Jerusalem - "Jerusalem" dot com - Ahmad Jalajel - Jerusalem Governorate reported, on Tuesday, that the number of Palestinian detainees in the governorate has reached 400 since the beginning of the year.

Marouf al-Rifai, the media advisor to the Jerusalem governorate, said in press statements that this is a dangerous escalation compared to the number of detainees in the same period of 2022.

And Al-Rifai indicated that the occupation forces expanded their arrest campaigns against activists and young men in Jerusalem, following the civil disobedience that took place in several areas of Jerusalem governorate two days ago.

He pointed to the escalation of mass arrests carried out by the occupation security forces, especially with the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, and the Jewish Passover holiday coinciding with the third week of it, as they carry out precautionary arrests before this date every year.

Al-Rifai considered that the escalation of arrests against Jerusalemite youths is a continuation of the systematic policy pursued by successive occupation governments to pressure the youths of the Holy City to empty it of its original inhabitants, in a desperate attempt to Judaize it and replace them with settlers.

Brussels - (AFP) - The European Union imposed new trade restrictions on Russia and expanded the list of people targeted by asset freezes and travel bans to the European Union, as part of an eighth package of sanctions against Moscow that took effect Thursday.

These new measures, which were published in the Official Journal of the European Union, are "a response to Russia's escalation in the illegal war that it continues to wage against Ukraine and is manifested in particular by annexing Ukrainian lands after + fake referendums + mobilizing additional forces and threatening to use nuclear weapons," she said. European Commission.

The sanctions also pave the way for the introduction of a cap on Russian oil prices agreed by the Group of Seven, and for a ban on European citizens from taking positions on the management bodies of some Russian state-owned companies.

The eighth batch of European sanctions since the start of the war launched by Moscow on Ukraine on February 24, imposes a new import ban worth seven billion euros to reduce Russia's revenues.

In particular, they include a ban on imports of iron and steel products, machinery and hardware, plastics, vehicles, textiles, shoes, leather, ceramics, some chemicals, and non-gold jewelry.

The new export restrictions aim to limit Russia's ability to develop its defense and security sector. It relates in particular to “the ban on the export of coal, including coke (used in Russian industrial sites), certain electronic components (found in Russian weapons), technical materials used in the aviation sector, as well as some chemical products,” as stated by the European Commission.

A ban on the export of small-caliber weapons is also planned.

In addition, thirty individuals and seven entities have been added to a blacklist of more than 1,300 names subject to an asset freeze and travel ban to the European Union.

The persons and entities added to the list are "involved in the Russian occupation, illegal annexation and + bogus referenda + in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions".

Among them are military personnel and senior officials, as well as companies supporting the Russian armed forces.

Bans on crypto assets have been tightened, expanding the range of services that can no longer be provided to the Russian government.
He said that the ban imposed by the European Union on imports of Russian crude oil by sea is still in place.

The commission said that "setting price ceilings, once implemented, will allow European operators to transfer Russian oil to third countries, provided that the latter's price remains below the previously set ceiling."

And she explained that the procedure, in coordination with the G7 partners, “will become effective after December 5, 2022 for crude oil and February 5, 2023 for refined petroleum products, after a new decision of the Council” (member states).

Rabat/Jerusalem - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Secretary-General of the People's National Congress for Jerusalem, Major General Bilal Natsheh , signed yesterday a joint cooperation and coordination agreement between the Congress and Bait Mal Al-Quds Agency in Rabat, where he is on an official visit at the head of a high-level delegation.

In addition to Major General Natsheh, the agreement was signed on behalf of the agency by its Acting Director General, Dr. Muhammad Salem Al-Sharqawi, as it includes various sectoral programs in Jerusalem, specifically helping some Jerusalemite students studying in local universities.

It also includes holding joint events and special seminars in Jerusalem and other Palestinian governorates, in parallel with Moroccan cities.

After the signing of the agreement, which was the culmination of the strong relations between the conference and the Bayt Al-Mal Agency, the conference delegation witnessed the celebration of "Rabat, Capital of Islamic Culture", which is being held with the support of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization "ISESCO", in addition to the opening of the "Rabat" photo exhibition in Jerusalem. Which expresses the extent of the Kingdom of Morocco's support for the Holy City and its interest in strengthening steadfastness and bond in the city, which has been subjected to the fiercest occupation attack on it since its occupation to this day.

The family of the late Dr. Hanna Issa, the former Secretary-General of the Islamic Christian Organization for the Support of Al-Quds, was honored, as the honorary shield was received by the current Secretary-General, Hatem Abdel Qader, in the presence of the late’s wife in Ramallah, via “Zoom” visual technology.

During these activities, several speeches were delivered by Al-Natsheh, Al-Shobaki, Al-Sharqawi and others, all of which called for strengthening the steadfastness of the Palestinian people on the ground, especially in the city of Jerusalem , which is undergoing an unprecedented process of Judaization.

The events were attended by a large number of intellectuals, writers, politicians and activists, led by the Moroccan Ministry of Culture, the Mayor of Rabat, the diplomatic corps in Rabat, the Director General of ISESCO, Ambassador Al-Shobaki, the Beit Mal Al-Quds Agency, and the head of the Palestinian-Moroccan Struggle Support Association, the fighter Muhammad Bin Jelloun Al-Andalusi.

The delegation of the People's National Congress to Jerusalem, headed by Major General Natsheh and with the membership of Secretary Hatem Abdel Qader and the representative of the conference, Younis Al-Amouri, held a series of fruitful meetings in the Moroccan capital on the first day of the visit, which began on Monday. The embassy headquarters in the Moroccan capital.

During the meeting, they discussed the situation in Jerusalem and the latest developments in the Palestinian cause.

The delegation also held a session of talks with Beit Mal Al-Quds Agency, which the visit came at its invitation.

Dr. Muhammad Salem Al-Sharqawi, Acting Director General of the Agency, participated in the session with the delegation. The delegation also held a similar session with the First Chamber of the Moroccan Parliament, represented by Representative Khadija Al-Zoumi, First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

He also met with the second chamber in Parliament, the Council of Advisors, represented by the first deputy of the Council, Muhammad Hanin, and they were briefed on the ongoing Israeli violations in the Holy City, while Major General Natsheh sent an official invitation to them to visit Jerusalem in honor of the conference to see closely the course of the conditions and events that took place. the occupied city.

The delegation also visited the tomb of the founding king of the Moroccan state, the late King Mohammed V, and recited Al-Fatihah on his pure soul, while Major General Al-Natshe wrote a word in the record of honor at the place of the shrine.

