Middle East Experience

Saudi Arabia has confirmed 2,201 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, raising the total to 264,973 as the recovery rate reached 82 percent, the health ministry announced on Friday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The relatively low death toll has increased to 2,703 after 31 people died due to complications.Meanwhile, an additional 2,051 individuals who had previously tested positive for the virus recovered, raising the total number of recoveries to 217,782, according to the health ministry.Most of the new cases were detected in the city of Riyadh. Al-Hafouf had the second highest with 115 cases followed by al-Mobarraz with 107 new cases.Health ministry spokesman Dr. Mohammed al-Abd al-Ali warned during a press conference on Thursday against Eid al-Adha gatherings to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.“During these days, there will be several occasions and meetings, we don’t want this to be the cause of misfortune,” the spokesman said.As part of the Kingdom's plan to prevent the spread of the virus during the holiday, the Grand Mosque in Mecca will be closed to worshippers on the upcoming Arafat day and Eid al-Adha.Despite lifting several lockdown measures, there is no date set set for the resumption of international flights to and from Saudi Arabia as of July 23, according to Kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation.Read more:COVID-19 PCR test needed to travel to UAE, here’s all you need to knowUAE reports 313 new COVID-19 cases, no fatalitiesFrance tests some travelers including from UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia confirms 2,201 COVID-19 cases as recoveries hit 82 pct

As Lebanon descended into economic crisis, the country’s currency sank with it, officially entering hyperinflation this week. The decades-old fixed exchange rate has given way to a black market and complex web of exchange rates despite the government’s efforts to maintain the official rate.While Lebanon’s currency, the lira, remains pegged at 1,517 to $1, licensed exchange shops are trading at a rate closer to 3,900, as instructed by the central bank. However, this rate is significantly lower than the black market rate that now stands around 8,000, but is subject to rapid fluctuation. This system has given rise to individuals selling at this higher rate amid the economic turmoil.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The devaluation of the lira has also led to hyperinflation, or when inflation exceeds 50 percent per month over a certain period of time. According to Credit Libanais, in May, food costs had risen by 190 percent while clothing costs rose by 172 percent with little indications of improving in the near future.While many people looking to change their money go to exchange houses to buy or sell dollars, some, including store owners, have had to turn to the black market to acquire dollars desperately needed to keep their businesses in operation.One of these individuals is Mariam, a clothing store owner who spoke with Al Arabiya English on the condition of anonymity, who started to buy dollars from people when she was unable to get them any other way.Read more: Lebanese turn profit selling US dollars in exchange shops, raise hyperinflation alarmLebanon's inflation reaches new highs as increasing chaos reigns over exchange market“Now we have a very big problem in finding the dollars that we need in our trade,” she explained. “So, this is creating a major problem in our work. We don’t have any other option. If you want to find dollars, we can’t find them in any other place than the black market.”Now Mariam and everyone that she knows who owns a store are doing the same.Before she started buying dollars, Mariam exhausted all of her other options in order to get by. However, in the end they were unsustainable.“Before this, we had many options,” she explained. “First we had a great amount of gold so we sold it and we tried to find our dollars in any other way. But we couldn’t find any and this was the only solution.”In order to cope with her rising costs, Mariam also raised the prices of her products to match the 8,000 lira rate. However, because of this, people have started to buy less from her shop. While buying dollars from people has made things somewhat easier for her, if the lira continues to devaluate further, then she would have to consider temporarily closing her store.Read more: Expecting the collapse: Meet Lebanon’s young political party ready to take power“I can’t keep making prices according to the daily exchange [rate],” she said. “People won’t accept this. If the dollar reaches 10,000 [lira], then we will have great difficulty in continuing.”In the meantime, she continues to buy dollars in the hopes of maintaining her business.In order to know what rate to buy dollars at, the shop owners who buy dollars use various applications and websites to track the volatile rate. One website that monitors the various rates, ranging from the official to the “sentiment” of the unofficial rate, is LebaneseLira.org who began their work after the crisis began last October in order to “empower citizens of Lebanon and its residents to make informed financial decisions.”“When banks in Lebanon stopped operating as banks – withholding over $100 billion from depositors small and large – businesses and individuals naturally sought a more liquid market to operate in, thus creating the ‘black market,’” the team at LebaneseLira told Al Arabiya English.Since October, banks have holed up depositors’ dollars, making it difficult to access funds in their accounts and impossible to transfer funds abroad.While Mariam buys dollars at the black market rate, she argues that, while others buy dollars and sell them at a higher rate, what she does is different as she buys the dollars directly and uses them for her business. She says it is “unacceptable” that people are buying and selling dollars at the black market rate to turn a profit.Attempts made, no solutions foundEven though the government has made attempts to crack down on black market trading to ensure that only licensed exchange shops buy and sell at the central bank rate, many are still using the higher rate. According to Mariam, even the licensed shops still sell at the black market rate.This argument was backed up by an owner of an exchange shop who said that everyone was using the higher rate.“Those on TV and those who say 3,000 lira is the price are liars,” Salim stated firmly to Al Arabiya English on the condition of anonymity. “We don’t work like that and those who say they do are liars.”According to Salim, the exchange houses will open for people that they know or have dealt with in the past and then close right after.“All of them open early in the morning for just a few people and then they close,” he explained, “They are all liars. The black market works more than us. We’re not affected by the inflation because those who have dollars are fine, but those who don’t are f-----.”Throughout each day, the black market rate constantly fluctuates, often increasing in the morning and decreasing in the evening. This is due to the increase in supply and demand for dollars throughout the day. The more dollars that the exchange shops get, the lower the rate becomes.“Today what was offered was 7,400. If we got more [dollars] we lower the value and we don’t know how it’s going to be every day because it depends on demand and supply,” Salim said.Even though those caught trading at the black market rate are arrested, Mariam said that she is not worried about these potential consequences as “there is no other option” and that she cannot “wait for the dollars from my government.”The black market rate is often viewed as what the actual value of the lira is, but Salim argued that “the dollar rate should be much, much higher,” hinting that the lira could still devaluate further. Earlier this week, Lebanon officially entered into hyperinflation.As Mariam and other business owners adapt to the worsening situation, she suggested they form a pact to keep their shops closed until action was taken to bring down the exchange rate. But as the coronavirus lockdown in the country lifted, no one agreed because they all “have to live and that they have to earn money.”“I wanted to talk to my friends about signing a paper that would see all of the markets in the street nearby stay closed unless something happens, like a change in the price of the dollar exchange rate,” she recalled. “But no one accepted it. People are poor here in a way that people cannot go 10 days without working. All of them are beyond the poverty line.”In the end, she had to open her shop and, lacking dollars – like those around her – she was forced to turn to the black market system that she despises.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: As Lebanon enters hyperinflation, the black market currency exchange has many faces

