Foundation’s open-air Mirage City Cinema, while Amrani, Tan and Vidokle, whose films are expected to premiere at the 2021 edition of the festival, presented in-progress work.The films were selected for their socially driven themes that confront issues relevant to our world today.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Sharjah Art Foundation invites applications for 2021 Short Film production grant

Tzipi Refaeli, mother and agent of Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli, is currently serving a 16-months sentence at the Neve Tirza women's prison.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Tzipi Refaeli contracts COVID, debate over vaccinating inmates continues

Israeli approvals for Palestinian building in Area C is rare and often sets off a storm of controversy.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Hanegbi: Palestinian building approvals must go to Security Cabinet

The US announced new sanctions Friday on Iran’s Marine, Aerospace and Aviation Industries organizations for their role in manufacturing lethal military equipment for Iran’s military and the IRGC.“Today, we are announcing the designation of Iran’s Marine Industries Organization (MIO), Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO), and the Iran Aviation Industries Organization (IAIO) for engaging in activities that materially contribute to the supply, sale, or transfer, directly or indirectly, to or from Iran, or for the use in or benefit of Iran, of arms or related materiel, including spare parts,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.He said each of the entities was manufacturing lethal military equipment for Iran’s military, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).This includes attack boats, missiles, and combat drones, Pompeo said.“Iranian conventional arms proliferation poses a persistent threat to regional and international security, as evidenced by Iran’s continued military support and confirmed arms transfers that fuel ongoing conflict in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and elsewhere,” Pompeo also said Friday.The outgoing top US diplomat called upon all states to prohibit the sale, supply, or transfer of arms to or from Iran. “The United States will continue working with its partners in the international community to pressure the Iranian regime to fundamentally change its behavior,” Pompeo said.Read more:Pompeo: Sanctions cut Iran's military budget by 24 percentBiden sets new demands for US return to Iran deal, lift sanctions: NYT
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US issues new sanctions on Iran organizations for arming military, IRGC

Praised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "huge Jewish patriot," Adelson died on Monday from cancer.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Sheldon Adelson, casino mogul and 'Jewish patriot,' buried in Jerusalem

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi rejected the invitation for meeting French, German, Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers in Cairo, citing the nationwide lockdown in Israel as an excuse.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel turns its back on French-Egyptian Mideast initiative

Israel Hayom reached out to LGBTQ advocacy group Havruta for a statement on the rabbi's comments, who said it's "currently gearing up to welcome our impending new members."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Rabbi asserts that coronavirus vaccines can 'turn' people into homosexuals