Beijing - (AFP) - China announced on Saturday that it had recorded the largest daily death toll from Covid-19 since May, with millions of people imposing closures at the end of the week, in light of the authorities' adherence to the "zero Covid" policy.

China, which is still resorting to imposing closures, prolonged quarantine periods, and large-scale examination campaigns, is the only one among the major economic powers that is still seeking to eliminate the outbreak, despite the dire consequences of this approach on the economy.

And China announced that it had recorded 450 local injuries on Saturday, the day after it recorded 432 injuries. The majority of injuries are without symptoms.
The increase in infections led to the imposition of new restrictions this week in several parts of the country.

And the authorities of Lanzhou, the capital of the northwestern province of Gansu, ordered its 4.4 million residents to stay in their homes as of Wednesday, and on Friday a closure was imposed in an area within the scope of Anhui Province.

On Saturday, the authorities of the city of Beihai, located within the Guangxi province, announced the imposition of closures in two regions with a population of more than 800,000 people.

"Currently, the epidemic prevention and control situation in Beihai City is severe and complex, and the risk of hidden spread in the community is relatively high," said a note in which the government announced the restrictions.

This week, Wugang, a steel manufacturing hub in the central province of Henan, imposed a three-day lockdown after one positive case of COVID-19 was reported.

The accelerating outbreak of the Omicron variant poses a major challenge to the Chinese authorities seeking to limit the economic damage caused by the restrictions imposed to contain the Covid outbreak.

China recorded the slowest growth rate for the second quarter since the massive outbreak of Covid, with GDP growth limited to 0.4 percent on an annual basis.

San Francisco - (AFP) - Apple has turned the page on the iPod, announcing on Tuesday that it will stop producing its famous digital device for listening to music, which revolutionized the world of the music industry at the beginning of the twenty-first century.

"The spirit of the iPod remains," said Greg Joziak, Apple's vice president of international marketing, Greg Joziak, in a statement. "We've built an amazing music experience into all of our products, from iPhone to Apple Watch," he added.

And he stressed that “the music site has always been essential” to “Apple”, and “making it available to hundreds of millions of users, as happened through +iPod+”, not only had an impact on the music industry, but also made a change in the way music is discovered, listened to and shared. ". .

The giant company, which is based in Cupertino, California, stated that the iPod Touch will remain available at Apple's points of sale until it runs out of stock.
The "iPod" was put on the market for the first time in 2001, and the first model was rectangular and white in color, and soon its popularity expanded and it became very popular.
This device based on the "MP3" format for transferring audio files, in addition to the "iTunes" application, which was also released in 2001, led to a radical change in the world of music by providing the possibility of downloading movies and songs in a legal way, at a time when a number of Websites make this available for free.
Apple has sold about 450 million iPods since its launch, according to the New York Times, citing Loop Ventures.
The "iPod" was an inspiration for the "iPhone" devices in 2007, which were launched in 2007, and subsequently contributed to the sweeping success achieved by these smart phones, which were among the most prominent elements in strengthening the position of the giant company.

Miami - (AFP) - The Bahamas authorities announced Friday that the bodies of three American tourists who died in mysterious circumstances had been found in a luxury hotel.
"It is with regret that I have been informed of the death of three American visitors, two men and a woman, at a hotel in Exuma," Deputy Premier Chester Cooper said in a statement.

He added, "The police are investigating and the cause of death is unknown," but "there is no suspicion that what happened was a criminal act."

The official added that a fourth American woman was airlifted to the hospital, without elaborating.

The incident took place at Sandals Emerald Bay, a luxury beachfront hotel on Great Exuma Island.

Sandals Resorts commented, "A health emergency was initially reported, and as per our protocols, we immediately alerted healthcare professionals and local authorities," refusing to provide further details "out of respect for the privacy of our guests."

Shortly after 9 am (1 pm GMT) Friday, police said they were informed that an "unconscious" man had been found at the hotel.
As soon as they arrived, investigators found an unconscious man on the ground in one of the villas, and the police explained that "no traces of shock were detected," and the victim was declared dead shortly thereafter.
In a second villa, the police found another man "stretched near a wall," as well as a woman lying on a bed and dead. The police added that this couple complained of suffering from a "disease" the day before and were "treated" before returning to their place of residence, without specifying the nature of the "illness".
Investigators said they are awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of the mysterious deaths.

Beijing - (AFP) - Beijing considered Wednesday that Washington was harming its credibility after the director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that his agency believed that the Covid outbreak was "most likely" caused by an accident in a laboratory in Wuhan, China .

FBI Director Christopher Wray told Fox News on Tuesday that his office assesses that the spread of the virus was "most likely the result of a possible laboratory accident in Wuhan."

Chinese officials denied the remarks, calling them a smear campaign against Beijing.

"The United States once again raises the theory of laboratory leakage, which will not tarnish China's reputation but diminish its own credibility," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a regular press conference on Wednesday.

Ray's comments followed a report earlier this week that said the US Department of Energy assessed a leak from a Chinese laboratory as the most likely cause of the Covid outbreak.

The US Department's discretion is important because it works with a network of national laboratories, some of which conduct advanced biological research.
But other US intelligence agencies believe that the virus emerged as a result of natural factors.

In his interview Tuesday, Wray also accused the Chinese government of trying to block US efforts to investigate the origins of the epidemic.

"The Chinese government does everything it can to try to sabotage and disrupt ... the work that our US government and our close foreign partners are doing," the FBI director said.

In response, spokeswoman Mao repeated the longstanding Chinese claim that the virus may have leaked from the US military research laboratory at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

"The United States should respect science and facts, cooperate with the World Health Organization as soon as possible, invite international experts to conduct tracking research in its country, and share research results with the international community," said the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

The scientific community considers it crucial to determine the origin of an epidemic in order to better control or even prevent similar pandemics.

New York - (dpa) - A painting of the late actress Marilyn Monroe by American artist Andy Warhol has fetched $195 million in New York, making it the most expensive work of art from the twentieth century ever sold at auction, according to Christie's.

The 1964 painting "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn", which measures 101.6 x 101.6 cm, is based on a photograph of the actress.

The painting, which is one of Warhol's signature works, was up for auction at Christie's on Monday.

Only Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvatore Mundi" painting achieved a higher amount at auction, setting a record as the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction when it fetched $450.3 million in 2017.

It was not clear at first who bought the Marilyn Monroe painting, which was previously valued at "about $200 million."

(AFP) - Borussia Dortmund returned from afar to snatch a 2-2 draw from its guest Bayern Munich with a goal in the last second, after falling behind 0-2 until the 74th minute, to turn things upside down in the last quarter of an hour, Saturday, in an exciting match in the ninth stage. of the German Football League .

