Middle East Experience

Nearly 7,000 new patients were diagnosed with coronavirus in the last day * Netanyahu: 'We are at war'
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Netanyahu recommending total lockdown from Friday through Simhat Torah

Next step: Mount precision fire control system on autonomous vehicle
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Smart Shooter develops SMASH Hopper to be mounted on armored vehicles

The government must do much more to ease the economic burden of the many Israelis harmed by the lockdown.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: The lockdown aid package is welcome, but more must be done

Lebanese football player Mohamad Atwi passed away early Friday morning from injuries sustained when a stray bullet hit him in the head a month earlier, Lebanese outlet Al Jadeed reported.Atwi was was accidentally shot in the head August 21 after festive gunfire from a funeral for one of the victims of the Beirut explosion that left at least 190 dead.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Atwi was in Beirut’s Al Cola area as mourners shot off rounds of bullets during the funeral of firefighter Joe Bou Saab, who died during the massive explosion at Beirut’s port on August 4, Al Arabiya English previously reported.At the time of the injury, he suffered internal bleeding.Read more:Coronavirus: Lebanon to record its highest weekly COVID-19 count since pandemicUS sanctions Hezbollah-linked companies, official as new Lebanon govt on holdCoronavirus: Overcrowded prison in Lebanon records over 200 casesBorn in 1987, Atwi was a professional footballer who played as a midfielder for the national team and played for numerous clubs in the Lebanese Premier League’s first division.A few days prior to the shooting incident, he signed a new contract to rejoin the Lebanese football club Tadamon Sour.-Bassam Zaazaa contributed to this report.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Lebanon football player Mohamad Atwi dies from stray bullet injury to head

Authorities have further clarified COVID-19 quarantine guidelines for international travelers arriving in Abu Dhabi amid the coronavirus outbreak.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.All passengers arriving in the United Arab Emirates’ capital on international flights are required to quarantine for 14 days and must wear an electronic tracking bracelet, according to the latest update released by the Abu Dhabi Media Office on Thursday.Even those who plan to spend less than two weeks in the emirate are required to quarantine and therefore are urged to plan their visit accordingly.Representatives will provide a bracelet at no extra cost to all travelers upon arrival in an effort to track quarantines and ensure compliance with the procedures.“The electronic wristband helps to track home quarantine cases and to ensure compliance with quarantine procedures, in order to ensure the health and safety of travelers and community members and to avoid the spread of infection,” the Department of Health said in a statement.Quarantine location, requirementsQuarantining at a home is permitted given a person is living alone. Family members would be allowed to quarantine in a single home if they were traveling together, according to the latest guidelines. If authorities find that the accommodation is unsuitable, travelers will be asked to check in to a hotel or a location provided by authorities.Abu Dhabi international travelers arriving in another emirateAuthorities clarified that even if international travelers arrive in one of the other emirates but plan to go to Abu Dhabi, the 14-day quarantine requirement would still apply “whether they are entering through Abu Dhabi entry points or through entry points in other emirates.”However, time spent in another emirate prior to entering Abu Dhabi will be deducted from the 14-day quarantine requirement. If an international traveler arrives in another emirate and spends six days there before entering Abu Dhabi, he or she would then quarantine for eight days instead of 14 in the capital.Arriving in Abu Dhabi but directly going to another emirateThose arriving in Abu Dhabi but directly leaving to another emirate are required to provide a negative PCR result of a test taken within 96 hours of flight departure time, as are all other travelers arriving in the capital.For those directly leaving the emirate after arrival, a laser DPI test is required at the airport and travelers must wait for the results before being allowed to leave. A signed declaration form stating one will adhere to all precautionary measures is also required. A contact phone number and full address of where travelers will be staying – whether a home or hotel – must be provided to authorities as well.Visiting another emirate during Abu Dhabi quarantine period but departing from Abu DhabiTravelers are allowed to leave Abu Dhabi during their quarantine period to visit another emirate. However, if they wish to return in order to catch a departure flight, they must follow entry guidelines which require taking a new PCR test within 48 hours of entry and providing a negative result. A confirmed flight reservation is also required for re-entry.Procedures for discharge from quarantineTravelers must take a PCR test on the twelfth day of quarantine, according to the latest guidelines.A representative from the Abu Dhabi Public Health Center will contact those in quarantine in order to schedule a test appointment at one of three SEHA health facilities. Travelers will be responsible for the cost of the test.Once a negative result becomes available, a representative will contact the travelers and arrange for removing the electronic tracking bracelet sometime on the fourteenth day of quarantine.Fines for breaking rulesThose who remove the tracking bracelet, don’t follow precautionary measures, or fail to quarantine will be fined, according to the health department.Read more:Entering Abu Dhabi requires either COVID-19 PCR or laser test, not bothAbu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways announces coronavirus insurance for passengersAbu Dhabi requires a COVID-19 PCR test after six days, threatens fines
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi clarifies quarantine requirements for international travelers

