Middle East Experience

An Egyptian man gave up his archeology job to gather scorpions and snakes and extract their venom for medicinal purposes.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt’s scorpion king hunts fortune in the desert

Muqtada al-Sadr’s calls to restore the "Shiite Home" were viewed as an attempt to revive the electoral Shiite alliance that cracked during recent legislative elections.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Muqtada al-Sadr shakes up Iraqi politics by calling for new Shite bloc

Jordan has suspended flights to and from the United Kingdom from today until January 3 due to a new strain of the coronavirus detected in Britain, officials said on Monday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Several countries have cut travel ties with Britain after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that a highly infectious new strain of the virus was a danger to the country.Saudi Arabia shut its land and sea borders late on Sunday and suspended international commercial flights for a renewable week over fears of a new coronavirus strain, but foreign flights already in the country can leave, the Interior Ministry said.Fellow Gulf Arab state Oman will close its land, air and sea borders for one week starting Tuesday, state television reported on Monday.Read more:Saudi Arabia suspends all international commercial flights for a weekUS nurse faints after receiving COVID-19 vaccine, but not due to shotKuwait suspends UK flights amid fears of new COVID-19 strain outbreak
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Jordan suspends UK flights amid fears of new COVID-19 strain

Twelve years after she fled to Israel, Malka Leifer is to be extradited to Australia, to stand trial over heavy suspicions of sexual abuse against minors.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israeli sex abuse suspect finally to be extradited to Australia

Kuwait will suspend all commercial flights and close its land and sea borders from 11 p.m. on Monday until January 1, the government communicationsoffice said in a Twitter post.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The announcement came after various countries implemented new travel restrictions following the outbreak of a new COVID-19 strain.The civil aviation authority earlier suspended travel to and from the United Kingdom and added the country to its list of high-risk destinations.Several countries have cut travel ties with Britain after Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that a highly infectious new strain of the virus was a danger to the country.Read more:Saudi Arabia suspends all international commercial flights for a weekUS nurse faints after receiving COVID-19 vaccine, but not due to shotJordan suspends UK flights amid fears of new COVID-19 strain
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Kuwait to close borders, suspend international flights until Jan. 1

The Southern Transitional Council rescinded its declaration of autonomy in July, which paved the way for reconciliation with the government.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Yemeni government, southern separatists agree to government formation

Palestinians seek to launch international campaigns to boycott Emirati companies that deal with products from settlements built on occupied land in the West Bank, accusing them of violating international resolutions that criminalize settlements.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Palestinians intensify efforts, action to counter UAE trade deals with Israeli settlements

