Middle East Experience

Saudi Arabia reported on Tuesday 1,815 new coronavirus cases and 14 deaths, bringing the total number of infections in the Kingdom to 78,541 and the death toll to 425, according to the Saudi Health Ministry.The ministry reported its highest daily toll on May 16 with 2,840 new cases. The number of new daily cases has since been decreasing day by day.The Kingdom also reported 2,572 recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries to 51,022 so far.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The Kingdom currently has the highest number of cases in the region; however, it is also by far the largest country in the GCC, both in terms of population and area. Saudi Arabia recorded its first case on March 2, after a Saudi Arabian national returned from Iran.Easing restrictionsSaudi Arabia will ease coronavirus restrictions, resume some economic and commercial activities, and return to “normalcy,” as per the approval of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the Kingdom's Ministry of Interior (MOI) announced earlier on Tuesday.The Minister of Health Tawfiq bin Fawzan al-Rabiah said on Monday that the Kingdom was going to begin a new phase of its coronavirus strategy from May 28 and that it would be based on two pillars: Health care system's capacity of accommodating critical cases and the policy of expanding testing and early detection.Read more: Effect of sunlight and heat on coronavirus being studied: Saudi Arabia officialSaudi Arabia cases could reach 200,000 within weeks, says ministerSaudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman says hard times will pass
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia reports 1,815 new cases, 14 deaths

Private sector employees in Saudi Arabia can go back offices with minimal staff and strict following of coronavirus precautionary measures, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced on Wednesday.“The private sector can start working while following the precautionary and preventive measures announced by the ministry of health and supervising authorities,” the ministry said.The move is the latest of the Kingdom's announcements to ease the coronavirus restrictions, which saw the Kingdom under full lockdown at times, including during the Islamic celebration of Eid al-Fitr.“[Companies] must prepare their offices as per the instructions issued on the matter to secure the return of employees to a safe work environment,” the ministry added.Saudi Arabia reported on Tuesday 1,815 new coronavirus cases and 14 deaths, bringing the total number of infections in the Kingdom to 78,541 and the death toll to 425, according to the Saudi Health Ministry.Public sectorSaudi Arabia had announced a day earlier that Public sector employees will gradually return to their workplaces starting May 31 and fully by June 14.“After two months of closures, it is time to return to business and open activities, as it is an essential element in driving the economic wheel,” said the Saudi Arabian Minister of Human Resource and Social Development Ahmed bin Sulaiman al-Rajhi in a televised address on Tuesday.Easing restrictionsSaudi Arabia had announced on Tuesday that it will ease the coronavirus restrictions and resume some economic and commercial activities to return to “normalcy”.The Kingdom set a strategy, compiled of three gradual opening-up phases, which will be set in motion on May 28 and will be based on two pillars: Health care system's capacity of accommodating critical cases and the policy of expanding testing and early detection.The final phase of the strategy, which begins on June 21, sees Saudi Arabia fully returning to “normalcy” in all areas of the Kingdom, except Mecca, and restore conditions to how life was before implementing curfews.Read more: Coronavirus: Here are the 10 guidelines as Saudi Arabia prepares to reopen mosquesCoronavirus: Saudi Arabia to extend tourist visas for three months free of chargeCoronavirus: Public sector in Saudi Arabia to gradually resume work starting May 31
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia private sector employees to return to offices

Several ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government support the full legalization of cannabis use.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Will Israel fully legalize use of cannabis?

Impoverished seasonal agricultural workers in Turkey are riding out the pandemic in squalid tent encampments to earn their living, providing a labor force crucial to the agricultural sector.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Turkey’s seasonal workers caught between virus, poverty

Former Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, who heads the opposition Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of eroding Turkey’s democracy, undermining the independence of the judiciary and damaging the country’s reputation abroad..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Former ally Babacan takes aim at Erdogan’s policies

Pro-Sisi media have lauched a campaign of incitement against doctors including death threats and accusations of treason after a medical union accused the Egyptian health ministry of neglect..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Egypt pro-Sisi media launch revenge campaign against doctors after coronavirus complaints

The Arab Coalition has intercepted and shot down several drones launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia targeting the southern border city of Najran in Saudi Arabia, according to a spokesperson.Colonel Al-Maliki, the official spokesperson for the Arab Coalition, said that the Houthi militia continues to violate international humanitarian law by launching drones and deliberately targeting civilians, as well as residential areas that threaten the lives of hundreds of civilians.“These hostile and terrorist acts using drones represent a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and confirm the rejection of the ceasefire and de-escalation initiatives announced by the coalition and started on April 9, 2020,” al-Maliki was quoted as saying by the Saudi Press Agency.“There was no response from the Houthi militia, who have so far committed a total of more than 4,455 violation since the ceasefire was announced,” he added.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.The Arab Coalition declared a complete ceasefire in Yemen starting April 29, according to a coalition statement as part of efforts to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Initially, the ceasefire was to last two weeks but has been extended since.Read more:Houthi ballistic missiles intercepted above Riyadh, Jazan: Saudi ArabiaArab Coalition announces extension of ceasefire in YemenSaudi Arabia developing new counter-drone system: SAMI CEOSaudi Arabia has faced repeated attacks in recent years from drones and missiles fired by the Houthi militia from the Kingdom’s southern border with Yemen.The drone attack follows a major one on March 28 when the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi militia in Yemen toward civilian targets in the cities of Riyadh and Jazan.Earlier this year, Saudi Arabian Military Industries said it was working on developing a new counter-drone system to protect the Kingdom's vital infrastructure and military bases.
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Arab Coalition intercepts Houthi drones targeting Saudi Arabia’s Najran

The New Arab Meets: The Queen of Western Sahara blues Aziza Brahim, who sings haunting melodies of hope and freedom..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Aziza Brahim: The songbird of Western Sahara blues

Brown University has appointed a prominent Middle Eastern history….
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Brown University, prestigious American Ivy League school, inaugurates 'Mahmoud Darwish' chair for Palestinian studies

Israeli start-ups nimble enough to adapt to the changing market could do very well, if able to prove to corporations how their innovations can increase efficiency.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: Coronavirus could help investors identify most promising start-ups