Saudi Arabia’s former Minister of Economy and Planning Mohammad Al-Tuwaijri advanced to the second round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) leadership race, Reuters reported on Friday.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the appAl-Tuwaijri was the Kingdom’s Minister of Economy and Planning between 2016 and 2020, where he oversaw part of Kingdom’s ambitious economic transformation plan.A total of three women and two men bidding to become the next director-general of the WTO advanced to the second round of the selection process, the Geneva-based body said on Friday.The other four to go through to the next round are Kenyan minister Amina Mohamed, former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee and British ex-minister Liam Fox.The WTO is looking for a new director-general to replace Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, who stepped down a year earlier than expected at the end of August.Azevedo's successor will face a considerable challenge with rising global tensions and protectionism during a COVID-induced slowdown, most obviously between Beijing and President Donald Trump's US administration, and pressure to drive reform.Round two, in which the WTO's 164 members will give their preferences from Sept 24 to Oct 6, will whittle the candidates down to two. The WTO has said it wants to select the winner by early November.- With ReutersAl Arabiya English's Matthew Amlôt contributed to this report.Read more:Saudi Arabia nominates former minister Mohammad al-Tuwaijri for WTO director-generalEU trade chief Hogan considering candidacy for WTO director-general postWTO to open nominations for next director on June 8, after Azevedo steps down
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia’s al-Tuwaijri advances to second round of WTO leadership race

Eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar announced on Friday he would lift for one month his blockade of oil output and said he had agreed with the rival Tripoli government on “fair distribution” of energy revenue.A resumption of oil exports after the eight-month blockade would relieve mounting financial pressure for both sides in the Libyan conflict and could remove a major obstacle towards a political settlement, but it is not yet clear if the declared agreement has wider support.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app“We are ready to open oil fields, to secure the future of Libya, for one month,” Haftar said in a statement distributed by his spokesman after a brief televised broadcast in which he announced that it had “been decided” to resume oil production.National Oil Corporation (NOC), which operates Libya’s energy sector, also said overnight it would not lift force majeure on exports until the LNA withdrew fighters from its facilities.Libya and many of its state institutions have been split for years between the internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli and Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) in the east.However, both of those camps have internal fractures that have widened since June when Haftar’s 14-month offensive to capture Tripoli collapsed and he was forced to retreat to the central coastal city of Sirte.In Tripoli, the GNA’s deputy prime minister, Ahmed Maiteeg, issued a statement immediately after Haftar’s speech also saying it “had been decided” to resume oil production and adding this would involve a new committee to oversee revenue distribution.The committee would coordinate between the two sides to prepare a budget and transfer funds to cover payments and deal with the public debt, he said.Prior to the blockade, Libya was producing around 1.2 million barrels per day, compared with just over 100,000 bpd now.GNA Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj said on Wednesday he planned to step down by the end of October and analysts have said this would lead to political jockeying among other senior figures in Tripoli to succeed him.However, neither Haftar nor Maiteeg addressed the presence of LNA and allied foreign forces in oil production and export facilities, which NOC has said must be withdrawn to ensure the safety of its staff before it will resume output.Oil price riseNews of the possible resumption of Libyan oil exports pushed benchmark Brent oil prices into negative territory on Friday, and they were down 0.7percent, or 32 cents, at $42.98 a barrel by 1242 GMT.A sustained return of Libyan oil exports to an oil market that’s already grappling with worsening demand outlook, is likely to weigh on oil prices further, and may push the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies to reevaluate their policy on oil production cuts.However, Libya’s National Oil Corporation said overnight it would not lift force majeure on exports until oil facilities were demilitarized.In place since the start of the year, force majeure was briefly lifted in July before being reimposed.NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanallah’s comment, published on NOC’s website, comes after Turkey and Russia -- the main power brokers in Libya’s war -- appeared to moved closer in meetings in Ankara this week to an agreement on a ceasefire and political bargaining process.“In light of the current chaos and non-organized negotiations, force majeure can’t be lifted,” Sanallah said in a statement.The NOC chairman expressed regret over what he called the “politicizing of the oil sector” and use of it as a “bargaining chip” to achieve political gains.Libya’s oil output has already been almost entirely halted this year by a blockade on exports since January by the LNA.Meanwhile, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday he was upset that Sarraj was stepping down and would hold talks on the issue with the GNA later this month.Turkey and Russia have moved forward in their own talks on Libya towards cementing a ceasefire and finding a political solution, Ankara’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.Talks on a political settlement have also advanced in Switzerland with support from the United Nations, and in Morocco between the two rival parliamentary assemblies in east and west Libya.Ankara and Moscow back opposing sides. Russia supports the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) of Khalifa Haftar, while Turkey backs Libya’s UN recognized Government of National Accord (GNA).Sanallah said separate negotiations carried out by NOC in coordination with the head of the presidential council and the international community include an initiative that include safe operation of oil fields and ports, and pushing all “foreign mercenaries” out of them.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Libya’s Haftar says he will lift oil blockade, while GNA agrees on fair revenue share

