PALESTINE

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Ministry of Education announces the results of the level exam for the year 2022-2023

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Ministry of Education announced the results of the level exam for the academic year 2022-2023, noting that the number of applicants in the northern and southern governorates reached 139 students, and the success rate reached 48.92%.


The Ministry stated that the certificates of the successful students will be delivered to the education directorates in the Gaza Strip on Thursday 11/24/2022.


It is noteworthy that the successful person in this exam is granted a certificate equivalent to the ninth grade, which qualifies him to either enroll in the tenth grade or take the general secondary exam according to specific conditions.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Pakistani Taliban announce the end of the ceasefire and order attacks across the country

ISLAMABAD (AFP) - The Pakistani Taliban announced Monday that they had scrapped a fragile ceasefire they reached with the government in June and ordered their fighters to launch attacks across the country.


Although the Afghan Taliban is separate from the Pakistani one, the two movements share the same ideology.


The movement is responsible for dozens of attacks and hundreds of deaths across Pakistan since it emerged in 2007.


And she said in her statement, "While military operations against the mujahideen continue in various regions... you must launch attacks wherever possible throughout the country."


The Pakistani Taliban controlled large swathes of the tribal belt in Pakistan for a long time as it imposed the application of a strict version of Islamic law.


While most of its fighters have been expelled from Pakistan and pushed into neighboring Afghanistan since 2010, they have come into a position of strength since the return of the Afghan Taliban to power in Kabul.


The movement agreed to a cease-fire with the Pakistani government in June, but the two sides repeatedly stressed that the truce was ignored while many confrontations erupted.

ECONOMY

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund records record losses of 150 billion euros

Oslo - (AFP) - The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund , the largest in the world, announced on Tuesday that it lost more than 150 billion euros in 2022, attributing this to the poor performance of financial markets due to the war in Ukraine and the deterioration of the global economy.


The fund has never incurred such losses in one year since its inception in the late 1990s, according to its management.


"2022 was a tragic year in the world. It affected financial markets, and therefore our global fund," Trond Grande, executive vice president of Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages the fund, told a press conference.


"We faced many emergencies and crises at the same time. The war in Europe, broader geopolitical tensions, increased inflation, higher interest rates, higher energy prices, and increased economic uncertainty," he added.


The return on investment was -14.1 percent.


The Norwegian State Pension Fund was established in the 1990s and is one of the largest investors in the world with shares in more than 9,000 companies in nearly 70 countries, including Apple, Microsoft and Alphabet, the parent company of Google.


For his part, Nikolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, said, "The year 2022 was definitely a historic year," noting that stocks in all sectors declined except for the energy sector.

PALESTINE

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

Female students suffocated after the occupation forces stormed the village of Kharbatha Bani Harith

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Schoolgirls suffocated today, Sunday, after the Israeli occupation forces stormed the village of Kharbatha Bani Harith , west of Ramallah.


According to press sources, a force of the occupation army stormed the town and stationed near the primary and secondary schools for girls, and fired tear gas canisters, causing several students to suffocate.


The raid coincided with the time the students left the school, and also included raiding a number of shops in the village.

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

Justin Bieber announces he has facial paralysis: unable to smile

New York - (AFP) - Canadian singer Justin Bieber , who recently canceled two concerts he was scheduled to perform in the Canadian city of Toronto, announced in a post on his official Instagram account on Friday that he was suffering from a rare disease that led to paralysis on one side of his face, which forced him to to cancel the remaining concerts of his tour.


"Hi everyone (...) I suffer from Ramsey-Hunt syndrome, which you can see on my face," the international star said in a video clip he posted on his Instagram account, which is followed by 240 million users.


He continued, "This side of my face was completely paralyzed," explaining that he was unable to blink except through one eye, or to smile except on a specific side of his mouth.


Bieber, 28, added, "So for those of you who were frustrated by the cancellation of my upcoming concerts, I am not physically able to do them. My health is very delicate as you can see."


And while Bieber was scheduled to perform two concerts in the famous “Madison Square Garden” hall in New York on Monday and Tuesday, and then complete his tour with a number of concerts in the United States before heading to Europe, the singer did not indicate any information regarding the resumption of the tour.


Bieber had twice postponed his concert tour due to the pandemic, and the cancellation of his concerts in Toronto upset some of his fans on social media.


Bieber said that he puts his face through certain exercises and takes time to "rest and relax and get back healthy."

PALESTINE

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

A martyr and about 40 wounded by the occupation bullets in Nablus

Nablus - "Jerusalem" dot com - After midnight, the young Wassim Nasr Khalifa (18 years old) died of his critical wounds sustained during the Israeli occupation's incursion into the city of Nablus.


Al-Quds.com correspondent in Nablus reported that Khalifa was critically wounded by live bullets fired directly at him by the occupation snipers. He was transferred to the Arab Hospital, and the doctors tried to save his life, but he died.


Our correspondent indicated that there is at least another critical condition, and other serious injuries.


About 40 citizens were injured during clashes that erupted in the vicinity of Joseph's Tomb , east of Nablus, after the occupation forces stormed it, working to secure protection for settlers who stormed the place to perform Talmudic rituals.


The injuries ranged from live bullets, rubber bullets, gas canisters directly, and suffocation from tear gas canisters.


Clashes erupted between the citizens and the occupation forces in the area, amid violent armed clashes, as the resistance fighters opened fire from more than one axis.


According to press sources, the Israeli occupation forces sent additional reinforcements to the city of Nablus.








Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

A study reveals the secret of fatigue as a result of spending a long day in the office!

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Do you find yourself physically exhausted after a long day at work, even if you are just sitting behind a computer table?


Scientists have discovered that there is a reason for this, as a toxic chemical begins to accumulate in the brain after it has been active for long periods of time. So the brain turns toward actions that don't require as much effort to avoid circulating this chemical, glutamate, anymore.


This manifests as a lack of desire to work, or cognitive fatigue, say neuroscientists from Pitié-Salpêtrière University in Paris, France.


Dr Matthias Bisiglione, who led the study, said: “Influential theories suggest that fatigue is a kind of illusion created by the brain to get us to stop what we’re doing and switch to a more satisfying activity. But our findings show that cognitive work leads to real functional change – the accumulation of material. harmful - so fatigue would indeed be a signal to stop us working but with a different purpose: to maintain healthy brain function."


Physical fatigue is a direct result of hard manual work, but thinking hard for a long time instead causes mental exhaustion, causing symptoms such as lack of motivation and ability to focus.


In the study, published in Current Biology, the researchers set out to understand what mental fatigue really is and why it manifests itself.


To do this, they used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to monitor brain chemistry over the course of a workday for two groups of study participants.


They divided the group into easy and difficult computer memory tasks that involved remembering and matching a series of letters of different colors for about six and a half hours.


