Instead of Paris visitors taking selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower , it is the nearby mountain of waste that attracts the lenses of their phones, as piles of rubbish have spread near the famous monuments in the French capital due to a strike to collect it in protest against the pension reform project. Part of the scene in the most tourist-attracting city in the world.

And there are no signs, in fact, of any improvement in this situation, as the cleaners and waste collectors of the municipality of Paris voted on Tuesday morning to continue their strike until at least March 20.

In the evening, Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin issued instructions to Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez to ask the municipality to bring means to remove waste due to the "sanitary conditions" resulting from its accumulation.

According to the interior minister, "the state will take over the matter" if the municipality does not respond to the request, meaning that the state itself will provide the means to collect and remove waste.

The piles of waste that have gathered, for example, on the banks of the Seine River, which extends near Notre Dame Cathedral, obscure the vision of the architectural masterpiece that was built between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries in the heart of the French capital.

Those who wish to get to know the church, parts of which were destroyed by a major fire in 2019, must only turn a blind eye to the waste and act as if it did not exist.

As for visitors wishing to contemplate the Eiffel Tower from Trocadero Square, they will walk out of the subway along a wall emerging from black plastic waste bags. Thrown boxes, leftovers of spoiled food and all kinds of rubbish filled the romantic alleys in the center of the capital.

"I have never seen such a scene in Canada," Canadian O'Meara said, after taking a picture of a pile of waste in Saint-Michel, in the Latin Quarter, expecting that this would "alienate tourists who will leave and not return!"

As for Martin Ruiz (18 years), who comes from the US state of Texas, he regretted the "smell" emanating from the waste, describing it as "disgusting." And he was supported by Angeles Mosqueda, who was forbidden by the garbage hills to see the Paris Opera, as the Mexican tourist expressed her annoyance at what she smelled here and there throughout the city, which is famous for its perfumes.

German Claudia Harmand did not expect that she and her French lover would have to go through a "slalom race among the waste" during her visit to Paris, considering that the matter "somewhat spoils the charm" of the city of lights, which is the most attractive to tourists in the world, with a number of 34.5 million. 2022 according to the authorities.

Paris is living under widespread social anger sparked by a project by President Emmanuel Macron's government that provides for raising the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years.

For two months, the unions have been organizing several movements on a national scale to push the executive authority to back down, including mass demonstrations with the participation of millions, and strikes in schools and the oil, electricity, transportation and other sectors.

In this context, municipal garbage collection workers in Paris have been on strike for more than a week. One of them, Nabil Latraish (44 years old), said, "We work in rain and snow and when the weather is windy," describing his and his colleagues' profession as "hard" and adding, "When we are standing in the back of a garbage truck, we breathe volatile fumes, and we get a lot of sickness." Occupational diseases.

As for Muriel Geremink (56 years), who has been working in the field of garbage collection for two decades, she confirmed that she realizes that she will live "poor", as her pension does not exceed 1,200 euros at most, which is less than the current minimum wage, which is therefore insufficient to imagine a comfortable future. .

Their fellow employees of private companies operating in the rest of the capital are facing the problem of closing incineration sites, and this has subsequently led to the accumulation of more than seven thousand tons of waste on Tuesday, according to the municipality, a volume that is increasing day by day.

The result was that thousands of tourists who were in Paris and trying to make up for some of what they missed during the pandemic phase, found themselves against their will in the midst of a heated dispute over a social issue. "The strikes will not change anything," said the American tourist, Mark, while pulling a stroller. "If going (to retirement) should be delayed, then so be it."

As for the British Olivia Stephenson, she has another opinion on the matter, as she is "with strikes everywhere", in France as well as in England, where they have "abounded" in recent times. And seeing that the waste in Paris "spoils the view and smell," she stressed that "issues of retirement and salaries are important to many people."

The head of the Paris Tourism and Convention Authority, Jean-Francois Real, acknowledged that "the capital is not in its best condition for foreign visitors," but he recalled that "a two-week cessation of waste collection in Naples did not harm the image" of the Italian city. He concluded firmly that what is happening now will not leave "any impact" on tourism in Paris.

A few thousand Syrians demonstrated on Wednesday in the city of Idlib in the northwest of the country, on the 12th anniversary of the start of peaceful protests calling for the overthrow of the regime before it turned into a bloody conflict, stressing their rejection of any "normalization" with Damascus.

