Gendarmerie operation sparks controversy in Petra, Jordan Petra’s tribal entrepreneurs react to a security operation carried out inside Jordan’s most-visited UNESCO World Heritage Site with criticism and concern for their livelihoods. Jordan
Culture Despite war, thousands of Israeli Hasidim make pilgrimage to Ukraine Much like the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine won’t stop thousands of Hasidim from reaching the city of Uman and the tomb of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov just before the Jewish New Year. Israel
Middle East airlines to suffer losses again in 2022 The International Air Transport Association said that airlines in the region will fare somewhat better financially due to the return of long-haul flights. Legacy: Gulf
Israel expects post-COVID tourism rebound this summer Israeli experts do not expect tourism to reach this summer the record level of 2019, but they certainly notice a trend of increase on both outbound and incoming tourism. Israel
Iran rolls out rapid test, economic relief as virus continues to spread Iran broke its record for daily cases again on Tuesday. New restrictions will soon come into effect in parts of the country. Iran
Former Iranian PM Mousavi, under house arrest, tests positive for COVID-19 Former Prime Minister and opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife have remained under house arrest since 2011. Iran
Iran's Rouhani announces new nationwide closures With coronavirus cases and deaths rising again, Iran has announced new closures. Iran
Oman opens land borders for citizens, residents The Gulf state's land borders had remained shut to international travel since March. Oman
Netanyahu says Israel signed agreement with Pfizer for coronavirus vaccine After realizing that Israel was not prepared for the purchase of coronavirus vaccines, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself called the heads of Pfizer and pushed for a deal to be concluded. Israel
UK opens 'travel corridor' to Gulf states Visitors to the United Kingdom from Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE will not need to isolate upon arrival come Saturday. United Arab Emirates
Emirates reports massive drop in revenue in 2020 The Dubai-based airline's revenues fell billions and it is relying on reserves and support from the government to continue flying. United Arab Emirates
Qatar Airways resumes flights to Algiers The Doha-based airline is also increasing the number of its weekly flights to New York and Chicago. Qatar
Voter apathy, pandemic result in low turnout, riots in Jordanian election With a historic low turnout by voters at Jordan’s parliamentary elections, it is doubtful that the government will pick up the message that a growing majority of Jordanians are becoming indifferent to the role of parliament. Jordan
Turkey bans public smoking in virus mitigation effort Turkey has been recording more than 2,000 cases of COVID-19 a day for weeks, and there are concerns the government is underreporting virus deaths. Turkey
Mosques in Oman to reopen for socially distant daily prayers Amid a declining COVID-19 infection rate, mosques will reopen to a limited number of worshippers beginning Sunday; Friday prayers still will not be allowed. Oman
Lebanon returns to lockdown as virus cases surge COVID-19 infections have risen steadily in Lebanon since the August explosion in Beirut. Lebanon
