Middle East Experience

Lack of coronavirus tests and challenges to impose lockdowns due to dire economic conditions were indicated as especially problematic.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: How is coronavirus affecting developing countries?

Delegation collected 20,000 samples from confirmed coronavirus patients within nine days
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israeli coronavirus delegation to India to return in coming days

Prime minister expected to promote closure. Health minister expected to ask to ease restrictions.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Coronavirus crisis: Netanyahu vs. Gamzu, lockdown or restrictions?

The deadly explosion that struck Beirut left Lebanese medical staff sustaining the same injuries as their patients..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: 'Armageddon' at Beirut hospitals after blast hurt medics, patients alike

Bennett to PM: ‘People are dying because of you’ * Netanyahu accuses Left of playing politics
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Lapid: Netanyahu’s failure in fighting coronavirus is ‘poetic justice’

“It’s a shame that people will die for no reason.”
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel offers medical aid to Lebanon, response is silence

The head of Emaar, one of Dubai’s largest companies, has abolished all titles for employees including his own in a move aimed at shifting the company culture in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an email seen by regional news outlets.Mohamed Alabbar, who until Tuesday was the official chairman of the Dubai-based real estate developer, said in an internal email that Emaar employees no longer had job titles as part of the company’s shift to focus on “talent, not titles.”“When you reach the end of this email, you will notice something different. I have no job title. And from this moment onwards, nor do you,” the email reportedly read.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app“Yes, of course structures are needed, but I believe every single member of our organisation adds great value. Emaar is not a collection of talented individuals, but a team of great pooled talent. Today I am announcing what is the smallest change that will have the biggest impact for generations to come,” wrote Alabbar.“For Emaar to continue to succeed, it is vital that every single one of our employees feels empowered to contribute. They must be motivated by their talent and the work they do,” he added.Read more:Coronavirus: UAE retailers need to ‘be bold,’ says Emaar chief Mohamed AlabbarDubai's Emaar says Q3 profit jumps 20 pct despite real estate slowdownCoronavirus: Emaar halts construction of 77-story tower in DubaiEmaar and coronavirusAlabbar founded Emaar in 1997 and has chaired the company since its inception. Today, Emaar is one of the largest property developers in the world.“From now on we will pledge to focus on continuous growth and development. We will invest in developing the skills and capabilities of those who have helped us to achieve the success we had had in the past and who will be part of our growth journey in the future,” he added in the email.It was unclear whether the removal of titles meant changes in payment or hierarchy for Emaar staff.The coronavirus pandemic has caused a global economic slowdown which some experts have said will likely be the biggest recession in nearly a century. In April, Alabbar informed staff that Emaar would be cutting salaries to stay ahead of the COVID-19 storm. While all staff received a cut of 15-50 percent, Alabbar decided to forgo a salary all together.Earlier, Alabbar had advised retailers in the UAE that now was the time to “be bold” while the world emerges from lockdown.“Now is the time to be bold. Of course, we are all being cautious, but we must not be afraid to act now in this new environment. This is the time to fast track many initiatives, including our digital plans, customer experience, loyalty, efficiency and business diversification,” Alabbar said at the time.Read more:Coronavirus: Saudi Arabians set to swap buying for renting amid COVID-19 hardship​Saudi Arabia’s Communication and Financial Knowledge Center holds G20 webinarUnique experience makes Mohammad al-Tuwaijri a WTO frontrunner nominee: Forbes ME
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Dubai’s Emaar chief abolishes all job titles at the property developer

Years of exclusion from the social and political arenas might explain the fact that almost no Arab citizens have been seen taking to the streets to protest this government and its prime minister.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israeli Arabs absent from anti-Netanyahu, COVID-19 crisis protests

Oman recorded another spike in the number of daily reported coronavirus cases with 1,660 new infections detected in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday.The total number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 71,547, the ministry added.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The majority of the new cases were detected in Omani citizens. A total of 1,364 citizens and 296 non-Omani expatriates tested positive for the virus, acocrding to the ministry.Twelve people died of the coronavirus in Oman, bringing the death toll in the country to 349.Meanwhile, the number of recoveries in the country rose to 47,922 after 1,314 people recovered.Lockdown Oman will be imposing strict restrictions ahead of the Eid al-Adha holiday, which is set to begin July 30, pending the moon sighting. Muslims often mark the holiday with large feasts and family visits, which may cause the virus to spread between people.A total lockdown will be imposed on all the governorates, the Supreme Committee for Dealing with COVID-19 decided.All public spaces and shops will be closed during the lockdown, which will be enforced every night from 7 a.m. to 6 a.m.All gatherings will be prohibited, and Eid prayers, going to Eid markets, visiting relatives,and group Eid celebrations will be banned to prevent the virus from spreading.Patrols and checkpoints around the country will be intensified to ensure that the public comply with the new restrictions, the committee added.Read more:Coronavirus: Oman records 1,487 new COVID-19 cases, imposes lockdown ahead of EidCoronavirus: Oman to allow citizens to travel abroad under certain conditionsCoronavirus: Gulf Arab COVID-19 recovery rate above global average, reveals data
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Oman records 1,660 new COVID-19 cases, over 1,000 in Omani citizens

Psychopaths, narcissists and people with other so called ‘dark triad’ traits are more likely to ignore rules aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus, and hoard goods such as toilet paper and food, new research has found.The two new studies published in peer-reviewed journal Personality and Individual Differences add further evidence to previously published reports that noted a link between psychopathic traits and the likelihood of a person to practice coronavirus rules.Social distancing policies have been in place since the onset of the virus, with authorities telling people to stay home and maintain adequate distancing with others when outside. There have, however, been numerous reports of people deliberately breaking social distancing measures, including so-called “coronavirus parties” in the US.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the appThe researchers in one of the new studies found a difference in behavior between individuals with dark triad traits (e.g. psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism), and collective narcissists, individuals who hold an inflated belief of their own group.“We focused on preventive and hoarding behaviors as common reactions toward the pandemic. Participants characterized by the Dark Triad traits engaged less in prevention and more in hoarding, whereas those characterized by collective narcissism engaged in more hoarding only,” the researchers wrote.In the second study, researchers found that the perception the individual’s perception of the pandemic in combination with personality traits colored the participant’s response.“We found that the way people perceived the situation explained more variance in compliance than personality traits which is in accordance with the hypothesis that strong situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, leave less room for dispositional tendencies in predicting behaviors than situational cues,” the researchers wrote.Read more:Coronavirus can cause stroke, psychosis, dementia-like symptoms: COVID-19 studyCoronavirus can cause severe brain damage, psychosis and strokes: COVID-19 studyCoronavirus: Psychopaths less likely to practice social distancing, study shows
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Psychopaths likely to ignore COVID-19 prevention measures, hoard goods