Bayern Munich, the champion of the last ten seasons, was on its way to confirm its dominance in the "Classicer" matches against its rivals, Borussia Dortmund, and to achieve its eighth successive victory over it in the league, but it settled for one point.

The tie came after 7 successive defeats for Dortmund against the Bavarian team in the Bundesliga, knowing that its last victory over Bayern dates back to November 10, 2018, with a score of 3-2.

In general, Bayern excels in the total number of meetings of the two teams, after they met 107 times, achieving 52 victories, compared to 25 for its opponent, and a draw 30 times.

With this result, neither team failed to take the lead, waiting for the leaders Union Berlin and Freiburg matches (17 points) against Stuttgart and Freiburg, respectively, on Sunday, and their score became 16 points, leaving Bayern Munich third, by goals from Dortmund.

Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann expressed his disappointment with the result, saying, "The result is fair, but we could have decided it, but we did not."

The disappointment was also apparent on Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, saying, "We were just around the corner from advancing 3-0, and we were in control of the course of the game, and we had the opportunity to settle the result. With some calm, it was possible to return with the three points."

As for Dortmund coach Aden Terzik, he considered that his team came away with a deserved point from the match, saying, "My team deserves a draw. We threw everything forward. We needed every player."

At the “Signal Iduna Park” stadium, the two teams entered the Saturday match for the first time, and neither of them was in the first two places, since 2013.

Bayern, who won 5-0 over its Czech guest Victoria Plzen in the middle of the week in the Champions League, played the match in the absence of its influential player, Thomas Muller, because he did not recover from infection with Covid-19, while his colleague Joshua Kimmich sat on the benches of the reserve players before participating in the beginning of the second half, knowing that he was infected with a virus. Corona also at the same time with Mueller.

On the other hand, Dortmund missed its captain, Marco Reus, due to an ankle tendon injury.

Despite the quick start of the two teams, they did not pose a significant danger until Bayern succeeded in opening the scoring with its first shot on goal.

Senegalese Sadio Mane made a quick counterattack and passed a ball with the heel towards Jamal Musiala, who prepared it perfectly to Leon Goritska, so that the latter would crawl from the outskirts of the area out of the reach of the Dortmund goalkeeper (33).

Immediately after that, Dutchman Donyell Mallen was alone with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who brilliantly saved his attempt (36).

At the beginning of the second half, Goritska passed a header backwards towards Mane, and the goal was open in front of the latter, but he also headed it outside the three woods (49).

But Bayern Munich succeeded in adding the second goal through its wing, Leroy Sanneh, who fired a powerful ball with his left from outside the area to deceive the Dortmund goalkeeper and continue its way into his net (54). Sanneh is shining this season in the ranks of the Bavarian, and he has scored 9 goals in various competitions, including four in the local league.

Dortmund, who won 4-1 on Wednesday in the backyard of Seville in the Champions League, reduced the score after a quick counterattack by Youssoufa Mokoko, who fired a powerful ball with his left from the penalty spot into the net (75). Mokoko became the youngest player to score in a Classicer match at the age of 17 years and 322 days.

Frenchman Anthony Modest missed an opportunity not to be wasted when Karim Ademaye brilliantly got rid of a Bayern defender and passed a ball towards him while he was lurking in front of the goal, but he did not improve its translation into the equalizer (83).

The referee dismissed Bayern's French winger Kingsley Coman, who participated at the beginning of the second half after a long absence from the stadiums due to injury, in the last minute with the second yellow card.

Modest made up for his mistake minutes ago, when he snatched the equalizer in the last second, taking advantage of a cross pass by defender Nico Schlotterberg, who followed it up with his head into the goal from close range, to snatch his team a valuable point amid indescribable joy in the stands, specifically in the famous yellow and black wall stand where the passionate fans of Dortmund gather.

Spanish coach Xabi Alonso, former Liverpool and Bayern Munich star, made a strong start at the helm of Bayer Leverkusen's coaching staff, leading him to a landslide 4-0 victory over his guest, Schalke 04.

Alonso took office just 3 days ago, succeeding Swiss Gerardo Siwan, who paid the price for not winning in his last four league matches before falling 2-0 to Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Alonso trained the reserve team for Real Sociedad in the Basque region of his birth for three years until last May, and contributed to its rise to the second division in Spain for the first time in 60 years, before it fell at the end of last season.

With this victory, which is the second for Leverkusen this season, the team got out of the danger zone, at least temporarily, and became temporarily in the fourteenth place, with 8 points.

Frenchman Moussa Diaby opened the scoring with a powerful shot in the 38th minute. Then the English winger, Callum Hudson-Odoi, manipulated two players from Schalke 04, before passing a cross ball towards Diaby, and from him to Dutchman Jeremy Frimpong, to be followed by the latter into the net (41).

Frimpong added his second personal goal and the third for his team (51), before Brazilian Paulinho concluded the goal festival in the second minute of stoppage time.
Last-placed Bochum inflicted a severe defeat on last season's Europa League champion Eintracht Frankfurt, 3-0, and temporarily prevented it from catching up with leaders Union Berlin and Freiburg.
Two matches ended in a 1-1 draw: Mainz with its guest Leipzig and Augsburg with its guest Wolfsburg.

Cairo - "Al Quds" dot com - Muhammad Abu Khudair - Eng. Adnan Al-Husseini, responsible for the Jerusalem file in the PLO, member of the Executive Committee and head of the official Jerusalem references, stated that many Jerusalemites look at the " Jerusalem Conference 2023 Promoting Resilience, Development and Investment", which It was held in Cairo, with the official participation of President Mahmoud Abbas , President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi , and King Abdullah II with great hopes, and returned Jerusalem to the heart of the concerns and priorities of the Arab and Islamic worlds.

Al-Husseini pointed out, in an exclusive interview with Al-Quds.com, the importance of the conference, the timing in which it was held, and the desired results during the next stage.

Al-Husseini made a comparison between the current conditions in Jerusalem compared to the past practices of the occupation, and said: "There is no doubt that the city of Jerusalem, its stationed people, and the general Palestinian people are living in their worst conditions, and the occupation authorities are proceeding without the slightest regard for international legitimacy and its laws, and turning their backs on calls for peace and respect." International and humanitarian laws, and time is racing in its Judaization and arbitrary measures against the defenseless and safe people of the Holy City, in attempts that will undoubtedly fail to subjugate the Jerusalemites.”

He added: "Sometimes it announces its intention to enact laws that allow the occupation to withdraw residency and citizenship in Jerusalem for those who try to express their anger and rejection of Israeli measures, and at other times they demolish homes and displace Jerusalemite families who have no fault other than that they adhere to their Palestinian identity and Arab identity and reject the occupation, and at other times they try to harm Islamic and Christian sanctities, especially the mosque." Al-Aqsa Mosque to divide it, leading to its demolition, God forbid, and to build the alleged Temple on its ruins.