The results showed that people with more difficult tasks tended to choose options that offered smaller rewards for less effort, or those that gave results more quickly.


Next, the scientists studied their glutamate levels at synapses in the brain's prefrontal cortex, and found that they were higher for the group with mentally stressful tasks.


The researchers say this supports their hypothesis that a buildup of glutamate causes the brain to switch to less strenuous actions. This is her way of avoiding cycling or increasing buildup of this toxic chemical, which can impair brain function.


The researchers hope that this finding will provide a new method for detecting severe mental burnout, and informing action agendas to help avoid burnout.


In future studies, they hope to further understand why the prefrontal cortex experiences glutamate accumulation and fatigue after neural activity.


They are also curious to see if the same signs of fatigue in the brain might predict recovery from health conditions, such as depression or cancer.


Source: Daily Mail


PALESTINE

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

The occupation arrests a young man at Annab checkpoint

Tulkarm - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Israeli occupation forces arrested, this evening, Wednesday, a young man from the Thanabah suburb, at the Enab checkpoint, east of Tulkarm.


According to press sources, the occupation forces arrested Wadih Muhammad Hadid (19 years old), who was accompanied by his father in his car on their way to Nablus.


It is noteworthy that he was arrested last year by an undercover force that stormed his workplace in Tulkarm, and sentenced him to administrative imprisonment for a period of seven months.

ECONOMY

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

A cooperation agreement between Al-Quds University and the TM R&D Center for Research, Development and Inventions

Ramallah - "Al-Quds" dot com Al-Quds University , represented by its president, Prof. Imad Abu Kishek signed a joint cooperation agreement with the TM R & D Center of Research, Development and Invention of the Malaysian Telecom Company, under the auspices of the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Malaysia, after a series of virtual meetings to discuss aspects of work in the fields of scientific research, training and development.

The agreement included the provision of 10 scholarships for Palestinian students to study at MMU, in order to attract outstanding students, which are fully funded scholarships offered to students wishing to study bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.

For his part, the Ambassador of the State of Palestine, Walid Abu Ali, praised the efforts made to sign this agreement, and stressed that it comes within the framework of the embassy's efforts to consolidate relations between Palestinian and Malaysian educational institutions in various scientific, research and cultural fields.

The two parties, in turn, confirmed that this agreement aims to strengthen academic cooperation with regard to projects that serve the scope of joint work in the research, training and professional fields.

The previous meetings between the university and the center focused on studying cooperation in the field of scientific studies and research, benefiting from laboratories, training and development, and participation in workshops, conferences and events, in addition to other aspects that were culminated in the signing of the memorandum.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

Saudi Arabia agrees to use the American Moderna vaccine against Corona

الرياض – (د ب أ)- أعلنت الهيئة العامة للغذاء والدواء في السعودية مساء الجمعة موافقتها على تسجيل لقاح فيروس كورونا “موديرنا”، الأمريكي ‎وذلك بعد أن تقدمت الشركة بطلب الموافقة على اعتماده.


وذكرت وكالة الأنباء السعودية الرسمية “واس”مساء الجمعة “ان موافقة الهيئة العامة للغذاء والدواء في المملكة جاءت بعد التسجيل، وإتاحة استخدام اللقاح استنادًا إلى البيانات التي تقدمت بها الشركة”.


واعتمدت الهيئة اللقاح، بعد التحقق من جودته من خلال مراجعة البيانات العلمية التي تبيّن جودة التصنيع وثبات المنتج، إضافةً إلى التحقق من مراحل التصنيع، والتزام المصانع بتطبيق أسس التصنيع الدوائي الجيد، بحسب المعايير الدولية في الصناعة الدوائية.


وأوضحت الهيئة العامة للغذاء والدواء في السعودية، أنه بناءً على الموافقة الصادرة، الجمعة، ستبدأ الجهات الصحية المعنية بإجراءات الاستيراد وفق المعايير والمتطلبات الخاصة بذلك، وستقوم الهيئة بدورها بتحليل عينات من كل شحنة واردة من اللقاح قبل استخدامه لضمان جودته.


يُذكر أنه سبق للهيئة العامة للغذاء والدواء اعتماد لقاحات لفيروس كورونا “أسترازينيكا” و”فايزر-بيونتيك” وجونسون آند جونسون. وبلغ عدد جرعات لقاح فيروس كورونا المعطاة في المملكة حوالي 33ر19 مليون جرعة منذ بدء التطعيم حتى الجمعة.


وأعلنت وزارة الصحة السعودية يوم الجمعة، ارتفاع إجمالي الإصابات بفيروس كورونا في المملكة إلى 498906 حالات مؤكدة، بزيادة 1133 إصابة عن المسجلة في اليوم السابق والتي بلغت 1257 حالة. كما أعلنت الوزارة تسجيل 14 حالة وفاة جديدة، ليصل عدد الوفيات الكلي إلى 7947 حالة وفاة.

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

A Chinese space rocket disintegrates over the Indian Ocean during an uncontrolled return to Earth

Washington, (AFP) - Part of a Chinese space rocket that was launched last Sunday disintegrated over the Indian Ocean, upon its uncontrolled return to the atmosphere, the Chinese space agency announced, angering US officials who criticized Beijing's failure to announce this in advance. Landing that carries great risks.


The Chinese space agency, in a statement posted on its official page on the "WeChat" website, provided the coordinates of the collision, noting that the missile fell in the Sulu Sea, about 57 kilometers from the eastern coast of Palawan Island in the Philippines.


The agency stated that "most of the parts of the missile were destroyed" during its descent, after it was used last Sunday to launch the second unit out of three that China needs to complete its Tiangong space station, which is supposed to start operating at the end of this year.


Hours ago, the US military announced the return of the Chinese missile to the atmosphere.


"The Long March-5B missile of the People's Republic of China returned to the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean on July 30," he said in a tweet on Twitter, at 16:45 GMT.


For its part, the Malaysian Space Agency reported that it had spotted the burning wreckage of the missile before it fell into the Sulu Sea, east of Borneo Island.


"The missile's debris caught fire when it entered Earth's airspace, and the movement of burning debris passed through Malaysian airspace and could be detected in several areas, especially as it passed the airspace around the state of Sarawak," she said.


The Long March-5B rocket was not designed to control its orbital descent, which, as with previous launches, has drawn criticism.


"China has not provided accurate information about the trajectory of its Long March-5B rocket," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson wrote on Twitter on Saturday.


He added that "all countries that carry out space activities must adhere to best practices" because the fall of objects of this size "involves a great risk of causing human or material losses."


He stressed that sharing information is "essential" for the "responsible use" of space and keeping people safe here on Earth.

