politicodiary

Brining authentic Lebanese food to other parts of Middle East, has been one of the biggest achievements for this mother-daughter duo For two women to open a new restaurant in Abu Dhabi, home away from home, can be a rather daunting task. But Mireille and Yasmina Hayek were beaming on the soft launch of their new seafront facing cafe. The cafe is currently in its soft launch phase and joins the growing number of Em Sherif outlets in nine locations worldwide, encompassing restaurants, delis and cafes. Her's has been adjudged as one of the best Beirut as well. Em Sherif is the epitome of hearty, authentic Levantine food and a name well-known to both locals and tourists. Less concerned with perfect presentation, it’s a relaxed and charming place to grab lunch or dinner with friends, with many mezze options perfect for sharing. Tarab music is often on play, giving the restaurant a nostalgic and welcoming ambience. Em Sherif is known to have localized the Lebanese food experience fo

Libyan economic failures are forcing farmers to go out of work and abandon farming moving towards alternative sources of incomes. Libyan farmers are losing hope as they are starting to desert their cultivations are moving elsewhere. The reason is high rise of prices of raw materials and supplies that are being used in agriculture. This has been confirmed by a report published by the London-based newspaper that writes on the Middle East . Cost of living is high, and farmers are having to look for alternatives to fend for themselves and their families. According to many farmers who have spoken to this media source, price of agricultural inputs have doubled in the recent years and that imported goods have also caused severe damage to their local crops yields. Financial losses are difficult to mitigate as the economy is already in doldrums for the longest time. Lack of supplies in the market and cost of living escalations has forced most farmers to shift to alternate modes of employmen

This is one of the most sad and gory descriptions of real-life murders in medical facilities that has been depicted well and is trending on Netflix A nurse that murdered dozens of patients over a course of 16 years, Netflix is all ready for the story of nurse Charles Cullen. The series is gaining traction as is the previous crime thrillers including Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and The Watcher. If one to ask about the real person behind the story, he is still alive. A troubled person who was orphaned at a young age, Charles Cullen was also discharged from the US Navy when it attempted to take his own life.   Shortly after that, he started to train to be a nurse. Born in New Jersey , between 1988 and 2003, he worked in several hospitals across New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Till his arrest in December 2003, he had murdered some 29 people. In 2013, Cullen spoke about his crimes in his first televised interview, appearing on 60 Minutes. He described some as “mercy killings”, h

Scientist s from space have been able to capture raw imagery that shows massive methane emissions from Central Asia, the  Middle East, and the south-western US NASA has reportedly spotted Iran and Turkmenistan as the ‘super emitters’ of methane gas, a recent report has suggested. While on one side the hole in the ozone layer is reducing, on the other hand, methane usage can lead to devastating effects on the environment all together.   The gas is one of the main drivers of climate change, accounting for about 30 per cent of global warming since the pre-industrial era. NASA scientists are gathering this data through space observations and their revelations have also identified sites in the US as well.   As of now, some 50 such spots have been discovered by NASA through the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source (EMIT) mission. This mission has identified areas in   Central Asia, the  Middle East, and the south-western US. Most of them are connected to the fossil fuel, waste or agri

He seems to have run out of luck or dug his own grave as brands pull endorsements and celebrities criticize him for making irrelevant antisemitic comments Kanye West is being trolled for his antisemitic statements he has been making. The latest stands that Adidas has had to drop him from product endorsements due to his comments. Since early October, West wrote on Instagram that rapper and record producer Sean "Diddy" Combs was being controlled by “the Jewish people.” Days later, he tweeted that he was “going death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE” before alleging he wasn't “ Anti-Semitic because black people are actually Jew also.” Seems like out of his mind and wanting some more attention, his statements have been criticized by other celebrities as well. He now loses trust with brands like Vogue that has also made a public statement about him not being a part of the ‘inner circle’ anymore. Adidas spokesperson said that he felt that West’s “current statements and actions have