While President Bashar al-Assad is holding official talks in Moscow on Wednesday, and his regime is benefiting from broad Arab solidarity that followed a devastating earthquake that struck the country and neighboring Turkey last month, the conflict is entering its thirteenth year, burdened with a death toll of more than half a million and tens of thousands missing and displaced amidst enormous humanitarian needs.

In the city of Idlib, one of the main cities still outside the control of the government forces, hundreds of Syrians, young and old, flocked successively to a main square, carrying the flags of the Syrian opposition. Two banners were raised on the facade of a building overlooking the demonstration square. The first in Arabic read, "The people want the fall of the regime," while the second read in English, "Freedom and dignity for all Syrians."

"We came to commemorate the anniversary of the revolution, this great memory in the heart of every free Syrian," a protester who introduced himself as Abu Shaheed (27 years old) told AFP, adding, "We are proud of this day when we were able to break the barrier of fear and come out in the face of the criminal regime."

Starting in mid-March 2011, tens of thousands of Syrians took part in demonstrations inspired by the "Arab Spring revolutions" calling for the overthrow of the Assad regime, but it quickly turned into a bloody conflict whose parties and supporters varied. Syria has become an arena for Russian, American and Turkish forces and Iranian fighters.

The commemoration of the uprising this year comes more than a month after a devastating earthquake hit Syria, killing about six thousand people across the country, deepening the suffering of the population, after years of war that caused the destruction of infrastructure and the drain of the economy.

The earthquake exacerbated the population's living and economic conditions, which placed an additional burden on the international humanitarian organizations that were responding to the Syrian crisis and were already suffering from a lack of funding.

"Unless we get additional funding, we will have to cut (aid) off 3.8 million people out of a total of eight million by July," Corinne Fleischer, the World Food Program's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, told reporters in Dubai. .

She said that food needs are at their highest levels since the outbreak of the conflict, with 12.9 million people currently suffering from food insecurity, pointing out that the program needs $700 million until the end of the year.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned Wednesday that 12 years of conflict and recent deadly earthquakes have left millions of children at increased risk of malnutrition. She said she needed $172.7 million for immediate life-saving assistance for the 5.4 million people affected by the earthquake, nearly half of them children.

After the earthquake, Assad received a stream of solidarity calls from Arab leaders, kings and presidents, and he received UN envoys. Dozens of aid planes landed, the largest number of which came from the UAE, which is leading regional relief efforts.

Analysts believe that Assad may find in the broad solidarity with him an "opportunity" to accelerate the normalization of his relations with his regional environment, a goal that his supporter Moscow has been working to achieve for years.

The day after his arrival in Moscow, Al-Assad met his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday.
Russia, with its direct military intervention since 2015, played the most prominent role in tipping the scales in favor of the regime forces, after it lost large areas during the first years of the war.

Efforts to re-float the Assad regime and normalize relations with it anger its opponents.

On the sidelines of her participation in the demonstration, the displaced woman from Damascus, Salma Saif (38 years), confirmed to France Press, "If all the countries of the world normalize with the regime, we will continue and the revolution will continue."

A few meters away from her, Ali Haj Suleiman, 24 years old, said, “I am against settlement with a criminal regime,” asking, “How can I bargain with the one who was the reason for my sitting on a chair? .

The Factional Coordination Committee in Bethlehem Governorate launched an initiative directed at the Palestinian government and the teachers' movement that has been leading the open strike since the fourth of last month in an attempt to find a solution to this crisis in an attempt to break through the stalemate and deadlock that the dialogues reached between the various parties and to restore the lifeline of the process education and its regularity in public schools in the West Bank.

The initiative called on male and female teachers to suspend the strike until the March salary is paid, which is supposed to be paid at the beginning of April 2023, and to return to educational life tomorrow morning, Thursday 3/16/2023. 2023, and the government also demanded that the 15% premium be fixed on the current month’s salary slip that was agreed upon between the federation and the government retroactively, starting from the date of 1/1/2023.

The government also demanded the disbursement of 5% of the 15% bonus on the salary for the month of March, which will be disbursed at the beginning of April 2023. As for the remaining 10% of the bonus, it will be disbursed when financial capabilities are available, as agreed upon with the unions.

The initiative called on the government to cancel any penalties it took or could take against teachers as a result of their participation in the strike, as soon as the parties agree to the initiative.

The Factional Coordination Committee also called on the government to seriously reconsider the cost of living allowance for public sector employees, which has been discontinued for many years.