PALESTINE

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

The occupation revokes the licenses of 6 Palestinian schools in Jerusalem, claiming "incitement"

Translation by "Jerusalem" dot com - The Israeli Minister of Education, Yifat Shasha-Biton, decided today, Thursday, to revoke the license of 6 Palestinian schools in occupied East Jerusalem under the pretext of "incitement".


According to the Hebrew Channel 7, the decision revokes the license granted to these schools, claiming that the textbooks they use include an incitement curriculum against Israel, and glorify the prisoners and their struggles, among others.

Biton considered that these approaches incite against the Israeli army and against "Israel", a phenomenon she said was "intolerable and will be dealt with strictly."


According to the Israeli Ministry's statement, the school principals were summoned and informed of the decision, and they were granted a conditional license for a period of one year, provided that the content of the curriculum was changed, and in the event that this was done, they would be re-granted permanent licenses.

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

Conservation projects in Guatemala are trying to save an endangered species of lizard

Cabañas (AFP) - Conservation projects in eastern Guatemala are trying to save a venomous lizard on the brink of extinction, which has been dubbed "Niño dormino" (sleeping little one) because of its slow movement and heavy aura.


Juan Alvarado, a forest ranger with the National Council of Protected Areas, deftly holds the lizard to avoid any sting, as its venom is extremely painful, though rarely fatal.


The time was ripe for the release of the lizard, which belonged to the species Heloderma charlesbogerte, which was found in a nearby village in the Cabañas region and was then given shelter by officials in a local regional park, also called Niño Dormino.


The lizard, characterized by its dark skin dotted with white dots and light yellow rings, was placed on the ground and slowly moved through the nature of this region that includes semi-arid forests in the Motagua River Valley and located in the middle of the Sierra de las Minas Nature Reserve.


And Juan Alvarado (68 years old) notes that this type of animal has always been a victim of the fear that residents feel towards it because of its poison and the spread of fictional stories that made it a bad omen.


Alvarado dedicated his life 17 years ago to protecting species that are classified as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.


"Any Helioderma Charlesbogerty lizard spotted is doomed to death," he says.


These lizards, which range between 20 and 40 centimeters in length and feed mainly on eggs and young birds, have been smuggled into European countries that treat them as pets.


The forest guard points out that "Europeans used to pay up to two thousand dollars for this animal."


Juan Alvarado explains that the lizards' venom and the bacteria present in their saliva are currently undergoing scientific studies with the aim of discovering potential drug properties against diabetes and cancer.


Twenty years ago, the species numbered around 200, but today authorities put their estimated numbers at 600 large lizards living in the wild, most of which are tracked using microchips.


The residents are now bringing lizards that are found in inhabited areas to the reserve, as a result of an environmental education program based on the idea that families receive food aid in exchange for bringing animals to the reserve.


Even today, lizards "Hiloderma Charlesbogerty" suffer from the problem of habitat destruction due to the expansion of agricultural areas and the outbreak of forest fires, in addition to the effects of climate change.


Francisco Mayorga, 43, a consultant working for the National Council of Protected Areas, says that "high temperatures in this region would lead to an imbalance in the numbers of species," noting that sometimes dead lizards are found as a result of high temperatures during dry seasons.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

Brazilian Bolsonaro officially announces his candidacy for a second presidential term

RIO DE JANEIRO (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday officially announced his intention to run for a second term and appointed Walter Souza Braga Neto, former Brazilian Defense Minister, as his vice president.


Bolsonaro emphasized his role in the improvement of the agricultural sector and the growth of infrastructure with the construction of highways and railways.


According to the latest data released by polling center Datafolha in June, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took the lead with 47 percent of the vote, followed by Bolsonaro with 28 percent.


If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote by Oct. 2, a second round of elections will be held on Oct. 30.

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

The release of a Lebanese who took hostages in a bank to claim his money

Beirut - (AFP) - The Lebanese judiciary has released a young man who was held hostage last week for hours inside a bank to demand access to his deposited funds after the bank forfeited his personal rights, according to the National News Agency and a judicial official on Tuesday.


The agency stated that "the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Judge Ghassan Al-Khoury, gave a signal to release the depositor, Bassam Al-Sheikh Hussein, after the presence of the representative of the Federal Bank (...) to the Public Prosecution Office at the Court of Cassation and revoked the bank's personal rights."


A judicial official told AFP that "due to the dismissal of the personal case and the circumstances of the case, it was decided to leave the detainee with a residence document," but Sheikh Hussein was referred to the Public Prosecution Office of Appeal in Beirut, and "Al-Khoury asked him to be charged with the crimes of kidnapping and threatening citizens."


And last Thursday, Sheikh Hussein entered the "Federal Bank" bank in the crowded Hamra area in western Beirut, carrying a weapon, and demanded that the employees obtain his deposit in order to treat his father, he said.


The security forces imposed a tight cordon around the bank and negotiated with the angry depositor, asking him to open the bank's door and release the detained employees.


Several hours later, Sheikh Hussein turned himself in and agreed to free the hostages "after agreeing to give him 30,000 dollars out of his deposit amounting to 209,000 dollars," according to the National Agency.


Sheikh Hussein was met with broad solidarity, as dozens gathered in front of the bank's door to express their support for him, and social networking sites were buzzing with comments supporting him and demanding his money back, especially with the growing resentment against banks.


Since the fall of 2019, with the onset of the economic collapse that the World Bank ranked as the worst in the world since 1850, banks have imposed strict restrictions on withdrawing bank deposits that have increased little by little, until it has become almost impossible for depositors to dispose of their money, especially those in US dollars, while deposits in local currency have been lost. Its value, with the lira declining more than ninety percent against the dollar.


During the past two years, waiting rooms in banks have witnessed repeated problems between angry citizens who want to obtain their deposits and employees who are committed to the instructions of their departments.


PALESTINE

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

The Civil Defense calls for the entry of rescue equipment in light of the continued aggression on Gaza

Gaza - "Jerusalem" dot com - The General Directorate of Civil Defense appealed, on Sunday morning, to the international community and Arab countries to intervene urgently to bring in rescue equipment to support its crews in carrying out their duties in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression .


This came during a press conference on the efforts of the rescue teams during the ongoing aggression since last Friday afternoon.


The spokesman for the Civil Defense , Maj. Mahmoud Basal, said that its crews continue to carry out their duty, in light of the aggression, "despite the lack of capabilities that do not rise to the scale of the great destruction that targets our people in every aggression, especially with the continuation of the Israeli siege for years."


He added that it had carried out 71 missions since the start of the aggression, including firefighting, rescue and ambulance missions, pointing out that most of the incidents were concentrated in the governorates of Gaza, northern Gaza, and Rafah.


He pointed out that from the first moment of the start of the aggression, a state of emergency was declared at the Civil Defense Directorate with all its components, in order to support our people in light of the ongoing aggression.