Al-Husseini continued: "What arouses anger is the attempts to harm the prisoners, including Jerusalemites, knowing that it is one of the most sensitive issues for Palestinian society and harassing them. However, I see that all these attempts indicate that the occupation authorities have lost control of the Holy City, and are trying to legitimize its occupation, but the Jerusalemites and those Behind them, the sons of their Palestinian people stand up with their bare chests, in defense of their prisoners and captives and their inalienable rights that cannot be bartered or disposed of.

In response to a question, how do you see the course of the Jerusalem 2023 conference? Al-Husseini explained: “At the outset, it must be noted that the conference was one of the outcomes of the 31st Arab Summit held in Algeria in November 2022, meaning that it was a decision of the highest Arab authority, and hence the importance of the conference, especially since it opened with an official Arab presence represented by the two presidents. The Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas, the Egyptian Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, the Jordanian King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein, and then high-level UN representation, the European and African Unions, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Arab investment funds, Arab, regional and international unions, and Arab and Palestinian businessmen who represented most sectors, were briefed All of them are aware of the fact that the occupied city of Jerusalem suffers from arbitrary Israeli measures and practices, and threats to the city and its Islamic and Christian sanctities, as well as stone and people.

Regarding the conference’s message and its central objectives, Al-Husseini said: “The conference was a renewed official Arab position, which in itself is a strong official message to the international community and the Israeli occupation, as it rejected all Israeli measures in the Holy City and the entire Palestinian territories, and mobilized more international positions in support of national rights.” The legitimacy of the Palestinian people, which was guaranteed and sponsored by international legitimacy, and most importantly, the Arabs affirmed that Jerusalem is a red line, and it will not be allowed to cross it, and it is the title of peace as well as the title of war. Hence, it can be said that the conference restored Jerusalem to its position and put it back on the list of Arab priorities.

According to the proverb: “May the Lord of harm be beneficial.” The harm that Jerusalem and its people face is from the extreme right-wing Israeli policies that are rejected by the Palestinians, the Arabs, the international community, and even the Israelis. The judiciary and the enactment of new laws are the best witness to this, as it resulted in a disruption in internal security, a decline in the local economy, and the withdrawal of investments outside the occupying state.

He stressed that the Palestinians do not bet on the popular Israeli position, and Al-Husseini said: "Away from the Zionist and Jewish religious faith, the Israelis only care about security and money, and when they are touched, they raise their voices in anger, calling for change, and as I mentioned, thousands take to the streets every week announcing their rejection of the policies." The Israeli government, and opposes the policy of the Netanyahu government - Ben Gvir - Smodrich, and the extremist fascist settlers, especially those targeting Islamic and Christian sanctities, especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the escalating incursions into it and attempts to divide it, but despite that I do not bet on the positions of the Israelis, because in the end they work hard To impose a fait accompli, the Arab reaction was weak and did not rise to the level of the event.

He pointed out that it can be said that the Jerusalem conference came at the appropriate time, and its outputs were expressed by the highest official Arab level, and it reached far and wide in Israeli society not to approach Jerusalem and not to tamper with its sanctities, because your security and economy are linked to your practices on the ground!!

Al-Husseini described the position of the international community as timid, and said: "The so-called international community applies double standards, and this was evident in the Russian-Ukrainian war, apparently supporting Palestinian national rights, and dealing cautiously with the Palestinian cause for fear of its interests. If we look more deeply, we will find that the interests of the international community are with The Arab countries are more important than his interests with the occupying state, but unfortunately the international community, and here I mean Europe is hiding behind the American curtain, and at the present time what matters to Europe is the crisis it is experiencing as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and it fears negative effects on its economy and security, so it does not give the case Palestinian priority.

Adding, hence the importance of the Jerusalem Conference, as it was an official, clear and unambiguous Arab message, which was stated in the speech of Presidents Mahmoud Abbas, Al-Sisi and King Abdullah, who called for an advanced and bold international stance, and affirmed that Jerusalem is a symbol of existence and steadfastness and an essential component of the Arab and Islamic nations. , which calls for developing the Arab position and building on what the Arab leaders announced with practical measures that pressure the international community, for the victory of Palestinian and Arab rights.

In response to a question about the American position? Al-Husseini said: “The declared and as stated by more than one American official, most notably Secretary of State Blinken, the Americans expressed their dissatisfaction with the Israeli measures, especially the settlement legislation and outposts, and the violation of the historical status of the sanctities, but unfortunately the Americans only care about their interests, which come through stabilizing calm.” Even if it was at the expense of Palestinian blood, and the Israeli measures contradict those interests, and Blinken's recent visit, with which President Mahmoud Abbas met, was for this goal, but he equated the victim with the executioner. However, President Abu Mazen rejected what Blinken brought and did not compromise on Palestinian rights, which He confirmed it and guaranteed it by international legitimacy with dozens of resolutions since before 1948, recalling his permanent speeches and on more than one occasion, especially those that emphasize the two-state solution, the partition decision that gave the Palestinian state 44 percent of the area of historical Palestine, and the international resolution related to the Al-Buraq Wall He affirmed that it is Islamic and that it is an integral part of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, denying that the Jews have any rights in it, and that it is not what they call the "Wailing Wall".

Al-Husseini continued: "But unfortunately, none of these decisions were implemented, and here I see some harmony between the Palestinian and American interests, but not to the extent of punishing or holding the occupying state accountable, and here comes the importance of the Jerusalem conference, as stated in its closing statement, emphasizing that a comprehensive and just peace It will not be achieved until the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate and inalienable rights, and that Israeli policies that contravene international laws, regulations and decisions are nothing but a declaration of war against the common interests of all countries and against the forces of peace and justice in the world.

Al-Husseini explained: "There is an active Palestinian diplomatic movement led by President Mahmoud Abbas at the Arab and international levels to expose the daily Israeli crimes, against stones, people and the Palestinian land, and there is also an irreversible decision to continue pursuing the state of the entity in international forums, especially the International Criminal Court, and affirming the invalidity of The Israeli occupation of the lands of the occupied State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem.

He added, "It was emphasized more than once and on more than one occasion, the latest of which was the Jerusalem 2023 conference, the rejection of the Israeli measures against Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sanctities, and the emphasis on the Jordanian Hashemite guardianship and the era of the prophetic message, as stated by King Abdullah bin Al Hussein in his speech before the conference."

Al-Husseini sent a message to the Arab and Islamic nations of the necessity of rallying around the Jordanian and Palestinian positions in defending the first two qiblahs and the third of the Two Holy Mosques, and supporting their positions in the face of Jewish ambitions targeting Islamic and Christian holy places in the Holy City.

