Middle East Experience

Pfizer says an early peek at its vaccine data suggests the shots may be 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19, indicating the company is on track later this month to file an emergency use application with US regulators.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Monday’s announcement doesn’t mean a vaccine is imminent: This interim analysis, from an independent data monitoring board, looked at 94 infections recorded so far in a study that has enrolled nearly 44,000 people in the US and five other countries.Pfizer Inc. did not provide any more details about those cases, and cautioned the initial protection rate might change by the time the study ends. Even revealing such early data is highly unusual.“We’re in a position potentially to be able to offer some hope,” Dr. Bill Gruber, Pfizer’s senior vice president of clinical development, told The Associated Press. “We’re very encouraged.”Authorities have stressed it’s unlikely any vaccine will arrive much before the end of the year, and limited initial supplies will be rationed. However, Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech are scaling up production, in hopes of having 50 million doses for 25 million people by the end of 2020, and 1.3 billion doses in 2021, The Washington Post reported on Monday.The shots made by Pfizer and BioNTech are among 10 possible vaccine candidates in late-stage testing around the world — four of them so far in huge studies in the US Another US company,Moderna Inc., also has said it hopes to be able to file an application with the Food and Drug Administration later this month.Volunteers in the final-stage studies, and the researchers, don’t know who received the real vaccine or a dummy shot. But a week after their second required dose, Pfizer’s study began counting the number who developed COVID-19 symptoms and were confirmed to have the coronavirus.Because the study hasn’t ended, Gruber couldn’t say how many in each group had infections. Doing the math, that would mean almost all the infections counted so far had to have occurred in people who got the dummy shots.Pfizer doesn’t plan to stop its study until it records 164 infections among all the volunteers, a number that the FDA has agreed is enough to tell how well the vaccine is working. The agency has made clear that any vaccine must be at least 50 percent effective.No participant so far has become severely ill, Gruber said. Nor could he provide a breakdown of how many of the infections had occurred in older people, who are at highest risk from COVID-19.Participants were tested only if they developed symptoms, leaving unanswered whether vaccinated people could get infected but show no symptoms and unknowingly spread the virus.FDA has required that US vaccine candidates be studied in at least 30,000 people. In addition to adequate numbers of older adults, those studies must also include other groups at high risk, including minorities and people with chronic health problems.And it told companies they must track half their participants for side effects for at least two months, the time period when problems typically crop up. Pfizer expects to reach that milestone later this month, but said Monday no serious safety concerns have been reported.Because the pandemic is still raging, manufacturers hope to seek permission from governments around the world for emergency use of their vaccines while additional testing continues — allowing them to get to market faster than normal but raising concerns about how much scientists will know about the shots.The FDA’s scientific advisers last month said they worry that allowing emergency use of a COVID-19 vaccine could damage confidence in the shots and make it harder to ever find out how well they really work. Those advisers said it’s critical these massive studies are allowed to run to completion.Read more:Coronavirus: Pfizer seeks emergency COVID-19 vaccine use for after US electionCoronavirus: US to pay Pfizer, BioNTech $1.95 bln for COVID-19 vaccine dosesCoronavirus: Pfizer reports encouraging, very early COVID-19 vaccine test results
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine 90 pct effective in phase 3 trials

