Middle East Experience

The Egyptian Ministry of Immigration has signed cooperation protocols with the Ministry of Endowments and the church as part of efforts to combat illegal immigration.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt’s immigration, endowments ministries cooperate in fight against illegal immigration

Saudi Arabia on Sunday welcomed the first batch of foreign Umrah pilgrims after entry was suspended to everyone outside the Kingdom for months as part of efforts to curb the coronavirus outbreak. For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Under the current third phase of eased restrictions, 20,000 pilgrims and 60,000 worshippers from inside and outside of the country will be allowed to enter the Two Holy mosques and their courtyards.The worshippers will be allowed to pray in the Two Holy Mosques and visit the Rawdah in the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina – the chambers where the Prophet Mohammed was buried.Precautionary measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of all visitors, a spokesman for the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque told Al Arabiya on Saturday.Social distancing measures will be enforced at all times to prevent crowding, he added.The courtyards are sanitized repeatedly throughout the day using more than 2,500 liters, of environmentally-friendly sterilizers, according to the spokesperson.Read more:Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah airport prepares to welcome foreign Umrah pilgrimsCoronavirus deaths, critical cases declining in Saudi Arabia: Health ministryCoronavirus: 5 questions answered if you are planning to travel to Mecca for UmrahMore than 300 sanitizers have also been placed around the Two Holy Mosques, he said.Medical teams are stationed in several areas around the courtyards and an isolation and medical check-up room has been designated in case of a suspected coronavirus case.Saudi Arabia is planning to gradually ease restrictions in the coming months if the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the Ministry of Health determines that it is safe to do so.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia welcomes foreign Umrah pilgrims for first time in months

The number of coronavirus deaths and critical cases of the infection that Saudi Arabia has reported in recent weeks has declined, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health announced on Sunday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The public’s adherence to precautionary measures against COVID-19 have contributed largely to the decline in the rate of infection across the country, the ministry’s spokesperson Mohammed al-Abd al-Ali said.The spokesman urged citizens and residents to report any commercial centers that do not follow preventative measures to ensure that the virus is contained. Saudi Arabia has detected under 500 cases daily since October 14. The death toll has also stayed under 30 per day for the past few weeks. So far, 347,656 confirmed cases and 5,420 deaths have been recorded in the Kingdom.Out of 8,000 currently active cases, only 771 are critical, according to the ministry.Read more:Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia detects 374 COVID-19 cases, 394 recoveriesSafest countries: UAE, Saudi Arabia rank in top 10 of Gallup Law and Order Index
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus deaths, critical cases declining in Saudi Arabia: Health ministry 

The United Arab Emirates reported 1,278 new cases of the novel coronavirus, which raises the total number of infections in the country to 133,907, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced on Sunday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The UAE has been battling a recent surge of infections and has recorded over 1,000 new cases daily since early October.One person died due to complications caused by COVID-19, bringing the virus-related death toll in the country to 496.Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries climbed to 130,508 after 1,606 people recovered from the virus.Read more:Coronavirus: UAE forms national committee for COVID-19 managementCoronavirus: Dubai updates winter tourism travel rules; UK, Germany test on arrival
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE reports 1,278 new COVID-19 cases, one death in 24 hours

