GAZA/RAMALLAH, West Bank, Sept 1 (Reuters) – After mandating vaccinations for workers and many students – and offering prize money – to nudge a skeptical public to get the jab, Palestinian officials report a big boost in vaccine uptake they hope will stem a surge in COVID-19 infections. More Palestinians in Gaza have taken the vaccine in the past week – some 133,000 – than in the entire six-month period prior, health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra said. The West Bank has registered a similar jump in vaccinations. New infections in the West Bank and Gaza have surged since the global emergence of the highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus. PA health officials began administering vaccines in West Bank schools this week to keep up the momentum.

Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed meets on Tuesday with Lebanese Ambassador to Cairo Ali Al-Halabi – Ministry of HealthCAIRO – 1 September 2021: Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed said the country is ready to meet the health sector requirements in Lebanon as she met on Tuesday with Lebanese Ambassador to Cairo Ali Al-Halabi. Zayed also affirmed Egypt’s readiness to provide coronavirus vaccine doses to the Lebanese people after Egypt achieves self-sufficiency in this regard, a statement by the Egyptian Health Ministry read. An Egyptian team in the plastic and burn surgeries were sent to Lebanon immediately after the incident, the statement read. Halabi, during the meeting, thanked the Egyptian political leadership and health ministry for the quick response regarding the Akkar explosion. The Lebanese ambassador also hailed Egypt’s significant role in supporting the Lebanese people since the Beirut blast last year.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced that a second round of exploratory talks will be held between Egypt and Turkey to address bilateral relations and some regional issues, in response to an invitation from the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The first round of exploratory talks between Egypt and Turkey concluded on May 6, after lasting two days in Cairo. The Egyptian delegation was headed by Loza, while the Turkish delegation was headed by Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal. “After that, a judicial ruling was issued against some Brotherhood members, and Turkish statements were also issued to comment on this judicial ruling. Hassan indicated that the Libyan issue is one of the main issues in determining the course of Egyptian-Turkish relations.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Wednesday approved a series of measures easing its blockade of the Gaza Strip, including opening the main commercial crossing with the Palestinian enclave to imports. The announcement came a day after Israeli officials allowed the import of crucial construction material needed for the Gaza Strip’s rebuilding following the recent conflict in May. Israel and Egypt have blockaded the Gaza Strip since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007, a year after winning a Palestinian election. The blockade, which restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza, has devastated Gaza’s economy. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since 2008, and Israel has tightened the blockade since the latest fighting in May.

The US-allied Gulf Arab state has emerged as a key interlocutor to the Taliban, having hosted the group’s political office since 2013. No country has recognised the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan after their capture of Kabul on August 14. Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed said the group had showed openness towards the idea of an inclusive government. Sheikh Mohammed said isolating the Taliban during their last rule 20 years ago led to the current situation. Germany’s Maas said, “There is no way around talks with the Taliban,” adding that the international community could not afford instability in Afghanistan.

“No matter where you live, life will be much, much better, much freer, as long as you’re vaccinated at 70%,” Berejiklian told reporters. “Australia can live with this virus,” he said in Canberra. Despite the recent flare-ups, it has managed to keep its coronavirus numbers relatively low, with just over 55,000 cases and 1,012 deaths. read moreFederal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg urged the state leaders to follow the national reopening plans. “Stick to the plan … a plan that allows businesses to reopen and plan for their own future … a plan that takes Australia forward to living safely with the virus,” Frydenberg said.

Power and water outages affected hundreds of thousands of people, many of them with no way to get immediate relief. New Orleans officials announced seven places around the city where people could get a meal and sit in air conditioning. John Bel Edwards said state officials also were working to set up distribution locations in other areas around the state. Cantrell ordered a nighttime curfew Tuesday, calling it an effort to prevent crime after Hurricane Ida left the entire city without power. The 78-year-old Vappie was one of about 441,000 people across the state to lose water after floodwaters and power outages crippled treatment plants.

Public health experts say the uptick in rural vaccinations is important because health care systems in villages are fragile. The deadly surge of infections that overwhelmed hospitals earlier this year ripped through rural India and thousands died. So far, nearly 90 percent of the vaccines administered were the AstraZeneca shots made by the Serum Institute of India. India expects 100 million Sputnik V shots and 50 million shots of Indian drugmaker Zydus Cadila’s recently greenlit COVID-19 vaccine later this year. ___AP journalists Rishi Lekhi in New Delhi, Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow, India, and Indrajit Singh in Patna, India, contributed to this report.

