Middle East Experience

The United Arab Emirates detected 289 new cases of the novel coronavirus after conducting over 46,000 COVID-19 tests, which raises the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 56,711, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced on Saturday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.One person died due to complications caused by COVID-19, the ministry added.This raises the virus-related death toll in the country to 338.A total of 48,917 recoveries have been reported in the UAE, including 469 new cases of people who recovered from the coronavirus in the past day, the ministry said.Residents and citizens must adhere to precautionary measures to ensure they are protected from the virus, the ministry said.The country has been leading the global fight against the deadly coronavirus pandemic in recent days, with an Abu Dhabi-based healthcare company beginning to perform the first phase 3 trials in the world for a coronavirus vaccine developed in partnership with a Chinese pharmaceutical group.Read more:Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi hosts phase 3 trials of COVID-19 vaccineCoronavirus: Dubai hosts first ‘real life’ conference since UAE's COVID-19 lockdown
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE conducts over 46,000 COVID-19 tests, reports 289 cases

Saudi Arabia detects 2,565 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, which raises the total number of confirmed infections in the Kingdom to 248,416, the Ministry of Health announced on Saturday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Mecca reported the highest number of new infections, with 224 cases. Meanwhile, Riyadh recorded 212 new cases, Jeddah recorded 189, and Al Hafouf recorded 182, according to the health ministry.Forty people died due to complications caused by COVID-19. This brings the total number of virus-related deaths in Saudi Arabia to 2,447.The total number of recoveries in the country is now 194,218, out of which 3,057 were confirmed on Saturday.Saudi Arabia conducts more than 65,000 coronavirus tests per day as part of its efforts to contain the outbreak and limit the spread of the COVID-19, the Ministry of Health said on Friday.At the beginning of the pandemic, the Kingdom had been conducting about 1,000 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests every day, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).The risk level of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Saudi Arabia dropped in the past week, according to a COVID-19 risk level map developed by a team of health experts.The map, which was developed by teams at Harvard’s Global Health Institute and Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, determines the severity of an outbreak in a given country based on the number of new daily reported cases.The coronavirus outbreak in Saudi Arabia had ranked at the orange risk level earlier this month– the second highest risk category – which means the virus is quickly spreading, data developed by a network of health research experts showed.However, as of Monday, July 13, the outbreak in the Kingdom now ranks at the yellow level – the second lowest rank, one rank below orange.Read more:Saudi Arabia conducts over 65,000 coronavirus tests per day: Health ministry Coronavirus risk level in Saudi Arabia drops: Expert’s COVID-19 map
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia detects 2,565 new COVID-19 cases, 40 deaths

The woman and her family had been living in al-Hol since 2019, but their exact connection to IS is unclear.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Turkey helps Moldovan family escape Islamic State camp in Syria

Whatsapp sued the spyware firm in October over its alleged involvement in an international mobile phone hacking scandal..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Lawsuit against Israeli NSO spyware firm can proceed, US judge rules

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates announced they will allow prayer rooms in shopping centers and towers to reopen starting July 20 as the country slowly relaxes coronavirus restrictions, according to a statement from the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority.The prayer rooms in such locations will only be open to no more than 30 percent capacity while following all precautionary and preventative measures in place against COVID-19.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“In conjunction with the partial relaxation of restrictions on movement and in the pursuit of the gradual return to normal life, we announce the reopening of the chapels in the commercial centers and towers, starting from Monday 20/7/2020 and a capacity of no more than 30% with the implementation of all precautionary and preventive measures,” the NCEMA tweeted.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The United Arab Emirates detected 289 new cases of the novel coronavirus after conducting over 46,000 COVID-19 tests, which raises the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 56,711, the Ministry of Health and Prevention announced on Saturday.One person died due to complications caused by COVID-19, the ministry added.Read more:Coronavirus: UAE conducts over 46,000 COVID-19 tests, reports 289 casesCoronavirus: Abu Dhabi hosts phase 3 trials of COVID-19 vaccineCoronavirus: Dubai hosts first ‘real life’ conference since UAE's COVID-19 lockdown
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE to reopen prayer rooms in shopping centers, towers starting July 20

"I was expecting them to do something, but I never imagined that they would come to my home and burn my car.”
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Palestinian journalist: Car arson won’t stop me from criticizing PA

After a decade of construction, the hydroelectric dam in Ethiopia, Africa’s largest, is nearly complete. But there’s still no agreement with Egypt, which calls the structure a national security threat..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: As Seasonal Rains Fall, Dispute over Nile Dam Rushes Toward a Reckoning

With a population of about 2.8 million people, Qatar has one of the world's highest per capita rates of infection..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Qatar coronavirus cases exceed 100,000; Kuwait tops 50,000

Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah has authorized his crown prince to temporarily take over some responsibilities, according to Kuwait’s state news agency.The Kuwaiti emir was admitted earlier in the day to a hospital for medical tests, KUNA reported on Saturday citing the Amiri Diwan.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The emir will be undergoing a number of medical checkups and is currently in good health, the Minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah al-Sabah said earlier.The 91-year-old emir has ruled the US ally and OPEC oil producer since 2006 and steered its foreign policy for more than 50 years.Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz also called the Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah to ask about his health after Kuwait’s ruler was admitted to a hospital.In October of last year, Sheikh Sabah had suffered a health setback while in Kuwait and was admitted to a hospital in the United States during his trip for a meeting with US President Donald Trump.After receiving treatment, the emir then returned to Kuwait.(Al Arabiya English's Tamara Abueish contributed to this report)Read more:Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah admitted to hospital for tests: Amiri DiwanSaudi Arabia’s King Salman calls Kuwaiti emir after hospital admissionKuwait’s emir leaves US hospital after completing medical tests
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Kuwait’s Emir temporarily delegates some powers to crown prince

Since the post went viral, the communications minister has said that it was reason enough to find an alternate search engine for the PA.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: PA searching for alternative to Google after Palestine 'removed' from map