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia rank among the top 10 countries in the world where people feel safest, according to a new global Gallup poll.Read more: Saudi Arabia ranks third in Ipsos global happiness survey of 27 countriesGallup’s 2020 Law and Order Index measured people’s perceptions of their own security in 144 countries around the world based on questions about confidence in local police, feeling of security while walking alone at night, and frequencies of assault, mugging, and theft.Questions asked to survey participants included: Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live? Within the past 12 months, have you been assaulted or mugged? In the city or area where you live, do you have confidence in the local police force?Singapore took the top spot in the overall index– as it has in almost all previous years - with Turkmenistan tying for first. China came in second, while Iceland and Kuwait tied for third.The United Arab Emirates came in fourth place – along with Austria, Norway, Switzerland, and Uzbekistan - with 92 percent of the population of these countries saying they feel safe.Read more: Safest coronavirus countries: Saudi Arabia, UAE rank in top 20 of COVID-19 analysisSaudi Arabia came in seventh, tying with Egypt and Indonesia. About 89 percent of citizens in these countries said they felt safe, compared to 85 percent in the US, and 83 percent in the UK.Venezuela, the central African country of Gabon, and Afghanistan ranked as the three countries where the populations feel the least safe among those surveyed.Out of all the countries in the Middle East, Libya, Morocco, and Yemen ranked the lowest, respectively. Civil wars are currently underway in both Libya and Yemen.Walking alone at nightThe UAE and Norway ranked third in the specific index of countries where people feel safest walking alone at night, with 92 percent of the populations saying they feel safe. Kuwait ranked fourth, and Saudi Arabia fifth.South Africa, Venezuela, Gabon, and Afghanistan ranked at the bottom of the list. Only 29 percent of Venezuelans, and just 12 percent of Afghans, said they feel safe walking alone in their areas at night.The survey was based on interviews with almost 175,000 adults in 144 countries and areas in 2019. An estimated 1,000 adults in each country were polled.Read more:US reiterates potential serious consequences for Turkey after Erdogan mocks sanctionsDubai, Abu Dhabi businesses team up to help Israel firms enter UAE marketFrom royals to female shooter, influential UAE women revealed in new TV series
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Safest countries: UAE, Saudi Arabia rank in top 10 of Gallup Law and Order Index

The ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan “would not have happened without Turkey’s intervention,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told Al Arabiya on Saturday.“We need to acknowledge this war would not have happened without Turkey’s intervention. It’s now obvious and proven that Turkey recruited mercenaries and terrorists and transported them from Syria to Azerbaijan, to unleash the offensive,” he said.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in an armed conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region since September 27.Azerbaijan is backed by Turkey while Armenia has an ongoing military treaty with Russia, although Moscow also sells arms to Baku and has been more measured in its response than Turkey. “We will support our Azerbaijani brothers with all our means in their fight to protect their territorial integrity,” said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in a statement in response to the outbreak of the fighting.The prime minister accused Turkey of sending mercenaries from Syria to Azerbaijan, adding that the offensive was part of the Turkish “expansionist policy” to restore the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East.“I think we need to view all of this in the frameworks of the expansionist policy that Turkey is occurring out in the Mediterranean Sea, in Libya, Syria, Iraq. And this is basically an attempt, a policy of reinstating, restoring the Ottoman Empire,” Pashinyan told Al Arabiya.Read more:Armenia PM asks Russia’s Putin to start talks on providing securityRussia says to provide ‘necessary help’ to Yerevan if fighting reaches ArmeniaTurkey has repeatedly denied claims it was sending Syrian fighters to the disputed territory but said it would not hesitate to send military support to Azerbaijan if it was requested.Pashinyan called for an end to the fighting, saying that Armenia has “always been ready to negotiate, we are always ready to negotiate.”
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Turkey is to blame for ongoing conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh: Armenian PM

Egypt’s Ministry of Finance has listing Egyptian's first green bonds, intended to diversify government debt instruments and attract new investors.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt embarks on string of projects to be financed via green bonds

Top stories on The Round Up today ⚽ Swiss court acquits beIN media chairman of corruption charges 🚆 Doha Metro scraps paper travel cards 🎶 Fans unite for Prophet Muhammad at Al Sadd vs Al Duhail semi-finals Want more from Doha News? Website: www.dohanews.co Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dohanews Twitter: https://twitter.com/dohanews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dohanews/..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: The Round Up | 1 Nov 2020 – Doha News

Registration is now open for the webinar on Hope’s Science Journey..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UAE kicks off Generation Hope for future space scientists, engineers

An inside look at what spreading the Gospel to Jews implies, in light of the recent controversy oncerning the now-defunct missionizing Shelanu TV.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Shannon Nuszen: From missionary to observant Jew