And he warned that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is awaiting an atmosphere that may be inflamed in the upcoming month of Ramadan, which coincides with the Jewish Passover holiday, so we must be careful and prepared for any emergency that may affect the mosque and its sanctity.

Al-Husseini said: "Therefore, what is required is the embodiment of the joint Palestinian, Arab and international action in continuing to put pressure on the occupying state, to thwart its plans, which put the region on the crater of a volcano, and in the midst of Arab rejection and Palestinian resistance, most of which is individual and in front of a young generation that thirsts for freedom and dignity, and in the face of international dissatisfaction with Israeli policies, I see strong indications that this racist right-wing government is about to go."

He stressed that work in Jerusalem is very difficult, and the recent Israeli measures and the borrowing of the Judaization campaign hinder any attempt at development and investment, but within the framework of joint action, which puts pressure on the international community, its basic building blocks are based on strengthening steadfastness and advancing investment and development by all possible and available means.

Al-Husseini said, "It is possible to enhance the process of defending the Holy City and its Islamic and Christian identity. On the other hand, Arab and Islamic countries are called upon to translate their words into actions that raise the morale of the Palestinian people and Jerusalemites in particular."

He added: "Jerusalemites rely a lot on the results of the conference, and in my opinion, it succeeded in delivering clear political, economic and social messages to the public and supportive of the majority of Jerusalemite societal segments. More importantly, there is an Arab consensus that Jerusalem will not be alone, and there will be serious work to enhance steadfastness and support means of development in various fields." Where the developmental economic dimension was strongly present in the conference, in addition to the political and legal dimensions, given that development, investment and the strengthening of steadfastness are one of the most important levers for the motive of resistance and confronting Israeli ambitions.

Gaza - "Jerusalem" dot com - " Hamas " movement welcomed, on Monday, the efforts of the UN envoy for the Middle East peace process, Tor Winsland, aimed at stopping the Israeli aggression against the people of the West Bank.

Well-informed sources told Al-Quds.com that Wensland is leading efforts to reduce security tension and work to stop it, and to hold meetings in Jenin and Nablus in this regard.

In a press statement, Jihad Taha, Hamas spokesman, called on Winsland to condemn and criminalize the Israeli violations and work to submit recommendations to the competent authorities in the United Nations to stop these crimes, and to hold the occupation leaders accountable for their continuous violations against the Palestinian people, land and sanctities.

Taha also called on the United Nations to take effective and urgent action towards stopping the aggression in the occupied West Bank, and to continue the occupation’s siege and closure of the entrances to cities, towns and camps, by imposing a policy of collective punishment on hundreds of thousands of our people, in flagrant violation of the most basic standards of international law.

For his part, Hazem Qassem, spokesman for the movement, said in another press statement that the continuation of the closure, the siege and the policy of collective punishment imposed by the occupation on the city of Nablus, for the seventh day in a row, is nothing but an expression of the state of impotence and failure experienced by the security system of the occupation, in the face of resistance. And the escalating uprising of our people throughout the occupied West Bank.

He added, "All the occupation's crimes, including siege, repression, incursions, and killing, will not intimidate the masses of our people into continuing their resistance, nor will they succeed in breaking their will and their quest to protect their land and sanctities, and to wrest their freedom and independence." like he said.

London – (dpa) – Chelsea Football Club confirmed that a commercial consortium led by Todd Bohle has agreed to all the conditions to buy the club from Roman Abramovich for 4.25 billion pounds (5.24 billion dollars).

Bohli, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, won the race to buy Chelsea, amid the largest public sports takeover in history.
Bohli, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansi-Jörg Wiese will have to wait for approval from the Premier League and the British government before signing the takeover contract.

A Chelsea club statement said: "Chelsea Football Club can confirm that an agreement has been reached with a group of new owners, led by Todd Bohle, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hans-Joerg Wies, to acquire the club."

The statement, published by the British news agency “BA Media”, added: “Out of the current total investment, 2.5 billion pounds sterling will be allocated to purchase shares in the club, such proceeds will be deposited in a frozen bank account in the United Kingdom with an intention to donate 100%.” From it to charity, according to what Roman Abramovich confirmed.

He added, "It will require obtaining the approval of the British government to transfer the revenue from the frozen bank account in the United Kingdom."

And the statement continued: “In addition, the new owners will commit to pumping 75.1 billion pounds in other investments for the benefit of the club. This includes investments in Stamford Bridge (the club’s stadium), the academy, the women’s team, Kingsmeadow Stadium, in addition to the continued financing of the Chelsea Foundation.”

The statement confirmed: “It is expected that the sale of the club will be completed at the end of this May, after obtaining all the necessary regulatory approvals. More details will be provided at that time.”

Washington - (AFP) - More than 50 US lawmakers have called on the FBI to investigate the killing of Al-Jazeera correspondent Sherine Abu Aqleh while she was working in the West Bank, despite Israeli promises to conduct an investigation.

The 57 left-leaning American Representatives from the Democratic Party, led by Representative Andre Carson, stressed that Abu Aqelah holds American citizenship, pointing to differing accounts of her killing on May 11.

In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and FBI Director Christopher Wray, they said, "Given the fragile situation in the region and the conflicting reports surrounding the killing of Ms. Abu Aqelah, we ask the State Department and the FBI to open an investigation into her death."

"As an American, Abu Aqleh was entitled to the full protections afforded to American citizens living abroad," they added.

Al-Jazeera and Palestinians said that the Israeli forces killed the prominent reporter while she was covering an Israeli army operation in Jenin, in the northern occupied West Bank.

As for Israel, it is likely that she was killed by Palestinian fire or by a stray bullet fired from the rifle of an Israeli soldier.

The Israeli ambassador to Washington, Michael Herzog, expressed his "disappointment" with the letter, noting that Israel had sought a joint investigation with the Palestinian Authority, including the presence of an American observer.

He said, "Our appeal was met with a categorical rejection by the Palestinian Authority, which is maliciously using Abu Aqleh's death to stir up an anti-Israel propaganda campaign."
Instead, Herzog called on Congress to pressure the Palestinian side on the investigation, adding that Israeli forces would "never intentionally target journalists."

The State Department said it believed Israel could conduct a credible investigation, but Blinken also criticized the Israeli police for their use of force during Abu Aqelah's funeral.

Riyadh - (dpa) - The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced today, Monday, that the Umrah season for those coming from outside the Kingdom with an Umrah visa ends on the 30th of the current month of Shawwal (May 30).

This came in response to an inquiry about the closing date for Umrah-related reservations ahead of the current year's Hajj season.