The coordinator of the Factional Coordination Committee in Bethlehem Governorate, Muhammad al-Jaafari, said that the committee launched the initiative to end the teachers' strike and restore life to public schools in order to preserve the future of our students and the rights of teachers.

Al-Jaafari said that the initiative launched by the Coordination Committee of the Palestinian national factions was carried out in consultation with all concerned parties, starting with the teachers’ movement, the General Union of Teachers and the Minister of Education. and the Central Council of Teachers.

He explained that the Coordination Committee is awaiting responses from all parties that received the initiative, which came after consultation with various parties, as the initiative includes detailed provisions for all aspects of the crisis, in a manner that guarantees the restoration of educational life for schools and students.

Al-Jaafari stressed that the launch of this initiative came out of national responsibility and concern for the interest of our people and the interest of male and female teachers, our male and female students, and based on previous agreements and understandings that took place in 2022 and the understandings announced by the Council of Ministers, Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh and Major General Majid Faraj, head of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, last Thursday.

Today, Wednesday, settlers attacked two young men from the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, west of Salfit.

Local sources said that settlers attacked the two young men, Ali Mahmoud Assi and Muhammad Ahmed Assi, and beat them in the Bir Abu Ammar area on the western side of the town. They sustained moderate injuries and were transferred to the Martyr Yasser Arafat Hospital in Salfit for treatment.

قُتل عشرة أشخاص على الأقل الأربعاء نتيجة فيضانات في منطقتين في جنوب شرق تركيا متضرّرتين بزلزال 6 شباط/فبراير المدمر، على ما أفادت وسائل الإعلام التركية.

ولقي تسعة أشخاص حتفهم في مدينة شانلي أورفا، من بينهم خمسة سوريين عُثر عليهم قتلى في الطابق السفلي لأحد المباني، على ما أفادت وكالة أنباء الأناضول التركية الرسمية.

وقتل شخص آخر فيما يجري البحث عن ثلاثة مفقودين في محافظة أديامان المجاورة التي شهدت أيضا أمطارا غزيرة.

وأوضحت وكالة الأناضول أن الضحية كانت في حاوية حوّلت ملجأ طوارئ عندما حاصرتها المياه.

وتم إيواء العديد من ناجي الزلزال موقتا في خيام وحاويات في 11 محافظة في تركيا.

وأظهرت صور التقطت الأربعاء طرقا في شانلي أورفا غطتها سيول بنية جرفت سيارات وشاحنات.

كما أظهر مقطع فيديو صوّر في محافظة ملاطية المجاورة لأديامان، المياه ترتفع حول الخيم البيضاء حيث يعيش موقتا ناجون من الزلزال الذي أسفر عن مقتل 48,500 شخص وفقا لآخر حصيلة نشرتها السلطات التي أشارت أيضا إلى أن 13,5 مليون شخص تضرروا جراءه.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli authorities demolished the tents of the residents of the village of Al-Araqib, which is denied recognition and threatened with uprooting and displacement in the Negev, in the 48 lands, for the 214th time in a row, since its first demolition on July 27, 2010.

This is the third time that the Israeli authorities have demolished the tents of Al-Araqib residents, since the beginning of 2023, after demolishing them 15 times in the past year 2022, and 14 times in the year before last 2021.

The Israeli authorities are prosecuting the people of Al-Araqib under the pretext of building without a permit and “seizing state lands.” They have also imposed heavy fines on the residents of Al-Araqib, and continue the policies and practices of harassment, prosecution, and arrests.

Jair Bolsonaro is accused of bringing millions of euros of jewelry donated to him by Saudi Arabia into Brazil , which contributed to exposing the former president to a wave of criticism.

Here's what is known about the scandal involving the former far-right leader.

The latter is following this issue from a distance from the United States, but he intends to return soon to Brazil, which he left at the end of December, just before the return of Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, his leftist successor to power.

Bento Albuquerque, the former Minister of Mines and Energy under Jair Bolsonaro, said that a Saudi government "envoy" handed his delegation two packages at the end of an official visit to Riyadh, in which the former president did not participate, in October 2021.

Upon the delegation's arrival at Guarulhos International Airport near Sao Paulo, customs found one of the two parcels in the backpack of one of the minister's assistants, according to the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper, which revealed the case.

This parcel, which contained a set of diamonds, was confiscated because it had not been previously declared.

According to the newspaper, senior officials in Bolsonaro's government have tried at least eight times to recover the jewelry by putting pressure on the customs authorities.

