Middle East Experience

Families of the victims of the downed Ukraine Airlines flight warned the Iranian government that they will not accept any planned compensation and rather will fight for justice.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Flight victims' families reject Iran’s compensation, demand justice

The surge in cases led the government to impose a ban on New Year's Eve celebrations across the North African country.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt records highest single-day coronavirus count in months

The US government said areas in the West Bank run by Israel must label products as "Made in Israel" when exporting to the United States, but goods from Palestinian-administered areas do not need to.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: US Customs clarifies position on labeling of West Bank products

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is available for free for all residents and UAE nationals living in Dubai, the Dubai Media Office (DMO) announced on Wednesday.“The first stage of the [vaccination] campaign focuses on certain priority groups,” the DMO said in a Twitter post.Visit our dedicated coronavirus site here for all the latest updates.“You can book an appointment through the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) smartphone app, or by calling the toll free number 800342,” DMO added.The media office said that the vaccination is voluntary for all residents and citizens and not mandatory.Priority will be given to senior Emirati citizens and residents above the age of 60, those with chronic illnesses, and people of determination. Frontline workers will also be among those who receive the vaccine in the first stage.A person who was infected with the coronavirus will be allowed to take the vaccine after three months from the date of infection.According to the DMO, if a person has taken a different COVID-19 vaccine, it is not safe to take another vaccine.“It is strongly recommended to complete the vaccination course and abide by the scheduled time to ensure that you receive the maximum benefit of the vaccine,” DMO said about taking the first and second doses of the vaccine, adding that the second dose “is scheduled 21 days after the first dose.”Also, those who take the vaccine are not exempt from taking the PCR test for travel purposes. “For the time being, everyone is required to follow policies and regulations related to COVID-19 testing and screening in Dubai,” the media office said, adding that people who have been vaccinated should continue to wear face masks.These are the authorized COVID-19 vaccination centers across Dubai: • Za’abeel Health Center • Al Mizhar Health Center • Nad Al Hamar Health Center • Al Barsha Health Center • Up-Town Occupational Health Screening Center • Hatta HospitalRead more:Coronavirus: Dubai launches free COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Dec 23Coronavirus: Masks, social distancing to continue after COVID-19 vaccine
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: How to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Dubai

French President Emmanuel Macron is showing no more symptoms of COVID-19, the Elysee office said on Thursday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Macron, 43, can now end his quarantine after he self-isolated for seven days at the presidential retreat of La Lanterne, close to the Palace of Versailles, the office said in a statement.He had tested positive for the coronavirus on December 17, prompting a track-and-trace effort across Europe following numerous meetings between the French leader and EU heads of government in recent days.Macron suffered headaches, a dry cough and tiredness for several days and his health condition improved on Wednesday.Read more:Mother, daughter die of COVID-19 less than one week apartHow to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in DubaiHaving COVID-19 may protect against reinfection, studies show
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: French President Macron no longer showing COVID-19 symptoms

At least 20 African migrants died when their boat sank off Tunisia on Thursday as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a Tunisian security official said.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The coastguard rescued five people and was searching for about 20 others who were still unaccounted for, the official told Reuters.The coastline near the Tunisian port city of Sfax has become a major departure point for people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East and searching for a better life in Europe.“The boat sank about six miles from the coast of Sfax. Twenty bodies were recovered, five others were rescued, and all are from sub-Saharan Africa,” the security official, Ali Ayari, said.Around 45 people were on the boat when it sank, he added.Read more:Pakistan court orders release of man charged in Daniel Pearl killingUS President Trump pardons former campaign chairman Manafort, Jared Kushner’s fatherMother, daughter die of COVID-19 less than one week apart
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: At least 20 dead as migrant boat sinks off Tunisia: Official