Callousness of authorities have been blamed by residents whose family members have gone missing while transiting illegally through Tunisia  Residents of Zarzis in southern Tunisia has extremely angry. They are blaming authorities for having buried drowned migrants from the coastal city without the informing families or finding out their whereabouts. Blockades and tyre burning has been their way of revolting and retaliating in the Medenine governorate. A boat carrying migrants to Europe went missing on the September 21. It was carrying as many as 18 people. Those who perished included a child as well. They all came from Zarzis, a city of 78,000 residents known as a crossing point for both Tunisian and Sub-Saharan African migrants. Authorities have been accused of negligence in initial attempts to look for the missing boat — even thwarting independent efforts with misinformation — and subsequently not putting enough effort into the search for bodies. This was compounded by bodies be

Media is spilling beans of governmental pressure that has forced the Iranian athlete to retract from her previous support to the anti-hijab worldwide outcry According to BBC Persia, the rock climber from Iran, Elnaz Rekabi was forced into giving a statement that she was sorry for not having adhered to the hijab rule set in by the Iranian authorities. She had said that her hijab had fallen off, which looks extremely unplausible for someone who might have worn a hijab all her life. The act of revolt was retracted as an unintentional mistake, for which it is now being said, that she was coaxed into retracting her statement. The BBC source said Rekabi had been detained in a room at Iran's National Olympic Committee building with agents present until she met the minister. She is now under house arrest, but the authorities said she is staying at home because she is in need of rest, the source said. The lady athlete had also disappeared and then resurfaced apologizing on open tele

Ukraine is trying to combat illegal movement of technology into Russia and its areas, something that compromised its response to Russian invasion It has come to notice that despite Cisco having decided to wound up operations in Russia, products ranging in value from less than $100 to tens of thousands of dollars has been secretly shipped into Russia again. A leaked account of 500 such shipments that account for movement into Russia since August. Asked for clarifications from certain media houses which have covered this news earlier, Cisco has said it stands by its decision to wind up systematically its businesses in Russia. But according to a representative of the Economic Security Council of Ukraine, shipments have been detailed in the leaked database. “We were not expecting this type of outcome,” the representative said. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, a host of major U.S. corporations , including Cisco, ended their Russian operations. This could be a

Biden in pressure from Democrats and Republicans as they both threaten to dishevel relations with the Kingdom which has already retorted in a strict tone Image courtesy: www.scotfree.com The Saudi Prince is not taking a threat from the US lying down as he has responded telling the White House that any kind of threat of violence will not be taken lightly in the Kingdom. “Anybody that challenges the existence of this country and this kingdom; all of us, we are products of jihad, and martyrdom,” Saudi Prince Saud al-Shaalan, who is married to one of the grandaughter's of the late King Abdulaziz Al Saud, said in a video that was posted to Twitter Saturday. “That's my message to anybody that thinks that it can threaten us.” King Abdulaziz Al Saud founded Saudi Arabia. The arrogance and superiority of everyone is evident in the above statement. The US was sending off a warning message after it felt the Kingdom had sided with Russia in deciding to cut down its oil production qu

Things are showing in the Iraqi government falling apart in the absence of a proper governance as money theft goes rampant in their various departments. Iraq has now confirmed a huge theft of 2.5billion euros that has gone missing from its bank fund at Iraq’s General Tax Authority. This has been ascertained as the largest scandal and embarrassment for the country. The theft was announced on Saturday by Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar and confirmed by Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al Sudani. Accord to Mr. Jabbar, an investigation by the Ministry of Finance is now underway. This was the last portfolio he was heading till his resignation this week. Apparently, a specific group without having given details had made off with 3.7 trillion (with a’b’) Iraqi dinars, about 2.5 billion euros, in a fund of the national tax authority in the Rafidian bank. The Rafidain, the largest bank in Iraq, with 165 branches inside Iraq and offices in Cairo, Beirut, or Abu Dhabi, has assured that it has no