The last attempt was made at the end of December, three days before the end of the far-right president's term, when a Navy officer sent to Guarulhos tried unsuccessfully to convince the customs service to take back the diamond set. The jewelry is currently kept in a safe at the airport.

The other package entered Brazil without being inspected by the customs authority and is in the possession of Jair Bolsonaro, who confirmed to CNN Brazil that he had not committed "any illegal act".

The two parcels contained jewelry from the Swiss luxury brand Chopard.

The package that was seized is a set of diamonds with a necklace, ring, watch and earrings, with a total value estimated at three million euros.

In a conversation with customs officers recorded by a surveillance camera - the content of which was revealed by TV Globo - Minister Albuquerque explained that these jewels are a gift to First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro.

The second parcel was a metaphor for men's jewelry - a watch, cufflinks and a fountain pen, with an estimated value of at least 70,000 euros, according to Brazilian media.

Federal police and tax authorities have opened separate investigations.

According to Brazilian law, any item worth more than $1,000 must be declared to customs before entering the country.

The owner of the commodity must then pay an import tax, in a value equivalent to half of the amount that exceeds one thousand dollars. If the item is not declared, a heavy fine must be paid.

Jewelry could be brought into Brazil legally without having to pay any taxes if it was declared an official gift to the Brazilian state.

But in this case, these gifts will be included in the official collection of the presidency and not the Bolsonaro couple in their personal capacity.
"Members of the government, including the president of the republic, have absolutely no right to accept gifts of great value from other countries in a personal capacity. High-ranking officials are aware of this rule," Isaac Falcao, president of Sindifisco, the union that represents Brazilian tax officials, told AFP.

The Brazilian financial institution asked Jair Bolsonaro to provide clarifications about these jewels and forbade him to wear or sell those in his possession.

According to several media outlets, the defense team of the former president told the authorities on Monday that his client would hand over the men's jewelry to the Brazilian financial institution.

The scandal has been making Brazilian headlines regularly for the past two weeks, bad timing for Jair Bolsonaro, who is preparing to return from Florida to take on the role of leader of the opposition.

There has been no official reaction from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman yet.

أصدرت محكمة بداية قلقيلية، اليوم الأربعاء، حكماً بالحبس المؤبد مدة 25 عاماً وغرامة مالية 25 ألف دينار أردني ومصادرة المضبوطات وإتلافها بحق مدان بالاتجار بالمخدرات.

وجاء الحكم خلال الجلسة التي ترأسها القاضي عماد ثابت، سندا لأحكام المادة 6/2 من القرار بقانون رقم 26 لسنة 2018 المعدل للقرار بقانون رقم 18 لسنة 2015 بشأن مكافحة المخدرات والمؤثرات العقلية، واستناداً إلى البينات والمرافعات التي قدمها رئيس النيابة العامة عنان أبو شنب.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli Ofer Court renewed the administrative detention of the prisoner, Mohsen Hassan Kamil, from the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, for a period of 4 months for the fourth time.

Muntasir Samour, director of the Prisoners’ Club in Jenin, stated that the prisoner Kamil has been detained since 30/3/2022, and 12 days after his arrest, the occupation authorities issued an administrative detention decision under instructions from the intelligence, which claimed that he has a secret file, and that he “poses a threat to the security of the occupation.” ".

The Israeli occupation authorities claim that the administrative detainees have secret files that cannot be disclosed at all, as the detainee does not know the length of his sentence or the charge against him. The administrative detainee is often subject to the renewal of the detention period more than once, and it may sometimes reach a full year, which is also subject to renewal.

The United Nations Children's Fund ( UNICEF ) warned today (Wednesday) of a malnutrition crisis for children in Syria, after 12 years of conflict, in addition to the recent deadly earthquakes that hit the country last February.

UNICEF said in a statement issued by its regional office in the Jordanian capital, Amman, today, that with the conflict in Syria entering its 13th year, hostilities continued unabated in several parts of the country, especially in the northwest, where grave violations of children's rights continue. Or nearly 13,000 children have been injured in Syria, according to United Nations data.

Children continue to live in fear of attacks, displacement and levels of malnutrition are rising, according to the statement, a copy of which was provided to Xinhua.

UNICEF indicated that, according to estimates, about 610,000 children under the age of five suffer from stunting in Syria, which is caused by chronic undernutrition and causes irreversible physical and mental damage to children, affecting their ability to learn and their productivity later in adulthood.

