Middle East Experience

The noted Modern Orthodox rabbi, author and communal leader had just lost his wife to COVID-19 a month earlier.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Rabbi Norman Lamm, former Yeshiva U president, dies at 92

The unfathomable killing of George and the protests and then riots that it triggered are about America, and about deep-seated American fissures and unresolved issues.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: The US, a friend in pain – analysis

Police suspect the two were pressured in giving false testimony in a lawsuit filed by former employee Shira Raban against Sara Netanyahu for workplace abuse.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Two employees suspected of lying in favor of Sara Netanyahu during trial

Accourding to Homeland Guards, there have been 24 mishaps at the Leviathan rig since it first became operational four months ago.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Leviathan gas rig shuts down turboexpanders after multiple failures

“I think that now it is very clear that early detection of symptoms and monitoring of the patients in the early stage of the disease make a big difference."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Israel offers to teach its secrets against coronavirus abroad

The Palestinian Ministry of Social Development said it has provided counseling and psychological services in more than 600 cases of child abuse in the West Bank during the coronavirus lockdown.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Hundreds of children abused during lockdown in West Bank

Kuwait detected a steady rise of 719 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, which raises the total number of cases in the country to 27,762, the Ministry of Health announced on Monday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Eight people died of the virus on Monday, bringing the total number of virus-related deaths to 220.Meanwhile, the number of recoveries in Kuwait rose to 12,899 after 1,513 people recovered in the last 24 hours.The number of recoveries in the country has been higher than the daily reported number of cases for the past few days, health ministry spokesman Dr. Abdullah al-Sanad said, adding that this is expected to continue as long as the public continues to adhere to precautionary measures.None of the newly reported cases are of people who had traveled abroad, he said. However, they include people who have had direct contact with previously infected individuals, according to al-Sanad.Out of the 791 infected individuals, 265 are Kuwaiti, 156 are Indian, 104 are Egyptian, 48 are Bangladeshi, and the remaining cases are of people of different nationalities.The ministry has conducted a total of 297,026 swab tests so far, 3,664 of which were done in the past 24 hours, al-Sanad said.The government last week announced that it would not be extending the 24-hour curfew beyond May 30.A partial 12-hour curfew from the hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. began today, and is the first phase of a plan designed for the gradual return to “normalcy.”Read more:Kuwait will not extend 24-hour curfewKuwait imposes 12-hour curfew from May 30, begins return to ‘normalcy’
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Kuwait reports 719 new cases, total infections steadily rise to 27,762

Saudi Arabia will pump 50 billion riyals ($13.3 billion) into the banking system to help manage the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and the drop in oil prices.The move by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, or SAMA, as the central bank is known, will support financial stability and boost credit facilities to the private sector, it said in a statement on Monday. The program is aimed at helping banks amend and restructure loans without additional fees and support private sector employment.As a result of the virus outbreak, Saudi banks are “expected to encounter a reduction in activities in 2020, which will reflect negatively on profitability and possibly increase defaults,” the central bank said in its Financial Stability Report published last week.Hit simultaneously by lower crude prices and coronavirus shutdowns, Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy is expected to contract for the first time in over 30 years. The central bank had previously unveiled a 50-billion-riyal program to help mostly small private businesses in the country.In March, the regulator urged banks to put in place a lending program for at least six months to “assist in maintaining employment levels,” according to a document sent by the regulator to lenders and seen by Bloomberg.Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan said in a statement over the weekend that the government had also transferred 150 billion riyals from SAMA’s foreign reserves to the Public Investment Fund, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, in March and April to help it finance a buying spree of assets in international markets that had dropped in value as a result of recent turmoil.Saudi Arabia’s fiscal deficit this year is set to widen to nearly 13 percent of gross domestic product, according to the International Monetary Fund. Gross official reserves are set to drop to around $456 billion this year, continuing the trend into 2021, when they’re estimated at just over $409 billion, IMF projections show. At the end of April, the central bank’s net foreign assets stood at $443 billion.The kingdom could borrow 220 billion riyals this year, about 100 billion riyals more than it forecast before the coronavirus outbreak, while keeping its drawdown from reserves at up to 120 billion riyals.Read more:Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia resumes railway travel with Riyadh-Damman trainCoronavirus: Saudi Arabia’s main Jeddah airport reopens, operates 40 domestic flightsFrench investment giant Natixis opens in Saudi Arabia
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia announces .3 billion stimulus for banking sector

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Oman rose to 12,223 after 786 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said on Monday.For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.Out of the newly reported cases, 298 are of Omani citizens, while 488 are non-Omani residents, the ministry added.Three people died in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of virus-related deaths to 50.Meanwhile, the number of recoveries in the country rose to 2,682.The new cases are a drop from the day before when Oman reported its highest daily toll.Cases in the country have been rising over the last few days, crossing the 10,000 mark on Saturday.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus cases in Oman surpass 12,000 after 786 new cases reported

Qatar reported 1,523 new coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the total in the country to 58,443.The Ministry of Health also announced two new deaths. The death toll in the country is now 40.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the appA further 202 people were admitted to acute hospital care, bringing the current number to 1,493.There were 240 currently in intensive care units as of Monday.The country also reported an additional 3,147 recoveries, raising the reported number of people who have recovered from the disease to 33,437.Read more:Coronavirus: Dubai changes rules on wearing face masks in publicCoronavirus: Saudi Arabia’s main Jeddah airport reopens, operates 40 domestic flightsCoronavirus: UAE bans movement in, out of Abu Dhabi as lockdown tightened
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Qatar infections continue to rise with 1,523 new cases, total now 58,443