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Friday the first group of Hajj pilgrims, selected based on specific requirements, amid strict coronavirus preventative measures.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Kingdom has only allowed those living in the country and who meet certain criteria to participate in this year’s Hajj pilgrimage, which is one of the five pillars of Islam and required for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime.Those who managed to secure a spot were randomly selected through an automated raffle system, with no human involvement, according to the Minister of Hajj and Umrah.“[Those] who will perform Hajj this year, God selected out of millions to perform the Hajj rituals,” Minister Dr. Muhammad Saleh bin Taher Banten told Al Arabiya. “This selection was not a human selection, but it was a godly selection to choose this person to be one of the limited number of people to perform Hajj.”Upon their arrival in King Abdulaziz International Airport, the pilgrims went through a screening process before being transferred via buses to a designated hotel where they will quarantine for eight days until the start of the Hajj processions on July 29.Masks are required at all times and temperature checks were mandatory at the hotel entrance, where the pilgrims lined up while maintaining a safe distance waiting their turns to enter.The hotel, located in Mecca, is near the assembly meeting point that has been determined by the health ministry as the place where pilgrims will gather daily to be transported to the city’s holy sites starting on the first day of Hajj.The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has implemented strict precautionary measures at the hotel to maintain the safety of the pilgrims including providing a separate room and hand sanitizers for each person, as well as enforcing social distancing rules.Participants were required to isolate at home for seven days prior to arriving in Mecca, as part of the requirements to participate in the pilgrimage.Those who live close enough to Mecca are not required to stay in the hotel but must remain isolated in their homes until the first day of Hajj as well.Meanwhile, individuals who were infected with the virus, but have recovered, do not need to quarantine and will arrive in Mecca on a later date, closer to the first day of Hajj.In February, authorities in Saudi Arabia suspended entry for individuals going on the Umrah pilgrimage due to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. In June, Kingdom authorities decided to allow a “limited Hajj” of about 1,000 people to take place.Those selected are all residents in Saudi Arabia and are between 20 and 50 years old, according to the criteria required by authorities.Priority was given to non-Saudis who do not have any pre-existing health conditions and have not previously performed the Hajj pilgrimage.Only Saudi nationals who are healthcare workers or security forces and have recovered from the virus were also given a chance to perform Hajj this year as a way of showing appreciation for their efforts in fighting the COVID-19 crisis in the country.Read more:Saudi Arabia announces Hajj protocols, measures for pilgrims Mecca authorities set guidelines for upcoming limited capacity HajjSaudi Arabia reveals selection process for 2020 Hajj participants
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia welcomes Hajj pilgrims under strict COVID-19 measures