Regarding the crime of bombing a house in Rafah on the heads of its residents on Saturday evening, the Civil Defense spokesman said, "The Israeli occupation committed crimes against humanity against our people, and the Rafah massacre, in which seven citizens, including two women, were killed, and dozens were injured, instead of the great destruction that was inflicted." eight residential buildings.


He continued, "The Israeli occupation destroyed several buildings over the heads of their residents in the crime of Al-Shaout neighborhood in Rafah, flouting all international humanitarian conventions and norms, and not considering the presence of innocent children, women, and the elderly."


He explained that his crews faced great difficulties in dealing with the bombing of the house in Rafah, indicating that they cooperated to overcome this with the police, the Ministry of Works, the municipality and medical services.


He said, "The search for the missing persons under the rubble continued for more than eight hours, using modest capabilities."


The Civil Defense spokesman called for civilians to be spared from the targeting and bombing operations that have claimed the lives of many children, women and the elderly since the start of the aggression.

ECONOMY

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

Saudi Aramco and China's Sinopec sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation projects in the Kingdom

RIYADH - (Xinhua) The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) and the Chinese Petroleum and Chemical Company (Sinopec) signed today (Wednesday) a memorandum of understanding covering several areas of possible cooperation between the two parties in the Kingdom.


The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) stated that the memorandum of understanding aims to define paths of strategic cooperation between the two sides in the Kingdom, and to build a long-term relationship between the two companies and their existing joint ventures in China and the Kingdom.


Areas of cooperation will include evaluating opportunities for integration in refining, petrochemicals, engineering, procurement and construction, oil field services, upstream technologies, refining, processing and marketing, as well as cooperation in carbon capture and hydrogen operations.


Under the MoU, the two companies will explore opportunities to establish a local manufacturing center in King Salman Energy Park.


The memorandum of understanding comes based on previous cooperation that included the establishment of the Fujian Refining and Petrochemical Company, Sinopec Senmei (Fujian) in China, and Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company (YASREF) in the Kingdom.


Mohammed Yahya Al-Qahtani, Senior Vice President for Refining, Processing and Marketing at Saudi Aramco, said that the memorandum will strengthen the strategic relationship between the two parties.


In turn, Sinopec Chairman Yu Baocai affirmed that the memorandum comes within the framework of a new beginning of the partnership in the Kingdom to achieve further progress in the Belt and Road Initiative and Vision 2030.

OPINIONS

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

The year of steadfastness, challenge, and the beginning of advancement

Written by: Hani Al-Masry


This year is expected to be a hot year, as the most extremist, racist, expansionist and aggressive government came to power in Israel, and it believes that it is capable of resolving the conflict. Because it is strong and cohesive, and it has a majority that it believes is sufficient to make it stable throughout its rule, as indicated by its program, coalition agreements, and the statements of many of its ministers.

In order to realize one of the important differences between this government and the governments that preceded it, we will find that since the start of what was falsely called the "peace process", the governments have declared themselves "conflict resolution", "conflict management", or "conflict reduction", although there are ongoing policies and procedures, Regardless of the government, such as: confiscating lands, Judaizing them, settling them, expelling their residents and gathering them in populated ghettos that are more and more separated from each other, and completing the Judaization of Jerusalem and its family, including the Old City and the sanctities, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque; Where there are vigorous attempts to change his position, and it is expected to escalate during the era of the government of the national and religious right, under the slogan of "equality" between Muslims and Jews in the practice of their worship in Al-Aqsa.

The conflict resolution government can be overthrown

The question: Will Netanyahu's sixth government succeed in resolving the conflict that has not been resolved for 75 years, when the Zionist movement committed the crime of the Nakba? Of course not, especially in light of the insistence of the Palestinian people inside and outside the homeland to defend their cause and keep it alive, and the steadfastness of half of this people on their land, and their number is more than the Jews, despite all the wars, massacres, plans of Judaization, displacement and intimidation, and their determination to stand firm, resist and defend themselves. His land, his rights, his national identity, and the gains achieved by the national movement, the most important of which is that there is a Palestinian liberation cause that is just and morally superior, and that there is one entity that embodies the national identity, and a people that carries this cause, regardless of the existence or absence of a leadership at the level of the people, and at the level of challenge and responsibility.

The fact that the government of the extreme right is very difficult to succeed in resolving the conflict does not diminish the seriousness of what it can accomplish on the path to resolving the conflict, if it is not confronted with what it deserves. We usually exaggerate what the enemy achieves, and exaggerate our achievements.

In this context, we put the talk about the fact that the Zionist movement has been completely defeated at stake, as well as that Israel is about to disappear, or is about to disappear. Indeed, there are those who predicted its demise last year, and instead of reviewing himself and admitting that his diligence is wrong, he finds nothing wrong with extending his prophecy To this year, or to the year 2027, to promote what was known as the "generational curse".

It is true that the Zionist movement was defeated, but in the sense that it was unable to bring all or most of the Jews to the "Promised Land", and it is still searching for its lost legitimacy, and it was not able to expel half of the Palestinians from their homeland, as their number is still more than the number of Jews, and the Palestinian cause is still alive. And the resistance continues.

The Zionist movement was defeated and not defeated

However, the foregoing should not diminish the achievements made by the Zionist movement, especially that it established an advanced country politically, economically, militarily and technologically, defeated the Arabs in the June 1967 war, occupied all of Palestine, withstood the October 1973 war, launched a counterattack, and expelled the PLO from Lebanon, and peace treaties were concluded with Egypt and Jordan, and a declaration of principles with the Liberation Organization, without withdrawing from an inch of Palestine, but there were 900,000 settler settlers in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, in addition to it imposing an apartheid regime on the Palestinians inside Territories of 48, besieging the Gaza Strip, waging military aggression behind the aggression against it, and chasing to liquidate the refugee issue by changing the definition of a refugee and liquidating UNRWA, and it did not succeed, but it succeeded in settling many Palestinians in countries of asylum and diaspora, and in pushing more Palestinians from Syria and Lebanon, And from Palestine, especially from the Gaza Strip, to immigration or the desire to emigrate.

It also concluded treaties with a number of Arab countries, with what was known as the “Abraham Accords”, and seeks to crown them with Saudi Arabia, and has so far deceived the world that it has established the only democracy in the arid Arab desert, and this claim will be dropped by the current government, which is considered by many Israelis and Jews in the world A coup against democracy, and threatens the future of Israel.

