Strasbourg - (AFP) - A 24-year-old Syrian man who suffers from mental illness stabbed his 57-year-old father to death on Saturday night in Metz, in eastern France , according to identical sources.

"A young man killed his father with a knife, in a somewhat heavy psychological context," the region's governor told AFP, referring to a "family tragedy."

For its part, the prosecution office in charge of the investigation stated that "a stabbing murder took place last night in Metz," explaining that "the investigations are still ongoing."

And police sources indicated that the man "killed his father with a knife" before his "brothers managed to control him."

The firefighters took care of the five brothers of the perpetrator because they were injured.
The perpetrator was placed in police custody, knowing that he suffers from schizophrenia.

A translation of "Jerusalem" dot com - The Israeli security and military analyst told the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Ron Ben-Yishai, that testing Israel's response to the operation that took place yesterday in Jerusalem is more difficult than ever, especially if it is proven that the perpetrator " Lone wolf", an attack that would have dire consequences.

Ben Yishai believes, in an analytical report published on the website of the Hebrew newspaper, that in the event that it is found that the perpetrator works as an activist in a "sleeper cell" serving the "Hamas" movement in the Gaza Strip, or from its leadership abroad, then the cabinet, which will convene, must Today, to consider imposing sanctions on "Hamas" in the Strip.

According to the Israeli shop close to the security services in Tel Aviv, if the operation was carried out individually, the security establishment has realized in recent years that it has little to do other than try to identify some Palestinians before carrying out the attacks because of posts on social networks or by using Other technological intelligence means.

Ben Yishai believed that Israel should immediately prevent further attacks, as well as reprisals by settlers, by saturating the area with military forces and police.

He said, "In the long run, the events in Jenin and Jerusalem have the potential to raise the level of extreme violence, which has been relatively contained in recent months, and which could have led to a real uprising involving crowds of Palestinians, involving Jewish extremists, and now the task will be The main force of the security forces is to prevent such an escalation."

He added, "Today, the Cabinet will convene with its new composition, in which there are not many people with experience, and it consists mainly of ministers with ultra-nationalist views, who can press for radical measures that may fan the flames more, rather than pacify the region, but not from It is expected that a major operation in the Palestinian cities or in the neighborhoods of East Jerusalem will yield important results, and it may only lead to an increase in the fire, and here we mention that in less than two months, the month of Ramadan will begin.

Ben Yishai suggested that Benjamin Netanyahu would come under pressure from the United States, Jordan, and Egypt, not to take drastic measures that would lead to an escalation of violence, especially in Jerusalem.

A press report revealed a big surprise about the possibility of Lionel Messi , the star of Paris Saint-Germain, returning to Barcelona in the future.

According to the newspaper "Sport", young coach Xavi Hernandez asked Juan Laporta, president of Barcelona, \u200b\u200bto return Messi to Barca after the end of his contract with Saint-Germain.

The 35-year-old's contract with the Parisian team expires in the summer of 2023, as Xavi wants to bring him in before the start of the 2023-2024 season.

Xavi believes that Messi's return will contribute to the revival of Barca on the sports and financial levels, as well as the ability of the flea to resolve the differences that arose between him and Barca earlier, to close his Catalan page in the best way before retiring.

The Argentine international left the Camp Nou stadium last year after his contract with Barcelona expired, to join Saint-Germain in a free transfer, after spending most of his career in the Blaugrana shirt.

Although Messi will be 36 years old next summer, Xavi still believes in the player's ability to provide the required addition with the Catalan team.

Kiev - (AFP) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on Friday of "deliberately" delaying the transit of ships carrying Ukrainian grain, which is a vital supply for many countries in Africa and Asia.

"More than 150 ships are still waiting to fulfill the obligations in the contracts to ship our agricultural products," Zelensky said in a video clip. "It is an artificial wait, the only reason for which Russia is deliberately delaying the transit of ships."

He explained that China, Egypt, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iraq, Lebanon and the West Maghreb countries are among the countries affected by this delay, which affects "about three million tons of food."

Under the auspices of the United Nations and Turkey, Russia and Ukraine agreed in July to resume Ukrainian grain exports that had been suspended since the start of the war.

However, Russia later criticized this agreement, stressing that the Western sanctions imposed on it prevented the shipment of its exports.

Gaza - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Gaza Traffic Department announced today, Saturday, the registration of one death and 26 injuries during 62 traffic accidents last week (from 16 to 22 July).

According to the statistics, among the injuries, 9 were moderate and 17 were minor.

88 vehicles, including 7 motorcycles, sustained material damage, according to the statistics.

(شينخوا) اكتشف عمال التنقيب عن الآثار الثقافية في مقاطعة خبي بشمالي الصين، نقشا حجريا عمره 427 عاما يوضح تفاصيل عملية بناء معبد.

وذكرت مديرية حماية التراث الثقافي في محافظة لينشي، أنه تم العثور على النقش المذكور على لوح من الحجر الأزرق في قرية دايينغ في محافظة لينشي في مقاطعة خبي. ويرجع تايخ اللوح الحجري إلى أسرة مينغ الامبراطورية ( 1368 - 1644)، ويبلغ طوله 3.2 متر وعرضه مترا واحدا، وسمكه 30 سنتيمترا.

ونُقش على الجانب الأمامي من اللوح اسما لمعبد طاوي، أما الرموز الـ56 الصينية المنقوشة على الجانب الخلفي من اللوح فتوضح عملية البناء والمراسم ذات الصلة.