BEIJING - (Xinhua) -- China's central bank continued to inject money into the financial system through open market operations on Monday.

The People's Bank of China said on its website that it had conducted a seven-day reverse buyback of 46 billion yuan (about 6.7 billion U.S. dollars) at an interest rate of 2 percent.

The move aims to maintain reasonable and ample liquidity in the banking system, according to the central bank.

Reverse repo operations, known as a "reverse repo", are operations in which the central bank buys securities from commercial banks through bidding, with the agreement to sell them back to them in the future.

Jerusalem - "Al-Quds" dot com - Bayt Mal Al-Quds Agency said that the volume of development subsidies it provided between 2000 and 2022 to various sectors of the Holy City amounted to about $64 million.

The agency added, during a press conference held today, Wednesday, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its founding, that the Kingdom of Morocco contributed $16.7 million of the total contributions made by countries.

A report reviewed by the director in charge of running the agency, Mohamed Salem Al-Sharqawi, confirmed that the social assistance sector, culture, youth and sports received about 60% of the agency's expenditures, in implementation of the instructions of the Moroccan monarch, Chairman of the Jerusalem Committee King Mohammed VI, which requires that the agency give special attention to this sector.

He pointed out that the decent living program, which targets poor families in Jerusalem, distributes 29,000 loaves of bread daily to about 2,900 families, and creates economic support for 20 bakeries.

The report indicated that (the Jerusalem Orphan Sponsorship Program) sponsors 100 orphans and orphans from the children of Jerusalem, adding that 650 boys and girls benefited from the summer camps program for Jerusalem children in Morocco, in addition to the beneficiaries of the "summer camps for Jerusalem children in Jerusalem" program, which is funded by the Agency in partnership with Jerusalemite associations and in cooperation with the Directorate of Education in Jerusalem.

He stated that the (Civil Initiatives Project for a Sustainable Program for Human Development in Jerusalem) is interested in financing association projects in the fields of professions, training, women's empowerment, income generation, capacity support, and community inclusion.

He pointed out that the agency has a number of other social projects such as restoring and rehabilitating sports clubs and cultural centers and equipping them, distributing food parcels during the holy month of Ramadan and religious occasions, supporting and financing the individual and group lending program for building and restoring homes and housing, rehabilitating the homes of the poor and marginalized, and restoring mosques and the Moroccan corner.

The report stated that the Agency has completed several projects in the education sector, which accounted for about 20% of its budget, including: building 4 new schools, repairing and restoring 10 others, and the scholarship program for Jerusalemite students provides annual scholarships in the field of higher education for outstanding Jerusalemite students. And those in need to continue their studies in Palestinian, Moroccan and other universities, by 2000 dollars for literary majors, and 3 thousand dollars for medicine and engineering majors.

He said that the agency supported Jerusalem hospitals by purchasing ambulances, devices and equipment to help them perform their tasks, in addition to rehabilitating and restoring some of them, and establishing medical units and departments in hospitals in various specialties, indicating that during the period of the "Corona" pandemic, it provided hospitals with the necessary supplies to help them deal with the pandemic. .

It is noteworthy that the Bait Mal Al-Quds Agency is a social humanitarian institution, established on the initiative of the late Hassan II in 1995, and began its actual work during the year 1998, and works under the direct supervision of the Chairman of the Jerusalem Committee, the Moroccan King Mohammed VI, to implement social projects in Jerusalem to contribute In protecting the Holy City, preserving its religious and cultural heritage and supporting its residents.

Its projects are divided into sectors: education, health, housing, culture, sports, women's empowerment, youth and childhood care, as well as social assistance programs for people in difficult situations and groups with disabilities.

Jerusalem - "Al-Quds" dot com - The head of the Supreme Islamic Commission in Jerusalem, the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Dr. Ikrima Sabri , stressed the importance of the Arab and Islamic countries' support for the Bayt Mal Al-Quds agency because it is the practical project to support the Jerusalemites, indicating that interest in Jerusalem is an interest in part of The creed of every Muslim in this holy city.

The preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, in press statements on the sidelines of his participation in the celebration of the silver jubilee of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency in the capital, Rabat, praised the Kingdom of Morocco’s sponsorship of the agency since its establishment a quarter of a century ago, which enabled it to stand by the Jerusalemites and support their steadfastness, calling for its support to continue its efforts and perform its tasks.

Sabri said, "Moroccan care for Al-Quds Al-Sharif is clear, and it is not strange for the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to sponsor Al-Quds, which has great imprints in this city. adjacent to the wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Al-Buraq Wall.

Al-Aqsa preacher explained that part of the Jerusalemites of Moroccan origin came with Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi and settled in it.

Sabri pointed out that the Moroccans have a close connection with Al-Quds Al-Sharif and its people from a spiritual and devotional perspective, and in terms of preserving the Arab-Islamic identity of the Holy City as well as a great affinity with the Jerusalemites, adding that the city of Jerusalem represents a miniature nation of multiple peoples melted into one crucible, which is Jerusalem. Which unites and does not separate, and it is the subject of unanimity among Arabs and Muslims, and it is a blessed land.

Rabat- “Jerusalem” dot com – Specialist doctors from Jerusalem, who are currently visiting the Kingdom of Morocco at the invitation of the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency during a medical workshop in front of their Moroccan counterparts, talked about their experiences in dealing with cases resulting from the unfortunate events that the city witnesses from time to time, and falls The innocent Jerusalemites were killed by live bullets, rubber bullets, suffocation from tear gas, and then by the waste water used by the occupation forces.

They emphasized that these interventions are sometimes hampered by the difficulty of ambulances reaching places where tension usually prevails within the walls of the Old City in particular and the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, due to obstructions and prohibitions, which makes it difficult for rescue teams to perform tasks, in addition to the difficulty of dealing with a number of difficult cases in field hospitals. , which are being evaluated by the Palestine Red Crescent crews, and are forced to transfer them, as quickly as possible, to the emergency and emergency departments at Al-Makassed Hospital.

The workshop was organized by the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, in the Moroccan capital, Rabat. It focused on emergencies in the Moroccan and Palestinian experience.

Dr. Adnan Farhoud, Director of Al-Makassed Hospital, Dr. Maher Dib, Medical Director of St. Joseph Hospital, Dr. Hani Abdeen, Medical Director of Al-Mutala Hospital, Dr. Mahmoud Elyan, Director of the Red Crescent Hospital in Jerusalem, and Dr. Mazen Abu Gharbia, Head of Department, participated in the workshop on the Palestinian side. Ambulances at Al-Makassed Hospital, and Dr. Haitham Al-Amleh, Head of the Treatment Department at Al-Mutala Hospital.