Now, how can the plans of the Israeli government be thwarted, which include deepening the occupation, settlement, Judaization, annexation, displacement, apartheid in all of the land of Palestine, and military aggression in all its forms, especially by unrestricted shooting by soldiers and settlers, tightening restrictions on prisoners, and imposing the death penalty on Those who carry out actions that lead to the killing of Jews, placing the Palestinian inside between loyalty and the withdrawal of nationality, changing the status of Al-Aqsa, and fragmenting the Palestinians by deepening the separation between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, to the point of thinking about dissolving the PA, and establishing offices or local authorities in its place, waiting for the displacement of more Palestinians, and calling for guardianship And the Arab alternatives under Israeli sovereignty to erase the name of Palestine from the political and geographical map in the context of giving priority to normalization with the Arabs, to the point of generosity, as Netanyahu expressed, by being prepared to postpone annexation if Saudi Arabia signs a peace treaty with it, as part of an effort for an Arab-Israeli alliance against Iran?

Defense stage, no balance, no strategic attack

The beginning of salvation from what we are in is represented in:

First: the realization that the Palestinians, despite all the elements of power and justice that they possess, and that they can obtain, are going through a stage of strategic defense; That is, they are not in the stage of a strategic attack or a strategic balance, but the strategic defense is not necessarily all negative, but rather includes steps that fall within the studied offensive and positive defence. This is because of the Arab deterioration, the lack of an Arab project, the occupation entity’s control over all of Palestine, and the occurrence of the Palestinian division, which is not confined to the Fatah and Hamas movements and between the West Bank and Gaza, but rather extended abroad and beyond the Green Line, and spread to all the places where the Palestinian people are present under a freeze. The unifying national institution, the loss of national reconciliation, and the lack of respect for the people through the elections.

Second: Realizing that we are in a stage of strategic defense that does not require complacency and surrender to the status quo, or coexistence and dealing with it to perpetuate it, nor adventure, extremism and leaping from it, by raising the ceiling of expectations, or setting high goals for urgent implementation, without the ability to implement them, nor betting on others, Whether on the international community and the strategy of internationalization, or rights, or American pressure on Israel, or a war waged by Iran, or the axis of resistance against Israel. So the bet is first and foremost on the Palestinian people, and to the extent that they are active, unified, and realistic that they can influence on the Arab, regional and international levels, not to cover up the tragic reality by justifying a reality that cannot be justified, nor why did we reach it, and preaching a bright future without paving the way that is capable of reaching it?

Possible change is on the way to achieving the desired change

What is required is to do the best possible; To bring about possible change in leadership, vision, strategies, programs, methods of work, institutions and leaders, on the path of hoped-for change, within a comprehensive vision of the past, its lessons and through it, the challenges, risks and opportunities of the present, and the requirements of moving towards the future; A vision from which strategies and programs emerge that embody common denominators, and take into account the circumstances and tasks of each Palestinian community. Whoever rejects this and wants all or nothing, and calls for the overthrow of the leadership, the dissolution of the authority, and the adoption of armed resistance as the sole or main method, let him do that, so why hesitate, and if he cannot, let him support To achieve the best and maximum possible, and not say the art of the possible. Big slogans without feet are as harmful as ideas of a kind that can't be better than it was.

Beware of chaos and dissolution of power without an alternative

It is dangerous for the currently weak Palestinian, who suffers from disorientation in light of the approved political projects reaching a dead end without crystallizing a new project, with the capabilities and weapons he possesses, pushing the conflict towards decisiveness, the dissolution of power, and an open conflict without restrictions, program, leadership, or organization. What enables his enemy to decide in his favour. It is in the interest of the Palestinian to preoccupy the occupation, exhaust it, disperse its forces, and put pressure on its weaknesses, and not provoke its strengths. This requires focusing on setting appropriate goals, and focusing on popular resistance and boycott without excluding armed resistance, but not as the only or main form, but rather the secondary one at this stage. It is used for self-defense in the face of attacks, assassinations and military aggression, and it targets occupation soldiers and herds of armed settlers.

The main battle is on the bank, so let's focus here

A comprehensive vision that defines goals, principles, values, main forms of struggle, and rules of internal engagement, does not dispense with the development of public and private programmes. It must be realized that the main battle currently taking place is over the West Bank, including Jerusalem and on top of it, and resolving the matter in it so that it becomes word and deed. Judea and Samaria," or remain Palestinian as it was and as it is until now. This requires focusing efforts to save the West Bank, and what this requires in terms of providing the elements of steadfastness and fruitful resistance, and strengthening marginalized and vulnerable regions and sectors that are vulnerable to aggression, settlement, Judaization and annexation.

Here, areas classified (C) are of particular importance; Where the settlement colonial attack will focus on it, as it constitutes more than 60% of the area of the West Bank, and the number of colonial settlers in it is more than twice the number of Palestinians who are subjected to harassment and persecution operations, in addition to refusing to license construction and projects, and preventing them from water and electricity sources, and even from visiting their lands.

The United Nations and international courts do not liberate, but they are necessary weapons

In light of the foregoing, the balance of the two authorities, factions and organizations of all their different names must be reconsidered. Where these areas take the importance they deserve. The essence of the conflict was, is, and will remain on the ground, and here it is possible to benefit from international law, international decisions, and the policies of countries, such as the European Union, without exaggeration and exaggeration. In order to perpetuate the consideration of this land as occupied until its liberation, and to stop the gradual and creeping annexation as a prelude to the legal annexation that this government will seek, if not immediately, then after two years, in the hope that Donald Trump or another right-wing candidate from the American Republican Party will win the upcoming US presidential elections , in order to free the hand of the Israeli government, which remains tied by the Biden administration, if it wants to implement major goals, such as annexation, Judaization, displacement, and changing the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque; This means that the same previous policies, at greater rates and more intensification, are candidates for immediate implementation and will be changed when suitable conditions are available.


Betting on oneself, and providing the ingredients for the victory of the uprising first

In order for the Palestinians to succeed in their battle to thwart the implementation of the Israeli government’s plans, they must rely on themselves mainly, without ignoring the Israeli and Arab parties and players, and in the whole world, who feared this government, and are worried about it and ready to contribute to preventing it from taking action that could cause an explosion. big.

Here, we pour some cold water on the garrison heads who call for the destruction of the temple against us and our enemies, and contribute and promote the occurrence of the Big Bang, the outbreak of an armed or popular uprising, or combine both forms, without remembering the need for clarity of vision, and providing the ingredients for victory for any upcoming uprising. So that its fate will not be like the fate of its predecessors, whose gains were not like all Palestinian struggles with the size of heroism, sacrifices and suffering; It is because of mistakes, inertia, and the scale of external intrigues. The popular first intifada brought us to Oslo, to where we are now. As for the second armed intifada that was betrayed, it led us to assume a leadership that only sees coexistence with the status quo, and does not believe in its people and the importance of struggle in all its forms to achieve national goals and rights, leading to the ominous division. In the event that a third intifada erupts, and the lessons of the two previous intifadas are not learned, it could lead to worse than what has happened so far, as evidenced by the closing chapter on the contemporary national movement with its various national, nationalist, nationalist, leftist, and nationalist parties.