UNICEF pointed out that high prices and insufficient income mean that millions of families are struggling to make ends meet amid an unprecedented economic crisis, as nearly 90 percent of people in Syria live in poverty, which negatively affects children's diet.

According to UNICEF, in 2023, prior to the deadly earthquakes that struck Syria on February 6, 2023, more than 3.75 million children required food assistance across the country, while nearly 7 million children across the country are now in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. .

"After years of conflict and two catastrophic earthquakes, the future of millions of children is hanging by a thread," the statement quoted UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khader, as saying.

"It is our collective responsibility to assure children that their future is also our priority," she added.

"We must respond to the needs of children wherever they are across Syria and support the systems that underpin the basic services they so desperately need," added Adele Khader.

The statement indicated that the earthquakes destroyed the homes of families and left many children afraid to return to their homes with the continuation of the aftershocks, and that many families are now displaced and live in cramped conditions in temporary shelters and camps.

The statement said that UNICEF is working with its partners to provide and expand the range of life-saving treatment services for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition throughout Syria. Preventive feeding services are also provided, including micronutrient supplementation, growth monitoring and counseling, and support around breastfeeding and complementary feeding. age appropriate.

UNICEF is also providing basic health services and supplies, clean water and good sanitation to give more children a chance to survive, according to the statement.

The statement indicated that prior to the earthquakes, UNICEF's Humanitarian Action for Children 2023 appeal in Syria was severely underfunded, with only a fraction of the $328.5 million secured.

He warned that as the situation worsened as a result of the earthquakes, the situation became more urgent and we need $172.7 million for immediate life-saving assistance for the 5.4 million people (including 2.6 million children) affected by the earthquake in Syria.

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said, "The Union strongly believes in the two-state solution, and that there is no viable alternative to it."

In his speech before the plenary session of the European Parliament on developments in the Middle East, Borrell stressed that the European Union, with all its members, will continue to work with its international partners for a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

He added, "The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is grave, and the violence has reached unprecedented levels since 2005 with an appalling number of victims, including children, which cannot continue in this way."

Borrell reaffirmed that settlements are illegal under international law, and their expansion must stop, as well as demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes.

He called on the Israeli government to seriously address the violence of extremist settlers, to hold the perpetrators accountable, and to make its military operations proportionate and in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Borrell stressed the need for the international community to work to help find renewed prospects for peace, and said: "We need renewed international efforts to help both Israelis and Palestinians consider their options."

In this regard, Borrell touched on his meeting on February 13 with the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and the agreement with them to work towards a viable solution, in order to revive the Arab Peace Initiative and build on it, in addition to To a European contribution to peace.

Regarding Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's concern about the European Parliament's interference in Israel's internal affairs: Borrell said: "This parliament is free to discuss whatever it deems important. It is natural for parliamentarians to be concerned about the escalating spiral of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories."

He added, "The European Union is engaged in the search for peace in the Middle East, and the peace process in the Middle East is a matter of concern to us."

Borrell addressed the European Parliament, saying: "I hope that the discussion will be good in order to tell the Israeli Foreign Minister that Parliament is ready to discuss what is happening in the Middle East, and how we can contribute to the peace process, and this does not mean at all an anti-Israel position."

He added, "We are closely watching what is happening in Israel, and if we have concerns, we will not hesitate to express and convey them, as we do in any part of the world."

He continued, "With full respect for the internal political dynamics with Israel, this room is fully empowered to discuss those dynamics and understand what is happening there, in terms of our perception of values and interests in the region - there is nothing strange about that, and this cannot be seen as interference."

He said: "Everyone agrees that the European Union must do everything in its power to contribute to a peaceful settlement of the conflict in the Middle East, and to reach peace between Israel and Palestine."

Bait Mal al-Quds Agency , affiliated to the Jerusalem Committee, chaired by King Mohammed VI, presented the “Dlala” platform for electronic marketing of Palestinian products in the capital, Nouakchott, today, Wednesday, on the sidelines of the Investment Forum for Mauritania and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, within the activities of the “Investment Days of the Islamic Center for Trade Development.”

According to a statement by the agency, the platform project, which was launched by the agency with a social and solidarity methodology, comes to support the trade sector in Jerusalem, help merchants and local associations to market their products, and enable them to promote them in exhibitions, inside and outside Palestine, within the framework of a partnership and cooperation agreement with the Islamic Center for the Development of Trade. Organization of Islamic Cooperation, headquartered in Casablanca.