As local Albanian mafia gears up to sell drugs, it is making use of migrants crossing the English Channel as cheap labour to get cannabis out into the market  In a strange manner of recruitment, Albanians who have arrived at the UK through the English Channel have been appointed on various cannabis farms. They were first released from detention and then found themselves being sent to cannabis farms. Almost all are migrants, who have been recruited by crime gangs of Albanian origins to work in cannabis farms set up in empty houses and industrial buildings across England and Wales. Most have been forced to do so to clear the debts they had taken to cross the English Channel amounting to close to £5000. Work is grueling upto 40 hours a day; living in dinghies their lives are no better.  One, working in a “farm” in London , said he spent seven days in “mountains” in France as three Channel attempts were thwarted by police who punctured the boats each time. On the fourth attempt, he

Despite the hue and cry over freedom of speech and the fourth estate, media has been restricted to do its job over the FIFA event in Qatar  Media is having a hard time in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar , as the mini but rich Middle eastern country is preventing media from reporting anything from there. Apparently, the international media has been banned from the international sporting event. None of the well-known media houses are going to be allowed under a ban to report anything from Qatar . This includes the well-known names as BBC, ITV under the so-called filming permits that are given away by the Qatari government. In focus will be things like the accommodation sites of migrant workers, apart from footage “near or within” government buildings, universities, places of worship and hospitals, along with recording on “any privately owned property”, even with the owner’s consent. All this is prohibited and could lead to imprisonment as well. Media will be allowed to access only an

The use of emojis is also becoming a popular choice of how the older generation is communicating with Gen Z News doing rounds nowadays is that the famous ‘thumbs-up’ sign is ‘passively aggressive’. Apparently the GenZ is labelling this famous emoji as this and this is becoming a debate of television shows as well. Emojis were first seen in 2011 on I-phones and have since then been in famous and been used as short message sending tools. There is also a belief that the sign now looks rude and those using it also look old. Among the list of emojis that make texters look old to Gen Z: the red heart, the clapping hands, and the checkmark. This is considered an extremely positive emoji, according to the older generation, which can’t understand how this has become a ‘passive aggressive’ sign of communication. From 2021 till date, the most popular one remains ‘face with tears of joy’ despite the disapproval of the Gen Z. While those depicting Covid19 had increased around the pandemic tim

Iran is systematically trying to shut down those who are expressing themselves and showing their support for the fight for #Mahsa Amini Art is in peril too in Iran as in a latest movement, the celebrated director Mani Haghighi has been banned from travelling to London to showcase his latest offering the movie Subtraction that was screening in the recent London Film Festival. Releasing a latest video statement, he has said “I was prevented by the Iranian authorities from boarding my flight to London on Friday. They gave me no reasonable explanation for this utterly rude behaviour.” A formal spokesperson from the film festival has said that Mr. Haghighi was turned away from the airport and his passport confiscated forcing him to return to Tehran. Apparently, he has been vocal about Iran’s mandatory hijab law, treatment of youth and the death of the young girl #Mahsma Amini. According to the BBC reporter who has taken to Twitter and said “The regime is banning well known artists

Frequent drillings have triggered earthquakes in the Groningen field area of Netherlands making lives of those staying around difficult and natural gas extraction impossible Europe wants to use its largest gas field to dodge the menace with Russia over supplies, but the bad news is that it can’t. Its hands are currently tied as it finds it tough to explore its big landmass that has enough untapped capacity to replenish the natural gas it is currently running short of. The sad news is that its largest gas reserves that are situated in Netherlands are under threat from tremors and therefore might need to be shut down. In question here are the sprawling  Groningen field , beneath the windmill-dotted marshlands of the Netherlands. They are considered Europe’s largest natural gas reserve. It holds enough fuel to replace what Germany once imported from Russia. Surprisingly, frequent drillings have triggered earthquakes in the area making lives of those staying around difficult as well.