Aug 31 (Reuters) - Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin has joined Spanish side Real Betis on loan until the end of the season, the English Premier League club said on Tuesday. Spaniard Bellerin, whose deal at The Emirates ends in 2023, joined Arsenal from boyhood club Barcelona in 2011 aged 16. The full back has made 183 Premier League appearances for the Gunners over the past decade, but had not featured in any of their three league games so far this season. The 26-year-old won three FA Cups with the club and was included in Spain's Euro 2016 squad.

AMMAN, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Syrian elite forces aided by pro-Iranian militias stepped up an offensive on Tuesday against a rebel enclave in a southwestern pocket bordering Jordan and Israel, according to residents, military and opposition sources. Witnesses and military sources said dozens of improvised missiles were fired into Deraa al-Balaad by the Syrian military’s pro-Iranian Fourth Division, which is backed by Iranian-financed local militias. A halt to fighting was announced after Russian generals offered a new plan that appeared to meet some of the rebel demands to involve the Russian military police in patrolling the enclave while allowing for the first time a Syrian army security presence in the stronghold. The Syrian army said at least four soldiers were killed in ambushes on troops in the towns of Sanameen and Nawa, and that rebel shelling had caused several casualties in residential areas. Pro-Assad forces have prevented food, medical and fuel supplies from reaching Deraa al-Balaad but have opened a corridor for civilians to leave, according to local officials and residents.

LEIPZIG, Aug 31 (Reuters) - RB Leipzig have signed Barcelona midfielder Ilaix Moriba on a five-year deal, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday. Barca said the deal was worth 16 million euros ($25.97 million) and could rise to 22 million ($25.98 million), with the Catalans reserving the right to 10% of any future sale. Moriba, 18, broke into the Barcelona first team towards the end of last season, making 14 LaLiga appearances for Ronald Koeman's side. "FC Barcelona would like to publicly thank Ilaix Moriba for his commitment and dedication and wishes him all the best for the future," the LaLiga club said in a statement. A graduate of the club's famed La Masia academy, there were high hopes for Moriba in Catalonia.

CAIRO - 31 August 2020: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi praised on Tuesday modern and integrated infrastructure in Egypt, which he said provides a strong basis for boosting development cooperation with international partners. Egypt also looks forward to activating the comprehensive cooperative partnership with South Korea in a way that helps benefit from the huge capabilities of the two countries, Sisi added. Suh, for his part, praised the great national projects being established in Egypt under the leadership of President Sisi. He also valued the role played by Egypt to contain tensions between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. According to the spokesman, the meeting also reviewed military and security cooperation between the two countries, especially in the industrial and technological domains.

AOI is keen to open new horizons of cooperation with various Arab countries and train human cadres, Tarras was speaking during his meeting with Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALESCO) Mohamed Ould Amar and his accompanying delegation. Both discussed ways of benefiting from the organization's potentials in various industrial fields, including digital transformation, smart e-services, medical industries, and railway industries. Meanwhile, Amar lauded AOI's industrial capabilities and its history in the Arab region.

These initiatives will aim to push forward the mechanisms of regional cooperation with a view to enhancing joint action and transfer the Egyptian expertise in the development financing as well as to exchange experiences, knowledge and visions on exerted efforts to achieve the sustainable development, the ministry added. In a statement, International Cooperation Minister Rania Al-Mashat said six specialized workshops will be held as part of the forum to tackle activating mechanisms of regional cooperation in light of Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and sharing Egypt’s novel approach of economic diplomacy that includes as one of its principles a country-led Official Development Assistance (ODA) -SDG mapping framework among others. A final statement will be issued at the conclusion of the forum in addition to recommendations to be raised by the participating states, international organizations and the UN on the importance of the ODA financing and multilateral cooperation in supporting efforts exerted by the states to achieve development, mainly in the Middle East region and Africa, she added.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday met with the South Korean Defense Minister Suh Wook, in the presence of the Egyptian Minister of Defense and Military Production Mohamed Zaki, South Korean Minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration Kang Eun-ho, and Hong Jin-wook, South Korean Ambassador to Cairo. The Egyptian presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady said that Sisi expressed Egypt’s pride in its close ties with South Korea. Egypt now enjoys a modern and integrated infrastructure system of facilities and services that provides a strong basis for establishing any development cooperation partnership, Sisi said. The South Korean Defense Minister on his end expressed his country’s appreciation for the recent development and prosperity of Egyptian-Korean relations. technology transfer and localization to support Egypt’s responsibility to achieve stability, security and combat terrorism, Rady said.