The workshop began with a speech delivered by the Secretary-General of the Moroccan Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Abd al-Karim Meziane Belfakih, on behalf of the Minister of Health, Khaled Ait Talib, welcoming the delegation of Jerusalem hospitals and the Palestinian medical and nursing cadres, and appreciating this initiative that opens horizons for the exchange of expertise and experiences between specialists from the two countries, Whether through official channels of communication between ministries, or through the efforts made by the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency, under the instructions of Moroccan King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee.

During the workshop, which was hosted by the National School of Public Health, Dr. Ilham Bachis, Head of the Emergency Department at the Directorate of Hospitals and Ambulatory Treatments at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, gave a presentation on the control and regulation of the management of the emergency system in Morocco, inside and outside hospitals and health centers.

Examples of the experience of the Moroccan health sector in dealing with emergencies, disasters and health emergencies were presented.

KALAT, Afghanistan - (Xinhua) - A total of 300 people, mostly children, have been infected with whooping cough or pertussis in southern Afghanistan's Zabul province, and two children have died of the disease, Provincial Public Health Director Abdul Hakim Hakimi said on Tuesday.

In his statements to Xinhua, Hakimi said, "The disease, which is spreading in the Souri district of the state, has infected no less than 300 people, most of them children, while two children lost their lives during the past week."

He also confirmed that an emergency team of health officials has been sent to the region to treat those infected with the disease.
Meanwhile, the state's public health office has asked citizens not to leave their homes for several days to avoid the spread of the highly contagious disease.

It is noteworthy that whooping cough is a highly contagious disease that affects the respiratory system, and it is known as a violent, uncontrollable cough, and it usually makes breathing difficult.

Governorates - "Al-Quds" dot com - The general strike took place, Thursday morning, in the various governorates of the country , mourning the souls of the martyrs of the Nablus massacre that took place yesterday and left 11 martyrs and more than 100 wounded.

Institutions, schools and shops closed their doors, while public transport was disrupted in most governorates.

The national and Islamic forces called for a comprehensive strike in all parts of the governorates, and to go to points of contact for confrontation with the occupation forces.

Beirut - (AFP) - European investigators, Tuesday, in Beirut, heard two new witnesses, one of whom is the chairman of a bank, for eight hours in the context of investigations related to the governor of the Central Bank, Riad Salameh, according to a Lebanese judicial source told Agence France-Presse.

On Monday, investigators from France, Germany and Luxembourg began their mission in Beirut by listening to witnesses in investigations related to money laundering and embezzlement cases in Lebanon linked to Salameh.

The judicial source, who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said that the European investigators listened for more than eight hours to each of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Resources Bank, former Minister Marwan Khair El-Din, and the former deputy governor of the Central Bank, Ahmed Jishi.

Khair El-Din, who assumed the position of Minister of State in 2011, had a good relationship with Riad Salameh.
Jishi held the position of Deputy Governor of the Banque du Liban between 2003 and 2008.

"As far as I know, he has not received any summons," Pierre-Olivier Sur, Salameh's French lawyer, told AFP.

Two Lebanese judges, who attended both hearings, asked the two witnesses questions.

On Monday, the investigators heard from Saad Al-Andari, who is also Salameh's former deputy.

The judicial source, who is familiar with the content of the sessions, stated that the questions directed to Salameh’s deputies focus on decisions taken by the Central Council of the Banque du Liban, while “the questions directed to managers and owners of banks focus on accounts in them belonging to Raja Salameh, the brother of the Governor of the Banque du Liban, and transfers to the accounts of the two brothers in the outside".

He pointed out that "the delegations focused their questions on the role of Fore Associates," which is registered in the Virgin Islands and has an office in Beirut, and its economic beneficiary is Raja Salameh.

The European investigations focus on the relationship between the Banque du Liban and the “Fawry” company, which is believed to have played the role of intermediary to purchase treasury bonds and Eurobonds from the Central Bank by receiving a subscription commission, which was transferred to Raja Salameh’s accounts abroad.

On March 28, 2022, the European Judicial Cooperation Unit "Eurojust" announced that France, Germany and Luxembourg had frozen 120 million euros of Lebanese assets following an investigation targeting Salameh and four of his close associates, including his brother, on charges of money laundering and "embezzlement of public funds in Lebanon worth more than From 330 million dollars and 5 million euros, respectively, between 2002 and 2021.

Since July 2021, the French financial judiciary has been investigating Salama's fortune, and in early December, a Ukrainian woman close to him was charged with charges, including money laundering and tax fraud.

It is scheduled that the former deputy governor of the Central Bank, Raed Sharaf El-Din, and the former director of parts, Noman Ndour, will appear before the European investigators on Wednesday.

According to intersecting judicial sources, Salama's name is not included in the list of people who will be heard at this stage.

Salama has always denied the accusations against him, considering that his prosecution comes in the context of an operation to "tarnish" his image.

Salama faces several issues in Lebanon, including a local investigation regarding his wealth based on a Swiss investigation, but it did not reach any results.

Despite the complaints, summons, investigations, and travel ban issued against him in Lebanon, Salameh remains in the position he has held since 1993, making him one of the longest-serving central bank governors in the world. His term is supposed to end in May 2023.

