Middle East Experience

Adding Tuesday's indictments, the undercover sting operation has so far resulted in a total of 28 indictments being filed against 28 different defendants.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Seven indicted for sex crimes against minors after undercover operation

“Any dramatic change would have to pass in the current Knesset, and that is not going to happen.”
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Impact of coronavirus on elections: Still no absentee balloting

The trial had been scheduled to start in January.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Netanyahu trial postponed until February

Dalal Daoud intends to educate the public on the tragic mishandling of domestic abuse.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Abuse survivor on life in prison: You can't imagine how bad it is

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hosted officials from Namibia and Zambia, who have expressed support for Egypt’s role in the African continent.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt rallies Namibia, Zambia for support in Nile Dam talks

The Qatari government also announced charges against security officers in relation to the October abandoned infant incident at Doha airport and the subsequent invasive searches of women there.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Qatar says mother of abandoned child at airport fled to Asia

The Islamic Republic is to pay families of the victims of the Ukrainian flight it downed earlier this year. But the payment has been secured not from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responsible for the missile attack but from an emergency fund meant for the public interest.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Iran taps into emergency fund to compensate Ukraine flight victims

A lawyer for the family of the late Libyan intelligence officer Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, convicted in the 1988 plane bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, argues there was insufficient evidence to convict him.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Family appeals conviction in Lockerbie bombing in Scottish court

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for spearheading the normalization of relations between the UAE and Israel.Nobel laureate Lord David Trimble, who was awarded the prize in 1998 for his work in promoting peace in Northern Ireland, nominated the two leaders on Tuesday, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement to Al Arabiya English.Read more: ‘Great news for peace’: Former Israel, US officials react to historic UAE-Israel deal“His decision to submit Prime Minister Netanyahu’s [and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed’s] candidacy will lead the committee to discuss the issue,” Netanyahu’s office said.The winners of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize are set to be announced next October.The UAE and Israel first announced they would normalize relations on August 13.The peace agreement, known as the Abraham Accords was made official at a trilateral signing ceremony with Gulf country Bahrain at the White House in September.The UAE and Bahrain are the third and fourth Arab states, respectively, to make peace with Israel following Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.Just over one month after the signing ceremony, Sudan announced it will follow suit.US President Donald Trump has said that there are “other countries lined up” in the Middle East to make peace with Israel. Trump, who brokered the Abraham Accords, has already been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.Norwegian lawmaker Christian Tybring-Gjedde put forward Trump’s name on September 9.“It is for his contribution to peace between Israel and the UAE. It is a unique deal,” Tybring-Gjedde told Reuters at the time.Calls for all three leaders to receive the prizeExperts and media personalities previously called for the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to all three US, UAE, and Israeli leaders for their accomplishment of the historic agreement.Middle East expert Ghanem Nuseibeh said at the time of the announcement that the honor should be granted to all three leaders.“They all deserve it,” Nuseibeh said in a post on Twitter.US media personality Eric Bolling posted a photo of the three leaders on Twitter with the caption: “A Nobel Prize in 3…2…1?”Netanyahu’s son Yair tweeted that the three leaders should receive the Nobel Peace Prize “for bringing the first peace agreement in the Middle East since 1994.”Read more:How the UAE is ‘keeping kosher’ for Jewish tourists after Israel dealFirst official Israeli trade delegation visits UAE with CEO of Israel’s biggest bankIsrael agreement ‘not a political treaty, it’s a treaty of coexistence’: UAE official
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE-Israel: Nobel Peace Prize nominations for Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, Netanyahu

With the news that Bitcoin reached its almost all-time high on Tuesday, after hitting $19,000 for the first time in nearly three years, the frenzy for cryptocurrency is back.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The world’s most popular cryptocurrency surged to a high of $19,272.2 on Tuesday, bringing Bitcoin just a hair below its all-time high of $19,783 reached in December 2017 – just before the great cryptocurrency crash of 2018.Cryptocurrencies have been hitting the headlines in recent weeks as companies and traditional investors increasingly accept them as currency. Cryptocurrencies were also given a confidence boost when the payments giant PayPal announced four weeks ago it would soon let its users buy and sell cryptocurrencies. With Bitcoin appearing to be back - for now - here is all you need to know about it, and whether now is the time to invest.What is Bitcoin?Cryptocurrency, broadly defined, is completely virtual or digital money that takes the form of tokens or ‘coin’ - basically like an online version of cash. With Bitcoin, each ‘coin’ is basically a computer file which is stored in a ‘digital wallet’ app on a smartphone or computer. People can send Bitcoins (or part of one) to your digital wallet, and you can send Bitcoins to other people. Every single transaction is recorded in a public list called the blockchain which makes it possible to trace the history of Bitcoins. This prevents people from spending coins they do not own, making copies or undoing transactions.How do you buy Bitcoin?To buy bitcoin, the first step is to download a bitcoin wallet, which is where your bitcoins will be stored for future spending or trading. Traditional payment methods such as a credit card, bank transfer (ACH), or debit cards will allow you to buy bitcoins on exchanges that you can then send to your wallet. You can also gain Bitcoins by letting people pay you for services or products using the cryptocurrency.Is it safe?Every transaction is recorded publicly so it is very difficult to copy Bitcoins, make fake ones or spend ones you don’t own.What is Bitcoin’s pricing history?Launched in 2009, the price of one bitcoin remained a few dollars for the first few years. By November 2013, the value of a single Bitcoin reached parity with an ounce of gold, over $1000. After peaked and troughs, Bitcoin rocketed and reaching a peak of $19,783 per bitcoin in late-2017. It was short-lived. By the end of December 2017, the price of Bitcoin slumped back down to the $13,000 mark, then $10,000 the following month.It has since fluctuated, averaging at about $7,000, until hitting $19,000 for the first time in nearly three years this week.Is now the time to invest?People are still wary following the bursting of the bitcoin price bubble at the end of 2017, but it has surged in popularity due to its safe-haven status, alongside gold, with both being bought by investors as a hedge against further deterioration of the global economy in the backdrop of COVID-19 and its devastating financial fallout.Jamie Lear, a UAE resident and trader in Dubai, has spent years investing in cryptocurrency.“In my opinion, Bitcoin and cryptocurrency is a natural hedge against bad things; bad things have happened this year - 2020 has been a bad year - but a good year for cryptocurrency given the weakening dollars, rise in inflation and little yield elsewhere - even property is slowing.“In times of economic crisis have traditionally invested in gold and other precious metals - cryptocurrency has now joined that group.“In the trading world we have a saying, ‘the trend is your friend’. So, I always go with the trend - and I will be investing more, even though I had my fingers badly burnt three years ago.”What are Bitcoin’s main competitors?The field of cryptocurrencies has expanded dramatically since Bitcoin was launched over a decade ago. While Bitcoin continues to lead the pack, other options are Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, and Tether, among others.Is Cryptocurrency the future?The jury is still out. Deutsche Bank predicts that the number of cryptocurrency users will quadruple in the next ten years, reaching 200 million. In the “Imagine 2030” report, Deutsche Bank suggests that digital currency could eventually replace cash one day, as demand for anonymity and a more decentralized means of payment grows.As the conversation around blockchain and cryptoassets continues at virtually every level in the private and public sector, their broader adoption looks likely.Read more:Bitcoin climbs towards near all-time high of $19,666 for first time in three yearsBitcoin breaks $18,000 as rally powers on, all-time high in sightCryptocurrency bitcoin rises above $10,000 for first time since early June
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: With Bitcoin at its highest levels in three years, is now the time to invest?