The agency places the electronic platform (Dlala) at the disposal of the productive bodies, institutions and craft associations in Jerusalem to market their products, in a solidarity framework that benefits these bodies, institutions and associations.

This platform would bring the businesses of male and female manufacturers in the city closer to the Arab and international markets and give them the opportunity to introduce their products and offer them, in an optimal way, to consumers who request them, individually or collectively.

And to encourage producing bodies, institutions, and associations, the agency puts all the capabilities programmed within the framework of the project: “Civil Initiatives for a Sustainable Program for Human Development in Jerusalem” to enhance the skills of producers, develop production, improve its quality, and raise its competitiveness in the internal and external markets.

Today, Wednesday, the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority said, "The prisoner, Muhammad Mahra , from the Gaza Strip, may die or lose his sight at any moment."

The authority added in a statement: "The prisoner, Mahra, was transferred to Surka Hospital 4 days ago, due to the presence of fragments from an old brain injury, and an operation cannot be performed on him, due to the seriousness of his health condition."

أصيب عشرات المواطنين بالاختناق، اليوم الأربعاء، خلال اقتحام قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي بلدة قراوة بني حسان غرب سلفيت.

وبحسب مصادر محلية، فإن تلك القوات اقتحمت المنطقة الغربية من البلدة، وأطلقت قنابل صوتية وغازية بشكل عشوائي، ما تسبب بحالات اختناق بين صفوف المواطنين.

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan announced on Wednesday that his country's investments in Iran may start "quickly", after the two regional powers agreed to resume their relations, ending a rift that had lasted for years.

Al-Jadaan said at the "Financial Sector Conference 2023" held in Riyadh, in response to a question about upcoming Saudi investments in Iran, "This could happen quickly. If what was agreed upon was adhered to, I think something could happen quickly."

He continued, "There is no reason to prevent this. Iran is our neighbor and has been and will remain so for hundreds of years. Therefore, I do not see any problem that would prevent the normalization of the relationship through investments (...) as long as we abide by the agreement, respect sovereignty, and do not interfere in each other's affairs."

On Friday, Iran and Saudi Arabia announced the resumption of their diplomatic relations, severed since 2016, within two months, following negotiations hosted by China, in a move that may involve major regional diplomatic changes.

Relations were severed when Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom executed an opposition Shiite cleric named Nimr al-Nimr.

The Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia are the two most prominent regional powers in the Gulf, and they are on opposite sides in most regional files, most notably the conflict in Yemen, where Riyadh leads a military coalition in support of the internationally recognized government, and accuses Tehran of supporting the Houthis, who control large areas in the north of the country, most notably Sanaa.

It is noteworthy that the United States imposes sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program and prevents foreign countries and companies from dealing with the Islamic Republic in an attempt to strangle it economically, and these are sanctions that Riyadh has always supported.

"I think there are a lot of opportunities in Iran, and we also provide a lot of opportunities for them," Al-Jadaan said during the conference.

قالت وكالة الطاقة الدولية الأربعاء إن عائدات صادرات النفط الروسية تراجعت بنسبة 42 في المئة في شباط/فبراير مع تشديد الغرب عقوباته على موسكو في أعقاب حرب أوكرانيا.

جنت روسيا 11,6 مليار دولار من صادراتها النفطية الشهر الماضي بعد أن فرض الاتحاد الأوروبي حظرا على المنتجات البترولية الروسية إلى جانب سقف للأسعار اتفق عليه مع مجموعة السبع وأستراليا.

استكملت جرافات عسكرية إسرائيلية، اليوم الأربعاء، هدم منزل في بلدة أم طوبا جنوب القدس المحتلة.

وبحسب مصادر محلية، فإن تلك الجرافات استكملت هدم منزل عائلة محمد أبو طير وشقيقته، الذي قامت به يوم أمس الثلاثاء.

وأشارت المصادر إلى أن البيت مكون من شقتين شيّدتا قبل عامين، ويسكن فيهما 12 فرداً، وتبلغ مساحة الشقة الواحدة 90 متراً مربعاً.

Mohammed Ashi has dressed celebrities around the world from Indian actress Deepika Padukone to American singers Beyoncé, Cardi B and Zendaya, but few of his clients know that he is the first Saudi fashion designer to reach this international level.

"In the 1990s (the last century) I was the only Saudi fashion designer. But I never said I was Saudi. I wanted the clothes to be at the forefront, not me," Ashi told AFP in a rare interview in his studio in Paris.