واشنطن – (أ ف ب) -ذكرت صحيفة “وول ستريت جورنال” أن تنحّي بيل غيتس نهائياً عن رئاسة مجموعة “مايكروسوفت” مرتبط بعلاقة اعتُبرت “غير لائقة” مع موظفة في الشركة تعود إلى مطلع العقد الأول من القرن الحادي والعشرين.
وكان مؤسس “مايكروسوفت” تنحى عن إدارة شركة المعلوماتية العملاقة في آذار/مارس 2020.
ونقلت الصحيفة الاقتصادية عن مصادر مطلعة على الملف قولها “قرر أعضاء مجلس إدارة مايكروسوفت العام 2020 أن على غيتس التنحي من المجلس فيما كانوا يجرون تحقيقاً عن علاقة أقامها الملياردير مع موظفة في مايكروسوفت اعتُبرت غير لائقة”.
ونسبت الصحيفة إلى ناطقة باسم بيل غيتس قولها إنها “علاقة تعود إلى 20 عاماً وانتهت بطريقة ودية. واضافت أن غيتس تنحى من “مايكروسوفت” من أجل التفرغ لعمله الخيري في “مؤسسة بيل وميليندا غيتس”، على ما ذُكِر سابقاً.
وكان الملياردير الأميركي بيل غيتس وزوجته ميليندا غيتس اللذان أقاما معاً هذه المؤسسة غيتس التي تكافح الفقر والأمراض قبل 20 عاماً، أعلنا في 3 ايار/مايو الفائت طلاقهما بعد زواج استمر 27 عاماً.
وأكد ناطق باسم “مايكروسوفت” لوكالة فرانس برس أن المجموعة أُبلِغَت في نهاية العام 2019 بأن “بيل غيتس سعى إلى إقامة علاقة حميمة مع إحدى الموظفات في الشركة العام 2000. ونظرت لجنة من مجلس الإدارة في المشكلة بمساعدة جهة خارجية هي مكتب محاماة، لإجراء تحقيق شامل”.
وأفادت هذه المهندسة في رسالة أنها ارتبطت بعلاقة ذات طبيعة جنسية مع بيل غيتس “لسنوات”، وفق ما أوردت “وول ستريت جورنال” التي اشارت إلى أن غيتس قدم استقالته قبل انتهاء هذا التحقيق.
كذلك كشفت صحيفة “وول ستريت جورنال” أن أعضاء مجلس الإدارة استفسروا أيضاً عن الروابط بين بيل غيتس ورجل الأعمال الراحل في مجال الخدمات المالية جيفري إبستين الذي كان ملاحقاً قضائياً بتهمة الاستغلال الجنسي لقاصرات. وأشارت الصحيفة اليومية إلى أن وكلاء الدفاع عن بيل غيتس أكدوا أن علاقته بإبستين “خيرية” وأنه “ندم عليها”.
وكان غيتس الذي أسس “مايكروسوفت” العام 1975 استقال من الإدارة العامة للمجموعة العام 2000 لكي يركّز على مؤسسته، ثم استقال من كل مهامه التنفيذية في “مايكروسوفت” العام 2008.

Zagreb (AFP) - At a time when inflation is soaring in Europe and geopolitical winds are not favorable for the bloc, Croatia is hoping its switch to the euro will bring some semblance of protection to the Balkan nation in a world of uncertainty.

On January 1, Croatia will deposit its currency, the kuna, becoming the twentieth member of the eurozone.

Croatia, which joined the European Union nearly a decade ago, recorded an annual inflation rate of nearly 13 percent in September, while it reached 10 percent in the eurozone.

And in the period before the transition to the single European currency, the authorities did not stop talking about the advantages of adopting the euro for the country with a population of 3.9 million people.

"The euro brings flexibility," Ana Sabic of the Croatian National Bank told AFP, arguing that Zagreb would be able, if necessary, to obtain better borrowing terms amid tough economic times.

Since July, the European Central Bank has embarked on a policy of monetary tightening as it tries to rein in accelerating inflation caused by high energy and food prices caused by Russia's war in Ukraine.

Analysts consider that eastern European countries in the European Union that hold currencies outside the eurozone, such as Poland and Hungary, were even more vulnerable to higher inflation.

"It's actually the perfect moment to switch to the euro," said Goran Saravania, chief economist at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.

"When great uncertainty dominates the global economy, it is always better for a small and open economy like Croatia to be part of a larger union like the eurozone," he added.

Also, Croatia's main trading partners are in the eurozone, while the tourism sector, which accounts for 20 percent of the country's GDP, is energized by large numbers of European visitors.

Croats have also largely adopted the euro, with 80 percent of their bank deposits in euros.

They priced their most prized possessions such as cars and apartments in euros, demonstrating their distrust of the local currency that dates back to the former Yugoslavia, which was in the grip of hyperinflation before its dissolution.

During the Yugoslav era and after Croatia's independence in 1991, real estate was valued in Deutsche Marks until the advent of the euro two decades ago.

"Life will be easier. We calculate everything in euros anyway," said Roman, an economist from Zagreb who declined to give his full name.

For his part, Milan Bator, a retired pharmacist, rejected the concerns of people who fear that some traders will take advantage of the shift to the euro to spin the price numbers upwards.

"It's other reasons, like wars and material shortages, that drive prices up. We can't blame everything on the euro," Bator said.

But some are still concerned that they will suffer a financial blow as a result of the move.

"Maybe the timing wasn't ideal, maybe we could have postponed it a bit given the situation in the world," Zdravka Antonic, a flower seller in a Zagreb market, told AFP.

"People are already worried about how everything will end, and the euro only adds to the uncertainty," she added.

Since the beginning of September, flower bouquets, like other goods and services, have been priced in both currencies, with the conversion rate set by Brussels at 7.53 kuna per euro.

This system will remain in effect throughout the year 2023.

"A country that has its own currency is more independent. But when we joined the European Union, we accepted trading in euros as well," said vegetable seller Ana Bricic.

Right-wing and conservative opposition groups protested the adoption of the new currency, saying that the kuna was an important symbol of national identity, noting that the euro only benefits larger countries such as Germany and France.

But an attempt last year to organize a nationwide referendum to challenge the adoption of the euro failed.

Some Croats fear that once they adopt the euro, the stark reality of how poor they are compared to many citizens of the EU's neighbors will become even more apparent.

According to the latest Eurostat statistics published in 2018, the average monthly salary in Croatia was only 1,179 euros, compared to more than 2,300 euros in the European Union.

About 300,000 Croatian pensioners receive a monthly pension of barely 260 euros.

"It will create a feeling of poverty and misery," said Anna Knezewicz, director of the National Consumer Protection Association.

Gaza - "Jerusalem" dot com - Ahmed Al-Masharawi - Poverty, widespread unemployment and the interruption of job opportunities caused by the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip for more than 16 years are prompting Palestinian citizens to invent new and less expensive ways to follow the fun of the World Cup hosted by the Qatari capital, Doha, since November 20, as well as to watch their participating teams that they love, and the stars of the round witch from international and Arab teams.

Happiness in the midst of deprivation

Citizen Fadl Ibrahim al-Sakani, 43, sits with his four children in front of a small TV screen that he bought from the hardware department in the historic Firas market in central Gaza. He hardly catches broadcasts of the matches, but he feels overjoyed as he watches the results of successive matches. Fadl, who lives in a house not exceeding 60 meters in the poorer popular neighborhood of Al-Tuffah, which is covered with zinc, says: I am very happy despite the simplicity of the place around me. With the arrival of five o’clock, my children, nephews, and neighbors gather around me, watching the matches in an evening under the moonlight that extends until midnight, sipping. Tea cooked on the fire.

