Category: Middle East

Israel Signs Deal to Buy $3.1 Billion in US Helicopters, Tankers

JERUSALEM—Israel has signed a deal with the United States to buy 12 Lockheed Martin Corp CH-53K helicopters and two Boeing Co KC-46 refueling planes, the Israeli Defense Ministry said on Friday, estimating the total price at around $3.1 billion. The deal, signed on Thursday, is part of an upgrade of Israel’s air force capabilities and…


Jury Finds Drugmaker Teva Fueled Opioid Addiction in New York

NEW YORK—Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd fueled opioid addiction in New York state, a jury found on Thursday, a setback for a company still facing thousands of other opioid-related lawsuits around the United States. The verdict, which followed a nearly six-month New York state court trial in a case brought by the state and two of…


Israel Approves 4th COVID-19 Vaccine Dose to Immunosuppressed People

The Israeli government has approved a second COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients and organ transplant recipients. It comes after the country’s Pandemic Expert Committee last week recommended the fourth shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for immunocompromised people, people older than 60, and health care workers. “Today, I approved giving…


Israel Approves 4th COVID-19 Vaccine Dose for Immunosuppressed People

The Israeli government has approved a second COVID-19 vaccine booster shot for people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients and organ transplant recipients. It comes after the country’s Pandemic Expert Committee last week recommended the fourth shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for immunocompromised people, people older than 60, and health care workers. “Today, I approved giving…


Iran Claims It Launched Rocket Into Space Amid Talks to Revive 2015 Nuclear Deal

The Iranian regime announced it has launched a rocket into space carrying three research devices, the country’s state television reported on Thursday. Ahmad Hosseini, an Iranian defense ministry spokesman, said the satellite-bearing rocket named Simorgh, or “Phoenix,” had launched the three cargoes at an altitude of 292 miles (470 km) and at a speed of 7,350…


US Navy Seizes $4 Million Worth of Heroin in Arabian Sea

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—United States navy vessels seized 385 kilograms (849 pounds) of heroin in the Arabian Sea worth some $4 million, in a major bust by the international maritime operation in the region, officials said Thursday. The USS Tempest and USS Typhoon seized the drugs hidden aboard a stateless fishing vessel plying Mideast waters,…


Israel Approves Measures After Inviting Palestinian President for Rare Meeting

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was invited by Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz for a rare meeting to discuss security coordination and preventing ongoing violence and acts of terrorism. Following the meeting, Gantz’s office said he approved “confidence-building measures” including the transfer of tax payments to the Palestinian Authority, the authorization of hundreds of permits for…


Palestinian President Abbas Visits Israel’s Defense Minister in Rare Trip

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz late Tuesday in a rare visit to discuss strengthening economic and security ties. The pair met at Gantz’s home in Israel, marking the second meeting between the pair since Abbas hosted Gantz in August in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, Israel’s public…


Iran Demands ‘Full Economic Concessions’ for Going Back to Nuclear Deal

Iran demanded world powers allow it to resume selling crude oil as negotiations continued Monday on salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal that the Trump administration withdrew from. Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian shifted the focus of negotiations on economic sanctions and asked for all embargoes on Iranian oil to be lifted. He wants to reach a point…


Israel’s SavorEat Launches Personalized Plant-Based 3D Printed Burgers

HERZLIYA, Israel—Israeli foodtech firm SavorEat on Tuesday launched a plant-based burger system personalized to each customer, one of the first companies to use 3D printing technology to cook food. Typically, vegan burgers from companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are frozen and later cooked on a grill. SavorEat’s technology, however, are made on site…