It's partly due to shyness, as Ashi still prefers not to have selfies taken, but also to the fact that wearing Western clothing was pretty much a taboo in public, certainly for women, in Saudi Arabia where he grew up in the 1980s.

Ashi made his career outside the Gulf kingdom, which has remained closed for decades, first training in the United States and working for Givenchy and with Lebanese fashion designer Elie Saab before landing in France.
And now, with the massive campaign of social openness taking place in Saudi Arabia, Ashi has won the welcome and recognition in his country as an advisor to the fledgling government fashion authority.

"A few months ago, I was invited to speak publicly in Saudi Arabia for the first time, and many people came to me after that. I get recognition from the younger generation that I never expected," he said.

"They (Saudi authorities) give scholarships to people for something that was taboo when I was growing up. It's a special moment."

Critics of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, view the easing of social restrictions as a public relations campaign aimed at turning a blind eye to the ongoing human rights violations.

However, there is no doubt about the opportunities it provided to young creators, such as Reem Al-Sabhan, 27, whose fashion designs are now adorning local events.

"Since the beginning of my studies, I have kept repeating a sentence that I really believed in, even if it surprised people: Riyadh will become one of the most important capitals of fashion," Al-Sabhan told AFP at a workshop in Riyadh.

"Now the signs of this future are beginning to emerge," she added.

Previously unimaginable public events such as concerts, festivals and the new Red Sea Film Festival mean that Saudi Arabia is rolling out the red carpet for Al Sabhan's designs.

However, Burak Chakmak, head of the Saudi Fashion Authority, said that the foundations of the fashion sector were laid much earlier.

"Many local creators established fashion companies during the past 20 or 30 years for the local market, but they did not feel the need to tell their stories to the outside world, or they did not dare to do so," Chakmak, a Turkish fashion designer, told AFP.

"That allowed the system to build in a tight way... Now people can see that there are hundreds of brands, very connected to their culture but also inspired by the rest of the world."

For Ashi, it makes sense for Saudi Arabia to become a fashion hub, as he says its oil wealth has kept European brands afloat for decades.

He said that Saudi Arabia "acquires 60 or 70 percent of French fashion," especially wedding dresses.

"Most of the big French fashion houses rely on this, but they don't like to talk about it because they don't want to be seen as mere tailors. They want to be a 'brand'," he explained.

Ashi's Diary is a frantic whirl of client prepping and preparations for the upcoming Haute Couture Week.

His clothes appear on the red carpets of the world's biggest events from the Oscars to Cannes.

One of the highlights of his success was Beyoncé wearing a fuchsia gown of his design at a memorial show for Nelson Mandela.

Although he is proud to be a role model for young Saudi designers, he still prefers to see himself as a "global citizen".

Pausing to show the details of an elaborate lace dress, he said, "The engraving was done in London, the weaving in Italy, the embroidery in India, and assembled here in Paris."

"It's a journey for these clothes to take shape, just like me," he said.

اعتقلت قوة عسكرية إسرائيلية، الأربعاء، 4 شبان فلسطينيين حاولوا التسلل من قطاع غزة باتجاه أحد الكيبوتسات المجاورة لحدود وسط قطاع غزة.

وبحسب ناطق عسكري إسرائيلي، فإن الأربعة لم يكن بحوزتهم أي أسلحة، وتم نقلهم للتحقيق.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation authorities renewed the ban on the secretary of the " Fatah " movement in Jerusalem, Shadi Moutour , from entering the West Bank .

A developer was banned from entering the West Bank for a period of 4 months.

It is noteworthy that the occupation imposes many restrictions on it, under the pretext that it constitutes a threat to the security of the occupying country.

توفي شاب من مدينة أريحا، اليوم الأربعاء، أثناء عمله داخل مدينة بئر السبع في الداخل المحتل.

وبحسب مصادر محلية، فإن الشاب محمد راتب زبيدات (30 عاماً) من قرية الزبيدات، توفي نتيجة إصابته بحادث عمل، في مصنع للأسمنت.

Today, Wednesday, the Prisoners' Club said, "The occupation prison administration will conduct maneuvers in all prisons in the south."

The club added in a statement: "It will focus the training in "Raymond" prison, with the participation of the occupation army and the police, and will use aircraft and live ammunition.

He pointed out that the prisoners' departments have been closed since morning in the prisons of the south.