Kuwait began coronavirus vaccinations on Thursday, following several other Gulf states in rolling out a mass inoculation campaign.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.“This vaccine is safe and has been approved by many countries,” said Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, who was the first to receive the jab, state media reported.Kuwait, which has officially confirmed more than 148,000 coronavirus cases including 924 deaths, received the first 150,000 doses of the vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Wednesday.Qatar, which has confirmed more than 142,000 cases including 243 deaths, launched a vaccination campaign on Wednesday.In Bahrain, which has recorded more than 90,000 cases including 350 deaths, vaccinations continued on Thursday. It has approved both the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and another developed by Chinese firm Sinopharm.Officials in the capital Manama said that nearly 40,000 people have already received the vaccine.In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi began vaccinations on December 14 after approving the Sinopharm vaccine, while Dubai began its campaign using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday.The UAE has confirmed nearly 200,000 cases, including 645 deaths.Saudi Arabia, the worst-affected country on the Arabian Peninsula, with more than 360,000 recorded cases including 6,148 deaths, began its campaign with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 17.Meanwhile, Oman, with more than 128,000 recorded cases, 1,491 of them fatal, is to launch its vaccination campaign on Sunday.Read more:Mother, daughter die of COVID-19 less than one week apartHow to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in DubaiMasks, social distancing to continue after COVID-19 vaccine
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Kuwait rolls out COVID-19 mass vaccinations using Pfizer vaccine

Ankara appears to be mulling a US-friendly foreign policy revision to counter Iran and Russia in the Caucasus and Black Sea regions, but such a shift will not be without geopolitical risks elsewhere.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Is Turkey on course of foreign policy shift with pan-Turkist flavor?

Britain clinched a Brexit trade deal with the European Union on Thursday, just seven days before it exits one of the world’s biggest trading blocs in its most significant global shift since the loss of empire.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“Deal is done,” a Downing Street source said. “We have taken back control of our money, borders, laws, trade and our fishing waters.”“The deal is fantastic news for families and businesses in every part of the UK. We have signed the first free trade agreement based on zero tariffs and zero quotas that has ever been achieved with the EU.”The deal ensures the two sides can continue to trade in goods without tariffs or quotas. But despite the breakthrough, key aspects of the future relationship between the 27-nation bloc and its former member remain uncertain.The British and European parliaments both must hold votes on the agreement, though the latter may not happen until after the UK leaves the EU’s economic embrace on January 1.Months of tense and often testy negotiations gradually whittled differences between the two sides down to three key issues: fair-competition rules, mechanisms for resolving future disputes and fishing rights. The rights of EU boats to trawl in British waters remained the last obstacle before it was resolved.However, key aspects of the future relationship between the 27-nation bloc and its former member remain unresolved.Johnson had insisted the UK would “prosper mightily” even if no deal were reached and the UK had to trade with the EU on World Trade Organization terms. But his government has acknowledged that a chaotic exit was likely to bring gridlock at Britain’s ports, temporary shortages of some goods and price increases for staple foods.The EU has long feared that Britain would undercut the bloc’s social, environmental and state aid rules after Brexit, becoming a low-regulation rival on the bloc’s doorstep. Britain denies planning to institute weaker standards but said that having to continue following EU regulations would undermine its sovereignty.A compromise was eventually reached on the tricky “level playing field” issues. The economically minor but hugely symbolic issue of fish came to be the final sticking point, with maritime EU nations seeking to retain access to UK waters where they have long fished and Britain insisting it must exercise control as an “independent coastal state,”Huge gaps over fishing were gradually closed over weeks of intense negotiations in Brussels, even as Johnson continued to insist that a no-deal exit was a likely and satisfactory outcome to the nine months of talks on the future relationship between the EU and its ex-member nation.Britain’s opposition Labour Party said on Thursday it would respond in full to the announcement of a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union, but that it had long argued a deal was in the national interest.“Since the election, the Labour Party has urged the government and the EU to secure a trade deal because that is in the national interest,” a Labour spokesman said in a statement.“We will be setting out our formal response to the deal in due course.”Labour leader Keir Starmer is expected to hold a news conference later on Thursday.Read more:US President Trump pardons former campaign chairman Manafort, Jared Kushner’s fatherDon’t stockpile food, minister tells British shoppers jittery about post-Brexit dealBrexit trade deal may be imminent: Senior EU source
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UK says Brexit ‘deal is done’ after clinching trade deal with EU

Farida Ramadan is struggling to earn a living and lead a normal life, which speaks volumes of the challenges facing transgender Egyptians.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Transgender Egyptians face abuse, discrimination for asserting their identity