The past period, especially the month of Ramadan, witnessed an increase in the number of Umrah pilgrims coming from different countries of the world to perform the rituals.

Tehran - (AFP) - Iran considered on Sunday that US President Joe Biden's statements during his regional visit, especially before leaders of Arab countries in the Saudi city of Jeddah, were an American attempt to "stir up tension" in the region.

On Saturday, Biden concluded his first tour in the region as president of the United States, which included Israel, the Palestinian territories and Saudi Arabia, by assuring before the leaders of Gulf and Arab countries that Washington will not allow a regional vacuum to be filled by Russia, China or Iran.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani considered that "the allegations and accusations made by US President Joe Biden during his Middle East tour, including his statements at the Jeddah summit, are unfounded and unfounded."

"These empty allegations come in the context of the continuation of the American policy to create strife and stir up tension in the region," he said in a statement at dawn on Sunday.

And Biden stressed during the Jeddah summit with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council states, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, which came days before a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tehran, "We will not abandon (the Middle East) and we will not leave a vacuum filled by China, Russia or Iran."

"Let me conclude by summarizing all of this in one sentence: The United States is committed to building a positive future in the region, in partnership with all of you, and will not leave."

He stressed that the United States "will not tolerate the attempt of one country to dominate another country in the region through military reinforcements, incursions, or threats," in particular referring to Iran, which its neighbors accuse of trying to destabilize.

In a joint statement issued by the summit, the leaders pledged to "preserve regional security and stability" and deepen their defense and intelligence cooperation.

They stressed diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, calling for strengthening joint deterrence capabilities "against the growing threat" posed by Tehran's drone program.

Biden had arrived in Saudi Arabia from Israel on the first direct flight from the Hebrew state to the kingdom.

During his visit to the arch-regional enemy of the Islamic Republic, Biden pledged, in a security declaration he signed with Israel, Thursday, that the United States would use all elements of its "national strength" to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, which Tehran has always denied seeking.

While Kanani indicated that the United States was "the first country to use the nuclear bomb," he considered that it "resorts again to its failed policy of intimidation from Iran " to stir up regional tension.

He believed that "the false American accusations against Iran's peaceful nuclear program and America's turning a blind eye to the Zionist deception that has been going on for decades as an entity (...) that possesses the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the region, is clear evidence of the US administration's policy of forgery and hypocrisy."

San Francisco - (AFP) - A California court on Friday rejected a complaint filed by former US President Donald Trump against Twitter to allow him to return to this social network, which he was banned from using on charges of incitement to violence in January 2021.

The Republican billionaire and the other complainants accuse Twitter of violating their right to freedom of expression guaranteed in the US Constitution.

Judge James Donato California said, "The complainants are not in a position of strength because Twitter is a private company and the first clause of the Constitution applies only to restrictions on freedom of expression imposed by the government (..)".

Al-Qadi added that Twitter's internal system "gives it contractual permission to move as it wishes with regard to any account or content, for whatever reason or even without reason."

Donald Trump was banned from major social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, after his supporters attacked the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, which he is accused of inciting.

These platforms justified their decision by the risks of new incitement to violence.

Before his expulsion from Twitter, the US president had about 89 million subscribers. He used to go to them daily between presidential announcements and attacks on political opponents.

Donald Trump has asked the court to consider Chapter 230 of the 1996 law that protects Internet hosts from prosecution related to content published by third parties, unconstitutional.

However, the judge considered that this matter is not possible unless the complainants prove that they have been wronged.

The decision came as Elon Musk entered into an agreement with the Twitter board of directors to buy the California-based company at a price of $44 billion.

Musk, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX, announced that he intends to turn Twitter into a den for freedom of expression within the framework of the freedoms stipulated in the law, but with less stringent content controls than is the case now.

Like many in conservative circles, he considers that Twitter uses censorship.

However, Trump stated a short time ago to American media that he does not intend to return to Twitter, even if Elon Musk directed him to do so. He has launched his own network called "Truth Social".

The judge left the door open for an amended complaint to take into account his comments.

Berlin - (dpa) - German Minister for Digitization Volker Wissing has called for unified international rules for using the Internet.

“Digitization depends on a global network, and therefore we need the free flow of data, we need the free exchange of data, but of course within a range Contains rules.

The minister explained that it is therefore necessary to prevent each country from setting its own rules regarding the Internet, and said: “We do not want to have a total of internal networks, but we want to have an Internet that allows free access to it as it was intended by it … If we isolate ourselves, we will not We can use the potential of digitization."

Vissing stated that there is a need for international rules that guarantee data protection and fair competition, for example.

In a related context, Vissing pointed out the need to address cybercrime and strengthen defense systems, explaining that the best way to achieve this is cooperation, for example by sharing the latest technologies, noting that in this way it is possible to ensure that "the network remains open, free and protected at the same time." .

The meeting of the G7 digitalization ministers in Dusseldorf will revolve around how to enhance cooperation among the G7 countries in cybersecurity and other Internet issues. This year Germany leads the group, which also includes the United States, Canada, Italy, France, Britain and Japan.

Jerusalem - "Jerusalem" dot com - Tens of thousands performed Friday prayers at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, where they flocked to it since the morning hours from all over the Palestinian territories, despite the occupation restrictions in Jerusalem and its old town, and at the gates of "Al-Aqsa" and its surroundings.

The occupation forces tightened the noose in the Old City of Jerusalem, set up barriers and prevented many worshipers from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray there.

Thousands of citizens gathered from various regions of the West Bank and Jerusalem, and inside the 48 lands, near Al-Aqsa Mosque, to perform prayers in its vastness.

Thousands of people from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the 48 territories, performed the dawn prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque, in response to the Judaization plans of the occupation.

Berlin (dpa) - The head of the parliamentary bloc of the Social Democratic Party, partner in the ruling coalition, called on Germany not to rule out holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin under certain conditions.

"Such talks cannot be imposed ... but if President Putin is ready to hold reliable talks with the heads of state and government of the European Union as well as with NATO and with Ukraine, this should not be fundamentally excluded.

The prominent German politician stressed the necessity of linking such talks to tangible framework conditions, and continued, saying: "The German Chancellor (Olaf Scholz) has sufficient experience to decide with the partners the timing at which he sees conducting these talks."

But Mutsniech indicated that he did not see any special role for Germany in this, and said: "On the contrary, I warn against assuming a special role now." Instead, he called for the need to reach close agreements with partners.

The German Socialist stressed, saying: "I still assume that this war will not be resolved through an absolute victory on the battlefield, but through discussions, negotiations and agreements in the end," pointing out that wars were ended in the past in this way as well, and he said: "We must be They are always able to take advantage of certain signals indicating a possible cease-fire, to enter into diplomatic talks again, but such signals do not exist at present.