Iran has lodged a complaint with the ICAO and plans to submit a….
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Iran says passengers can sue US for endangering flight

Following the holding of Islamic prayers at the ancient Istanbul site of Hagia Sophia, for the first time in nine decades, Greece once again denounced Ankara’s transformation of the site into a mosque while the Turkish foreign ministry accused Greek authorities of “enmity towards Islam”..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: War of words between Turkey, Greece over Hagia Sophia

Qatar has sent two field hospitals, including medical supplies and 250 beds, to help Iraq in its ongoing battle with Covid-19..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Qatar set ups field hospitals to treat Iraq's coronavirus patients

An Al Jazeera reporter is denying reports she called White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany a “lying b----” during Tuesday’s briefing, after a video of a heated exchange between the two went viral.Al Jazeera English’s White House correspondent Kimberly Halkett said on Tuesday that she did not say “you’re a lying b----” to McEnany as the audio of the viral clip sounds, but instead “okay, you don’t want to engage.”The disputed comment came after Halkett asked McEnany a question about the White House’s stance related to foreign involvement in US presidential elections.The exchange became heated when Halkett interrupted McEnany’s answer, telling the press secretary that it was “getting off track.”Halkett then attempted to ask follow-up questions to which McEnany cut her off and responded, “You’ve gotten two questions, which is more than some of your colleagues.”Halkett, speaking through a face mask, then muttered the comment in question on a hot mic as McEnany began dialogue with another reporter.The video has taken social media by storm, with users saying that they hear her say both versions.Halkett responded on Twitter saying there was “a lot of misreporting out there about that briefing.”“What I said was, “OKAY, YOU DON’T WANT TO ENGAGE.”Other Twitter users weighed in as well. “I got to admit, depending on what I’m listening for – I can hear it both ways,” said one Twitter user.“Literally listened to this on repeat and can’t decide. I can hear both,” said another.McEnany, who is a Harvard Law School graduate, has not publicly commented on the incident.Read more:Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia welcomes Hajj pilgrims under strict COVID-19 measuresGaddafi, extremist preacher discuss overthrowing Saudi, Kuwaiti governments: AudioTwo US fighter jets force Iranian passenger plane to make an emergency landing: Pilot
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Al Jazeera reporter denies calling White House Press Secretary B-word at briefing

The African Union has reported progress in negotiations regarding Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam amid heightened tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia as an Egyptian negotiator said his country could take 'unilateral action'..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: African Union reports progress in Nile negotiations as Egypt hints at 'unilateral action'

Ra'am Party leader Mansour Abbas said that the electorate who voted for the list is angry at the support some of its members have shown for the law, and are demanding the dissolution of the list.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Joint List may break up due to division on conversion therapy - report

The World Travel and Tourism Council awarded Dubai the global “Safe Travels” stamp, the organization said on Friday.“WTTC, which represents the global Travel and Tourism private sector, created the Safe Travels stamp to allow travelers to identify destinations and businesses around the world which have adopted the global standardized health and hygiene protocols,” the organization said in its press release.Visit our dedicated coronavirus site here for all the latest updates.It added: “As part of its Safe Travels protocols, these worldwide measures provide consistency and guidance to travel providers and travelers about the new approach to health, hygiene, deep cleansing and physical distancing, in the ‘new normal’ of COVID-19 world.”Dubai had started easing coronavirus restrictions and opening up the emirate since May 27, allowing many businesses and activities to resume operations.The travel and tourism hub also allowed its residents and citizens to begin traveling to overseas destinations since June 23 and welcomed back international tourists since July 7.The WTTC cited Director General, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) Helal Saeed al-Marri as saying: “As we reopen Dubai’s doors to tourism and welcome our international visitors back to the city, our foremost priority is their wellbeing, achieved through stringent hygiene and safety protocols that have been deployed across all tourist touch points.”“The WTTC's Safe Travels stamp endorses Dubai’s strong global cooperation in combating the pandemic with comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety,” al-Marri added.Travel and tourism have been among the hardest-hit sectors internationally by the coronavirus outbreak, with many governments worldwide shutting their borders, restricting travel, banning tourism activities, and imposing curfews and lockdowns since COVID-19 was officially declared a global pandemic.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Read more:Coronavirus: Dubai resumes flights of foreign airlines as it welcomes back touristsDubai open for tourists: All you need to know about coronavirus air travel protocolsUAE sets dates to renew expired visas, ID cards after coronavirus restrictions easedUAE’s COVID-19 recovery rate now up to 82.4 pct of cases: WAM
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: World Travel and Tourism Council awards Dubai ‘Safe Travels’ stamp