Middle East Experience

The full range of the sanctions are expected to be announced Saturday evening in Washington, but it is unclear how effective they will be..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: U.S. Prepares to Reimpose U.N. Sanctions on Iran Over Objections of World Powers

Gulf states sell normalisation as a win for regional peace by managing the media narrative and suppressing dissent..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: The Abraham Accords: The PR of the 'peace deals'

Inside this dates packaging factory in Saudi Arabia, it is women who run the show.The factory is operated by 100 Saudi women, who fill the ranks from management, accounting, quality control and packaging, to health and nutrition.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Their colleague, Aqeelah Ali even drives a forklift to transport date packages.“At first there were some difficulties - driving heavy transport trucks was thought to be for men only,” said Ali. “But I’m happy that I could prove that women can enter into new fields and succeed.”The Ibn Zaid factory produces and sells dates in Saudi Arabia’s al-Ahsa eastern region.Al-Ahsa is home to nearly two million palm trees producing over 100,000 tonnes of dates every year, according to local estimates.The factory was previously run by foreign expat workers, but the owner decided to hire local Saudi women instead, in keeping with the country’s new direction of integrating women into the labor force.He gradually replaced expat workers with women, and it has been run by women for more than a year.In recent years, Saudi Arabia has introduced several reforms to increase women’s presence in the public sphere.In 2017, King Salman bin Abdulaziz announced that the ban on female drivers will be lifted.Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also launched the Vision 2030 reform plan, which aims to diversify the Kingdom’s economy and includes increasing women’s labor force participation.Since then, dozens of Saudi Arabian women have been appointed to official positions, the guardianship law was eradicated, and women no longer need permission to live alone.Read more:Men and women in Saudi Arabia private sector must be paid equally: MinistrySaudi Arabia’s historic ruling for woman living independently without permissionSaudi women no longer need permission of male guardian to travel
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Meet the Saudi Arabian women running a date factory

The UAE records 842 new cases of the novel coronavirus in 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 81,782.One person died due to complications caused by COVID-19, raising the virus-related death toll in the country to 402.Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries climbed to 71,456 after 821 people recovered from the coronavirus.The UAE had on Monday night announced that emergency approval was issued for the use of a COVID-19 vaccine, currently in its third phase of testing in the Gulf country.“The vaccine will be available to our first line of defense heroes who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus,” said the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority in a tweet.Read more:Coronavirus: How to reach herd immunityCoronavirus: UAE approves COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use for front line workersCoronavirus: UAE detects 674 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths in 24 hours
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE records 842 cases in 24 hours, 821 recoveries

Saudi Arabia’s health ministry reported 621 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, making the total number of cases 327,551. The ministry also recorded 982 new recoveries.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The city of Mecca recorded 88 cases, Jeddah had 58 cases and Riyadh had 41 confirmed COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours.The death toll stood at 4,369 after 31 new fatalities were recorded, according to the Kingdom’s health ministry.Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries was 306,004. There are 17,178 active cases.The Kingdom confirmed its first COVID-19 cases on March 2 via a Saudi Arabian national returning from Iran.Read more:Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia to partially lift ban on international flightsCoronavirus: Saudi Arabia allows international travel for set categories from Sept 15
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia detects 621 COVID19 cases in 24 hours

Individuals traveling to and from Saudi Arabia must adhere to coronavirus countermeasures at all times, the Kingdom’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) said on Wednesday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.International flights to and from the Kingdom were suspended on March 15 as part of measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.However, the GACA said that all airports around the country are ready to operate flights carrying passengers who fit the criteria for travel.Certain categories of citizens and residents are allowed to enter and exit the Kingdom starting from September 15. All other citizens and residents will be allowed to travel after January 1, 2021.Each airline must clarify its regulations for passengers ahead of their flights, the GACA said.It is also the responsibility of the travel to ensure that they follow all health procedures of their destination country, the authority added.Read more:Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia allows international travel for set categories from Sept 15Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia to partially lift ban on international flights
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia urges travelers to follow COVID-19 precautionary measures

Egypt called on Arab countries to adopt a unified policy to deter the Turkish interference in the Arab region, especially in Libya, Syria and Iraq.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Egypt rallies Arab League to counter Turkey's regional policies

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday started to allow certain citizens and residents to enter and exit the Kingdom after lifting its suspension of all international travel put in place in early March to contain the coronavirus outbreak.After January 1, 2021, all citizens and residents of the country will be allowed to travel.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Here’s what you need to know about the relaxed restrictions and regulations:Who can enter and exit Saudi Arabia starting from September 15? GCC citizens and non-Saudis who have valid work, residency or visit visas, given they adhere to the coronavirus-related health precautions.For Saudi Arabian citizens, only individuals who meet at least one of the following criteria can travel to and from the Kingdom:-Civilian and military government employees assigned to official duties.-Diplomatic and consular employees in missions abroad and foreign attaches as well as individuals working for regional and international organizations. Family members will be allowed to accompany these workers.-People in occupations that require travel for commercial and industrial business.-Export, marketing, and sales managers whose work requires visiting clients abroad.-Patients who require treatment abroad if they have a medical report.-Scholarship students, students paying their own tuition, trainees in medical fellowship programs, and students who are required to travel abroad for their studies or training.-Humanitarian cases, which include reuniting a citizen’s family with their relatives abroad, or those who need to travel following the death of a husband, wife, parent, or child outside the country.2. What requirements must travelers meet before traveling to Saudi Arabia? Travelers must provide a negative coronavirus test taken within 48 hours before their flight. The test must be done at a certified authority outside the Kingdom.3. What are the regulations for arriving passengers? All travelers arriving in Saudi Arabia must take a coronavirus test upon their arrival.They must quarantine at home for three days after they enter the country and can only leave once their test result comes back negative.4. What if a traveler tests positive for the coronavirus after they arrive in Saudi Arabia? If a traveler tests positive for the coronavirus after they arrive in Saudi Arabia, they must self-isolate at home for a period of 10 days.If they continue to have symptoms even after they have been quarantining, then they must stay at home until symptoms disappear.If they do not have symptoms, they must self-isolate at home for three additional days to ensure they do not infect others.5. How can a traveler prevent infection during their journey to, and from, Saudi Arabia? The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) urged citizens and residents to adhere to all coronavirus countermeasures when traveling to protect themselves from infection.A traveler can limit their chance of infection by wearing a mask at all times. For additional precautionary measures, a passenger can wear gloves or use a hand sanitizer after touching objects.Maintaining a two-meter distance with others at the airport can also help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.6. When will all citizens and residents of Saudi Arabia be permitted to travel? All citizens and residents who do not fall under the above-mentioned categories will be allowed to travel internationally after January 1, 2021, according to the GACA.The decision to lift travel restrictions completely will be reviewed 30 days prior to January 1, the GACA said.7. When will tourists be permitted to visit the Kingdom? No date has been set for the return of tourists to Saudi Arabia, but the GACA has announced that travel restrictions will be lifted at the start of 2021, pending review.Read more:Meet the Saudi Arabian women running a date factoryNetflix signs deal with Saudi Arabia animator Myrkott, creator of Masameer cartoonsMen and women in Saudi Arabia private sector must be paid equally: Ministry
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: All you need to know about traveling to, from Saudi Arabia

The various Palestinian factions that took part in the unity meeting in Ramallah agreed to establish yet another body in the name of unified national leadership.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Ramallah meeting produces new Palestinian unity committee

Militants in Gaza fired a barrage of rockets at Israel’s southern towns while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking at the White House signing ceremony with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Rockets rain from Gaza as Netanyahu speaks in Washington