وفي هذا الصدد قال تشانغ شيا، رئيس معهد حماية التراث الثقافي بالمحافظة، إن هذا النقش يمثل تأريخا نادرا للمعبد، حيث يعد كاملا من حيث الشكل وقابلا للقراءة في سياق النص. كما أنه مهم لفهم الثقافة والعادات في ذلك الحين.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Today, Wednesday, the Ministry of Transport and Communications announced the cancellation of 53 import licenses for vehicles.

The ministry added in a brief statement: As part of the procedures for regulating the transport and communication sector, and in line with the plan set by the ministry to regulate the import sector, it was decided to cancel 53 licenses to import vehicles as a first stage.

And she continued: The ministry will successively announce several decisions that will work to regulate this sector and provide a safe and developed transport sector.

In the West Bank, there are about 300,000 licensed and legal cars on the roads.

Paris - (AFP) - From low wages to deteriorating working conditions, and from Germany to Niger through the United States, the teaching profession suffers from great difficulties in attracting teachers in a large number of countries in the world, in a phenomenon that has worsened since the Covid-19 epidemic crisis.

A document by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published in October speaks of a shortage of 69 million teachers worldwide to achieve "universal basic education by 2030".

Eric Charbonnier, an education expert at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, believes, "We can say that the Covid crisis revealed the importance of the teaching profession, and as a result, the issue of the attractiveness of the profession that existed before has gained importance."

"We have 4,000 vacancies for teachers this year in France, which is an increasing number, but the situation is not better anywhere else," he added.

In France, unprecedented recruitment difficulties prompted French Senator Gerard Longuet to extend the deadline for registration in competitions for the start of the 2023 academic year, two weeks in November, until Friday, due to a lack of candidates.

In a report presented in June, the right-winger Longuet spoke at the European level of the "attractiveness of the teaching profession" as "a general problem for countries, regardless of the level of wages".

According to national estimates, there will be a shortage of 25,000 teachers by 2025 in Germany, for example, and thirty thousand in Portugal by 2030.

Eric Charbonnier adds that Germany, Portugal, Sweden and Italy are facing "a large retirement wave, which will exacerbate the problem."

In detail, at the primary school level, sixty percent of teachers are over the age of fifty in Italy. This percentage is 37 percent in Germany, 42 percent in Portugal, 36 percent in Sweden and 23 percent in France, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Various reasons can be pointed out, according to Reggie Malle, professor of educational sciences at the University of Bordeaux, among them "the low level of wages, especially in France, as well as the deterioration of working conditions and legal conditions, in addition to a dimension that has a strong significance that appears clearly, which is the lack of consideration and gratitude."

Malet, a member of the Institut de France Universitaire, told AFP that in a number of countries, particularly in France, a transition has taken place "from a profession with high social added value and prestige, to a form of uncertainty in the required tasks, a loss of meaning and finally a conflict" between school and life.

Other continents suffer from this deficiency as well.

In sub-Saharan Africa, "there is on average one qualified teacher for every 56 pupils at the primary level and one qualified teacher for 55 pupils at the secondary level," Berhane Chaqroun, director of UNESCO's Department of Education Policies and Systems, told AFP.

He added that by 2030, "Chad and Niger will have to double the number of primary school teachers they have."

In this part of the world, he added, the number of teachers being hired is "less than current and projected needs, and an additional 16.5 million teachers must be recruited by 2030".

The United States is experiencing an "unprecedented" crisis, according to Eric Charbonnier. At the end of August, the "Washington Post" newspaper reported a "catastrophic shortage," explaining that the country had "never witnessed such a dangerous situation."

The OECD expert stressed that the teacher shortage is "an issue of concern that must be acted upon" but that it is "not inevitable".

He added that "Finland, South Korea and Ireland are doing well, thanks to policies based on volunteerism, with appreciation of the profession by society."

In France, consultations to increase teachers' salaries began in October, and are supposed to end in late February or early March.

Tulkarm - "Jerusalem" dot com - On Wednesday morning, the Israeli occupation forces closed the gates of the separation wall to farmers in Deir al-Ghusun, north of Tulkarm.

These forces prevented citizens from reaching their lands to complete the olive harvest.

The occupation forces repeat their similar procedures in more than one area in the West Bank, especially Nablus , which is under a major siege.

Gaza - Ahmed Al-Masharawi - The Palestinian Al-Ahly Club and Beit Hanoun Al-Ahly Club will open tomorrow, Monday, at 6:00 pm, the Gaza Strip Baseball and Softball League for girls, sponsored by Jawwal, for the 2022-2023 sports season, at the Martyr Rafiq Al-Salmi Five-a-side Stadium in Al-Shati refugee camp.

The Competitions Committee of the Palestinian Federation announced the dates of the tournament, which will be held on Monday and Thursday at 6:00 pm, at Al-Salmi Stadium, with the participation of 6 clubs. The Baseball and Softball Academy and Al-Zahraa, and the following Monday, the beach services and Beit Hanoun Al-Ahly, and on Thursday the Rafah and Academy services. As for the dates before the final, which will start on the fifth of September, the first from central and south will meet with the second from Gaza and the north, and the first from Gaza and the north with the second from central and south, and the final will be determined later.

