Middle East Experience

The official gave no specific date or details of what information the investigators would seek from Ghosn..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: French investigators to question Carlos Ghosn in Lebanon

Dh15,000 fine for each attendee, says Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: NYE in Dubai: Dh50,000 fine for violating party rules

Lebanon records 1,403 new coronavirus cases, 12 deaths..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Lebanon records 1,403 new coronavirus cases, 12 deaths

Protesters were able to reach and block the main entrance into the PM's residence, carrying torches and signs which say, "the Siege on Balfour."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Anti-Bibi demonstrations kick off, five protesters arrested

Hamas: Such attacks only strengthen the resolve of the Palestinian people.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: IDF strikes Gaza in response to earlier rocket attacks

When an Egyptian TV show sent its host out on a fox hunt, the graphic footage spurred viewers to action.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Video of fox hunt disturbs Egyptian animal lovers

The Abu Dhabi Emergency Crisis and Disasters Committee opened 18 new 24-hour DPI testing centers at the border area with Dubai to ease entry into the United Arab Emirates’ capital city, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Saturday. For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.“Abu Dhabi Emergency Crisis and Disasters Committee announced the establishment of 18 drive-through DPI testing stations on al-Faya Road before Ghantoot and approved to open new lanes at the entry points between Dubai and Abu Dhabi as part of efforts to enhance the flow of entry into the emirate,” according to WAM. Al-Faya Road – also called E75 – is the road between Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. The move comes after several coronavirus restrictions were eased last week.To enter Abu Dhabi, a negative PCR or DPI test must be valid for a maximum of 72 hours. Previously, a test had to be valid for a maximum of 48 hours. Individuals entering the capital are now required to take only one test on the sixth day after entering Abu Dhabi.Previously, authorities had required people to take two tests, on the fourth and eighth day after they entered the city. Abu Dhabi also began welcoming back international tourists on December 24 “following the successes achieved by implementing the precautionary measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 and maintaining a low rate of confirmed cases,” the emirates’ media office said. Read more:Abu Dhabi eases coronavirus restrictions from Dec 24: Everything you need to knowCoronavirus: Dubai launches free COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Dec 23Coronavirus: Dubai bans New Year’s Eve private gatherings of more than 30 people
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi opens 18 new DPI testing centers at border area 

The state of Oman has launched its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, with the sultanate’s health minister receiving the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.State-run media reported that the first batch of 15,600 doses was flown in industrial freezers to Muscat International Airport last week to vaccinate a priority group of older adults, health care workers and those with underlying health conditions starting on Sunday.Another 28,000 doses of the vaccine by American drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech are expected to arrive next month.Oman says it aims to vaccinate 60 percent of its roughly 5 million people. The Health Ministry said the initial phase of the vaccination campaign would cover 20 percent of the population due to temporarily limited supply.The virus outbreak in Oman has infected over 128,000 people and killed more than 1,400. The country closed all official points of entry last week over fears of the fast-spreading new variant of the coronavirus.Read more:Coronavirus: Kuwait rolls out COVID-19 mass vaccinations using Pfizer vaccineCoronavirus: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince gets COVID-19 vaccineCoronavirus: How to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Dubai
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Oman launches national COVID-19 vaccine campaign 

Dubai, the business and financial hub of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has approved a 57.1 billion dirham ($15.55 billion) budget for 2021, when the economy is expected to recover from a contraction this year, its ruler said on Sunday.The statement did not give a comparison to actual spending in 2020, but the size of the 2021 budget is 14 percent below the 66.4 billion dirhams it had set for 2020.For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.This year’s budget had factored in economic dividends from the Expo 2020 world fair, a six-month event originally slated to begin in October but postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The 2021 budget, which was approved by Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, takes into account the exceptional economic conditions of the fiscal year 2020 and the repercussions of the pandemic on the global economy, the statement on Sheikh Mohammed’s website said.Dubai, with its diversified trade and tourism economy, was hit hard by a lockdown and suspension of flights earlier this year.The economy is expected to contract 6.2 percent in 2020 before growing 4 percent in 2021, supported by the continued recovery of economic activities, it said.The statement said Dubai is expected to achieve public revenues of 52.314 billion dirhams, despite the economic incentive measures adopted by the government to reduce some fees and freeze fee increases.Non-tax revenues, which come from state fees on various services, account for 59 percent of the total expected revenues, while tax revenues account for 31 percent and government investment revenues 6 percent.This means Dubai is expected to post a deficit of 4.786 billion dirhams in 2021, up from the 2.4 billion dirhams deficit budgeted in 2020.The public revenue forecast is based on ongoing operations in the emirate and does not rely on oil revenues. Oil revenues account for 4 percent of the total projected revenues for the fiscal year 2021.The government also approved 9 percent of spending to maintain the volume of investment in infrastructure.Read more:Dubai index leads gains in major stock markets in GCCDubai Mall operator Majid Al Futtaim expects coronavirus vaccine to boost economyCoronavirus: Dubai property prices down 0.9 pct in third quarter, says central bank
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Dubai ruler approves .55 bln budget for 2021

Saudi Aramco has discovered four new oil and gas fields in Saudi Arabia, the Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman announced on Sunday, according to Saudi Press Agency (SPA).Non-conventional oil was discovered in the al-Reesh oil field, north-west of the Dhahran. The city, a major administrative center for the Kingdom’s oil industry, is located in the Eastern Province.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Al-Reesh well no. 2’s daily flow stands at 4,452 bpd of Arab Extra Light crude oil and 3.2 million standard cubic feet of natural gas, while well no. 4 is producing 3,654 bpd and 1.6 million standard cubic feet of gas.Al-Reesh well no. 3’s initial production stands at 2,745 bpd with 3 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.The discovery at the al-Reesh field is especially important, according to the minister, because it shows that it is possible to produce Arab extra light crude oil at the Tuwaiq Mountain Formation.Non-conventional oil was also found in the al-Sarrah reservoir at the al-Minahhaz well, which is located south-west of the Ghawar oil field, and at the al-Sahbaa well in Dhahran.Saudi Aramco discovered oil in the al-Ajramiyah well, the minister added, with tests showing a rate of 3,850 barrels per day (bpd). The well is located north-west of the city of Rafhaa in the Northern Borders Province on the Saudi-Iraqi border.Read more:Russia’s Deputy PM: Saudi Aramco could expand role in Russian energySaudi Arabia and Russia express unity ahead of OPEC+ summitOil and gas industry most affected by coronavirus: Saudi energy ministerSaudi Aramco is working to determine the size and volume of the newly-discovered fields and estimate the amount of oil, gas, and condensation in these fields, SPA cited Prince Abdulaziz as saying.The discoveries also underline the large amount of natural resources that Saudi Arabia has at its disposal, he added.(With Reuters)
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia makes four new oil, gas discoveries: Energy minister