The country has probably refrained from using the same neutral stance in the case of Ukraine as it decided to vote for an open ballot India might have probably taken sides after all, when it comes to siding with Russia over the secret ballot at the recent UN General Assembly meeting on a resolution to denounce its annexation of four regions of Ukraine . The world’s second largest democracy has put its foot down and did not side with Moscow. The vote was on a bill put forward by Albania to denounce Russia’s ‘illegal so-called ‘referendums’ and ‘attempted illegal annexation’ of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. India chose for an open recorded ballot as 106 of its other partnering member countries of the U, with just 13 nations really backing Moscow’s crazy idea. Some 39 countries have abstained from voting including Russia and China. Although Security Council votes are binding, permanent members have a veto. While votes at the General Assembly ar

While North Koreans make for a large population of migrant workers, the pressure to lose their lives working in the war-ravaged Ukraine has left them scared In a surprising revelation, North Korean construction workers are discovering that they are in fact been employed to be sent to Ukraine from Russia. Fearing for their lives, these migrant workers are now running for their lives as none would want to the ongoing war-ravaged country. The ongoing war has led to massive loss of lives and infrastructure, which Russia is on its own volition deciding to rebuild, employing migrant workers from North Korea . The same construction migrants are now running into hiding fearing for their lives. 'After getting the news that the workers would soon be moved to a new construction site in Ukraine, and needed to settle everything by the end of September, many have escaped. It's not only the construction workers, but also management officials escaping,' an unnamed source told the pub

Boeing has broken the ice with Beijing again and has been allowed to fly its infamous Jetliner with proper protocols in place It is after a hiatus that the Boeing is going to take flight from and into China . It’s been hour since the Boeing company even entered China. It was the famous and unfamous crash incidents that surrounded the Boeing Max is what led to China deciding to ground the use of the American flight company made planes in the first place. It first grounded the Max in March 2019 and held off approving its return long after US regulators lifted a ban in late 2020. Europe and other places followed in subsequent months. This has been seen as a breakthrough for Boeing that went into pilot training discussions with Beijing last month. Boeing officials also met China’s aviation regulator to review specific pilot training criteria for its Max jetliners, in a sign the plane maker is getting closer to securing all the necessary approvals to get the Max back up and flying in China

Despite religious and cultural barriers, Egypt is now encouraging organ donation and would have this detail listed on the national cards of their citizens. It’s a heart-warming gesture and one of great surprise that Egypt is now encouraging the humanitarian gesture of organ donation. Despite its cultural barriers, the country’s health ministry will now be introducing the option of organ donation on every individual’s national IDs. This would be most advantageous for citizen posthumously and help in saving precious lives. It is also great to know that many Middle Eastern countries have already moved on and implemented organ transplant schemes very successfully. Following a meeting with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi earlier this week, his advisor on health Mohamed Tag El Din issued a statement confirming that the government was looking into introducing an organ donation option on Egyptian national ID cards, as is the practice in many countries around the world. Although Egypt legalise

There are ways and then there are more ways to keep our traditions alive. A university in the UK has found a novice way of keeping the tradition of knitting alive, by launching a book on knitting patterns based on the architecture of the university. The University of Glasgow has collated a book of such patterns that were invited from designers from all over Scotland and are based on the ‘iconic’ cloisters on the Gilmorehill campus and the ‘modernism’ of the library. The university has gone ahead and also employed knitter who resides with the university and will help in creating the patterns.  Staff and students have been alike, invited to take part in the competition to produce original knitting patterns that are inspired by the university. They have also been encouraged to use Cochno wool. University actually launched its own wool in 2018, called the Cochno that was well received by knitters around the world. The book named as the Knitting The University of Glasgow , is a joint

Erdogan has a way with influence,  and he has shown it once again as he has pushed for military support to be sent to Qatar on the latter’s behest Someone really coming close to Qatar is Turkey . Despite the former rich Middle Eastern country been in focus for human rights violations, Turkey has been going out of its way to build trade relations with Qatar. As the Middle Eastern nation gears up towards the forthcoming FIFA World Cup, 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked Parliament to authorize the dispatch of troops to Qatar to increase security during this winter’s World Cup in the Arab country. Qatar has now sealed borders and allowing only those visitors that have valid approvals to come into the country to view the World Cup. Turkey has offered help as Qatar has reportedly asked for security support. In response, Erdogan has been quick to send a letter to the Parliament, controlled by like-minded parties, to authorize this deployment. Erdogan who has been k