It is noteworthy that the federation handed over the sports uniforms to the clubs participating in the tournament, in the presence of the Assistant Secretary-General of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Muhammad Al-Amsi and Ahmed Tafesh. Abu Muayyad, head of the Game Federation, and representatives of the "Jawwal" company, and marketing director Muhammad Al-Shurafa.

It is worth noting that the federation recently participated in the elections of the International and Asian Federation, and a message was delivered to everyone about the obstacles facing the federation. The establishment of the Arab Baseball and Softball Federation was also approved in the presence of the representative of Palestine, and the first Arab championship for the game will be officially announced, held soon, and participated in.

Jerusalem Hadith

Hardly a day passes without dozens of Jewish extremists storming the Holy Sanctuary and performing Talmudic prayers and religious rites in its vastness, just as they continue to deepen and extend excavations in its vicinity.

The occupation also continues to confiscate land, demolish homes, and harass shopkeepers, especially in the old town of our promised capital. It also works to increase the number of Jews in the city and reduce the number of Palestinians in it. One of the worst practices in this field is that the occupation prevents any restoration of Al-Aqsa Mosque, despite the fall of The stones were removed from its walls and from the old mosque. Expansionist and Judaization plans revealed the intention to empty the southern part of the Bab al-Rahma cemetery in the far south of the Marwani chapel.

They frankly and clearly talk about the alleged structure and intentions to rebuild it, which constitutes a serious and real threat to Al-Aqsa Mosque.

With our respect and appreciation to Sheikh Dr. Najeh Bakirat, Deputy Director General of the Islamic Endowments in Jerusalem, we do not agree with him that it is a silent war in Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. blessed..!!

The government takes positive and important decisions

The development of the industrial and agricultural situation is one of the most important issues that must be taken care of and developed because it is of great benefit to the country and the citizens. The Council of Ministers decided in its last weekly session to assign the relevant ministers to submit studies and recommendations to improve the volume of investment in these two areas.

It also approved a number of appropriate and necessary infrastructure projects, including, but not limited to, providing more than $22 million for water projects, and financing a number of non-profit companies.

These decisions are considered positive and very important, and it is required to turn them into field facts, not just decisions, because strengthening the steadfastness of citizens is the most powerful weapon in the face of the occupation and deepening the citizen’s confidence in the future and steadfastness in the face of the many serious challenges facing everyone.

In the same context, the Council of Ministers decided to invite President Abu Mazen to issue a law to combat money laundering and financial crimes, because there are in our society, as is the case in all countries and peoples, those who only care about their personal interests without any concern or consideration for the issues and interests of the people, and they are in order to gather We are ready to carry out more money for any personal measures, even if the homeland and the citizen pay the price, and combating people like these must have a special and strong priority..!!

Nablus - "Jerusalem" dot com - Citizens found, on Sunday evening, a newborn baby lying in front of a mosque in the city of Nablus .

According to eyewitnesses, the child was taken to Rafidia Hospital for examination, while the police were informed of the incident to open an investigation into his circumstances.

Jerusalem - Media of the Olympic Committee: The national kickboxing team has completed its preparations to participate in the 13th edition of the Arab Championship for adults and youth, which will be held in Al-Jalaa, Syria, from 14 to 17 September.

The participating Palestinian delegation consists of 28 male and female players from the homeland and the diaspora, accompanied by two coaches and two administrators.

9 Arab countries, including Palestine, will participate in the championship, where the participants will compete in all the fighting methods approved in the tournament, which are "Full Contact" and "Ki-One".

Samir Athamneh, President of the Kickboxing Federation, stressed the importance of this participation technically, by gaining competition and friction experience for the national team players, in preparation for the continental and international forums.

Athamneh pointed out that the national team includes distinguished and promising elements capable of making a difference in foreign participation.

Athamneh wished success to the participating team delegation, praising the efforts of the technical and administrative cadres who supervised the preparations and readiness during the last period in the homeland and diaspora.

Amman - (AFP) - The Jordanian army announced in a statement on Sunday that the Border Guard forces thwarted a drug smuggling operation from Syrian territory at dawn Sunday and seized more than three million Captagon pills and 8,773 palms of hashish.

The statement quoted an official military source in the General Command of the Armed Forces as saying, "The Border Guard forces detected, through observations, an attempt by a group of smugglers to cross the border illegally from Syrian territory to Jordanian territory, and rapid reaction patrols were launched and rules of engagement were applied with direct shooting at them." As a result, a number of them were wounded and the others fled into the Syrian depths."

He added, "After intensifying searches and inspections of the area, 8,773 palms of hashish and three million and 141,000 Captagon pills were found, in addition to 376 Kalashnikov rounds," referring to "the transfer of the seized items to the competent authorities."

And on February 17, the Jordanian army announced that attempts to smuggle drugs across the Syrian-Jordanian border, which extends for about 375 km, a large number of which have been thwarted in recent months, have become an "organization" that uses drones and is protected by armed groups.

The army said at the time that the Jordanian authorities thwarted, within about 45 days at the beginning of the year, the entry of more than 16 million Captagon pills, equivalent to the quantity that was seized throughout the year 2021.

The Kingdom confirms that 85 percent of the drugs seized are intended for smuggling out of Jordan, especially south to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.

The Captagon industry is not new in the region, and Syria has been the most prominent source of this substance since before the outbreak of the war in 2011. However, the conflict has made its manufacture more popular, used and exported. Captagon pill factories are also active in several areas in neighboring Lebanon.

The Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, are the main destination for Captagon pills, which is an easy-to-manufacture drug. Classified by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime as a “stimulant amphetamine,” it is usually a mixture of amphetamines, caffeine, and other substances.

RIYADH - (AFP) - Saudi Arabia announced Monday a plan to build a new airport in Riyadh, aiming to spur rapid growth in the capital while furthering the kingdom's ambitious goals in the aviation sector as it seeks to compete with more experienced regional capitals in the field of air transport.

And the airport, which is supposed to accommodate 120 million passengers by 2030 and 185 million passengers by 2050, will bear the name of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (86 years), according to his son, the crown prince.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported that the airport "will contribute to supporting the Kingdom's plans to make Riyadh among the ten largest city economies in the world, and to keep pace with the continuous growth in the population of the capital, Riyadh, which aims to reach between 15 and 20 million people by 2030."

The city's population is currently less than eight million people.

The kingdom's aviation sector goals, part of the "Vision 2030" reforms launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, include increasing annual traffic more than threefold to 330 million passengers by the end of the decade.

Saudi Arabia would also like to attract $100 billion in investment into this sector by 2030, establish a new national carrier, and transport up to five million tons of cargo each year.

The agency said that the new airport will handle up to 3.5 million tons of cargo by 2050, making Riyadh "a gateway to the world, a global destination for transport, trade and tourism, and a bridge linking East and West, which establishes the Kingdom's position as a global logistics hub."

No information was available about the cost of the project, which was designed to cover 57 square kilometers.

King Salman International Airport places "sustainability among its priorities," according to the agency, as it aims to obtain a platinum "LEED" certificate for environmentally friendly projects, and it will be supported by renewable energy resources.

The Kingdom's busiest international airport is currently located in the coastal city of Jeddah on the Red Sea, which is the "gateway to Mecca" for millions of Muslims who perform the Hajj and Umrah rituals.

But officials have tried in recent years to position Riyadh as a competitor to Dubai and Doha.

Moscow - (AFP) - The Russian Emergency Management Department suspects that the massive fire that broke out Thursday night in a shopping center in a suburb of Moscow, resulting in one death, was caused by a "criminal" act, according to Russian news agencies.

And the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations announced Friday that "firefighting teams are struggling to put out a fire on an area of seven thousand square meters," which broke out on Thursday night in a shopping center in a suburb of the capital, Moscow.

However, it did not confirm information reported by the Russian media about the death toll.

The "Mega Khimki" shopping center in the northern suburb of Khimki, seven kilometers from Sheremetyevo International Airport, caught fire.

"Because of the collapse of the roof, the fire immediately spread over a wide area," the ministry said on Instagram, noting the difficulty the firefighting teams were facing at work.

Shortly after that, Russian news agencies quoted unidentified sources in the emergency department as saying that the authorities suspected that the fire was caused by a "criminal" act.

The agency "Interfax" stated that the hypothesis of "deliberate actions, such as a criminal fire, is on the table," while the agency "Sputnik" said that a criminal act is "one of the main explanations" for this fire.

State news agencies said afterwards that the cause of the fire may have been a violation of safety standards.

Videos posted on social media showed a huge fire and people fleeing a building on fire towards a parking lot.

Berlin - (AFP) - The German government is preparing a legal reform to simplify the procedures for obtaining German citizenship, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry announced Friday.

The spokesman said that it should be possible to obtain citizenship after living in Germany for five years, compared to eight years now. And if the foreigner is well integrated, according to his performance at school or at work, then the period can be reduced to three years.

The spokesman added that it would be easier for parents of the generation of migrant workers who arrived in Germany in the 1970s to be naturalized, because "their integration has not been encouraged for many years".

On the other hand, the possibilities of obtaining German citizenship in addition to another nationality will be expanded to include more countries. Currently, many foreigners do not apply for German citizenship because they are forced to give up their original citizenship.

The Interior Ministry will soon present its draft to other ministries, the spokesman noted. Once all the details are settled, the project will be approved by the Council of Ministers.

Since its formation at the end of November 2021, the government of Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, who runs the country with the Green and Liberal parties, has announced its intention to update German citizenship law.

In the coalition contract, the Scholz government proposed granting German citizenship to a child born in Germany of two foreign parents, if one of them had a residence permit for at least five years. This comes while the matter currently applies to those who have had a residence permit for eight years.

Germany wants to attract the skilled foreign workers necessary for its economy in the face of labor shortages, by reducing bureaucratic obstacles.

The first economy in Europe seeks to deal with a population structure dominated by aging in a large part of it, while it lacks workers in the field of health in particular, and also those who are able to lead digital transformations and in the field of energy.

In a document submitted last September, the German government estimated the shortage of skilled workers at 240,000 by 2026.

جنين- “القدس” دوت كوم- علي سمودي- افتتحت الشرطة، اليوم السبت، مخيم الشرطي الصغير في مديرية الشرطة في جنين، وذلك بحضور ضباط من فرع العلاقات العامة والإعلام ومن فرع شرطة الحراسات والمنعقد في مديرية الشرطة بدءاً من تاريخ 3-7-2021 ولغاية 15-7-2021.

