Middle East Experience

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's recent appointments and reforms are likely to face resistance from some political blocs and armed groups who feel they are losing power.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Kadhimi follows through on promises to reform Iraq's security sector

A new Iran deal should consider the “gold standard” energy pact by the UAE and include a regional dialogue on the peaceful use of nuclear power.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Why rejoining the Iran nuclear deal isn’t so easy, even if Biden wins

A new suspect has been arrested in connection with the knife attack that took place in Paris on Friday near the former offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, a judicial source told AFP on Saturday.The detainee, who was arrested in the Cergy commune on the suburbs of Paris, had previously lived with the main suspect involved in the case, according to an Al Arabiya correspondent.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.A young man stabbed two people and injured a few others on Friday outside the Charlie Hebdo offices where 12 people were murdered when armed men stormed the building in 2015.The main suspect, who was found with speckles of blood on his forehead and wearing orange gym shoes, was arrested on the steps of the Bastille Opera in eastern Paris, authorities said.Several other people were detained later that day, and one was released following an interrogation, the Al Arabiya correspondent said.The interior minister Gerald Darmanin on Friday said the main assailant had arrived in France three years ago as an unaccompanied minor.Several reports said that the attacker was from Pakistan, but his identity is still being verified.(With Agencies)Read more:Four people injured in knife attack in Paris, several suspects detained: PoliceUK police detain man who killed officer in south London
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Another suspect arrested in connection with Paris knife attack: Judicial source

Lebanon’s Prime Minister designate Mustapha Adib will be stepping down from his position amid political impasse over the formation of a new government cabinet, he announced on Saturday.The prime minister designate said he was stepping down from “the task of forming the government” after a meeting with President Michel Aoun.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The formation of a new cabinet was expected to be complete by September 15 but efforts were hindered by ongoing disagreements between competing political forces.The cabinet formation was at standstill over concerns about demands made by the Shiite groups Amal and the Iran-backed Hezbollah to choose a candidate for the position of finance minister.Once named, the finance minister will play an essential part in drawing up a program to lift the country out of its deep economic crisis.Earlier this week, Adib had called on the parties to help him form an independent government to save the crisis-hit country. A new government is needed to pass a set of reforms that are required to unlock foreign aid.Read more:Lebanon is going ‘to hell’ if government is not formed: President AounLebanon's PM-designate Adib urges competing parties to form cabinetAdib, who had been serving as the country’s ambassador to Germany, was named Prime Minister by Aoun on August 31.His nomination came after former Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced his resignation in the wake of the deadly explosion at the port of Beirut.At least 190 people were killed and dozens were injured when about 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that were stored in a warehouse at the port exploded on August 4.The disaster has further exacerbated Lebanon’s economic crisis.(With Agencies)
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Lebanon’s PM-designate Adib announces resignation