He points out that his happiness lies in the presence of his children around him, happy, far from the hustle and bustle, and without incurring any expenses that weigh on his daily earnings of about 25 shekels as a porter.

The World Cup is the joy of the poor

In another hall inside a house in Al-Shati refugee camp, the family of Amjad Al-Hissi, who works in fishing, and his relatives gather to watch the World Cup matches in front of the small screen, among his children, his wife, and his parents.

Amjad finished university studies at the Faculty of Economics, but he has not yet found an opportunity for employment, and he says: The World Cup is the joy of the poor who live the harshness of life, who find in their teams and stars a breather and a balm for their suffering.

He adds: We spend our days toiling in our difficult and exhausting work to earn a living for our children, but when we sit with them sipping cups of tea or eating simple entertainment, we can forget the fatigue and suffering that accompanied us throughout the day.

The ball makes them forget their troubles and draws their laughter

The journalist, Louay Ragab, says that these poor and disadvantaged people forget their followers when they watch the ball move between the feet of the players. In the slums of the camps and destitute towns emerged the stars of the round witch, and the heroes of puffed leather.

In conclusion, conveying the news of the rich and their pictures in front of the giant screens is a natural matter, but conveying the feelings and joy of the poor is the expected date, because they are the most admired, and the most wonderful expression, since they cannot follow the World Cup on the ground of the event, while they meet on simplicity, love and family warmth.

Translation by "Jerusalem" dot com - The Israeli army is pursuing two Palestinian youths, claiming that they attempted to carry out a shooting attack south of Jericho .

According to the Hebrew channel, Reshet Kan, a Palestinian carrying a weapon fired a bullet at a restaurant at the Almoj settlement junction, before his weapon stopped, and he managed to escape in a vehicle accompanied by another.

An Israeli military spokesman said that there were no injuries in the event and the perpetrators are being pursued.

بيروت- “القدس”دوت كوم- (شينخوا)- أعلن المحقق العدلي في قضية انفجار مرفأ بيروت، اليوم الجمعة، أنه حدد موعداً لاستجواب رئيس حكومة تصريف الأعمال حسان دياب، وطلب رفع الحصانة البرلمانية عن 3 أعضاء في البرلمان ووزراء سابقين، تمهيداً للادعاء عليهم وملاحقتهم.

وذكرت (الوكالة الوطنية للإعلام) الرسمية أن المحقق العدلي القاضي طارق بيطار، حدد موعداً لاستجواب دياب، كمدعى عليه في قضية انفجار المرفأ من دون الكشف عن الموعد.

كما وجه بيطار كتاباً إلى البرلمان بواسطة النيابة العامة التمييزية، طلب فيه رفع الحصانة عن كل من النائب علي حسن خليل وزير المال السابق والنائب غازي زعيتر وزير الأشغال السابق والنائب نهاد المشنوق وزير الداخلية السابق لاستجوابهم “تمهيدا للادعاء عليهم” بحسب الوكالة.

ووجه بيطار كتابين إلى نقابة محامي بيروت لإعطاء الإذن بملاحقة النائبين خليل وزعيتر كونهما محاميين، وإلى نقابة محامي طرابلس لإعطاء الإذن بملاحقة وزير الأشغال السابق المحامي يوسف فنيانوس.

وسيتم استجواب هؤلاء، بحسب الوكالة، بجناية القصد الاحتمالي لجريمة القتل وجنحة الإهمال والتقصير.

كما طلب المحقق العدلي من رئاسة الحكومة إعطاء الإذن لاستجواب قائد جهاز أمن الدولة اللواء طوني صليبا كمدعى عليه، كما طلب الإذن من وزير الداخلية في حكومة تصريف الأعمال العميد محمد فهمي للادعاء على مدير عام جهاز الأمن العام اللواء عباس إبراهيم.

كذلك شملت قائمة الملاحقات قادة عسكريين وأمنيين سابقين، حيث ادعى بيطار على قائد الجيش السابق العماد جان قهوجي، ومدير الاستخبارات السابق في الجيش العميد كميل ضاهر، والعميدين السابقين في استخبارات الجيش غسان غرز الدين وجودت عويدات.

وحدد المحقق العدلي مواعيد لاستجواب هؤلاء بشكل دوري دون الكشف عنها.

وفي السياق ذاته، قرر القاضي بيطار إخلاء سبيل الرائد في الأمن العام داود فياض والمهندسة نايلة الحاج، المسؤولة في الشركة المتعهدة لأعمال صيانة العنبر رقم 12 بحرم مرفأ بيروت، اللذين كانا قد تم إيقافهما على ذمة التحقيق في قضية الانفجار.

وكان القضاء اللبناني أفرج قبل أسابيع، عن 7 موقوفين ممن يعتبرون “صغار الموظفين”، وأبقى موظفين كبار قيد التوقيف بينهم 4 مديرين عامين.

وكان انفجار ضخم قد وقع في مرفأ بيروت في 4 أغسطس\ آب الماضي، بسبب مصادرة وتخزين كمية 2750 طناً من مادة “نترات الأمونيوم” الشديدة الانفجار من دون وقاية منذ العام 2014.

وقد أدى الانفجار إلى مقتل أكثر من 200 شخص وجرح 6 آلاف و500 آخرين، إضافة إلى تدمير إجراءات المرفأ ووقوع دمار هائل في أحياء بيروت شرد أكثر من 300 ألف شخص من منازلهم، وأوقع خسائر مادية قدرت بـ 15 مليار دولار .

Beirut - (AFP) - The International Monetary Fund considered today, Wednesday, that most of the prior reforms that Lebanon is expected to approve in order to obtain financial support have not yet been implemented, warning of the "cost" of this delay on the country mired in an unprecedented economic crisis. .

At the end of a visit to Beirut, which included meetings with a number of officials, Ernesto Ramírez Rigo, who headed the Fund delegation, said in a statement, "Despite the urgent need to take measures to address the deep economic and social crisis in Lebanon, the progress in implementing the agreed reforms... It's still too slow."

In April, the Fund announced that it had reached a preliminary agreement with Lebanon on a $3 billion aid plan over four years. However, its implementation is linked to the government’s commitment to implementing prior reforms and the parliament’s approval of urgent draft laws, most notably the “Capital Control” law that restricts withdrawals and transfers of foreign currencies from banks, and the 2022 budget bill, in addition to the approval of legislation related to restructuring the banking sector and amending the banking secrecy law.