وأفادت دائرة العلاقات العامة في الشرطة، بأن المخيم سيقدم معلومات للأطفال المشاركين من أبناء المدينة والمحافظة ضمن برنامج من شقين النظري والعملي، وذلك في مجالات تثقيفية وتوعوية وترفيه وتدريبات عسكرية تتناسب مع أعمارهم، كما يشمل تنظيم جولة ميدانية داخل مقر مديرية الشرطة للتعرف عن كثب على مهام ودور الشرطة في خدمة المجتمع والمواطن وذلك لبث القدر الكافي من المعرفة والاطلاع على العمل الشرطي الخدماتي للوطن والمواطن.

A translation by Al-Quds.com - The Hebrew Channel 7 reported, on Wednesday, that the Israeli Ministry of Defense is in the process of formulating a multi-year plan to expand the crossings along the seam line with the West Bank .

According to the channel, this step comes with the aim of countering the current increase in vehicular traffic through these crossings.

LOS ANGELES - (AFP) - Twenty percent of new cars sold in California in 2022 will be electric or two-wheel drive vehicles, according to what was announced Friday by the state authorities, which rank first in the US auto market and seek to be at the forefront of transformation. in the field of energy.

And the state authorities announced in August that they had approved a text prohibiting the sale of new cars that run on gasoline or diesel fuel by the year 2035.

"California continues to lead the zero-emissions vehicle revolution with forward-looking policies and investments that encourage innovation," said Governor Gavin Newsom.

And the state's energy authority indicated on Friday that 18.8% of new cars sold during 2022 are electric, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen-powered. This proportion was only 2% ten years ago.

A third of the cars sold are vehicles manufactured by Tesla, owned by Elon Musk.

California alone is responsible for 40% of sales of this type of car in the United States, while its market share is growing rapidly.

However, electric cars are still more expensive than traditional ones, and only an aid provided by the authorities in the amount of $ 7,500 may enable a person to buy an electric car.

Kiev ( Ukraine ) - (AFP) - Ukraine is preparing Thursday to restrict energy consumption to face the Russian army's destruction of its facilities as winter approaches, while President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the population to prepare for "all possible scenarios."

As the bombing continued across Ukraine on Wednesday, Kiev accused Russia of planning a "mass deportation" of the population of the recently annexed territories and the compulsory conscription of Ukrainian citizens into its army.

In his speech on Wednesday evening, Zelensky said that Ukrainian forces shot down 21 Iranian-made drones on Wednesday, including 10 that were heading towards Kiev. "Unfortunately, there were also new strikes and damage to vital infrastructure," he added.

He called on Ukrainians to limit their electricity consumption from Thursday morning. A call echoed by the Mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, who called on Kiev residents to refrain from operating microwave ovens, air conditioners, boilers and electric heaters.

The Ukrainian presidency had earlier announced "restrictions on the supply of electricity" throughout Ukraine on Thursday, and the establishment of mobile power supply points for critical infrastructure.

"We are preparing for all possible scenarios with the approach of winter," Zelensky said. He added, "We expect Russian terrorism to target energy facilities, until we can, with the help of our partners, destroy 100 percent of the missiles and drones."

The European Union is preparing to impose sanctions on Iran, which it accuses of supplying armed drones to Russia to strike Ukraine. At the United Nations, the Security Council met for two hours behind closed doors Wednesday on the issue.

Before the meeting, a State Department spokesman said that the latter "has seen in recent months a lot of evidence that Russia is using these Iranian (drones) to launch cruel and deliberate attacks against the Ukrainian population and basic civilian infrastructure."

Zelensky confirmed on Wednesday that his army had destroyed 233 of these drones in a month.

After the session, Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyansky and Iranian Ambassador Amir Saeed Erwani took turns speaking in front of journalists at the entrance to the Council to deny that the drones used by Russia were to launch attacks in Ukraine.

In a tone full of sarcasm, the Russian diplomat criticized "baseless accusations, conspiracy theories, and the failure to present any evidence to the Security Council." Polyansky confirmed that the drones "used by the Russian army in Ukraine were manufactured in Russia," and therefore Iran has nothing to do with them.

In turn, the Iranian ambassador ridiculed the accusations leveled at his country of supplying military drones to Russia, considering them "baseless allegations."

Irani reiterated that the Islamic Republic wants a "peaceful settlement" of the conflict in Ukraine.

In southern Ukraine, the Russian administration of the Kherson region confirmed on Wednesday that civilian evacuations had begun. It plans to transfer "50,000 to 60,000 people" within days to the other bank of the Dnieper.

Vladimir Saldo, head of the Russian occupation authorities, said that the city of Kherson, which has been occupied since the spring, would be evacuated in the face of the advance of the Ukrainian forces, and vowed that the Russian forces would continue to "fight to death".

For his part, Oleksey Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said, "We are witnessing preparations for a mass deportation of the Ukrainian population" to Russia "in order to adjust the ethnic composition of the occupied territories."

"It is a crime that should be condemned by the United Nations and was previously committed in Crimea," which Russia annexed in 2014, he added.

For his part, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patruchev, said that there are "about five million people" from the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow annexed in September on Russian territory, where they "have taken refuge."

These regions are Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, where the Russian President ordered the imposition of martial law on Wednesday, a measure that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry considered "null and void".

For his part, Zelensky warned the residents of the annexed areas of the Russian army's conscription campaign and said, "Try to leave the occupied territories. And if you cannot do that and end up in Russian military units, try at the first opportunity to lay down your weapons and head towards the Ukrainian positions."

Moscow - (AFP) - Dissident and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny , who has been imprisoned for a year and a half in Russia, confirmed Monday that he had been placed in solitary confinement after promising to form a prisoner's union.