Italy’s foreign minister visited the UAE on Monday for high-level bilateral talks on regional developments, including Iran, Libya, and the eastern Mediterranean.Read more: Italy says Turkish president Erdogan comments on Macron ‘unacceptable’Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio met with UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for a strategic dialogue in the capital Abu Dhabi, according to Emirati state news agency WAM.“The two sides exchanged views on the latest developments in the region, notably Libya and Iran,” according to the report.The two officials also discussed developments in the eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey is currently at odds with Greece, Italy’s fellow European Union member state.Turkey signed an agreement last year with Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) on maritime boundaries in the Mediterranean Sea, which prompted disputes with Greece and Cyprus over energy exploration, among other countries, and has prompted international condemnation.With the agreement, Turkey claims “the right to manage, regulate and dominate the distribution – if not the actual exploitation – of the vast reserves of liquid natural gas in that part of the Mediterranean,” according to Hussein Ibish, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute.Read more: Turkish support for President Erdogan’s AKP party hits all-time low: PollIn September, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was one of seven European leaders to issue a statement urging Turkey to end “unilateral and illegal activities” in the eastern Mediterranean.Conte, along with the heads of Cyprus, Greece, France, Portugal, Malta, and Spain, warned of potential EU restrictive measures against Turkey.“We regret that Turkey has not responded to the repeated calls by the European Union to end its unilateral and illegal activities,” the leaders said in a statement.This week, EU member states extended for another year a sanctions framework against Turkey allowing visa bans and asset freezes against individuals involved in contested gas exploration in the Mediterranean.Turkey has been negotiating EU membership since 2005, but the EU Commission said last month that “Turkey’s accession negotiations have effectively come to a standstill.”The Commission expressed “serious concerns” about human rights and the rule of law in Turkey, in its annual report on the country.The Turkish Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as “biased, far from constructive,” and rejected criticism of its economy, democracy and courts.- With The Associated PressRead more:Erdogan tells European Union that progress needed on improving Turkey-EU tiesIsrael invites Biden to Jerusalem as Palestinians seek reversal of embassy moveFrance-Turkey tensions: Erdogan’s rhetoric of ‘violence’ unacceptable, says French FM
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE-Italy ministers discuss Iran, Libya, eastern Mediterranean during Abu Dhabi talks

While Iraq's dependence on imported Iranian electricity continues to worry Washington, the key to breaking this energy dependence lies in the development of its own gas fields.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Russia, Iraq face OPEC+ cuts, look to new deals

Dubai will exempt individuals with certain medical conditions from having to wear a face mask as required in the United Arab Emirates amid the coronavirus pandemic, the official WAM news agency reported on Monday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Those who fall under specific categories may apply on a system developed by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Dubai Police using the following website: www.dxbpermit.gov.ae“DHA’s General Medical Committee Office will evaluate the applications, which must include a medical report confirming the applicant suffers from medical problems that can be aggravated by face masks,” WAM news agency reported.People suffering from the following medical conditions are eligible to apply, according to WAM:• Fungal dermatitis, especially if they have severe symptoms in the face like bleeding, itching and scaly skin.• Those allergic to any component of a mask (allergic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, contact urticaria).• Individuals with severe herpes simplex infection that affects the mouth, nose or face.• Individuals with acute and uncontrolled chronic sinusitis.• Patients with uncontrolled asthma.• People of Determination who have mental and psychological conditions.Applications are expected to be processed within five days and the validity of exemption depends on the individual’s health conditions, the news agency reported.Despite this new option, authorities urge individuals who may be exempt to wear face masks while in public places “as far as possible” in order to protect themselves and others from the risk of infection.COVID-19 cases in the UAE have reached 143,289 as of November 9 while 148,959 people have recovered. The death toll hit 515.Read more:UAE reports 1,146 new COVID-19 cases, 668 recoveriesPfizer says COVID-19 vaccine 90 pct effective in phase 3 trialsSydney to hold restricted New Year’s Eve fireworks amid COVID-19
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Dubai announces face mask exemptions for eligible individuals

Israel has kept a low profile on its military dealings with Azerbaijan, but Armenian-Israeli activists have taken the issue to the streets.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Armenian-Israelis protest arms sales to Azerbaijan

Top stories this Monday on #TheRoundUp ⚖️ Saudi’s Al Arabiya to be tried in UK court over ‘false’ Qatar Airways video 🏠 Applications open to lease out properties for Qatar 2022 ⚽ Doha-based sports startup Sponix Tech wins Microsoft Asia award 🚨 Burglar caught 🏆 Al Arabi wins Qatar Handball league Want more from Doha ..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: The Round Up | 9 Nov 2020 – Doha News

This is the second group of Sri Lankans to have taken refuge at Al Hudaiba Park since September this year..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Stranded Sri Lankans take refuge in Dubai park, seek repatriation

Unlike four years ago, the Iran issue was largely absent from campaigning for the 2020 US presidential election, and Biden's proposals on the subject remain vague..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Biden may 'change course' on Iran, but obstacles abound

Media outlets argue that there is no security basis to keep cabinet meeting minutes classified.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Press Ass'n backs lawsuit to declassify coronavirus cabinet protocols

The first battery was formally delivered on September 30th, second is expected to be delivered soon
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel delivers first MMR radars to US Army for Iron Dome batteries