It is noteworthy that there have been only sporadic contacts between the Western allies and Russia since the latter's attack on Ukraine last February.

UNITED NATIONS (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Tuesday the appointment of Ghulam Mohammad Izakzai of Afghanistan as his new deputy special representative for Iraq in the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

A statement issued by the UN Secretary-General's press office on Tuesday said Isakzai will also serve as Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in the country.

The statement said that Isakzai will succeed German Irina Voyachkova-Solorano, "whom the Secretary-General expresses gratitude for her leadership and selfless service during her tenure."

Isakzai was chosen for this position thanks to his more than 28 years of experience in preventive diplomacy, humanitarian and development situations, recovery and peacebuilding.

He is currently the Temporary Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Jordan since January 2022.

London - (AFP) - Briton Nchoti Gatoa will be the first black actor to play the role of "Doctor Who", the hero of the famous BBC science fiction series or of the same name, according to what the British TV station announced.

The 29-year-old Scotsman, who was born in Rwanda, will become the fourteenth actor to play the role of "Time Lord" ("Time Lord"), and will take over from 2023, when the series celebrates its sixtieth anniversary, succeeding British actress Jodie Whittaker, who was the first woman to be assigned the character.

In an interview with the BBC, Nchoti Gatoa described assigning the role to him a "real honor," as it is "an institution that carries a very great symbolism."

The actor, best known for his role in the series "Sex Education", said he was "very grateful" for handing him the "suitstick," and added, "I will do my best."

Doctor Who follows the adventures of its main character, an alien Time Lord, who travels through space and time in a machine that looks like a blue British police phone booth. This organism survives by being regenerated into a new form. The series premiered in 1963.

Jodie Whittaker assumed responsibility for this role in 2017 from Scottish actor Peter Capaldi, before announcing in July 2021 that she would give up the task.

Written by: Attia Al-Jabarin

The observer of US President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East finds that this visit is devoid of any political project related to a solution to the ongoing conflict in the region. Therefore, this visit is classified as a visit of a special nature and with special goals for Biden and his party. This visit comes with the approaching midterm elections for the US Congress, in which the pace of work is intensifying to win the voter's vote. Biden and his Democratic Party are experiencing an internal crisis, as they are accused by the Republican Party of not putting enough pressure and sanctions on Iran with regard to its nuclear project, and they are also accused of not being interested in strengthening relations with Israel. These two things are what pushed Biden to this visit and tour of the region in order to raise his shares and the shares of his party in the upcoming midterm elections.
Therefore, the US administration announced unprecedented support for the occupying state, which is more than four billion dollars, as well as working to increase and raise the pace of normalization and integration with the countries of the region, all of this in order for Biden and his party to win the card of the Jewish lobby and ensure that its shares are raised in the upcoming midterm elections.
This is the sole reason for this visit to "raise his and his party's shares in the midterm congressional elections." As for the Palestinian cause, which is the core of the conflict in the region, it has no share in this visit by Biden, but rather a deep marginalization, as he dealt with it as a social affairs issue in need of some material and humanitarian support.
The statements made by him regarding the conflict on this land do not exceed the microphones in which he speaks.
What hurts us and increases our wounds is that the bet among some is on America and its politicians with regard to our cause and our struggle with the occupation, because it has been proven with certainty that the bet on America and its two parties is losing.
The principle and what is required now is to withdraw the bet on America, stop all forms of dealing with it, and return the issue to its origin as an issue that the nation as a whole bears the responsibility for resolving it, the correct solution based on its belief and principle.

لندن-(د ب أ)- أشارت دراسة جديدة إلى أن جرعة رابعة من اللقاحات المضادة لكوفيد- 19 تمنح الأشخاص حماية أعلى من تلك التي توفرها الجرعات الثلاث.

وتتواصل الأبحاث لتقييم مستويات الحماية التي يتمتع بها الأشخاص بعد التطعيم، وطول الفترة الزمنية التي تستمر فيها هذه الحماية، بحسب وكالة الأنباء البريطانية (بي إيه ميديا).

وقام فريق من الأكاديميين بقيادة جامعة ساوثهامبتون بتتبع مجموعة من الأشخاص ومستويات الأجسام المضادة والخلايا التائية الخاصة بهم، وكلاهما مقياسان يشيران إلى مستوى حماية الشخص من الفيروس.

وشارك نحو 166 شخصا في الدراسة وقدموا عينات من الدم، مما يعني أن العلماء يمكنهم فحص تركيز الأجسام المضادة في الدم.

وجرى الفحص في نقاط زمنية مختلفة بما في ذلك بعد 28 يومًا من إعطاء الجرعة الثالثة، ومرة أخرى قبل إعطاء الجرعة الرابعة مباشرة، وهو ما حدث في المتوسط بعد ما يزيد قليلا عن 200 يوم ثم بعد 14 يوما من تلقيهم الجرعة الرابعة.

وتضاءلت مستويات الأجسام المضادة في الفترة بين الجرعة الثالثة والجرعة التنشيطية الرابعة.

ولكن بعد أسبوعين من الجرعة التنشيطية الرابعة، ارتفعت مستويات الأجسام المضادة أعلى من المستويات التي شوهدت بعد الجرعة الثالثة.

وفحص الباحثون بيانات عن الأشخاص الذين تلقوا جرعتين من لقاح أسترازينيكا ثم جرعة تنشيطية ثالثة من فايزر، والذين تلقوا بعد ذلك إما جرعة فايزر أو نصف جرعة من لقاح موديرنا في الجرعة التنشيطية الرابعة.

ولم يتم تسجيل أي آثار جانبية حادة بين المشاركين، حيث أبلغ البعض عن الشعور بالألم أو التعب.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Prisoners Affairs revealed today, Wednesday, that the number of prisoners and detainees from the Palestinian security services has reached 355 detainees, distributed among all the detention centers and prisons of the Israeli occupation .

In a statement, the Commission indicated that a large percentage of the prisoners and detainees of the security forces and members of the security services were sentenced to high sentences and life sentences, which were based on the principle of deterrence, because they were at the forefront of those who rose up to defend our people and confront the crimes of the occupation, specifically at the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada.

She explained that targeting the headquarters of the Palestinian National Authority, destroying its headquarters and institutions, and arresting its cadres, came within the policy of weakening it, and taking revenge for the honorable stand of the heroes of the security services in confronting the occupation army’s incursions into all Palestinian areas.

The Commission confirmed that the attack is still continuing on all segments of the Palestinian people, as the past few months have witnessed a large targeting of members of the security services, whether by assassination or arrest, specifically in the governorates of Nablus and Jenin, in an escalation that Israel will soon bear responsibility for, in the event of the continuation of its crimes against the Palestinian people.

