A shop chain dedicated to providing pandemic essentials including customized face masks has sprung up in the United States.The “COVID-19 Essentials” shops offer a range of coronavirus-related products in eight US cities following a dramatic increase in demand for products such as the highly rated N95 face mask.“We didn’t go into it with the idea of opening many stores, but we got busy from the second we opened,” founder Nadav Benimetzky told the New York Times.Visit our dedicated coronavirus site here for all the latest updates.The shops reportedly offer products including “keylike devices” that allow the customer to open doors and press buttons without touching them, high-quality hand sanitizer spray, and ultraviolet-light devices that can be used to disinfect phones.However, according to customers who spoke to the New York Times, the main attraction are the customized face masks.Face mask wearing has increased dramatically across the globe following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in January, 2020.While the most common mask is the standard blue and white medical white mask, many have invested in patterned cloth masks. COVID-19 Essentials offers custom-made patterns that feature artistic designs or political slogans including “Black Lives Matter” and support for both US President Donald Trump and challenger Joe Biden.The first branch opened in Miami’s Aventura Mall in June.Speaking to Miami’s 7News at the time, Benimetzky pointed to the demand for masks.“People want to have their own masks customized in a couple minutes. Everyone wants to express their own fashion, and we’re here to really customize the mask, A to Z,” he explained.One customer explained why they had gone to the store.“With all this situation and everything, it’s like a toy store. That’s our reality right now. We need to protect ourselves, and we need to be very careful,” Hili Hazan told 7News.With much of the world experiencing a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for protective products is unlikely to go away.Rival stores have since popped up, including CV-19 ESSENTIAL, established by Tony Park, in New York City.Despite this, Benimetzky said his store is not designed to last forever.“I can’t wait to go out of business eventually,” he told the New York Times, reflecting hope that one day the pandemic will be talked about in the past tense, and not as a fixture of the new normal.Read more:Coronavirus: COVID-19 can stay for 28 days on banknotes, touchscreens, research showsCoronavirus: British researchers design death risk tool for COVID-19 patientsTwitter flags Trump tweet saying he was ‘immune’ to coronavirus as ‘misleading’
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: COVID-19 Essentials shops provide pandemic needs in sign of new normal
UAE’s Mohamed bin Zayed, Israeli PM Netanyahu examine ‘prospects for peace’ in region
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu examined “prospects for peace” in the region during a phone call, and discussed bilateral cooperation.“We discussed strengthening bilateral ties and examined prospects for peace and the need for stability, cooperation and development in the region,” the Crown Prince said in a statement on Twitter on Monday.Read more: Open for business: How UAE-Israel peace is driving deals at breakneck speedNetanyahu said in a tweet Monday that he invited Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince to Israel, and the Crown Prince extended a reciprocal invitation to Abu Dhabi.In August, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin invited the Crown Prince to Jerusalem shortly after the announcement of peace between their two countries.Israel’s cabinet officially approved the normalization agreement with the UAE on Monday, Netanyahu said.“The government today unanimously approved the historic peace agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates,” the Israeli prime minister said in a tweet.In the phone call, Netanyahu and the Crown Prince also expressed their appreciation for the vital role played by the US and President Donald Trump in reaching a peace accord, according to state news agency WAM.The discussion came hours after the Crown Prince spoke with President Trump over the phone on Sunday.Trump called on the Crown Prince “to seize this opportunity to urge leaders of other Middle East countries to follow the same path toward advancing peace and prosperity in the region.”The American president also thanked the Crown Prince for leading the Abraham Accords, the landmark normalization agreements between Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain, which were signed at the White House last month.Read more:‘My friend far away’: UAE, Israel singers unite for song in first music collaborationFive questions: Meet the Hebrew-speaking Emirati building bridges between Israel, UAEMost Palestinians don’t see a Joe Biden presidency as positive: Palestine poll
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: UAE’s Mohamed bin Zayed, Israeli PM Netanyahu examine ‘prospects for peace’ in region
Palestinian man builds vintage car in his own garage
A Palestinian owner of a car showroom in the West Bank manufactured his own vintage vehicle in a small workshop during the coronavirus lockdown.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Palestinian man builds vintage car in his own garage
Saudi Arabia’s al-Jouf region leads the country in farming: Report
Saudi Arabia’s northern region of al-Jouf is the Kingdom’s largest agricultural base and its most forested province, confirmed a recent government report.Al-Jouf, which borders Jordan and includes parts of three nature reserves, is the province with the most trees and produces the highest amount of key crops, according to the report by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics (GaStat).For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The province has over 593,990 trees planted, representing 8.4 percent of the total number of trees in the country, said GaStat.The report added that al-Jouf is the top region for growing the alfalfa plant, which is used for farming purposes such as hay or a cover crop. The region hosts over 2.1 million acres of land of cultivated alfalfa, amounting to over half of the total land of cultivated alfalfa in Saudi Arabia at 54 percent.Al-Jouf region also produces the highest proportion of the Kingdom’s wheat, amounting to 5.27 percent of the total farmed wheat in Saudi Arabia.The report also said al-Jouf was the top honey-producing region in the Kingdom, with over 8,853 beehives producing over 28 tons of honey. This is equivalent to 9.25 percent of the total production of honey from all beehives in the country.Al-Jouf region is also famed for its production of olives. In 2018, al-Jouf Agricultural Development Company received a certificate of merit from the Guinness World Records as the largest modern olive farm in the world.According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), al-Jouf region is home to olive trees that annually produce 10 thousand tons of olive oil.On Saturday, Saudi Arabia launched a new green campaign to reduce desertification in the Kingdom and help develop natural habitats by planting 10 million trees by the end of April 2021, Environment Minister Abdulrahman al-Fadley announced.Read more:Saudi Arabia launches green campaign to plant 10 mln trees in seven monthsInside the Saudi olive farm, the largest in the world