The US Commerce Department said it will issue an order Friday that will bar people in the United States from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok starting on September 20.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the appCommerce officials said the ban on new US downloads of TikTok could be still rescinded by President Donald Trump before it takes effect late Sunday as TikTok owner ByteDance races to clinch an agreement over the fate of its US operations.ByteDance has been talks with Oracle Corp and others to create a new company, TikTok Global, that aims to address US concerns about the security of its users' data.ByteDance still needs Trump's approval to stave off a US ban.Commerce officials said they will not bar additional technical transactions for TikTok until November 12, which gives the company additional time to see if ByteDance can reach a deal for its US operations.“The basic TikTok will stay intact until November 12,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox Business Network.The department said the actions will “protect users in the US by eliminating access to these applications and significantly reducing their functionality.”Oracle shares fell 1.6 percent after the news in pre-market tradingThe Commerce Department order will “deplatform” the two apps in the United States and bar Apple Inc's app store, Alphabet Inc's Google Play and others from offering the apps on any platform “that can be reached from within the United States,” a senior Commerce official told Reuters.The order will not ban US companies from doing businesses on WeChat outside the United States, which will be welcome news to US firms like Walmart and Starbucks that use WeChat's embedded 'mini-app' programs to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China, officials said.The order will not bar transactions with WeChat-owner Tencent Holdings' other businesses, including its online gaming operations, and will not prohibit Apple, Google or others from offering TikTok or WeChat apps anywhere outside the United States.The bans are in response to a pair of executive orders issued by Trump on August 6 that gave the Commerce Department 45 days to determine what transactions to block from the apps he deemed pose a national security threat. That deadline expires on Sunday.Commerce Department officials said they were taking the extraordinary step because of the risks the apps' data collection poses. China and the companies have denied US user data is collected for spying.Ross said in a written statement “we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations.”The order is set to be published at 8:45 a.m. EDT (1245 GMT) on Friday, Commerce said.Read more:YouTube showcases TikTok rival in IndiaTrump deadline looms for China’s TikTok to sell US businessTikTok CEO Kevin Mayer quits company amid China tensions: Statement
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US to block new TikTok, WeChat app downloads from Sep. 20: Officials

The arrest of six senior officials on corruption charges shows that serious steps are taken in the fight against corruption, amid calls that the government speeds up its reform program.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Iraqi government steps up fight against corruption

Egyptian mediation in Libya could prove a silver lining for Turkey as its ability to influence the conflict seems to wane, bearing also on its energy ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Why is Turkey acquiescing to Egypt’s role in Libya?