A new variant of the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Britain and prompting high levels of concern among its European neighbors, some of which have cut transport links.The strain, referred to by some experts as the B.1.1.7 lineage, is not the first new variant of the pandemic virus to emerge, but is said to be up to 70 percent more transmissible than the previously dominant strain in the United Kingdom.Visit our dedicated coronavirus site here for all the latest updates.Are the concerns justified?Most scientists say yes. The new variant has rapidly become the dominant strain in cases of COVID-19 in parts of southern England, and has been linked to an increase in hospitalization rates, especially in London and in the adjacent county of Kent.While it was first seen in Britain in September, by the week of Dec. 9 in London, 62 percent of COVID-19 cases were due to the new variant. That compared to 28 percent of cases three weeks earlier.The governments of Australia, Italy and the Netherlands say they detected cases of the new strain. It was identified in the Netherlands in early December.A few cases of COVID-19 with the new variant have also been reported to the ECDC, Europe's disease monitoring agency, by Iceland and Denmark. Media reports in Belgium say cases have also been detected there."It is right to take it seriously," said Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London. Shaun Fitzgerald, a visiting professor at the University of Cambridge, said the situation was "extremely concerning." Why?The main worry is that the variant is significantly more transmissible than the original strain. It has 23 mutations in its genetic code - a relatively high number of changes - and some of these are affecting its ability to spread.Scientists say it is about 40 percent-70 percent more transmissible. The UK government said on Saturday it could increase the reproduction "R" rate by 0.4.This means it is spreading faster in Britain, making the pandemic there yet harder to control and increasing the risk it will also spread swiftly in other countries."The new B.1.1.7 ... still appears to have all the human lethality that the original had, but with an increased ability to transmit," said Martin Hibberd, professor of emerging infectious disease at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Will COVID-19 vaccines protect against this variant?Scientists say there's no evidence that vaccines currently being deployed in the UK - made by Pfizer and BioNtech - or other COVID-19 shots in development will not protect against this variant."It's unlikely that this will have anything more than a minor, if any, effect on the vaccine's effectiveness," said Adam Finn, a vaccine specialist and professor of pediatrics at Bristol University.Britain's chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance also said COVID-19 vaccines appeared to be adequate in generating an immune response to the variant of the coronavirus."We are not seeing...any gross changes in the spike protein that will reduce vaccine effectiveness so far," said Julian Tang, professor and clinical virologist at Leicester University. Does the new variant affect testing?To some extent, yes.One of the mutations in the new variant affects one of three genomic targets used by some PCR tests. This means that in those tests, that target area, or "channel", would come up negative."This has affected the ability of some tests to detect the virus," said Robert Shorten, an expert in microbiology at the Association for Clinical Biochemistry & Laboratory Medicine.Since PCR tests generally detect more than one gene target, however, a mutation in the spike protein only partly affects the test, reducing that risk of false negative results. Are there other significant SARS-CoV-2 variants about?Yes. Strains of the COVID-19-causing virus have emerged in recent months in South Africa, Spain, Denmark and other countries that have also raised concern.However none, so far, has been found to contain mutations that make it more deadly, or more likely to be able to evade vaccines or treatments. Did this new variant originate in Britain?Vallance said on Saturday he thought the new variant might have started in the UK. Some scientists in Europe have credited British expertise in genomic surveillance for identifying the mutation."The UK has one of the most comprehensive genetic surveillance program in the world - 5 percent to 10 percent all virus samples are genetically tested. Few countries do better," Steven Van Gucht, head of viral diseases at the Belgian Institute of Health, told a news conference on Monday.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Read more:Coronavirus: Russia, Switzerland join growing list of countries banning UK travelCoronavirus: Jordan suspends UK flights amid fears of new COVID-19 strainCOVID-19 vaccines still work against new virus strain: French health ministerCoronavirus vaccines effective against new COVID-19 strain: German health minister
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: The new coronavirus variant in Britain: Everything we know so far

The US Navy transited its nuclear-powered guided-missile USS Georgia submarine through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday accompanied by two additional US warships, according to an official statement, amid heightened tensions with Iran.“The nuclear-power Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN 729) along with the guided-missile cruisers USS Port Royal (CG 73) and USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) transited the Strait of Hormuz entering the Arabian Gulf, Dec. 21,” the US Navy said in a rare statement on the submarine’s movements.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“As an inherently flexible maneuver force, capable of supporting routine and contingency operations, Georgia’s presence demonstrates the United States’ commitment to regional partners and maritime security with a full spectrum of capabilities to remain ready to defend against any threat at any time,” the statement added.The movement of the USS Georgia in the Strait of Hormuz comes on the day the United States said it is "prepared to react" if Iran launches an attack to mark the first anniversary of the killing of powerful Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.Read more:US prepared to 'react' if Iran tries to avenge Qassem Soleimani killing: Top GeneralIran’s Khamenei says US hostility toward Iran will continue after TrumpIranian attacks at sea deterred by US-led coalition: American commander
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US Navy sails nuclear-powered submarine through Strait of Hormuz

Amid the scandal, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi sacked the environment minister, Mustapha Aroui, while twelve were taken into custody..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Tunisia cracks down with arrests in Italy hazardous waste scandal