Rigaud considered that "most of the prior measures have not been implemented," despite the fact that they, along with other reforms, are "critical to start the recovery of the Lebanese economy."

And he warned that “delaying their implementation only leads to an increase in costs for the state and its population,” stressing that the completion of reforms “is necessary for the fund’s board of directors to consider a request for a financial program” to support Lebanon.

During its meetings, the fund delegation urged officials in Beirut to speed up the adoption of reforms before the presidential elections, according to the Minister of Economy in the caretaker government, Amin Salam, who met the delegation on Tuesday.

Salam said in remarks to Agence France-Presse on Wednesday that the delegation sent a message to "pay attention to the sensitivity of the time, and the need to pass the four required laws before entering the presidential elections."

He added, "The delegation was clear that once we approve it, we will be closer to a final agreement" with the fund.

The term of current President Michel Aoun ends on October 31, without agreeing yet on a candidate, which raises fears that the country will enter a phase of presidential vacuum.

The efforts of Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati to form a government have not borne fruit since the parliamentary elections that took place in mid-May, in a country whose system is based on sharing shares between the political and sectarian components.

Although Parliament is considering approving some reform bills, no final agreement has yet been reached on any of them. Last week, the session for approving the 2022 budget was postponed until early next week.

The prolonged economic crisis is considered the worst in Lebanon's history. It is accompanied by political paralysis that prevents taking measures to limit the deterioration and improve the quality of life of the population, more than eighty percent of whom live below the poverty line.

Nablus - "Jerusalem" dot com - Today, Tuesday, the police arrested a suspect who stole a donation box from a mosque in Nablus and assaulted a person who discovered it in the act.

The Public Relations and Information Department of the police stated that it had received a report from a citizen about a person attempting to steal a donation box located in a mosque in Nablus. A force from the city police station was able to arrest the suspect, who reported that he stole the donation box with his son.

And she confirmed that the arrested person was kept in custody until he was referred to the Public Prosecution to complete the legal requirements against him duly.

BEIRUT (Xinhua) -- Two local economists stressed that the 2022 general budget approved by the Lebanese parliament yesterday (Monday) does not rise to the level of reforms that would pave the way for an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

The budget came with a deficit of 11 trillion Lebanese pounds (297 million dollars), revenues amounting to 30 trillion pounds (about 810 million dollars), and expenditures estimated at 41 trillion Lebanese pounds (about 1.2 billion dollars).

"The 2022 budget should have included reforms to avoid the huge budget deficit, because printing more money is the only way to finance the deficit," Patrick Mardini, head of the Lebanese Institute for Market Studies, told Xinhua.

And he believed that "the budget is inflationary," noting that "printing more money will lead to more inflation and more depreciation of the local currency."

Mardini explained that the only way to finance Lebanon's budget deficit today is by increasing the money supply, because Lebanon defaulted on its "Eurobonds" and therefore lost its ability to access international financial markets at a time when the state cannot borrow from local banks in light of the crisis. current banking.

The economist and former editor-in-chief of the Kuwaiti newspaper ((Al-Qabas)), Mounir Yunis, confirmed that the International Monetary Fund would prefer if it adopted in the customs dollar the exchange rate of the dollar in the “Sarfa” platform affiliated with the Banque du Liban, amounting to 29,800 Lebanese pounds, in the hope that it would become the actual local and international standard for the exchange rate The US dollar against the lira.

"The International Monetary Fund had called for the unification of multiple exchange rates, but officials in Lebanon see that agreeing to a high exchange rate for the customs dollar on imports is a step that will be unpopular in Lebanon, which relies heavily on imports," Younis told Xinhua. big".

Yunus expressed his belief that the public budget should have approved a comprehensive reform of the tax system by imposing more taxes on high-income people while reducing the burden on low-income individuals, which did not happen in the 2022 budget.

The 2022 budget imposed a 10% tax on interest returns from bank accounts, certificates of deposit, and treasury bonds in Lebanese pounds. It also raised the fees for issuing a passport for a period of 5 years from 300,000 to 1 million Lebanese pounds, and from 500,000 to 2 million Lebanese pounds for a period of 10 years.

Yunus believed that among the advantages of approving the budget is that it will help organize public finances, set spending ceilings, and improve living conditions for workers in the public sector and the army, in addition to correcting the situation of state administrations while preparing for a more comprehensive budget for the year 2023.

He praised the increase in the salaries of all public sector employees in the budget to no less than 5 million Lebanese pounds and no more than 12 million Lebanese pounds per month, and said that this should encourage public sector employees to stop their strike that has been going on for more than two months and improve the performance of public administrations.

Lebanon is facing an unprecedented financial crisis due to the lack of US currency reserves, which led to the depreciation of the local currency by more than 90%. Meanwhile, the country uses at least 4 vastly different exchange rates through which the Lebanese pound is converted into the US dollar.

Parliament’s approval of the general budget is among the conditions for reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, an agreement that is seen as the first decisive step for Lebanon to start emerging from a financial crisis that has been going on for 3 years and has plunged 82% of the population into poverty, according to the United Nations.

A "principled" agreement was signed between Lebanon and the International Monetary Fund at the staff level last April. The Lebanese authorities must increase revenues to finance the public sector, allow more social spending through customs duties, and standardize the exchange rate of the local currency against the US dollar, but the budget approved by Parliament counts. The customs dollar is at a price of 15,000 pounds, compared to the previous rate of 1,500 pounds per dollar, while the exchange rate of the dollar in the parallel market is about 37,000 pounds.

The initial agreement between Lebanon and the IMF relates to $3 billion in financing, which will be spent over 4 years, according to a program that shows what Lebanon must do over the next four years with the aim of rebuilding the economy and restoring financial sustainability.

To sign the final agreement, the IMF requires taking a number of measures, including approving the 2022 budget and the “capital control” draft law (capital control), in addition to passing legislation related to restructuring the banking sector and amending the law related to banking secrecy.

نيويورك- “القدس”دوت كوم- (أ ف ب) – أجبرت طائرة شحن طراز بوينغ 737 يستقلها طاقم من شخصين، على القيام بهبوط اضطراري في البحر قبالة هونولولو في ساعة مبكرة، الجمعة، بعدما أفاد الطياران عن مشكلات في المحرك، حسبما أعلنت إدارة الطيران الفدرالي.

وقالت متحدثة باسم الهيئة في بيان، “إن الرحلة 810 لشركة ترانسير كانت تحاول العودة إلى هونولولو عندما أجبرت على الهبوط بالطائرة في المياه قرابة الساعة 2,30 بالتوقيت المحلي”.

