Middle East Experience

Saturday's vote will be on a new draft text submitted overnight by Germany and Belgium, which would provide for a single aid access point into Syria..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: UN to vote on reduced extension of cross-border aid to Syria

The package is the third one announced by Dubai..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Dubai announces new Dh1.5-billion stimulus package

Lebanon records 86 new COVID-19 cases, bringing total to 2168..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Lebanon records 86 new COVID-19 cases, bringing total to 2168

According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus map, as of Saturday, Australia has had 9,553 cases of the virus since the beginning of the crisis, including 107 deaths.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: KFC takeout order leads to ,000 coronavirus fine in Australia

Ben & Jerry’s is famous for creating flavors tied into current events and trends, such as Save Our Swirled, Empower Mint and Bernie’s Yearning.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Ben & Jerry’s Israel offers Netflix & Chill advice in Hebrew

Customs offices are accused of getting kickbacks from traders in….
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: At Iran border, Iraq PM vows to fight customs corruption

After more than 40 days of absence, Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of President Bashar al-Assad, wrote again on his Facebook page saying that most of his male employees were detained and only the females are left.“For the past six months, the security arrests against our employees did not stop. They arrested most of the men on our frontlines and now we only have the women,” Makhlouf wrote.On April 30, Makhlouf had went online in an unprecedented social media appearance that baffled the public, denouncing a recent tax fraud bill that had been slapped on his telecoms business Syriatel.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“After not obtaining what they wanted … and after all the measures they took, including banning all our companies, accounts, and properties, they were still not satisfied. They closed down several companies arbitrarily, and hence laid off hundreds of employees,” the tycoon’s latest Facebook post said.Syria’s richest manMakhlouf is Syria’s richest man and al-Assad’s maternal first cousin. He was known as the “exclusive agent of Syria,” whose dominance over the economy for over two decades served to bankroll the regime and the Assad family.But in the past year, measures to seize his assets and dissolve his networks indicated that he had fallen out of favor with the president.“They are threatening the men with fabricating currency charges against them to get fabricated confessions … while they overwhelm them in other ways to submit to their demands,” Makhlouf said.In January of this year, al-Assad took emergency steps to halt the fall of the local currency, forbidding the use of anything other than Syrian pounds for transactions and punishing the act with prison and hard labor.The spat between the cousins has sparked a flurry of speculation about intrigue at the palace. Many have suggested that Makhlouf has a rivalry with Asma al-Assad, the president’s wife, whose family network competes with the Makhloufs for the spoils. Others point to pressure from Syria’s allies, Russia and Iran.These measures come as the country faces bankruptcy from nine years of devastating war. The US and EU recently tightened their sanctions on regime affiliates including Makhlouf, with the US Caesar Act coming into effect. The Syrian pound has plummeted and locals have reported the price of basic goods has increased 500 percent.The cash-strapped regime, which claims it has won a war against terrorism, has said it is cracking down on corruption to save the country’s devastated economy. In August last year, al-Assad ordered Syrian businessmen, including Makhlouf, to pay millions of dollars into the Central Bank.Then, in October, al-Assad told state-television that he was asking “everyone who wasted state funds to return the money.”On May 21 authorities seized Makhlouf’s assets and those of his family, and issued a temporary travel ban. On June 1, his Syriatel shares in the Damascus stock market were suspended.“Where is the law? Where is the regime? Where is the constitution that protects the innocent? Have they [Makhlouf’s employees] become terrorists to be treated this way and get detained for several weeks for nothing?” Makhlouf wrote.Makhlouf’s role in the warThe first comment on Makhlouf’s post read: “This is the money of the people. You and your family stole it, and now the government is returning it. Why are you surprised? I just hope they [the government] doesn’t steal it for their own pockets.”A Damascene businessman who manages a company affiliated to Makhlouf’s recalled the tycoon’s willingness to intimidate and extort as he expanded his empire. “What goes around comes around. Today, Rami is appealing to law. Where was the law back then when he stripped people of his properties?” he told Al Arabiya English.Washington slapped sanctions on Makhlouf in 2008, stating that he “used intimidation and his close ties to the Assad regime to obtain improper business advantages at the expense of ordinary Syrians.”When anti-regime protests began in the city of Dar’aa in 2011, Makhlouf was evoked in slogans as a “thief.”The role he then played in the ensuing war would only reinforce his position. Makhlouf maintained his position at Syriatel, laundering money for the cash strapped regime, funding loyalist militias supporting al-Assad, and paying reparations to the families of fallen soldiers.He sided with Bashar’s view that a show of strength was the only solution to the growing protests. His brother Hafez Makhlouf, a senior intelligence official, is believed to have given the orders to shoot to kill on the demonstrators, which led to thousands of deaths.Among the “humanitarian work” that Makhlouf refers to in his videos, is his charity Al-Bustan, which funded a militia of the same name. Experts say the militia was among the most brutal and its fighters were paid twice the Syrian Army’s salaries.Another revelation from Makhlouf’s videos was his patronage of the Syrian intelligence services during the war, a dreaded institution whose members are currently facing trial in Europe for crimes against humanity.The sprawling security apparatus that was developed during the Cold War with the help of the KGB and other Soviet-backed secret services has been essential to the Assads’ rule, and Bashar’s crackdown on peaceful protestors after 2011.Outraged that his own employees had been arrested by this secret police, Makhlouf described himself as the apparatus’ “biggest donor” and “biggest servant” during the war, and asked: “Could anyone have pictured the security services targeting [my] companies?”
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf says most of his employees are now detained