"Hello everyone from solitary confinement," he wrote in a message posted on social networks. "The trade union struggle is never easy, so how about if the trade unions are in prisons."

He indicated that he was placed in solitary confinement three days ago for violating the rules by unbuttoning the upper part of the prisoners' clothing. According to him, the prison administration threatened to make this cell his "permanent residence" if he did not change his behaviour.

He described his cell as a "concrete dog house" with a chair, a foldable bed, a sink and "a hole in the floor". Right now, it's "very hot." "At night you feel like a fish washed ashore," Navalny wrote.

"I am a model of responsible consumption," he added sarcastically. "In my cell, there is only a cup and a book. They only give me a spoon and a plate at mealtimes."

There are two cameras watching him, while visits and mail are prohibited. He is entitled to an hour's walk a day "in a similar cell, but with space to see the sky." He said he was entitled to a piece of paper and a pen for an hour and 15 minutes each day.

"I am sitting on my iron chair in front of my iron table. I am writing this letter and I will write instructions to Russian prisoners about their rights to work as long as they do not take my paper," Navalny added.

And last week, Alexei Navalny, 46, confirmed that he had set up a union in his prison located near the town of Vladimir, 200 km east of Moscow, where he works in a sewing workshop.

The anti-corruption activist and the most prominent opponent of the Kremlin was imprisoned on charges of "fraud" in a case dating back to 2014.
The dissident was arrested in January 2021 upon his return to the country from Germany, after he received treatment for a dangerous poisoning operation that he suffered in August, and he held President Putin responsible for it, in an accusation denied by the Kremlin.

San Francisco - (AFP) - The US startup Open AI has developed a chatbot that can answer a variety of questions, but its remarkable capabilities have revived debate about the dangers related to artificial intelligence technologies.

Conversations with ChatGBT, excerpts of which are posted on Twitter by astonished users, show what a robot with multiple abilities can explain scientific concepts, write a play scene or a college assignment.

"His response to the question 'What should we do when we see a person having a heart attack' was amazing in its clarity and accuracy," Claude de Lupe, director of the French company "Cylabs", which specializes in writing automated texts, told AFP.

"When we start asking very specific questions, ChatGBT+ may get the answer wrong," he added, but overall its performance remains "really impressive," with "a high level of linguistics overall."

The startup, Open AI, which was co-founded by Elon Musk in San Francisco in 2015 before he left in 2018, received $1 billion from Microsoft in 2019.

It is particularly well-known for its automated design software, GPT3 for automatic text writing, and Dll-E for image generation.
The "GBT Chat" robot can request clarifications from its interlocutor, and it has "a lower degree of hallucinations" compared to the "GBT3" software, which sometimes generates illogical results despite its great capabilities, according to Claude de Loupe.

"Years ago, chatbots had the vocabulary and memory of a fish. But they are getting better at interacting proportionately with a history of requests and answers," says researcher Sean McGregor, who manages a database of incidents related to artificial intelligence.

Like other programs that adopt deep learning techniques, the work of ChatGBT bots has a major weakness represented in its "lack of common sense", according to Claude de Loupe, who points out that the program cannot justify its choices by explaining why it collects words in a certain way. to give a specific answer.

However, communicative AI technologies are showing an increasing ability to give the impression that they are really thinking.

And researchers at the Meta Network, which owns Facebook, recently developed an information program called "Cicero", after the statesman in ancient Rome, Cicero.

The software has proven useful in the game "Diplomat", which requires negotiation skills.

The giant social group said in a statement that the software "if you do not speak like a real person who is able to show empathy, weave relationships and speak properly about the game, you will not be able to establish partnerships with other players."

In October, the start-up company, Character.AI, founded by former Google engineers, launched an experimental chatbot that could completely assume any character. Users can create characters by specifying certain characteristics, and can then "talk" to fake versions of Sherlock Holmes, Socrates or Donald Trump.

This degree of sophistication is impressive, but also a cause for concern for many observers who fear that the use of this technology will be diverted to trap people, for example by spreading false information, or to orchestrate more convincing frauds.

In response to a question by Agence France-Presse about the "opinion" of the "GBT Chat" robot on the subject, the robot replied, "There are potential dangers in developing highly complex chatbots (...) Some may imagine that they are interacting with a real person."

From here, companies set controls to avoid violations.

And "Open AI" confirms on its home page that the chatbot can make "incorrect information" or "give dangerous directions or non-neutral content."

ChatGBT also avoids bias or bias. "OpenAI made sure it was very difficult to get him to give any opinions," says Sean McGregor.

The researcher asked the robot to write a poem about a moral issue, and the response came, "I am just a machine, a tool at your disposal. I have no abilities to discriminate or make decisions."

"It's interesting to see people asking whether AI systems should behave as users want them to or as designed by their developers," Sam Altman, president and co-founder of OpenAI, wrote in a tweet on Saturday.

And he considered that "the debate about the values that must be provided to these systems will be one of the largest in society."

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs demanded, on Wednesday morning, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to immediately intervene with the occupation government and its prison administration, to stop the policy of depriving prisoners' families of visiting their children, based on flimsy arguments that have nothing to do with reality.

In a statement, the authority stated that it had received a call from the International Committee of the Cross yesterday, in which it informed us that the prison administration had suspended visits to all prisons, without any real reasons for that, and that it linked that to the events that took place in Raymond prison during one of the visits more than two weeks ago.