Adopting a realistic national program is an indispensable step

The most important lesson from previous experiences is to develop a program at the heart of which is a major national goal that can be achieved in the immediate term, and at the maximum extent in the medium term. Where he is the organizer of all actions and other goals. I believe that the goal is to end the occupation and settlement and achieve freedom and independence for the State of Palestine on the 67 borders, through the struggle to change the balance of power to allow the achievement of this goal.

What has fallen is the so-called "two-state solution", and the achievement of a state by placing its fate in the hands of Israel, through bilateral negotiations under American, Arab and international cover. As for achieving national independence by forcing Israel to withdraw through boycott and resistance in all its forms, including political, legal and diplomatic action, this has not and will not fail as long as there are millions of Palestinians on the land of Palestine, clinging to their existence, and ready to struggle to achieve their rights.

At the same time, our people behind the Green Line set the goal of individual and national equality and the overthrow of the apartheid system, and our people abroad set the goal of returning, preserving the national identity, and defending the civil rights of our people in places of refuge and diaspora. On the basis that any progress of a part of the people on the way to achieving its goal helps to achieve other goals, and vice versa, although ending the occupation is the locomotive that can lead to other goals.

There are many considerations that make the goal of ending the occupation top the other goals, the most important of which is that there are more than five million Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and that there is a weak point of the occupation, and given that almost the whole world does not recognize the occupation of Israel, and there are international resolutions that support the Palestinian right, the latest of which is the Assembly’s decision the General Assembly of the United Nations to request an advisory opinion of the Supreme Court of Justice, on the nature and fate of the occupation, and the legal and other implications of this very long occupation; This strips it of the supposedly temporary occupation and turns it into an annexation, thus reinforcing the claim that Israel is not only settler colonialism and occupation, but also an apartheid regime.
If immediate unity is not possible, field unity is inevitable

The natural Palestinian response to the existential dangers that affect all Palestinians - regardless of their opinions and names - resulting from the government of extremists, is represented by immediate political, militant and institutional unity. However, the ruling and influential elites do not respond to this necessity. What requires coordination, integration, striking unitary models in all fields, sectors, and regions, and the embodiment of field unity in the context of resistance that strikes in the same direction and against the common enemy, but individually, and this is the weakest faith, and is subject to conflict and non-permanence.

The response is also represented in initiating a comprehensive national dialogue on new bases, with the participation of new players to achieve unity on the basis of national, consensual democracy and genuine partnership. Because reproducing previous dialogues and agreements, with the same people and faction representatives, will lead to the same results.

Finally, it is possible to rise from the current situation, as the people have gone through worse conditions and rose up, as happened after the crime of the Nakba, when the Palestinian revolution broke out, and after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, many thought that the issue was over, so the Palestinian genie rose through a popular uprising.

Based on the foregoing, steadfastness and defiance can begin this year, and national revival and testing can begin in the ability to thwart the Israeli government and overthrow its expansionist and hostile program. This is possible if the Palestinians present and provide the requirements for forming a global front against colonialism, occupation and apartheid, that includes all enemies and opponents. for its program, on the basis that the step of isolating it, boycotting it, and overthrowing it is a step towards ending the occupation and settlement, embodying the independence of the State of Palestine, achieving equality and overthrowing apartheid, and achieving the right of return as a stage on the road to achieving the ultimate goal of establishing a democratic state that accommodates all, after defeating and dismantling the settler-colonial project , on the basis of the equality of all citizens regardless of their religion, sex or color.

PALESTINE

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

Two Palestinians and 5 settlers were injured in an accident on Nablus Street, Ramallah

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Two Palestinians and 5 settlers were injured in a traffic accident that occurred on the main road of Nablus, Ramallah, near the eastern town of Laban.


The Israeli Broadcasting Authority stated that two Palestinians were injured in the accident, in moderate condition, and were taken to a Palestinian hospital, while a family of settlers who were injured in the accident, including a critically ill child, were transferred to hospitals for treatment.


The spokesman for the occupation police announced that the accident occurred between a Palestinian vehicle and an Israeli vehicle, and the injured were evacuated by helicopter.



Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

Things to know before traveling on vacation during the Corona pandemic

برلين- (د ب أ) – أخيرا يعود السفر تدريجيا ولكنه مرفق ببعض التحفظات. قبل أن تبدأ في حزم أمتعتك من المهم القيام ببحث بشأن وجهتك للتأكد من أن الرحلة سوف تمضي بسلاسة.


وفيا يلي بعض الأشياء الخاصة بوجهتك المختارة يجدر البحث عنها :
وضع الإصابات:
يجب أن يبحث المسافرون عن مدى خطر الإصابة بكوفيد19- في البلد الذي سيتجهون له، وذلك بالبحث عنه عادة على الانترنت أو مواقع الحكومات أو الإعلام المحلي.  ويمكن أن يحدد وضع الإصابات ما إذا كانوا سيخضعون لحجر صحي أو اتخاذ احترازات خاصة عند العودة للديار.


وضع التطعيم:
في الكثير من الدول، إذا كنت “ملقحا بالكامل” ضد كوفيد19-، فلن تحتاج للخضوع لاختبارات أو إثبات أنك تعافيت من الفيروس، ما يسهل عملية السفر حيث ستواجه قيودا وعراقيل أقل بكثير.  
إلا أنه في بعض الدول، مثل إيطاليا، لايزال الخضوع لاختبار إلزامي.
ومن المهم أيضا الانتباه إلى أن “ملقحا بالكامل” تطبق بعد 14 يوما من تلقي الجرعة الثانية أو في حالة لقاح جونسون أند جونسون بعد تلقي الجرعة حيث أنه مؤلف من جرعة واحدة.


إثبات التطعيم:
في كثير من الأحوال الآن، يعد إظهار الوثيقة التي تسجل تلقي لقاح كوفيد19- كافية. غير أن هناك جهود جارية لرقمنة هذا الإثبات من خلال تطبيق وهو نوع من جواز سفر رقمي خاص بالتطعيم.
يعمل الاتحاد الأوروبي حاليا على طرح “ممر أخضر” لجواز سفر رقمي خاص بالتطعيم لتسهيل التحرك داخل التكتل وتعمل شركات الطيران والتكنولوجيا وغيرها من الكيانات على نسخ خاصة بها.


الاختبارات المطلوبة للعودة إلى الديار:
كونك مواطنا أو مقيما ليس كافيا للسماح لك ببساطة بالعودة إلى بلدك مسقط رأسك بعد السفر إلى الخارج؛ حيث أن بعض الدول تشترط على كل المسافرين العائدين تقديم اختبار سريع سلبي قبل عملية صعود الطائرة في مطار المغادرة.
وعادة ما يتم إعفاء المسافرين الملقحين أو هؤلاء الذين تعافوا من الفيروس من شروط الاختبارات تلك.