وأضاف البيان، “بحسب المعلومات الأولية، فإن خفر السواحل الأميركيين أنقذوا الطاقم المؤلف من شخصين. ستقوم إدارة الطيران الفدرالي والمجلس الوطني لسلامة النقل بالتحقيق في الحادث”.

وقال المتحدث باسم خفر السواحل ماثيو ويست لشبكة “سي ان ان”، “إن مروحية لخفر السواحل أنقذت أحد الطيارين، فيما أنقذت مروحية لخدمة الإطفاء الطيار الآخر،”.

وأرسلت سفينة تابعة لخفر السواحل إلى مكان الحادث، ونقل الطياران إلى مستشفى في هونولولو للعلاج، بحسب “ويست”، الذي قال، “إنه ليس لديه معلومات إضافية عن وضعهما”.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Clashes broke out, on Tuesday evening, with the Israeli occupation forces, in Silwad town, northeast of Ramallah.

According to press sources, the occupation soldiers fired live and rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas and sound bombs at the citizens, without any injuries reported.

The occupation forces also closed the entrance to the village of Deir Abu Mishaal, west of Ramallah, and set up a military checkpoint at the northern entrance to the city of Al-Bireh, and in the vicinity of several villages and towns in the governorate, namely: Nabi Saleh, Aboud, Silwad, Yabroud, Ras Karkar, and Al-Taybeh, and checked the citizens’ identities. Their vehicles were searched.

The occupation forces also intensified their presence in the vicinity of "Halamish" settlement, which is located on citizens' lands, west of Ramallah and Al-Bireh.

WASHINGTON - (Xinhua) -- International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday noted that there has been a "fundamental shift" in the global economy , urging countries to lower inflation rates, institute responsible fiscal policy, as well as jointly support emerging market and developing economies. .

In a brief introductory speech ahead of the 2022 annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank scheduled for next week, she said the global economy is emerging "from a relatively predictable world - with a rules-based framework for international economic cooperation, low interest rates, low inflation ... Towards a more fragile world - witnessing more uncertainty, greater economic volatility, geopolitical conflicts and more devastating and frequent natural disasters.

Emphasizing the urgent need to achieve economic stability, Georgieva pointed out that the global outlook has worsened due to multiple shocks, including the war, stressing that inflation has become more stubborn.

She stated that the International Monetary Fund had already reduced its growth forecast 3 times since last October, to be only 3.2 percent for 2022 and 2.9 percent for 2023, and added that the global institution will reduce the growth rate for next year in its updated economic forecasts to be announced next week.

"We will note that recession risks are increasing," she added. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund estimates that countries that represent about a third of the global economy will contract for at least two consecutive quarters this year or next.
"Even if positive growth is achieved, it will appear to be stagnant due to lower real incomes and higher prices," she added.

All in all, the International Monetary Fund projects a global production loss of about $4 trillion between now and 2026. This is the size of the German economy, which is a major setback for the global economy.

The Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund also urged decision makers to stay on the path of reducing inflation and developing responsible fiscal policy that protects the vulnerable without raising the rate of inflation, while calling for joint efforts to support emerging market and developing economies.

"The stronger dollar, exorbitant borrowing costs, and capital outflows dealt a triple blow to many emerging markets and developing economies," she said, noting that the probability of investment inflows from emerging markets during the next three quarters rose by 40 percent, which could pose a "major challenge" to countries. with large external financial needs.

More than a quarter of emerging economies are defaulting or trading at distressed levels; More than 60 percent of low-income countries are experiencing, or are at risk of, a debt crisis.

In light of this, Georgieva urged countries to work together to address issues such as food security, which now affects a staggering 345 million people, and climate change, an existential threat to humanity.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the International Monetary Fund has provided 258 billion US dollars to 93 countries. Since the Russia-Ukraine war, it has supported 16 countries with nearly 90 billion US dollars. This is in addition to the historic allocation of SDRs of $650 billion last year.

Doha - (AFP) - The Qatari Minister of Labor announced to AFP that his country rejects calls for the establishment of a special fund to compensate migrant workers who died or were harmed on its lands during the construction of huge projects to host the World Cup, denouncing Doha's exposure to "racist" attacks.

Minister Ali bin Smaikh Al-Marri said in an exclusive interview with AFP, his first with an international media outlet, that Doha has for years had a fund to compensate migrant workers, through which it has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation and aid.

Geneva - (AFP) - The United Nations deplored Tuesday an "alarming" increase in the number of Rohingya refugees who died at sea or went missing while trying to flee from Burma or Bangladesh last year, expressing fears that this trend could accelerate in the absence of a comprehensive regional response.

In its report on the year 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees indicated that more than 3,500 desperate Rohingya attempted to cross the sea, compared to 700 the previous year.

UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Manto told a press conference in Geneva that the commission "has detected an alarming increase in the death toll. At least 348 individuals died or went missing in 2022," noting that the death toll is the largest since 2014.

Manto said that of the 3,040 Rohingya children who tried to escape by sea last year, most of them ended up in Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh, explaining that about 45 percent of them were women children.

"Most of the boats set sail from Burma and Bangladesh, which highlights the growing sense of desperation among the Rohingya in these two countries," Mantoo said.

"Those who made landfall in other areas reported that they undertook these dangerous sea voyages in an attempt to find protection and security, reunite with their families and find livelihoods in other countries," she added.

"They include victims of trafficking, unaccompanied and separated children, and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence," she noted.

A violent military crackdown targeting them in 2017 in Burma prompted hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, and they recounted horrific accounts of the killing, rape and burning they were subjected to.

A spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner indicated that "the UNHCR's calls to the maritime authorities in the region to rescue and disembark the afflicted people have gone unheeded, with many boats stuck at sea for weeks."

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has described the current crisis in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea as a "crisis of solidarity".

It called for a full regional response to human trafficking, search and rescue efforts and support to the countries where they are disembarked.

"The region and the international community need to support efforts to address the root causes of displacement in Burma," Mantoux said.

And she warned that without such a response, "refugees will continue to undertake perilous journeys in search of safety".

LONDON (AFP) - British clothing company Joules is preparing to file for bankruptcy after running out of cash, as the economic crisis pushes consumers to cut spending in the face of inflation.

Jules said in a statement on Monday that she was unable to raise funds from investors, nor to obtain a short-term bridging loan.