The commission said, "The cancellation of visits is based on punitive and vengeful intentions of the prisoners and their families, as there are permanent efforts by the occupation system to exploit all conditions that achieve this goal, and this is evident from its procedures during the last period, specifically since the emergence of the Corona pandemic."

The Commission expressed its concern about these procedures and practices, which increase the suffering of prisoners and their families, and said: "The movement of international institutions and organizations to put an end to this exclusivity must focus on legal, human rights and humanitarian grounds, because our prisoners are prisoners of liberation movements, and visits must be regular and guaranteed." by international bodies, foremost of which is the International Committee of the Red Cross. according to the text of the statement.

Paris - (AFP) - Mediawan has acquired the Hollywood production company Plan B Entertainment, co-founded and headed by Brad Pitt , the French group told AFP on Friday evening. .

The group explained in a statement that “this majority stake acquisition (in +PlanB+) was made in part by shares in +MediaOne+, which made the three co-chairs of +PlanB+, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, shareholders in + MediaOne + as well. ".

And "MediaOne" highlighted that this "unprecedented partnership" between two production companies in Europe and the United States allows "the spread of + MediaOne + in the American market."

The group founded the production company, "Blue Morning Pictures" in September with director Florian Zeller, and will combine its activities in the United States in a new entity dedicated to this.

The statement quoted MediaOne CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton as saying that it is "an exceptional opportunity to develop + MediaOne + together with + Plan B +, the best independent production company in the United States."

Plan B, which was founded in the early 2000s in Beverly Hills (California), produced a number of successful films, including “The Departed” by Martin Scorsese and “The Tree of Life”. ) by Terrence Malick, and "The Big Short" by Adam McKay, and eight of her works have been nominated for Best Picture Oscars in the last ten years.

And Brad Pitt noted in an interview with the newspaper "Le Parisien" that "the cinema is globalizing, and there are talents appearing all over the world." "For our future projects, we have to look outside the United States," he added.

The star confirmed that his company has "the same concept" with "Mediawan" for how to "produce films and series."

Founded in 2015 by Pierre Antoine Capton, Xavier Thiel and Mathieu Bigas, the Mediawan Group has a prominent presence in the production, distribution and presentation of films, series, documentaries and news programs. The group now includes more than 60 production companies, which it has gradually acquired in France and Europe.

The group behind the successes of the movie "Back Nord" and the series "Ten Percent" now employs 1,500 people, with a turnover of around one billion euros.

More than 1,500 people work for the group, whose sales value is estimated at about one billion euros. Among the most prominent productions behind its success are the movie “Bac Nord” and the series “Dix pour cent”.

Washington (AFP) - The International Monetary Fund announced Tuesday that Britain's almost complete retraction of its mini-budget based on borrowing reflects the country's commitment to "fiscal discipline", after the agency called last week on the United Kingdom to adopt consistent policies.

"The positions recently announced by the UK authorities are an indication of commitment to fiscal discipline and contribute to a better alignment of fiscal and monetary policy to combat inflation," a statement from the IMF spokesman said.

On Monday, the British government reversed the overwhelming majority of its tax-cutting measures as part of a debt-financed plan.

On Tuesday, British Prime Minister Liz Terrace acknowledged that her government had "exaggerated and rushed" in announcing its mini-budget.

The IMF issued a strongly worded statement calling on the British government to rectify the situation.

"Given high inflationary pressures in several countries, including Britain, we do not recommend unfunded major arbitrage measures because it is important that fiscal policy does not get in the way of monetary policy," said a previous statement from the International Finance Corporation.

Madrid - (AFP) - Two Ukrainian companies shared an award at the "International Opera Awards" ceremony that was held Monday in Madrid, and they received this reward for their "courage and resilience" in the face of the Ukrainian war.

Lviv Opera (West) and Odessa Opera (South) jointly won the "Best Company Specializing in Opera" award during a party held at the Teatro Real in Madrid. This is the first time that two companies have shared this award.

The director of "Oprah" magazine and the chairman of the jury, John Allison, said in a statement he made during the ceremony that the two companies received the award for their "courage, steadfastness, and continued work despite the risks and damages resulting from the war" that began in February with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

He added that the two companies, although they were forced to close down at the beginning of the war, finally resumed work and produced performances that are considered "references," noting that their representatives came to Madrid to receive the award.

"I am glad that we learned about the work of the two Ukrainian companies, who courageously continue to deliver excellent work under impossible conditions," he added.

In 2013, British businessmen Harry Hyman and John Alison established the World Opera Awards, which are considered to be "Oscars" in the field of opera.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said that the Israeli aggression against the people of Aqabat Jabr camp, south of Jericho, is a major crime, which claimed the lives of more than 5 martyrs and a number of wounded, stressing the need for the international community to move to stop these crimes immediately.

Shtayyeh added, at the beginning of the cabinet session, today, Monday, that these repressive occupation measures will not discourage our people from claiming their national rights and obtaining their freedom and national independence, stressing that the government will stand by our people in Jericho Governorate, and provide them with everything necessary.

He stressed that the government is following the continuous siege on the city of Ariha for the tenth day in a row, as it is a major crime and a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.

The Council of Ministers also condemned the continuous acts of piracy practiced by the occupation government, especially the arbitrary decision to deduct an additional amount of 52 million shekels per month, bringing the deducted amount to 102 million shekels per month, under the pretext of paying the salaries of prisoners and martyrs.