A United States federal court has ordered Iran to pay $879 million to the survivors of the 1996 terrorist bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, where US forces lived, according to a law firm press release.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the appThe court found that Iranian defendants had directed and “provided material support” for the attack in which members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah al-Hejaz organization detonated a 5,000-pound truck bomb at the complex located in the Dhahran region, the MM-LAW LLC law firm said in the press release carried by the Associated Press.Nineteen US Air Force members were killed in the attack and more than 400 others were injured.“The passage of over two decades since the Khobar Towers attack has not thwarted our efforts,” lead attorney Adora Sauer said in the press release. “We will continue to seek to hold the Government of Iran accountable for this terrorist attack as long as is necessary.”The attorneys said they intend to “pursue enforcement of the judgements through litigation intended to seize Iranian assets.The lawsuit was brought against the Islamic Republic of Iran, the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security, according to the law firm.The 14 injured US Air Force members and 21 immediate family members who brought on the lawsuit “will be eligible for partial payments from the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.”“The funds are obtained from fines and forfeitures levied against companies caught illegally laundering money for sanctioned countries and persons,” according to the press release.Read more:US judge orders Iran to pay $105m over 1996 Khobar Towers bomb in Saudi ArabiaArrest of Khobar bomb mastermind ‘raises doubts about trusting Iran’Saudi Arabia holding main suspect in 1996 Khobar bombing
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: US court orders Iran to pay 9 mln to Saudi Arabia's Khobar bombing survivors

The United Arab Emirates has reported 473 new coronavirus cases after conducting 47,000 tests over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of COVID-19 cases to 54,050, the health ministry announced on Friday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The death toll reached 330 after two new fatalities were recorded, according to the health ministry.Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries has reached 43,969 with 399 individuals who previously tested positive for the virus recovered.In April, the UAE had the second highest number of total confirmed cases in the GCC region, behind Saudi Arabia which still has the highest number of cases with 226,486, as of July 10. Qatar now has the second highest number of cases in the Gulf.The UAE was the first in the wider Middle East to record a case of coronavirus, a 73-year-old Chinese woman on January 29. The announcement was followed shortly by several other cases, most of whom were also Chinese tourists.The country was quick to implement restrictions and preventative measures including a nightly curfew, 24-hour lockdowns and shutting down schools, gyms, bars, restaurants and shopping centers.As the country expanded its testing efforts, health authorities were able to isolate confirmed cases and slow the spread of the virus after having reached nearly 1,000 daily cases in May. Numbers have dropped in recent weeks to around 400-500 daily cases despite the easing of restrictions.In June, the UAE announced the completion of the national disinfection program which required lockdowns of up to 24 hours daily as part of the country's efforts in containing the virus.Earlier in June, Dubai allowed hotel beaches to open and outdoor tourism and sports activities to resume following a period of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants and shops have also been allowed to operate given everyone maintains social distancing. Beauty salons have also been allowed to operate but on an appointment basis only.Earlier this month, authorities allowed UAE citizens and residents to travel abroad with no restrictions given people are aware of guidelines and precautionary measures implemented by other countries.Read also: UAE citizens, residents allowed to travel to international destinationsMeanwhile, Dubai began allowing foreign visitors to enter the emirate on July 7. The UAE, however, has not made the same decision for the other emirates, including the capital Abu Dhabi where entry is only allowed to those with negative COVID-19 tests. Meanwhile, visitors from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russian Federation, Sudan, Tanzania and the US must submit a negative COVID-19 test before departing on Emirates flights to Dubai.Read more:Dubai resumes flights of foreign airlines as it welcomes back touristsJordanian doctor transforms Amman clinic into garden of 3,000 plantsEmirates makes negative COVID-19 test necessary on some flights to Dubai
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE reports 473 new COVID-19 cases, two deaths

Saudi Arabia has recorded 3,159 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, raising the total to 226,486, the health ministry announced on Friday.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Most new cases were detected in the city of Riyadh, similar to a recent trend. Al-Hafouf had the second highest with 249 followed by Jeddah with 209, according to the ministry.The Kingdom’s death toll increased to 2,151 after 51 new fatalities were recorded.Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries in Saudi Arabia is now 163,026 after 1,930 individuals who had previously tested positive for the virus recovered.With 73 percent of all cases having recovered, 61,309 active cases remain with 2,220 in critical condition, according to the health ministry.The Kingdom continues to urge people to adhere to precautionary measures such as social distancing, avoiding crowds and wearing face masks.The health ministry said one woman who became infected from another family member “broke the transmission chain and maintained the safety of others” because she decided to keep a distance and wore a face mask.Saudi Arabia currently has the highest number of cases in the GCC region but maintains a relatively low death rate.Read more:UAE reports 473 new COVID-19 cases, two deathsNatural herd immunity ‘unethical’ and ‘unachievable,’ says Lancet studyMasks cut risk of COVID-19 infection by 65 percent, expert says
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia reports 3,159 new COVID-19 cases, 51 deaths