The commission saluted all our male and female prisoners and their families, headed by the prisoners and detainees of the security services, who take an oath of loyalty to their people and their homeland, and that they confirm every day their adherence to the demands and freedom of their people, and that their lives and lives are sacrificed for this.

Paris (AFP) - Eindhoven was crowned the Dutch Football Cup champion for the tenth time in its history and the first in 10 years, by defeating arch-rivals Ajax Amsterdam, the defending champions, 2-1 on Sunday in the final. It was Ajax Amsterdam, who failed to win the 21st title in His history, starting with the scoring through Ryan Gravenburg in the 23rd minute, and the Serbian international Dusan Tadic scored a second goal that was canceled before the end of the first half.

Eindhoven turned the tables in the second half with two goals in two minutes via Mexican Eric Gutierrez (48) and Cody Gakbo (50). Ajax has the opportunity to save its season by winning the league title, as it is 4 points ahead of PSV, five stages before the end of the season.

سيدني- (د ب أ)- قال رئيس الوزراء الأسترالي سكوت موريسون إن حكومته ترغب في استئناف الحوار مع بكين، حيث أدت سلسلة من الأعمال الانتقامية التجارية من الصين إلى توتر العلاقات الضعيفة بالفعل بين البلدين.

ونقلت وكالة “بلومبرج” للأنباء عن نص أرسله مكتب رئيس الوزراء الأسترالي أن موريسون قال خلال مؤتمر صحفي أمس السبت، خلال قمة قادة مجموعة السبع في بريطانيا: “نود بالطبع أن نرى استمرار الحوار الذي كان يحدث مرة أخرى وأن يبدأ مجددا”.

وقال موريسون: “أستراليا مستعدة دائما للجلوس حول الطاولة وبحث كيفية تفعيل شراكتنا”.

وزاد تدهور العلاقات بين كانبرا وبكين، التي توترت في عام 2018، العام الماضي عندما دعت حكومة موريسون لقيام محققين مستقلين بالتحقيق في أصول جائحة كورونا وانتقدت الإجراءات الصينية في هونج كونج وشينجيانج.

وتطور ذلك إلى عمليات انتقامية تجارية من الصين، بما في ذلك فرض رسوم جمركية تزيد على 200% على النبيذ الأسترالي لمدة خمس سنوات بداية من آذار الماضي. وقال موريسون هذا الأسبوع إن حكومته تسعى لاتخاذ إجراءات لدى منظمة التجارة العالمية لحل النزاع.

وأخفقت محاولات أستراليا للاتصال بالسلطات الصينية مرارا وتكرارا. وفي مقابلة مع شبكة “سكاي نيوز” اليوم الأحد، قال وزير التجارة الأسترالي دان تيهان إنه كتب خطابا في كانون ثان الماضي إلى نظيره الصيني يوضح السبل التي يمكن من خلالها المشاركة بشكل بناء. وقال: “ما زلت أنتظر الرد”.

Washington - (AFP) - US President Joe Biden granted a presidential pardon for the first time during his term, including three convicted persons, including the first black man who worked in the ranks of the Secret Service in the White House.

Biden also announced commuting the sentences of 75 other people serving long prison terms after being convicted of non-violent drug offenses.

"America is a country of laws, second chances, redemption and rehabilitation," Biden said in a statement issued by the White House, adding that pardon is for "people who have demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation and strive every day to give back and contribute to their communities."

Abraham Bouldin, 86, is one of the most prominent of those included in the amnesty, as he is a former member of the US Secret Service and the first African-American entrusted with the task of protecting the country's president during the administration of President John F. Kennedy.

Bouldin was accused during his work of trying to sell a copy of the Secret Service file before he was convicted after two trial sessions, despite the White House later acknowledging that key witnesses in the case admitted to lying.

The White House statement pointed out that Bouldin has always maintained his innocence, saying that he was targeted "in retaliation for exposing unprofessional and racist behavior within the US Secret Service."

He added that Bouldin won several awards in recognition of his activism and contributions to society after his release from prison.
The other two pardons went to a man and a woman convicted of drug-related offences, but who nevertheless continued to reform their lives and contribute to the community in which they live.

Biden indicated that many of the 75 commutation decisions affected people "serving home prison sentences during the Covid epidemic (...) and many of them would have received a lesser sentence if they were accused of the same crime today."

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - (Arabic) - In an attempt to gain the largest number of users, the instant messaging application "WhatsApp" launched 3 new updates.

The green app has fulfilled its promise made last month and Meta announced that these features will appear soon.

The three updates include the use of emojis to reply to messages, the ability to share huge files of up to 2 GB in size, and doubling the maximum size of group chats from 256 to 500 participants.

New feature

These developments came at a time of intense competition between social networking sites to obtain the largest number of users among them.

The feature of using emojis to respond to messages in WhatsApp will also allow users of the application to interact in a faster way than usual, especially as it is a service found on other applications such as “Messenger”, “Slack” and “Telegram”.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Prisoner's Club said that the military court of the occupation in (Ofer) sentenced the prisoner, Fadi Dar Adwan, from Qalandia camp, to actual imprisonment for a period of 23 years, and compensation of 73,000 shekels.

The Captive Club stated that the prisoner Dar Adwan, who is married and has two children, was arrested on July 7, 2019, (on charges of) carrying out a run-over operation against a group of occupation soldiers near the town of Hizma.

The Captive Club stated that the prisoner Dar Adwan is the brother of the martyr Muhammad Dar Adwan, who was killed in April 2019 by the bullets of the occupation army.

The prisoner Fadi also has another prisoner brother, Amr Dar Adwan, who is sentenced to one year in prison.

