Middle East Experience

"This is like a couple who wants a divorce and are about to sign on it any minute," Coalition chairman Miki Zohar claimed.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Miki Zohar: Feels like coalition with Blue and White might collapse soon

Edelstein was among a small group of Likud politicians, called “the rebels,” who opposed the 2005 Disengagement Plan carried out by former prime minister Ariel Sharon.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Edelstein: Annexation, Migron settler homes are best withdrawal antidote

‘I wish I was in a position where I could say I’ll give the money to charity,’ an unemployed tour-guide told ‘Post,’ ‘but my wife and I can’t do that’
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Netanyahu lauds 'day of good news' as Israelis receive benefits

From the Ten Commandments on, the warning against creating and worshiping physical depictions of the divine is one of the most recurring themes in the Bible.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Did leading Israeli archaeology find depiction of the 'face of God'?

Nine people infected in Bnei Brak senior living center.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Coronavirus: Israel's Infection rate drops to lowest since second wave

Lebanese social media users have reacted with outrage and ridicule as the 'revolutionary' lyrics of a well-known patriotic song were censored on Army Day amid a continuing economic crisis..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: A revolution not televised: Lebanese mock censorship of famous patriotic song during army celebration

While female entrepreneurship is steadily increasing in Morocco, cultural barriers stand in the way of women achieving their full economic potential.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Moroccan activist calls for revolution of ideas

Beyonce’s “Black is King” visual album featured multiple fashion ensembles by international designers including Burberry, Valentino, and Saudi Arabian designer Mohammed Ashi, who spent 70 hours creating a hand-made embroidered piece that fit the “woman’s empowerment” vision.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The star’s styling team approached Ashi last year, before the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum in 2020, with the vision of “going back to [Beyonce’s] roots and her black culture and nature.”Beyonce “also wanted to show her body figure and show woman’s empowerment via the styling of this look,” Ashi told Al Arabiya English.Ashi created the “daring and fierce” piece, placing exotic bird feathers “one by one on the bodice for this film that has a powerful impact in the world.”This was not the first time Ashi dressed “Queen Bey,” as fans of the singer-actress call her. Beyonce previously wore a custom Ashi gown to the Global Citizen Festival in South Africa in 2018.The designer has dressed several other top celebrities including Christina Aguilera and Ellie Goulding. The brand has also been featured in fashion magazines like Vogue and Tatler, among others.The Saudi Arabian designer’s look was one of many showcased in the project that has been in the works for a year.“Black is King” was originally intended as a companion piece to The Lion King soundtrack and “meant to celebrate the breadth and beauty of Black ancestry,” Beyonce wrote in an Instagram post.The visual album was released this year following racial justice awareness and demonstrations that erupted as part of the Black Lives Matter movement in the US and that subsequently spread worldwide.“I could never have imagined that a year later, all the hard work that went into this production would serve a greater purpose… I wanted to present elements of Black history and African tradition, with a modern twist and a universal message, and what it truly means to find your self-identity and build a legacy,” said Beyoncé.The star’s latest 80-minute project was released on July 31 on the Disney+ streaming platform and the Middle East streaming service OSN.Read more:Beyonce’s visual album ‘Black Is King’ hopes to shift perception of being BlackWhat do Drake’s Arabic lyrics mean on Only You Freestyle? Middle East Twitter reactsCoronavirus pandemic forces Emmy Awards ceremony to go online
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabian designer dresses Beyonce in ‘Black is King’

Saudi Arabia’s decline in new daily coronavirus continued on Monday with 1,258 cases reported over the past 24 hours – its lowest daily increase in three months – raising the total to 280,093.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Of the new cases, 89 were detected in the city of Riyadh, 75 in al-Hafouf and 65 in Dammam. The remaining cases were detected in various other cities.The death toll reached 2,949 after an additional 39 fatalities were recorded. Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries is now 242,053 with 1,972 individuals who previously tested positive for the virus having recovered.Saudi Arabia wrapped up on Sunday the Hajj pilgrimage that was held this year amid strict coronavirus preventative measures.No positive COVID-19 cases were confirmed in any holy sites and pilgrims are required to quarantine for 14 days upon returning to their homes.Read more:A look back at the 2020 Hajj pilgrimage amid coronavirus pandemicSaudi Arabian designer dresses Beyonce in ‘Black is King’Tourism amid coronavirus: Which countries lifted, eased or kept travel restrictions?
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia records its lowest COVID-19 daily increase in three months

Iran has massively underreported its coronavirus death toll, according to a BBC report, which alleges that the number of deaths from coronavirus in Iran was almost triple that of the official death toll by the second half of July.Iran’s health ministry reported 14,634 deaths from coronavirus on July 21, but government records obtained by the BBC’s Persian service say the country had almost 42,000 deaths from the virus by then, indicating that authorities deliberately underreported deaths from the virus.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Iran has also been underreporting the number of coronavirus infections, according to the report.While the health ministry reported 278,827 cases on July 21, the data received by the BBC says the overall number of cases by that date had exceeded 450,000.The data only includes information about patients who received treatment at hospitals and excludes those who died of the virus outside of them, the report said. The data also excludes those who did not visit a hospital during the course of their infection.The capital Tehran has recorded the highest number of deaths in the country with 8,120 deaths as of July 21, according to the report.The first death in Iran from coronavirus was recorded on January 22, almost a month before the country announced its first case of the virus, according to the report.Read more: Iran’s desire for legitimacy and trade led to missteps on coronavirus: ExpertsIran stepped up propaganda machine as regime botched coronavirus crisis: ReportCoronavirus: Iran reports highest COVID-19 single day increase in nearly a monthAuthorities officially acknowledged the spread of coronavirus to Iran on February 19, but 52 people had already died by then, the report said.The report concluded that Iranian authorities have deliberately been underreporting coronavirus deaths and infections.Denying the BBC report, Iranian health authorities said there had been no cover-up.The BBC said it received the data from an anonymous source who identified themselves as a staff member of an official body in Iran.The source said they provided the BBC with the data to “shed light on truth” and to end “political games” over the epidemic, according to the report.The Iranian health ministry has been under pressure from the country’s security apparatus, the report said citing doctors in Iran.As of Monday, 17,405 in Iran have died from the coronavirus, and there are 312,035 confirmed cases, according to the health ministry.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Iran's coronavirus death toll nearly triple what was officially reported: BBC