Middle East Experience

Oman’s food stocks are sufficient, and its port operations are running smoothly, a trade ministry official said on Thursday.The government has also been in touch with several traders to buy more stocks and is providing storage space for free, the official was quoted as saying on state television.The ministry is also coordinating with police to make sure the flow of commodities via trucks is normal, he said.There are currently 231 confirmed cases in the country.Last week, Oman announced new measures to stem the spread of the virus. The new precautions introduced included banning public gatherings, closing all currency exchange shops, and banning publications and the sale of imported publications.Government services must reduce their staffing to only 30 percent of the total number of employees, according to ONA. All other employees will work remotely to combat the outbreak.Read more:Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia enforces 24-hour daily curfew in Mecca, MedinaCoronavirus: Hospital beds per capita show how ready governments are to treat cases
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Oman has enough food stocks, port operations running smoothly

Saudi Arabia enforced a 24-hour daily curfew in Mecca and Medina, effective immediately on Thursday, until further notice, according to a statement by the Ministry of Interior.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.Residents in both cities may leave their homes only for necessary reasons such as buying food and for medical care only between the hours of 6 a.m. till 3 p.m. Residents going out must remain within their residential area.All commercial activities were shut down in both Mecca and Medina as well on Thursday. Only pharmacies and grocery stores are allowed to operate.Last week, King Salman bin Abdulaziz approved measures that placed Riyadh, Mecca and Medina on lockdown, which is still in effect. Residents are still banned from entering or exiting the cities.Read more: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman orders lockdown in Riyadh, Mecca, MedinaThe ministry said curfew exemptions still apply to those in vital public and private sectors such as security, military and media. Those who work in health services are also excluded from the curfew.A total of 1,885 people have contracted the virus in Saudi Arabia as of Thursday and 21 people have died, according to the health ministry. Of the total cases, 328 people have recovered.Read more: Saudi Arabia records 1536 total cases, 328 recoveriesRead more:Saudi Arabia leads G20 efforts to unite the world in coronavirus responseCoronavirus symptoms: Loss of smell, taste, might signal infectionFlattening the coronavirus curve in the Arab world
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia enforces 24-hour daily curfew in Mecca, Medina

Saudi Arabia recorded 165 new coronavirus cases bringing the total to 1,885 with a death toll of 21, according to the health ministry. Of the total cases, 328 recovered so far.Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.The health ministry spokesman emphasized the need to comply with the measures implemented for the safety of all.“Areas that haven’t yet recorded cases shouldn’t assume the virus won’t reach them,” the spokesman said.He also said to always be cautious because “the virus has an incubation period and could appear later.”“No area is immune to getting an outbreak,” said the spokesman. “The entire world is on high alert, without any exceptions.”Watch: Saudi Arabia’s biggest cities empty after coronavirus curfewThe Kingdom has taken several other measures in an effort to combat the spread of the virus. Pilgrimage for national and foreign worshippers was suspended last month. Most recently, Saudi Arabia asked Muslims around the world to be patient and delay their plans for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages amid uncertainties surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Kingdom’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah.Read more: Here are all the measures taken by Saudi Arabia to combat the coronavirusDefer Hajj, Umrah plans urges Saudi Arabia amid pandemic
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia records 1,885 total cases, 328 recoveries

The process is being carried out during the government's curfew hours between 8 PM and 6 AM, when residents are expected to be in their homes
Source: Arabian Business
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Troubled healthcare operator's debt position was estimated at $6.6 billion in March.
Source: Arabian Business
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About 44% of aircraft across the globe are in storage, according to an estimate by Cirium
Source: Arabian Business
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Wamda chairman will be joined by Bayt.com CEO to discuss how start-ups can survive Covid-19 economic challenges
Source: Arabian Business
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Saudi Arabia unexpectedly called an urgent meeting of oil exporters after US President Donald Trump revived slumping oil prices with a tweet saying he expected the Kingdom and Russia to cut production by 10-15 million barrels per day.Global oil demand has fallen off a cliff because of the global slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which has been compounded by a collapse in an agreement between OPEC and allied exporters, known as OPEC+, to regulate global supply.“The kingdom calls for an urgent meeting of OPEC+ and a group of other countries with the aim to try and reach a fair deal to restore balance to the oil market,” said a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.Saudi Arabia wants US producers, Canada, Mexico and others in G-20 to join any cuts, sources told Wall Street Journal.US President Trump initially wrote in a tweet that he had spoken to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, “who spoke with President Putin of Russia, & I expect & hope that they will be cutting back approximately 10 Million Barrels, and maybe substantially more which, if it happens, will be GREAT for the oil & gas industry!”He followed this with another tweet stating: “Could be as high as 15 Million Barrels. Good (GREAT) news for everyone!”Oil prices shot up by as much as 25 percent to above $25.00 in New York, having fallen by half in the last month.The Kremlin later denied that Russian President Putin had been in contact with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.“No, there was no conversation,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax news agency, according to AFP.Saudi Arabia has increased oil production to more than 12 million barrels per day since the collapse in the OPEC+ deal with Russia on March 5 in Vienna.Analysts were skeptical of the plan put forward by Trump, simply because the scale of the cuts would be unprecedented.“I am skeptical about the size of the cuts. 10-15 million barrels per day is half of OPEC’s total production,” said Robin Mills, CEO of consultancy Qamar Energy. OPEC pumped 28 million barrels per day in March, roughly one third of the world’s total production.US shale oil firms have been among the first to suffer from the recent price collapse, because they are among the highest cost producers in the world. US oil companies need a price of $43 to $55 per barrel just to break even – compared to Saudi Aramco, the cheapest producer, at just around $3 per barrel.The US has become the largest producer of oil in the world after a decade-long surge in output, but output levels have already begun to fall since last month when prices collapsed. Some US oil producers have called on Trump to do a deal with the other producers, while others have asked for a federal bailout.Trump’s tweets made no mention of other countries that would be expected to join Saudi Arabia and Russia in the supply cuts, but Saudi Arabia’s position has been clear. In its statement, the kingdom made clear that the cut would have to be shared fairly.Read more:Saudi Arabia calls for urgent OPEC+ meeting to stabilize oil marketRussia does not plan to raise oil output: NovakSaudi Arabia supports cooperation among oil producers: Senior Gulf source
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia seeks urgent oil meet, Trump says oil cuts could hit 15 mln bpd

Although yet to be confirmed, the much-anticipated Expo 2020 in Dubai will most likely be postponed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic..
Source: Albawaba
Full Article: Expo 2020 Dubai likely postponed due to coronavirus

"Home confinement restricts freedom of movement and, therefore, is similar in some ways, to involuntary hospitalization or imprisonment.";
Source: Jerusalem Post
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