A company spokesman told AFP that the group currently employs 1,600 people whose jobs are under threat and has 132 stores.

Trading in its shares on the London Stock Exchange was suspended.

"Jules is the latest victim of the crisis that UK retailers are facing, in the context of a purchasing power crisis," commented Victoria Scholar, analyst at Interactive Investors.

The inflation rate reached 10% in the country, while rising costs weighed on business activity and indicators of confidence in the economy.

Jenin - exclusive to "Al Quds" dot com - Statistical data showed the death toll, injuries and wounded, during the Israeli occupation forces' incursion into several areas of Jenin Governorate, since the beginning of the new year, until now.

Statistical data confirmed that the number of martyrs in Jenin governorate, since the beginning of the new year until now, has reached 7 out of 12 martyrs in the various governorates of the country.

For his part, the Director of Ambulance and Emergency at the Palestinian Red Crescent in Jenin, Mahmoud Al-Saadi, confirmed to Jerusalem that the number of what the Red Crescent crews dealt with in seven different areas of Jenin governorate that were stormed by the occupation and confrontations broke out, since the beginning of the new year, until now, has reached about twenty injuries. with bullets and dozens of cases of suffocation with tear gas.

In turn, the director of the Palestinian Prisoners Club in Jenin, Muntasir Samour, confirmed to Jerusalem that the number of arrest cases carried out by the occupation in Jenin governorate since the beginning of the new year amounted to about twenty detainees, as the arrests varied between storming homes or at military checkpoints.

According to data from the Palestinian Prisoners Club, the number of detainees in the West Bank since the beginning of the new year until now has reached about two hundred cases.

Jeddah - "Al-Quds" dot com - Al-Quds Fund and Endowment concluded its meetings in Jeddah , the most prominent of which was the meeting held by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al-Quds Fund and Endowment, Munib Rashid Al-Masri, with His Excellency Dr. Muhammad Suleiman Al-Jasser, Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank Group, in the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Humanitarian Funds of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Qudsna Humanitarian Endowment, and His Excellency Dr. Heba Ahmed, Director General of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development, and Mr. Adel Al-Sharif, Advisor to the President of the Islamic Bank Group For development, and during the meeting, they consulted on ways to enhance efforts to support the city of Jerusalem.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al-Quds Fund and Endowment, Munib Al-Masri, honored His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Tamkeen Fund, during a meeting at the home of His Highness Prince Turki, in the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Humanitarian Funds and Dr. Majid Al-Azmi, Director General of the Zakat House in the State of Kuwait, so that the meeting focused on ways to support the city of Jerusalem.

Participating in these meetings were Ambassador Mahmoud Al-Asadi, Consul General of the State of Palestine in Jeddah, Tayseer Barakat, member of the Board of Trustees of the Al-Quds Endowment Fund, Omar Munib Al-Masri on behalf of the Munib Foundation, Angela Al-Masry, and Taher Al-Disi, Executive Director of the Al-Quds Endowment Fund.

Cairo - "Al-Quds" dot com - The Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziyad Al-Nakhala , arrived last night in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

With the arrival of Al-Nakhala, the arrival of the Islamic Jihad delegation to Cairo, to meet with Egyptian officials, is complete. According to the statement of the movement.

Egypt had sent an official invitation to the Islamic Jihad and Hamas movements to visit Cairo, where a delegation headed by Ismail Haniyeh is expected to arrive in Cairo in the coming days.

This comes within the framework of the Egyptian role to try to calm the situation in the Palestinian territories.

BEIJING (Xinhua) -- The assets under management of IPO funds in China reached 26.79 trillion yuan (about 3.97 trillion US dollars) by the end of June, the latest data from the China Asset Management Association showed.

As of the end of June, a total of 10,010 IPO funds had been operated by 139 fund management companies, according to the association, an industry body supervised by the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

The data showed that the volume of closed funds amounted to nearly 3.27 trillion yuan, while the volume of open funds amounted to about 23.52 trillion yuan.

The association said that among the 139 fund management companies, 45 are foreign-funded and 94 are local.

Hebron - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Public Prosecution Office and the police initiated their legal procedures regarding the death of a 32-year-old citizen inside his home in Hebron.

The media spokesman for the police, Colonel Louay Irziqat, stated that the police had received a report regarding the presence of a gas leak inside a residential apartment in the Al-Jamaa neighborhood in Hebron.

Erziqat added that the citizen's body was found inside the house, and the Public Prosecution Office was immediately informed and an investigation into the incident was initiated. The Public Prosecution ordered the body to be kept until the necessary legal procedures were completed.

According to local sources, the deceased (H.Z.) died of suffocation due to a gas leak from the heater.

DOHA - (Xinhua) - The Qatar Fund for Development announced today (Monday) the signing of an agreement with the Electricity Interconnection Authority of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf to develop the Gulf electrical interconnection system and the connection to the southern Iraq grid.

The Fund said in a statement that this agreement comes with the aim of contributing to meeting part of the demand for electrical energy and filling the need for it, in addition to improving the performance and stability of the electrical network in the southern region of Iraq.

The statement indicated that this will be done through the establishment of a new transmission station with a capacity of 400 kilovolts from the Wafra station of the Interconnection Authority to the Al-Faw electricity transfer station in southern Iraq, which will enable the transmission of electricity from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to Iraq.

He pointed out that the implementation work is scheduled to start during this August, and that the connection will be operational in the summer of 2024.

The statement quoted the Director General of the Fund, Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Kuwari, as saying, "We seek together, in partnership with the Electricity Interconnection Authority of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, to extend electricity to our brothers in the Republic of Iraq."

Al-Kuwari added that the extension of electricity plays an essential and pivotal role in strengthening the vital basic sectors and supporting them to complete their work.

For his part, Ahmed bin Ali Al-Ibrahim, CEO of the Gulf Electrical Interconnection Authority , said that the electrical connection has achieved economic savings for the GCC countries of nearly $3 billion since the full operation of the project, while avoiding any major interruptions in the Gulf networks since the start of operation in 2009.

The project is being implemented by the Electricity Interconnection Authority of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which was established in 2001 and owns and operates the Gulf electrical interconnection network. It is one of the most important infrastructure interconnection projects approved by the Cooperation Council.

The Gulf Electrical Interconnection Project has achieved its most important strategic goals represented in enhancing energy security, raising the level of reliability and safety of Gulf electrical systems, and its success in avoiding 100 percent of the GCC electricity networks for any partial or total outage by providing instantaneous support by transferring the required energy through the interconnection network. directly, according to the statement.