Middle East Experience

Bowman, backed by Bernie Sanders, has said he would condition aid to Israel on its behavior, but also backs its right to security and opposes the boycott Israel movement.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: New York primary preliminary results show good news for Jamaal Bowman

“We have to take steps to lower the infection all over Israel or we are just going to have more areas like this,” said former Health Ministry director-general Prof. Gabi Barbash.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Closures will not stop coronavirus in Israel – health experts

French Ambassador to the UN in in New York Nicolas de Rivière said that "any annexation" would "constitute a clear violation of international law."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Seven European nations warn annexation will harm their ties with Israel

A Palestinian mechanic in Ramallah collects and restores classic cars, bringing relics of the past back to life.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Classic cars find life after rust in Ramallah

The world will end in less than a week, according to a reading of the Mayan calendar.The global coronavirus pandemic, social unrest, geopolitical tensions, aviation disasters in Iran and Pakistan, and natural disasters in Australia and the Philippines have combined to make 2020 many people’s worst year of their lives.And just when it looked like things couldn’t get any worse, one interpretation of the Mayan calendar puts the end of the world on June 21, 2020 – this Sunday.The Mayan calendar is an alternative system of counting time to the Gregorian calendar, which is used by most people in the world, and other systems such as the Islamic or Julian calendars.The calendar was devised by the Maya civilization, a term which refers to the peoples who inhabited the Central American area of modern-day Guatemala and Belize, southeast Mexico, and western Honduras and El Savador before the arrival of European colonialists.While Europeans conquered the Maya and destroyed most evidence of their history, in the 1990s archaeologists began to piece together more knowledge about the civilization’s calendar system.Unlike the Gregorian or Islamic calendars, the Maya calendar was not based on cycles of the moon or the sun directly. Instead, they had three calendars for different purposes.The Maya long-count calendar is the one that has attracted attention from Doomsday theorists – people who believe in a catastrophic end to all life on Earth. According to their reading of the calendar and interpretation of the Maya belief in “world ages,” the calendar said that the world was set to end on December, 2012, the date which marked the end of a 5,126-year-long cycle.While their prediction was evidently wrong, last week a scientist accused of being a conspiracy theorist reexamined the calendar – and suggested that the correct date for the end of the world was in fact this week.Read more:Meteor streaks over Puerto Rico, unsettling some amid quakesAsteroid’s near miss with Earth: UAE experts say ‘would have caused local damage’Coronavirus, fires, crashes, locust swarms: Ten bad things that happened in 2020From coronavirus to George Floyd: 10 bad things to happen to America in 2020 so farNew reading: End of the world June, 2020, not December, 2012Paolo Tagalogun, described online as both a scientist and conspiracy theorist, made the prediction in a series of tweets last week.His revision is based on comparing the Maya calendar against the Julian calendar, which was the prominent calendar used in the Roman world, most of Europe, and European colonies until it was eventually replaced by today’s Gregorian calendar from 1582 onwards.“Following the Julian Calendar, we are technically in 2012 … The number of days lost in a year due to the shift into Gregorian Calendar is 11 days… For 268 years using the Gregorian Calendar (1752-2020) times 11 days = 2,948 days. 2,948 days/365 days (per year) = 8 years,” said Tagaloguin in a now-deleted tweet, as quoted by media.This eight-year difference apparently shifts the end of the world from 2012 to 2020, and from December 12 to June 21.However, many experts are wary of using the Maya calendar to calculate the end of the world, regardless of the date.Rather than the end of the world, the end of the long-count calendar represents only the end of an era, according to Emiliano Gallaga Murrieta, the Chiapas state division director of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, who was interviewed by National Geographic.“It is like for the Chinese, this is the Year of the [Rabbit], and the next year is going to the Year of the Dragon, and the next is going to be another animal in the calendar,” Gallaga said.As of Monday, no world leaders have commented on the supposed imminent catastrophe.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: The world will end on Sunday according to reading of Mayan calendar

One in six people in the UK will refuse to wear face masks on public transport when rules mandating their use come into effect on Monday, a poll published and funded by UK-based newspaper i said.The poll also found that around 50 percent of people had worn a mask at some point during the country’s coronavirus lockdown, while only one in eight had worn a mask while they left their home. Nearly 40 percent said they had been wearing a mask some or most of the time, i reported.Face masks have been identified by scientists as critical in the fight against the coronavirus, with one recent study noting that the use of face masks along with lockdowns could prevent a second wave or third wave of COVID-19.“Under certain conditions, when lockdown periods are implemented in combination with 100 percent face mask use, there is vastly less disease spread,” the researchers said in the published study.i’s poll surveyed 1,500 UK adults, and asked them about face masks and coverings in a wide variety of different settings, while 16 percent said they would not wear a face mask on public transport, 78 percent said that they would.Half of all those surveyed also said that they would wear a mask if they visited a supermarket, with 42 percent saying they would not.The UK reported 36 more deaths from the coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the total toll to 41,698, according to government data.The rise is the lowest since March 22, the day before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a lockdown that required people to stay at home except for travel to work, if necessary, and for essential shopping, exercise, and medical and care needs.Earlier on Sunday, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak said that Britain will urgently review its two-meter social distancing rule as it tries to help the economy recover from a 25 percent collapse.With ReutersRead more:Coronavirus: UK COVID-19 death toll rises by 36, lowest daily tally during lockdownUK's Johnson warns attacks against police to be met with 'full force of the law'UK coronavirus drugmaker AstraZeneca receives $23.7 mln from US government agency
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: One in six refuse to wear face mask on public transport, says poll