He said: This amount, in its annual total, is equivalent to 1.2 billion shekels, and it exceeds the annual budget deficit. On the other hand, it deepens the financial crisis we are facing, and the total deductions for this month amounted to 276 million shekels. The rights of prisoners and families of martyrs, stressing his commitment to implement all agreements signed with professional syndicates and federations in the event that the necessary funds are available and salaries are regular.

He appreciated the national and responsible position of all syndicates and federations, and their understanding of the challenges that Palestine is going through in light of the multiplying unjust deductions. I regret that some claim that the financial crisis is fabricated. This is unreasonable and unacceptable.

He expressed his hope that the multiple American visits would result in curbing the Israeli measures against us, politically, securityly, religiously and financially.

In international affairs, Shtayyeh condoled with the victims of the earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, expressing the government's readiness to send a team from the Civil Defense and the Red Crescent to help.

He said: Palestine is located in the area of the Afro-Asian Rift Valley, which is a region of earthquakes, and there is an earthquake that strikes the region every hundred years, the last of which was the earthquake that struck Palestine in 1927, and destroyed parts of some Palestinian cities, so we demand that Israel completely stop its excavations under Al-Aqsa Mosque.

He called on the "UNESCO" to send a team to find out the seriousness of these excavations, and to prepare an engineering evaluation study on what is going on under the mosque.

Today, the Council of Ministers is scheduled to discuss issues of concern to the Ministry of Endowments in matters related to Hajj and Umrah, building mosques and providing imams, and strengthening the role of endowment properties in economic development, in addition to financial, security and political reports and projects to enhance the steadfastness of our people.

The Vatican - (AFP) - The Vatican's website could not be accessed Wednesday night due to "extraordinary attempts to access it", the Holy See's media office said, in a cyberattack likely attributed to Ukraine's ambassador to Russia.

"Technical investigations are underway (at the end of the day) due to unusual attempts to access the site," Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican's information department, told AFP.

A large number of Vatican websites were down Wednesday evening, as well as the main official website, Vatican.va.

The likely attack followed a sharp reaction from Russia, which expressed "indignation" after remarks by Pope Francis about the supposed role of Russian ethnic minorities in the conflict in Ukraine.

In an interview published by the American Jesuit magazine "America" on Monday, the Pope spoke of the "brutality" that Ukraine faces in the Russian attack, referring in particular to the Chechens and Buryats.

"Today Russian terrorists are attacking the websites of the Vatican State: access to many Internet pages of various structures of the Roman Church has become inaccessible!"

He added, "Russian hackers show once again the true face of Russian politics," considering that it was "a response to the recent statements" of Pope Francis.

United Nations (United States) - (AFP) - The European Union prepared Wednesday new sanctions to impose on Iran for supplying military drones to Russia , on the eve of the UN Security Council meeting to discuss Russia's drone attacks in Ukraine.

The United States, France and Britain requested a closed session of the Security Council to discuss the issue of Tehran supplying Russia with arms, according to diplomats.

Russia has veto power in the council and is expected to overrule any decision it makes. But the United States and France have warned that Iran, by arming Russia, is violating Security Council resolutions.

Ukraine reported weeks ago that Russia had launched Iranian Shahed-136 drones, drones whose warheads explode in suicide landings, and Kiev moved to sever ties with Tehran.

However, Iran and Russia denied using the drones, and Tehran expressed its desire to hold talks with Ukraine. But the European Union announced on Wednesday its assertion that Iran is behind supplying the drones to Russia.

"We have collected our own evidence," said Nabila Masrali, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and the bloc was preparing for a "clear, swift and firm response."

A list seen by AFP showed that the European Union had prepared to impose sanctions on three Iranian military officials, including General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of the general staff of the Iranian armed forces.

The sanctions, which are expected to be approved Thursday at a European summit in Brussels, will include Shahed Aviation Industries, a company linked to the Revolutionary Guards.

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian military reported that it had shot down more than 220 Iranian-made drones in about a month, although the drone bombing of Kiev on Monday resulted in five deaths.

The United States accuses Iran, by transferring war drones to Russia, of violating UN Security Council Resolution No. 2231 of 2015, which sponsored a nuclear agreement that is now on the brink of collapse.

And in 2020, the ban imposed by the resolution on Iranian conventional arms sales ended, despite previous attempts by the Donald Trump administration to extend it.

But the resolution still prohibits, until October 2023, any transfers except with the permission of the Security Council if they benefit ballistic missile capabilities.

US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said on Wednesday that "Iran's supply of these specific types of drones to Russia is a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, and it is a matter for the UN Security Council."

The alleged arms transfers come as Iran faces mounting pressure over its crackdown on the country's biggest protests in years, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the "morality police".

The unrest has led to new Western sanctions on Iran and a rollback in efforts by US President Joe Biden to revive the 2015 nuclear deal that Donald Trump withdrew from.

Western officials have highlighted the Iranian drones as evidence that Russia, historically one of the world's largest arms exporters, is depleting its arsenal from battlefield losses.

The United States revealed intelligence information saying that Iranian drones had malfunctions in many cases, and that Russia had turned to North Korea to obtain planes after China rejected invitations to send weapons.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said during a visit to Washington that Russia relied on drones due to the lack of supplies and Ukraine's success in protecting its airspace.

Pevkor told reporters that the Russians "realize that in the air they have no control now, because there is air defense from the Ukrainian side. They have lost a lot of planes."