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s al-Jouf region leads the country in farming: Report
Coronavirus: Kremlin says second human trials of Sputnik V vaccine launched in UAE
Human trials of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine, named Sputnik V, will be held in the United Arab Emirates, the second country after Belarus to take part in the program of which results are expected before the end of November, Moscow said on Monday.The vaccine, first licensed by Russian authorities for domestic use in August, is currently being tested on 40,000 volunteers in Moscow as part of a late-stage trial known as Phase III.The trial in the UAE has received regulatory approval from the Gulf state’s health ministry, and the process will be supported by local laboratory provider PureHealth, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, responsible for marketing the vaccine abroad, said in a statement.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedictaed page.“The results of the UAE trial will be combined with the results of the of the trial in Russia and other countries,” Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in the statement, adding that interim results will be published before the end of November.The first participant in the trial is due to be injected soon. RDIF declined to comment on how many people will receive the jab in the UAE as part of the trial or when it is due to begin.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The UAE’s health minister said that the Gulf state’s high degree of demographic diversity made it an advantageous location to hold a vaccine trial.“People from more than 200 nations live and work in the UAE,” AbdulRahman bin Mohammed al-Owais said in the same statement.Plans to launch Phase III trials of Sputnik V in India suffered a setback last week after India’s drug regulator said early-stage trials - already conducted in Russia - must be done locally first too.Around 2,000 people have already received the first and second component of the Sputnik V vaccine as part of the Moscow-based trial, the RIA news agency cited vaccine developer Alexander Gintsburg, head of the Gamaleya Institute, as saying on Monday.Russia is also planning to launch a human trial in Venezuela in the near future. It has announced that Brazil also expects to hold clinical trials, pending regulatory approval.President Vladimir Putin and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan discussed the start of the UAE trials in a phone call on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement.Read more:Coronavirus: UAE approves COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use for front line workersRussian Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine safe, created immune response in all recipients
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Kremlin says second human trials of Sputnik V vaccine launched in UAE
Coronavirus: Dubai residents can get COVID-19 PCR test at malls, appointment required
The Dubai Health Authority announced the launch of COVID-19 PCR testing stations at malls across the emirate including Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif and City Centre Deira, according to the Dubai Media Office.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.“The PCR testing stations… are receiving customers seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on appointment basis,” the government office’s statement read.The new service was launched for residents who require a test prior to traveling or other non-medical reasons, but it is not for those who have a fever or respiratory symptoms. Residents can call the DHA at 800DHA (800342) to book an appointment.The test costs 150 aed ($40) and results are delivered within 24 hours, according to the statement. Each station reportedly has the capacity to conduct 180 tests pers day.“Launching COVID-19 PCR testing station across malls in Dubai is in line with the DHA’s pre-emptive and precautionary measures to combat the disease and is in line with the DHA’s keenness to ensure that Dubai residents can have easy access to COVID-19 PCR testing,” the Dubai Media Office said in the statement.Health authorities across the United Arab Emirates have significantly expanded the country’s testing capacity, processing over 100,000 COVID-19 tests per day.Earlier this month, the government announced that over 10 million coronavirus test had been conducted, becoming the first country in the world where the number of COVID-19 tests performed exceed the total population.The UAE has confirmed 107,293 coronavirus cases as of October 12 with an 89 percent recovery rate and a death toll of 446, according to the health ministry.Read more:Over 10 mln, number of coronavirus tests done exceeds population in UAE: OfficialUAE records 1,064 COVID-19 cases, one deathDubai amends travel protocols, eliminates some requirements
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Dubai residents can get COVID-19 PCR test at malls, appointment required
As US elections near, GCC states chart middle course between US and China
Former Vice President and Democratic candidate for president Joe Biden's previous statement to make Saudi Arabia a 'pariah' hangs over the region.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: As US elections near, GCC states chart middle course between US and China
Khamenei: Iran must look inward to address economy
In today's Iran media review, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said the country must look at domestic solutions to address its economic woes.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Khamenei: Iran must look inward to address economy
Educators urge comprehensive roll-out of Arabic studies for co-existence
Learning the Arabic language can be a conduit to better understanding of Arabic culture, fostering connections between Jews and Arabs.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Educators urge comprehensive roll-out of Arabic studies for co-existence
The Round Up | Oct 12, 2020 – Doha News
On The Round Up this Monday ⚽ QFA reveals new Nike football national team kits 💍👶 Learn about lockdown love and Qatar’s pandemic baby boom 🌧 Al Wasmi rainy season 🚔 Serial car thief caught 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 | Oct 12, 2020 – Doha News