تأمين السفر:
يجب أن يتأكد المسافرون من أن التأمين الصحي الخاص بهم سوف يجدي نفعا في الخارج وأن يضعوا التأمين الصحي للسفر في الحسبان في حال أصيبوا بكوفيد.19- ويتعين قراءة شروط التأمين الصحي حيث أن الجوائح لا تكون دائما مشمولة.                                          

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

The United Nations accuses the Taliban of carrying out killings and human rights violations

Kabul - (AFP) - The United Nations on Wednesday accused the Taliban of committing hundreds of human rights violations in Afghanistan since they seized power last year, including summary executions and torture.


"There is no doubt that the findings of our report are very serious," said Acting Head of the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan, Marcus Potzel, at a press conference in Kabul.


The Taliban have always denied accusations of human rights abuses since their overthrow of the previous Western-backed government, but the report of the United Nations mission, which was published on Wednesday, listed many violations.


The report documents 160 accusations of extrajudicial killings, 56 cases of torture and ill-treatment, and more than 170 arbitrary arrests or detentions of former government officials and members of the national security forces since August.


Among the most frequently used methods of torture are kicking, punching, slapping, beating with cables and pipes, and the use of electric shock devices.


The report also documented more than 200 cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments, including beatings of shopkeepers for not going to mosques, and more than 100 cases of excessive use of force.


Since the end of the war in Afghanistan, the security situation in the country has improved significantly, with a significant decrease in civilian casualties.


The Taliban asserts that it has the support of a large majority of the people. But she returned to applying Sharia law strictly, as she did during her first assumption of power between 1996 and 2001, which led to a significant restriction of women's rights.


The UN report documented 87 cases of violence against women and girls, including murder, rape, suicide, forced and child marriage, beatings, assaults and two honor crimes, noting that none of these cases were officially registered with the judiciary.


Among the cases monitored in the report, a man and a woman were stoned to death on charges of having sexual relations.


"Impunity is rampant" in Afghanistan, said Fiona Fraser, head of the UN Human Rights Mission in Afghanistan, and acknowledged that abuses may be more than reported.


She added that the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan is "particularly concerned" about the involvement of the Taliban religious police and intelligence services in abuses.


The UN mission said that 700 civilians were killed and at least 1,400 wounded in attacks attributed mostly to the local branch of the Islamic State, and due to unexploded mines.


Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the report's findings.


"No arbitrary killings or arrests are allowed in the country. Whoever is arbitrarily killed or arrested is considered a criminal and faces Sharia law," he wrote in a tweet.

PALESTINE

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

Finland expresses its rejection of the Israeli government's decisions to "legalize outposts"

Helsinki - "Jerusalem" dot com - Finland expressed today, Wednesday, its rejection of the Israeli government's decisions to "legalize" illegal settlement outposts and build settlement units in the West Bank.


The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed, in a tweet on Twitter, that these decisions exacerbate the tense situation.


It emphasized that the settlements are illegal under international humanitarian law, and that any changes to the 1967 borders are illegal unless the parties agree.

PALESTINE

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

The occupation arrests a number of citizens in Shuafat camp

Jerusalem - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Israeli occupation forces arrested, this evening, Saturday, a number of citizens after storming the Shuafat refugee camp in Jerusalem.


According to press sources, the occupation forces stormed the camp and arrested several citizens, without revealing their identities.


SPORT

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:25 pm - Jerusalem Time

AFC Asian Cup 2023: Finals from January 12 to February 10, 2024

(أ ف ب) -أعلن الاتحاد القطري لكرة القدم عن إقامة نهائيات كأس آسيا 2023 خلال الفترة ما بين 12 كانون ثاني/ يناير حتى 10 شباط/فبراير من العام المقبل 2024 .
وكشف الاتحاد القطري في بيان عن تشكيل اللجنة المنظمة المحلية للبطولة برئاسة الشيخ حمد بن خليفة بن أحمد آل ثاني رئيس الاتحاد وجاسم البوعنين نائبا للرئيس.
وكان من المقرر أن تُقام البطولة في 10 مدن صينية شهري حزيران/ يونيو وتموز/ يوليو من العام الحالي 2023، قبل ان تعتذر الصين في العام الماضي بسبب الظروف الاستثنائية المتعلقة بجائحة فيروس كورونا لتُبدي كل من كوريا الجنوبية وإندونيسيا الى جانب قطر، رغبتها في استضافة البطولة، قبل ان تنسحب الدولتان لتفوز قطر بالتنظيم للمرة الثالثة في تاريخها بعد نسختي 1988 و2011.
وتقام النسخة المقبلة من البطولة بمشاركة 24 منتخباً للمرة الثانية بعد النسخة الماضية التي أقيمت في الإمارات العربية المتحدة عام 2019 وتوج المنتخب القطري بلقبها.
ومن المنتظر ان يعلن الاتحاد الآسيوي لكرة القدم عن موعد إجراء القرعة الرسمية للبطولة التي أقيمت تصفياتها بشكل مشترك مع تصفيات كأس العالم 2022 عبر المرحلة الثالثة التي اسفرت عن تأهل نصف المنتخبات (12 منتخبا) والتي كانت قد بلغت الدور الحاسم من تصفيات المونديال، الى جانب النهائيات القارية، في حين أقيمت المرحلة الثانية من التصفيات بشكل منفصل لتتأهل المنتخبات الـ 12 الأخرى.
وستقام منافسات البطولة القارية على عدد من الملاعب التي احتضنت نهائيات كأس العالم 2022 شهري تشرين ثاني/نوفمبر وكانون أول/ديسمبر الماضيين، حيث حقق المونديال الذي اقيم للمرة الأولى في الشرق الأوسط والمنطقة العربية نجاحا كبيرا من الناحية التنظيمية.

PALESTINE

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:24 pm - Jerusalem Time

The occupation releases a prisoner from Tubas after serving 18 years

Tubas - "Jerusalem" dot com - Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces released the prisoner, Firas Sawafta (39 years), from the city of Tubas, after serving 18 years in the occupation prisons.


According to the Prisoners' Club, the prisoner, Sawafta, was released from Megiddo Prison, at the Salem military checkpoint, west of Jenin, where he was supposed to be released last July.


The club explained that the occupation authorities extended Sawafta’s detention to stand trial following a case brought against him while he was in captivity. According to an agreement with his lawyer, he was supposed to be released on August 14, but that was not done, and a court session was set for him to examine the possibility of transferring him to administrative detention.