Canadian authorities have arrested a man for allegedly lying about joining ISIS, including during an appearance on the award-winning 2018 New York Times podcast “Caliphate” that sparked backlash at the time.Shehroze Chaudhry, who uses the name Abu Huzayfah al-Kanadi, has presented himself as a former ISIS member in a number of social media posts since 2016. In an interview published by the New York Times in 2018, Chaudhry claimed to have been a member of ISIS’ religious police in Syria and described carrying out executions for the terrorist organization.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.On Friday, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced they had arrested the 25-year-old in Burlington under Canada’s anti-terrorism hoax laws.“Hoaxes can generate fear within our communities and create the illusion there is a potential threat to Canadians, while we have determined otherwise,” RCMP superintendent Christopher deGale said in a statement.“As a result, the RCMP takes these allegations very seriously, particularly when individuals, by their actions, cause the police to enter into investigations in which human and financial resources are invested and diverted from other ongoing priorities,” he added.New York Times podcastThe RCMP said the charges against Chaudhry stemmed from interviews “published in multiple media outlets, aired on podcasts and featured on a television documentary, raising public safety concerns amongst Canadians.”Chaudhry had been posting on social media about his apparent time with ISIS in Syria since 2016, but came to public prominence through his appearance on the New York Times’ “Caliphate” podcast.Speaking to the paper’s Rukmini Callimachi, Chaudhry – who was introduced as “former ISIS member” Abu Huzayfah and used his pseudonym throughout – described in length how he apparently traveled to Syria in 2014 to join the organization following the outbreak of war in the country.On the podcast, Chaudhry claimed to have executed two men after he had enrolled in the ISIS police force known as the “Hisba,” which was tasked with enforcing the group’s religious ideology in the territory it then controlled in Syria. He spoke in detail how he had shot one of the men in the back of the head for dealing drugs, and stabbed another in the heart, describing how the blood “sprayed everywhere.”He then claimed to have fled Syria and returned to Canada, apparently disgusted by the organization’s violent tactics.The podcast won several awards, including the 2018 Peabody Award and the Murrow award for excellence in sound from the Radio Television Digital News Association.Controversy and doubtsThe New York Times’ decision to broadcast Chaudhry’s account sparked controversy at the time.In Canada’s parliament, lawmakers questioned why a self-confessed former terrorist was allowed to roam the streets of Toronto freely. “Why aren’t they doing something about this despicable animal that’s walking around the country?” said Conservative MP James Bezan.But others soon began to raise doubts about the reliability of Chaudhry’s account.Canada’s CBC News also interviewed Chaudhry, but said the story he told them was different to the one published in the New York Times.According to CBC, Chaudhry denied killing anyone while in Syria and insisted he was just a “low-level police officer.”While the New York Times had interviewed Chaudhry in 2016, just after he had apparently returned to Canada, it did not release the podcast until two years later. CBC interviewed Chauhdry in September 2017, when he allegedly denied the killings.“The man gave two very different accounts of his time with ISIS to CBC News and the New York Times. The contradictions only came to light after both news organizations published their stories,” wrote CBC in May 2018.During the intervening period, Chaudhry was interrogated by the RCMP but released without charge.In an interview with CBC, The New York Times’ Callimachi suggested that Chaudhry might have changed his story in response to realizing he could be arrested.“When we interviewed him back in November of 2016, nobody from CSIS or RCMP had yet interviewed this man,” she told CBC.“I think that we need to look carefully at what he is saying now through the lens that this is a young man that is now facing a real investigation and possibly arrest,” she added.But according to CBC News producer Nazim Baksh, when pressed on the inconsistencies, Chaudhry broke down in tears and insisted he had lied to the New York Times and had not killed anyone.In reaction to Chaudhry's arrest on Friday, Callimachi acknowledged Chaudhry's arrest on Twitter and discussed why the Canadian government hadn't arrested him until now, suggesting that he had been forced into a “checkmate” by authorities - he can only prove he wasn't lying through giving evidence that might incriminate him on terrorism charges.The anti-terrorism hoax laws under which Chaudhry was arrested carry a maximum sentence of five years.Read more:How ISIS leader al-Mawla rose rapidly through the ranks in Iraqi terrorist group‘Fear God,’ members react to porn dump on ISIS Telegram groupWhat’s the story behind picture of ISIS’s Baghdadi with exotic dancers?
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: ISIS hoax: Canada arrests man for allegedly lying about killing people in NYT podcast

The United Arab Emirates detected another significant rise in infections with 1,078 new cases in just 24 hours, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 90,618, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced on Saturday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Two people died due to complications caused by COVID-19, which brings the virus-related death toll in the country to 411.Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries in the UAE climbed to 79,676 after 857 people recovered from the virus in the last 24 hours.Cases in the UAE have been on the rise in recent weeks, which authorities have attributed to hundreds of people failing to follow precautionary measures.On Wednesday, the country recorded its highest single-day increase since the start of the outbreak with 1,083 new infections in just 24 hours. On Thursday, the UAE detected 1,002 new infections, and 1,008 new infections on Friday.The ministry has urged the public to adhere to preventative measures to ensure the coronavirus is contained.Read more:Coronavirus: Dubai allows restaurants to host tables of 8 people, amends regulationsCoronavirus: Dubai Police fine woman over $2,000 for hosting partyCoronavirus: Abu Dhabi high school students get free PCR test before UAE school year
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE detects significant rise in infections with 1,078 new cases

Saudi Arabia detected 461 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, which brings the total number of confirmed infections in the Kingdom to 332,790, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Jeddah recorded 49 new cases, Mecca recorded 42, Medina recorded 40, and the capital Riyadh recorded 27 new cases in the last 24 hours. The other infections were confirmed in cities and provinces across the Kingdom.Thirty people died due to complications caused by COVID-19, raising the virus-related death toll in Saudi Arabia to 4,655.Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries in the country rose to 316,405 after 769 people recovered from the coronavirus.Saudi Arabia celebrated its 90th annual National Day on Wednesday with air shows, fireworks, and several other events across the Kingdom.On Thursday, the Minister of Health Tawfiq al-Rabiah expressed his concern over the large number of people who ignored coronavirus countermeasures during the celebrations and urged the public to always adhere to preventative measures to ensure that cases in the country continue to decrease.Read more:Saudi Arabia celebrates 90th National Day with massive air shows, fireworks, and moreCoronavirus: Saudi Arabia lifts restrictions for medical treatments abroad
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia reports 461 new cases, 769 recoveries in 24 hours

A number of big companies that would have normally gone bust amid Turkey’s economic turmoil are surviving thanks to government favors.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: How Turkey’s ‘zombie’ companies keep afloat

The Asian tourist extended her gratitude to the police for their generous and kind help..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Stranded Dubai tourist runs out of cash; cops help her fly home

Government military sources say Iran-backed Houthi militias are inching closer to the strategic city of Marib and tightening the noose from three sides as well as sending hundreds of fighters into battle to confront government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Houthis’ push towards Marib exacerbates humanitarian situation