Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, according to a Twitter post by the minister.“Today I received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, may God reward our leadership well for its great efforts to provide the vaccine quickly and safely for citizens and residents,” Prince Faisal said.“I would also like to express my pride in the health heroes who do their work with dedication and mastery,” he added.Read more: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman receives first dose of COVID-19 vaccineLast week, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman received his first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to a video posted by the Saudi Press Agency.“Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health, Dr. Tawfiq al-Rabiah, thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques - may God support him - who provided all support for all that is in the interest of the citizen and resident on the land of this dear country since the beginning of the pandemic until now,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the minister as saying.Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health, Dr. Tawfiq al-Rabiah, announced last week the launch of an online “Health Passport” for those who completed the two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The “Health Passport” is developed by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence (SDAIA).Read more: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia launches ‘Health Passport’ for vaccine recipientsCoronavirus: COVID-19 vaccines to reach all regions of Saudi Arabia within 3 weeks
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia’s FM Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives COVID-19 vaccine
Musk urged followers to ‘use Signal,’ sends unrelated stock with similar name flying
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk inadvertently sent the stocks of an obscure company flying after urging his Twitter follows to “use Signal" - the encrypted messaging app which rivals Whatsapp – but led to confusion among stock market investors who bought shares in an unrelated business with a similar name.Shares of the unrelated company called Signal Advance, which trades over the counter, surged 527 percent on Thursday and another 91 percent on Friday, climbing from 60 cents to $7.19.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Signal that Musk was referring to is operated by a nonprofit and serves as an alternative to texting apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Apple’s messaging service.Messaging app Signal took to Twitter on Friday to clarify that it has nothing to do with Signal Advance.“It’s understandable that people want to invest in Signal’s record growth, but this isn’t us,” Signal wrote. “We’re an independent 501c3 and our only investment is in your privacy.Signal Advance was founded in Texas under the name Biodyne in 1992 and provided services to medical and legal workers. The company shifted its focus to using technology in health care and changed its name to Signal Advance.Signal Advance is so small that it doesn’t report financials with the SEC.Because of the surge of unintended investor interest, the company now has a market cap of $660 million, up from $55 million two days ago. Prior to Thursday, the stock had traded under $1 since 2015.The confusion points to the growing influence of Musk in technology and innovation matter.On Thursday, he became the world’s richest person thanks to Tesla’s almost 800 percent increase in market cap over the past year.On Friday, Tesla became the fifth most valuable company in the US; surpassing Facebook.Read more:Elon Musk leaves behind Amazon’s Bezos to become world’s richest personTesla CEO Musk’s fortune up by $6 bln, net worth above Warren Buffett’s, says reportDemand spike for Signal, Telegram messaging apps as new WhatsApp terms stir debate
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Musk urged followers to ‘use Signal,’ sends unrelated stock with similar name flying
Coronavirus: Two US Congress members test positive for COVID-19 after Capitol riots
Two members of the US Congress have tested positive for the coronavirus, with one on Tuesday accusing Republicans of refusing to wear masks and mocking those who did during a riot at the legislature last week.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.In a tweet, Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said she had taken a test after being trapped in a secure room with fellow lawmakers, and that she had tested positive.“Many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic — creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack,” Jayapal, who is now self-isolating, she said. “The duration in the room was multiple hours and several Republicans not only cruelly refused to wear a mask but mocked colleagues and staff who offered them one.”Hours earlier, fellow Democratic congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman said she too had contracted the virus and that she believed she had been exposed to it during last week’s violence.”She believes she was exposed during protective isolation in the US Capitol building as a result of insurrectionist riots,” her office said in a statement.Top Congressional doctor Brian Monahan warned lawmakers over the weekend that they could have been exposed to the virus after taking shelter in an isolation room last Wednesday.Just hours after pro-Trump protestors stormed the US Capitol to demand Congress overturn the November 3 election victory of President-elect Joe Biden, Congressman Jake LaTurner tested positive for the virus.The US is the world’s hardest-hit country and some 375,000 people have died from the coronavirus -- with about 3,000 more dying every day.In her statement following her positive diagnosis, Congresswoman Jayapal said colleagues that refused to wear masks were guilty of “selfish idiocy” and should not be allowed to take their seats in the chamber.Read more:Four dead, 52 arrested after violent protests by Trump supporters at US CapitolTrump supporters storm Biden certification session, force US Capitol lockdownTrump tells his 'very special' supporters at US Capitol to go home
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Two US Congress members test positive for COVID-19 after Capitol riots
Coronavirus: Jordan approves China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine
Jordan said on Saturday it has approved China’s Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine for emergency use, after previously giving the Pfizer-BioNTech jab the green light.“Emergency use of the... Sinopharm vaccine against the novel coronavirus has been authorized,” the head of the Jordanian Food and Drug administration, Nizar Mheidat, told state television.Visit our dedicated coronavirus site here for all the latest updates.“It is the second vaccine available for use in Jordan after the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine,” which Jordan approved in December, he told Al-Mamlaka television.China’s Sinopharm says its vaccine has a 79 percent efficacy rate. Health Minister Nazir Obeidat said late last month that the kingdom had ordered one million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.He also said that Jordan hoped to access 650,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine through the global Covax program, and that the country had an agreement with US group Johnson & Johnson.The start date for Jordan’s vaccination campaign, which will initially target 20-25 percent of its 11 million population, is yet to be announced.Health authorities expect doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to arrive in the country at the end of January or early February.Health centers across the country will be involved in the roll-out. The health minister said in November that vaccines would be distributed free of charge to Jordanians and foreign residents.The Hashemite kingdom has officially registered more than 305,000 novel coronavirus cases and nearly 4,000 deaths.Read more: Coronavirus: Jordan secures three million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, says PM
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Jordan approves China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine
UAE’s icy winter: Long-time residents say this is the coldest ever
Water froze over in some parts of the UAE for the third day straight today..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UAE’s icy winter: Long-time residents say this is the coldest ever
Egypt’s first MMA fighter blazes trail for more women
Aya Saeid has become Egypt’s first MMA fighter by breaking stereotypes in the patriarchal society.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt’s first MMA fighter blazes trail for more women
Israel steps up attacks on Iranian targets in Syria, as Tehran awaits Biden administration
Israel has launched three rounds of strikes in Syria over the past….
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Israel steps up attacks on Iranian targets in Syria, as Tehran awaits Biden administration
Germany revokes asylum status of pro-Assad Syrian working for far-right anti-immigration party
Germany has revoked the asylum status of Kevork Almassian, an outspoken Syrian supporter of the Assad regime who works for the far-right AfD party..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Germany revokes asylum status of pro-Assad Syrian working for far-right anti-immigration party
Coronavirus crisis propels Israeli mayors to front stage
With the government in a perpetual state of crisis, the coronavirus pandemic propelled Israeli mayors to a position of unprecedented prominence.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Coronavirus crisis propels Israeli mayors to front stage
The Round Up 10 Jan 2021 – Doha News
Top stories this Sunday on #TheRoundUp 🚗 DohaNews in Saudi-Qatar border 🏥 Health card registration urged 🎢 🌳 More fun things to do in Qatar 🏃 Qatar’s fastest long-distance runner #COVID19 #PHCC #SalwaBorder #DohaNews #Qatar #Doha..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: The Round Up 10 Jan 2021 – Doha News