Middle East Experience

Netanyahu says the agreement marks a "new era of peace."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Bahrain agrees to normalize relations with Israel, Trump announces

Joe Biden told Stars and Stripes he wants to stop "forever wars" but keep some troops in Iraq and Syria. His opponent, Donald Trump, also pledges to withdraw more troops.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Biden endorses lower troop levels in Iraq, fight against IS in interview

Russian regular forces are likely present in Libya, AFRICOM's intelligence director said
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Wagner has already crashed two Russian fighter jets in Libya, AFRICOM says

Large numbers of Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon remain in very vulnerable condition.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Looming despair among Lebanon’s refugees

Dubai has issued fines and ordered several businesses to close for not complying with coronavirus preventative measures, UAE state media WAM reported on Friday.The announcement comes after the UAE recorded its highest daily case count in four months and as daily case counts have been generally higher than in previous months.Health authorities urged citizens and residents to follow precautionary measures, like social distancing, at a press conference Thursday afternoon.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection (CCCP) Sector in Dubai Economy ordered a restaurant to close and fined a fitness center for not adhering to social distancing measures.Eighty-eight percent of the coronavirus cases reported in the country in the past two weeks resulted from individuals failing to adhere to social distancing protocols and preventative measures, the UAE Government spokesperson said at the press conference.“The daily inspection visits by CCCP cover all areas in Dubai, including open markets and commercial centres. Inspections conducted yesterday showed that 578 stores fully complied with the precautionary measures and guidelines.”The inspections aim to spread awareness and remind people that “Everyone is responsible” for protecting the community, WAM reported. Dubai Economy has also called on consumers to report non-compliance with COVID-19 precautionary guidelines via the Dubai Consumer App available on Apple, Google, and Huawei stores, by calling 600545555, or on the Consumerrights.ae website.Read more:Why did AstraZeneca pause its trials and what it means for the COVID-19 vaccine race?Coronavirus: No deaths in Canada reported for first time since March
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Dubai issues fines, orders business to close for not enforcing COVID-19 measures

Iran’s state TV is reporting that the country’s authorities has executed a wrestler for allegedly murdering a man after President Donald Trump asked for the 27-year-old condemned man’s life to be spared.State TV quoted the chief justice of Fars province, Kazem Mousavi as saying on Saturday: “The retaliation sentence against Navid Afkari, the killer of Hassan Turkman, was carried out this morning in Adelabad prison in Shiraz.”Afkari’s case had drawn the attention of a social media campaign that portrayed him and his brothers as victims targeted over participating in protests against Iran’s Shiite theocracy in 2018. Authorities accused Afkari of stabbing a water supply company employee in the southern city of Shiraz amid the unrest.Iran broadcast the wrestler’s televised confession last week. The segment resembled hundreds of other suspected coerced confessions aired over the last decade in the Islamic Republic.The case revived a demand inside the country for Iran to stop carrying out the death penalty.Even imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, herself nearly a month into a hunger strike over conditions at Tehran’s Evin prison amid the coronavirus pandemic, passed word that she supported Afkari.Earlier, the US president Donald tweeted out his own concern about Afkari’s case.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran executes wrestler Navid Afkari over alleged stabbing of guard: Reports

Mohammed Makhlouf, father of Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf, has died from coronavirus in Damascus, local media reported on Saturday.Mohammad Makhlouf, who is also Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's uncle, rose to prominence in Syria when Hafez al-Assad became president after a military coup in 1970.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.He was made director of the tobacco monopoly, a move that was not devoid of symbolism. The Alawites of the mountains, where the Makhloufs came from, were tobacco growers. Its production, which was the famed Latakia blend known for its smoky flavor had once been controlled by the SSNP. The cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris is said to have adopted its Marlboro slogan “come to where the flavor is“ from this blend.As his son would decades later, Mohammed grew to control the Syrian economy behind the scenes, sponsoring major economic deals in the oil sector in the 1980s.Read more: Inside Assad’s palace: Rami Makhlouf, money, power and the future of SyriaCharity founded by Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf has Facebook page removed
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Mohammad Makhlouf, father of Syrian tycoon Rami, dies from coronavirus

The UAE recorded 1,007 new coronavirus cases – its highest daily case count to date, the Health Ministry reported on Saturday.The Health Ministry also announced one new death, bringing the total virus-related death count in the Emirates to 399.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Daily case counts have risen recently, and on Thursday the government urged citizens and residents to practice proper preventative measures, including social distancing.Eighty-eight percent of the coronavirus cases reported in the country in the past two weeks resulted from individuals failing to adhere to social distancing protocols and preventative measures, the UAE Government spokesperson said at the press conference.In Dubai, businesses have been fined and ordered to close for not enforcing social distancing.Read more:Dubai issues fines, orders business to close for not enforcing COVID-19 measuresUAE urges public to follow coronavirus countermeasures as COVID-19 cases rapidly rise
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE records highest daily spike in COVID-19 cases with 1,007 new cases

Fatah has criticized the recent visit of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, where he received a strong welcome.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Haniyeh’s visit to Lebanon further deepens Palestinian rift

274 shops found to fully comply with Covid-19 precautionary measures and procedures..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Dubai shuts cafe, fines 7 firms for violating Covid-19 rules