It is noteworthy that the prisoner, Sawafta, was arrested in July 2004 and sentenced to 18 years in prison, noting that he was a university student at the time.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:24 pm - Jerusalem Time

Six years imprisonment for the former director of the Algerian Maritime Transport Corporation

Algiers - (AFP) - A court in Algiers sentenced the former director-general of the National Corporation for Maritime Transport to six years in prison on corruption charges, following his dismissal and arrest in June, according to local media and the official APS news agency.


Kamal Asaad was sacked on June 2, by decision of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, due to "behavior that is offensive to Algeria's image and harmful to the interests of citizens," according to the official APS news agency.


His dismissal came after an almost empty ship left on the Marseille trip to Algiers, despite the high demand for trips to Algeria at the beginning of the summer, which caused a scandal.


The former commercial director of the institution, Karim Bouznad, was also sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of approximately 6,700 euros.


A week after the dismissal of Asaad and the official of the Algiers stopover, Kamel Idalia, the national economic and financial pole announced in the Sidi M’hamed court in Algiers that these two officials and five others were under investigation “on charges related to corruption that harmed the citizens and the institution.”


They were tried for "willful waste, unlawful use of property and public funds, abuse of office, and unlawful enrichment".


Two of the defendants, former officials of the institution, were sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison and two international arrest warrants were issued against them.


Charges were dropped against the deputy director of the National Maritime Transport Corporation and the head of the Maritime Shipping Authority.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:24 pm - Jerusalem Time

The United Nations requests that the Syrian conflict talks be separated from the war in Ukraine

Geneva, (AFP) - The United Nations asked Friday that the conflicts should not affect the Syrian talks in Geneva, which were forcibly halted by Russia, which appears to consider Switzerland no longer neutral since the war in Ukraine.


The ninth round of talks on drafting a new Syrian constitution was to be held from July 25 to 29 in Geneva, under the auspices of UN Special Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen.


Pedersen's spokeswoman, Jennifer Fenton, told reporters in Geneva that the Syrian side "informed Mr. Pedersen that his delegation would not be ready to participate in the ninth session until after (...) the requests of the Russian Federation were met."


It did not elaborate on what the Russian demands were. Observers said that Moscow objected to the venue of the meeting, arguing that Switzerland was no longer neutral since it imposed sanctions on Russian officials following Russia's invasion of Ukraine this year.


Syria and Russia have been allies for decades, but relations have greatly strengthened in the wake of the Syrian conflict and Moscow's military intervention since 2015 on the side of the Syrian regime.


Pedersen briefed the UN Security Council on Thursday about the situation. He pointed out that the postponement of the meeting in Geneva is "unfortunate and frustrating, especially since it was caused by issues unrelated to the Syrian file," according to Fenton.


And she added, "He urged all parties to put in place a protective wall that would protect the Syrian process from the impact of conflicts taking place elsewhere in the world, and put the interests of the Syrians first."


The spokeswoman indicated that when proposing the establishment of the Constitutional Committee in 2018, one of its conditions was that "its meetings be held in Geneva without external interference."


At the conclusion of the eighth round of talks in early June, Pedersen declared that the talks had made little progress and "significant differences remained on some texts."


Since 2011, Syria has been witnessing a bloody conflict that has killed about half a million people, caused massive destruction to infrastructure and productive sectors, and led to the displacement of millions of people inside and outside the country.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:24 pm - Jerusalem Time

The New York Times: An internal Mossad investigation reveals that Hezbollah was behind the Argentine attacks

A translation of "Jerusalem" dot com - The New York Times revealed today, Friday, the results of an internal Mossad investigation indicating that the attacks carried out in the 1990s against Israeli and Jewish targets in Argentina were behind Hezbollah and are not the responsibility of Iran.

According to the American newspaper, the internal investigation showed that those involved in the attacks and the real responsible for them are still present in Lebanon, and there was no interference by local parties in Argentina, or by any Iranian parties in these attacks, and that they were only prepared and implemented by Hezbollah. himself, and were reprisals from the party.

According to the newspaper, the materials used in the attacks were smuggled through shampoo bottles and chocolate boxes, as shown in the investigation of the Israeli Mossad , and were transported via regular commercial flights from Europe and hidden in a local garden.

The newspaper said that the results of the Mossad investigation are completely inconsistent with the Argentine investigations over the past 3 decades, which believed that Iran was behind the attacks.

The newspaper expected the disclosure of this investigation that it would raise controversy within the Argentine government, especially among the families of the dead, who had believed for years that Tehran was behind the attacks.

ARAB AND WORLD

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:24 pm - Jerusalem Time

A pregnant woman was killed and 22 people missing when a boat carrying migrants sank in the Mediterranean

Rome - (AFP) - A pregnant woman has died and at least 22 people, including children, are missing after a ship sank in the Mediterranean , Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday.


The rescue ship "Geo Parents" of the non-governmental humanitarian organization was able to rescue 71 people, including a four-month-old baby, after the ship sank Monday off the Libyan coast.


"Yesterday we faced our worst nightmare that turned reality," team captain Riccardo Gatti said in a statement.


The boat was sinking and many people were in the water when GeoParents arrived on the scene after receiving a distress call.


Doctors Without Borders said a pregnant woman was brought on board but desperate attempts to save her from death failed.


More than 22 people are still missing, according to information collected from survivors.


Two women said they lost their children at sea, while another young woman lost her little brother.


An infant was resuscitated on board before being transported in a medical emergency, along with his mother, to Malta, while the other survivors remained on board the GeoParents.


"The survivors are exhausted, many have swallowed large amounts of seawater, and many are hypothermic after spending many hours in the water," said Stephanie Hofstetter, MSF's head of the medical team on board.


"At least 10 people, most of them women, are suffering from burns and need additional treatment," she added.


The central Mediterranean is considered the most dangerous migration route in the world, and about 27,000 people have crossed into Italy by sea from the coasts of North Africa since the beginning of the year, compared to less than 20,000 people during the same period in 2021, according to the Italian Ministry of the Interior.

Wed 15 Mar 2023 8:24 pm - Jerusalem Time

Forest fires caused by drought and heat waves in Chongqing, China

Chongqing (Xinhua) -- Drought and persistent heat waves have caused a number of forest fires to break out in mountainous areas in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, according to the municipal information department.


More than 5,000 rescue workers, including elements of firefighters, armed forces and professional rescue teams as well as seven helicopters, have been mobilized to take part in putting out the fires.


More than 1,500 people have been evacuated to safe places.


There have been no reports of casualties so far.


And large parts of China are witnessing heat waves during the recent period. For example, Chongqing municipality is experiencing the most severe continuous heat wave since 1961.


On Sunday, the National Meteorological Center continued to issue a red alert for high temperatures, the most severe alert in China's four-level weather warning system.


That day was the tenth day in a row that the center issued a red alert for high temperatures.


The current heat waves are expected to gradually recede from August 26, according to the China Meteorological Administration.