Written by: The prisoner Muhammad Agbariya

I will avoid regular writing this time... There is no place for it in these solemn moments, so I ask your excuse, because I will be with you as I am without preambles or introductions... Because prison taught me that the moment of separation is stronger than all occasions, as it mobilizes all memories at once And dreams, and all the bitterness and smiles that passed with us over the years after the years.
My brother Karim: You left us suddenly, just as we met 31 years ago suddenly in the prisons of the occupation, but the first time we hugged you and shook hands with you, but this time you left us without seeing you and without hugging. Because wires, walls, and the jailer prevented us. Perhaps because it heralds the imminent meeting of the Lord of the homeland, Palestine.
When I read the news on TV that Karim was embracing freedom after 40 years of captivity, I felt that my soul accompanied you to the prison gate. generous.
Then I remembered when you told me in my first captivity 30 years ago, that the Ahmed Jibril deal in 1985 surpassed you and surpassed the late Sami Yunus and Cousin Maher Yunus.
But I remembered how we were overwhelmed with happiness as we waited together for liberation in the Hezbollah deal in 2004, but it has bypassed us, the two of us together this time.. Then the same joy returned to us while we were awaiting release in the Shalit deal in 2011, and we used to say that the homeland does not abandon its children... but We stayed behind without losing hope at all.
The promises of the fourth batch came in 2014, and we were almost certain that we must be liberated, since the previous three batches had been completed, but strangers had betrayed us, and it was our destiny to stay together in the cell until the morning of 5/1/2023, the date of your freedom.
On the morning of this day, I stood in front of the TV to watch you walk free and proud in the streets of Ara, and I imagined you would jump with joy and say, I am on the ground... I am on the ground.
However, I couldn't help it until I got out of the car to see you.. I felt that my eyes would let me down and it would rain immediately.. So I took my eyes away from the looks of the prisoners... You know, O Karim, the prisoners' passion to see everything and know everything... So I went to the bath of the spree Let the tears of the eyes take their way towards their freedom and release them from their stronghold, for we know creation in the sense of captivity and the meaning of freedom, and we do not like to keep one captive on this earth, even if this captive is tears in the eyes... The strange thing is that my tears were a mixture between the private and the general and what between the personal and the national.
So generous, you bequeathed to me the teachings of captivity from the first day, and you bequeathed to me the teachings of confrontation and dialogue with the jailer... Generations after you have always taught that unity is the way to victory and division is the way to extinction.
Congratulations on your freedom, your honorable family, and our great Palestinian people, and mercy on the souls of your honorable parents, and the meeting is near, God willing.

Geneva - (AFP) - The World Health Organization's COVID-19 Emergency Committee met Thursday to discuss whether to maintain the highest level of preparedness in the face of the pandemic, more than two years after declaring a global emergency.

The committee meets quarterly to assess the epidemiological situation and decide whether to maintain the exceptional measures. The World Health Organization did not say when the committee's decisions would be announced.

The closed meeting of experts was chaired, as usual, by Frenchman Didier Hussein.

The World Health Organization declared a state of health emergency on January 30, 2020. But it was not until World Leaders took the danger seriously that WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described for the first time on March 11, 2020 the situation as a pandemic.

"We have never been in a better position to end the global health emergency," Tedros told the committee on Thursday.
He stressed that the number of deaths reported each week is at its lowest levels recorded since the start of the pandemic, pointing out that two-thirds of the world's population has become vaccinated, including 75 percent of the medical staff and the elderly.

"But our work is not done yet," he said, adding that there was still "a huge disparity in vaccination rates". He explained that three-quarters of people living in low-income countries have not yet received a single dose of the vaccine.

He also indicated that most countries have lifted measures aimed at limiting the spread of the epidemic. He once again expressed his regret that most countries have reduced the activities of monitoring the epidemic to a large extent, which prevents experts from following up on its transformations.

As of October 13, the World Health Organization has counted more than 620 million officially confirmed infections, which is a much lower number than the reality, as is the case for recording more than 6.5 million deaths.

"Several countries in Europe are now reporting an increase in infections, hospitalizations and deaths," Tedros said. "This was to be expected because the weather is getting colder in the Northern Hemisphere and people are spending more time together indoors," he added.

Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - One of the main unions of German airline Lufthansa on Monday called on the airline's ground staff to go on strike Wednesday in a wage dispute, announcing "delays and cancellations" of flights as the current stage is witnessing tension in European aviation circles.

The "Verdi" union issued a call to strike from Wednesday at 03:45 (01:45 GMT) until 06:00 Thursday (0400 GMT) to "increase pressure" on management in the framework of the demand for a wage increase of 9,000 percent. 5% according to what was stated in the statement.

The Lufthansa Group, the largest European air carrier, has not yet determined the repercussions of this move on travelers at a time when passengers are already suffering from long waits at airports and many flights are canceled due to a shortage of staff.

Lufthansa has so far canceled about six thousand flights this summer, while Frankfurt Airport, Germany's largest airport, intends to reduce the flight schedule "in order to improve the stability of air operations," which is under great pressure due to the summer holidays.

Wednesday's strike includes workers on the ground, especially maintenance workers, as well as drivers of aircraft towing vehicles, who are essential in operating the airport.

The union confirmed that "there will be many cancellations and delays."

"The situation at airports is worsening, and employees are under increasing pressure due to the large shortage of workers, the high inflation and the absence of any increase in wages for three years," said union official Christine Belle.

Since the lifting of health restrictions at the beginning of the year, airlines and airports have been struggling to meet the demand, which is witnessing a significant increase, after a slowdown in movement that lasted two years, during which this sector lost many of its employees.

The German aviation sector is currently suffering from a staff shortage of 7,000 people, according to a study by the IW Economic Institute released at the end of June.

Economists said at the time that "many employees searched for work in other sectors and are not currently available to work in response to the high demand."

Bombay - (AFP) - The exchange rate of the Indian currency fell to more than 80 rupees to the dollar, for the first time on Tuesday, at a time when the dollar strengthened its position and the inflow of foreign capital abroad increased.

Bloomberg data showed that the price of the rupee reached 80.0600 against the dollar shortly after the start of trading.

The high level of inflation and interest rates in the United States, coupled with fears of an imminent economic recession in the largest economy in the world, led to a rise in the price of the dollar in recent weeks at a time when investors are trying to avoid risks.

Tightening US monetary policy has exacerbated capital outflows from emerging markets such as India, where foreign investors have pulled out a net $30.8 billion in debt and equity this year.

Data published last week showed that inflation in consumer prices in the United States recorded a new level in June, the highest in four decades, exceeding market estimates and reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates significantly next week.

In a written statement addressed to parliament on Monday, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attributed the significant decline in the rupee to external causes.

It stated that "international factors such as the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, high crude prices and tightening global financial conditions are the main reasons for the decline of the Indian rupee against the US dollar."

She added that, however, the Indian currency improved against the pound sterling, the Japanese yen and the euro during the year 2022.
However, the rise in crude prices led to the deterioration of the trade balance in a country that imports 80 percent of its oil needs.

India's merchandise trade deficit widened to a record $26.18 billion in June, official data revealed last week, mainly due to higher costs of importing crude and coal.

In its monthly economic review, the Finance Ministry said that the rising costs of imports would exacerbate the current account deficit and further depreciate the rupee.

Consumer price inflation in India, the world's sixth largest economy, fell slightly to 7.01 percent in June, after hitting an eight-year high of 7.79 percent in April.

However, the rise in prices remained above the target of 2 to 6 percent set by the Central Bank, despite raising interest rates in May and June.

Also, the central bank sold more than $34 billion of its foreign exchange reserves in hopes of keeping the rupee stable.