One year after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the establishment of Trump Heights settlement in the Golan Heights, the Cabinet approves an initial construction budget.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Israel’s government approves funding for Trump Heights settlement

Saudi Arabia recorded on Monday 4,507 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, its highest daily reported increase so far, according to the Ministry of Health. This raises the total number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom to 132,048.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.The capital Riyadh recorded the highest number of cases, where 1,658 new infections were reported in the city alone.Jeddah reported 413 new cases, while Mecca reported 389 new infections. The other new cases were confirmed in cities and provinces across the country.Thirty-nine people died of the virus, which raised the COVID-19 death toll in the Kingdom to 1,011, the ministry added.Meanwhile, the number of recoveries rose to 87,890.Officials have said that the rise is mostly due to the fact that hundreds have failed to comply with public health measures.Cases are on the rise The rate of infection of the novel coronavirus is rising in Saudi Arabia once again due to a lack of adherence with social distancing measures, the Kingdom’s health ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Abd al-Ali said on Sunday.The increase in the rate of infection, which had dropped to a low of one percent in May, is an indication that some citizens and residents have not been following preventative measures and have not been avoiding large gatherings, al-Abd al-Ali said.The ministry said that if people continue to ignore the rules, officials would have to consider reimposing restrictions.Read more:Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia infections climb as social distancing ignored, ministryCoronavirus: International flights to, from Saudi Arabia halted until further notice
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia records 4,507 new cases, highest daily increase yet

An Emirate’s airline plane from Dubai landed at Bahrain International Airport Monday, marking the return of regular flights between the Kingdom and the emirate, according to a statement released by the government of Dubai.Emirates will now offer seven flights per week from Bahrain to Dubai on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, with passengers able to connect through Dubai on to other Emirates’ destinations.Last Thursday, Emirates said it would be adding Cairo, Egypt, to its list of destinations, bringing the total number of cities serviced by the airline to 30.The news follows the announcement on Tuesday that the airline would be adding flights to Kabul, Afghanistan from June 25, bringing the total number of destinations offered by the airline to 30.In addition to Kabul, Emirates has previously announced flights to Bahrain, London Heathrow, Manchester, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Zurich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, New York JFK, Chicago, Toronto, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Taipei, Hong Kong, Perth and Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Manila, the statement read.Travelers from Pakistan are also able to book flights from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.UAE opens airportsEarlier this month, the UAE announced it would allow a limited reopening of flights through its airports which will allow for transiting passengers, and for residents and nationals to return to the UAE.The announcement was made during a coronavirus press briefing by Dr. Saif al-Dhaheri, spokesman for National Authority for Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management.“The decision to suspend passenger flights to and from the country is still in effect,” al-Dhaheri said.He added that limited flights will be temporarily permitted for the purpose of “evacuating residents and visitors who wish to leave the UAE and return to their country.”Flights out of the UAE were suspended on March 23 as officials moved to contain the spread of the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19. Etihad, Emirates and other Gulf airlines have been offering flights out of the UAE for those looking to return, but incoming flights are limited.It is currently unclear when all government restrictions on passengers will lift. The UAE has temporarily banned visas on arrival for all nationalities and banned its citizens from traveling outside the country.Read more:Coronavirus: Dubai’s Emirates announces four flights to Cairo, Egypt from June 14Dubai’s Emirates airline plans to cut staff amid coronavirus crisisCoronavirus: Dubai’s Emirates to fly to Kabul, Afghanistan, total destinations to 30
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Dubai’s Emirates airlines resumes flights to and from Bahrain

The United Arab Emirates is extending a travel ban to and from the emirate of Abu Dhabi by one week starting Tuesday, June 16, according to an official statement.“Abu Dhabi Emergency and Crisis Committee for the COVID-19 Pandemic, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Police and DOH, have announced an extension on the ban on movement entering and exiting the emirate and between its regions (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Dhafrah) starting from Tuesday, June 16, for one week,” the Emirates News Agency (WAM) tweeted on Monday.The country initially restricted movement into the capital from June 2 in line with measures to curb the coronavirus outbreak, the Abu Dhabi Media Office announced at the time.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.This means that residents of other emirates will be unable to enter Abu Dhabi, while Abu Dhabi residents will be unable to leave.Meanwhile, an Emirate’s airline plane from Dubai landed at Bahrain International Airport Monday, marking the return of regular flights between the Kingdom and the emirate.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Read more:Coronavirus: Dubai’s Emirates airlines resumes flights to and from BahrainCoronavirus: Dubai’s Emirates announces four flights to Cairo, Egypt from June 14Dubai’s Emirates airline plans to cut staff amid coronavirus crisis
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: UAE extends ban on movement in, out of Abu Dhabi as lockdown tightened