An American man is in hospital after being seriously injured after being attacked by his zebra, who was later killed by police fire, according to what the Ohio state authorities announced Tuesday.

According to reports issued by the police chief's office in Pickaway County, Ohio, that the arm of Ronald Clifton, 72, was amputated in the attack, pointing out that one of the policemen quickly put a ligature to stop the bleeding, while other policemen restrained the animal.

"A huge male zebra attacked the driver's side door of my car and was very aggressive," said Deputy Police Chief Michael Oberly.

"It appeared that Clifton had bleeding in his right arm, just below the elbow," he said.

While Oberly was tending to the victim, the zebra returned to pose a threat to the Clifton family and other police officers.

Video footage from the policeman's body camera showed a man chasing the zebra with a stick. After the failure of this attempt and the failure of another policeman to remove the animal, the policeman shot the zebra in the head.

The exact nature of Clifton's injury was not clear. And while police officer Nathan Welch wrote in his report that "the zebra bit the victim's arm," a police spokesman told AFP that the police believed the arm had been amputated.

A local NBC affiliate reported that zebras are not classified as dangerous wild animals under Ohio law and are therefore permitted to be possessed in the state.

China on Wednesday welcomed Honduras' decision to establish "official" diplomatic relations with Beijing, which threatens the Central American country's relations with Taiwan.

Honduran President Sioumara Castro tweeted Tuesday that she had "instructed Foreign Minister Eduardo Reyna to supervise the establishment of official relations with the People's Republic of China."

Castro did not explicitly address the future of relations with Taiwan. Honduras is among the 14 countries that continue to recognize Taiwan diplomatically. However, Taipei immediately asked Honduras not to make "this inappropriate decision."

"China is ready to develop relations of friendship and cooperation with all countries of the world, including Honduras, based on the one-China principle," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told the press.

"We welcome Honduras' decision," he added.

China considers the island of Taiwan an integral part of its territory and does not rule out that it will be restored by force if necessary.

A country's recognition of Beijing usually leads to de facto severing of its relations with Taiwan, in accordance with the principle of one China.

أعلن حاكم منطقة بيلغورود الروسيّة فياتشيسلاف غلادكوف الأربعاء إسقاط ثلاثة صواريخ مساء الثلاثاء فوق منطقته الحدودية مع أوكرانيا.

وتسبب حطام الصواريخ التي أسقطها سلاح الدفاع الجوي الروسيّ، بأضرار في منازل في مدينة بيلغورود ومحيطها من دون تسجيل إصابات، بحسب ما أفاد الحاكم عبر تلغرام.

وأضاف أنه تم إسقاط مسيّرة أيضاً في المدينة ما أدى إلى أضرار في مرآب.

في أواخر كانو الثاني/يناير الماضي، أعلن غلادكوف أنّ عدد الضحايا الذين سقطوا في منطقته بنيران القوات الأوكرانية منذ بدأت روسيا هجومها الواسع النطاق على جارتها في 24 شباط/فبراير 2022 بلغ 25 قتيلاً وحوالى مئة جريح.

وتتعرض بلدات وبنى تحتية في منطقة بيلغورود بانتظام لضربات تنسبها موسكو إلى الجيش الأوكراني، من دون أن تعلن كييف مسؤوليتها عنها. كما تعرضت العاصمة الإقليمية التي تحمل الاسم نفسه، لضربات مباشرة عدة مرات.

فرضت سلطات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي، اليوم الأربعاء، غرامة مالية على شقيقين من خربة حمصة التحتا في الأغوار الشمالية، لاسترداد جراريهما الزراعيين.

وبحسب مصادر محلية، فإن الاحتلال فرض غرامتين ماليتين بلغ مجموعهما 11 ألف شيقل على الشقيقين أحمد وفضل أبو سيف لاسترداد جراريهما الزراعيين، إذ تم الاستيلاء عليهما أواخر شهر فبراير/ شباط الماضي.

وأشارت المصادر إلى أن قوات الاحتلال كانت قد استولت على الجرارين في وقت سابق قبل نحو ثلاثة أشهر، ودفع الشقيقان غرامتين بلغ مجموعهما 5 آلاف شيقل لاستردادهما في ذلك الوقت.

طالبت وزارة الخارجية والمغتربين، اليوم الأربعاء، مجلس الأمن الدولي بوقف ازدواجية المعايير في التعامل مع قضايا ومعاناة شعبنا، واتخاذ ما يلزم من الإجراءات الكفيلة بتنفيذ وضمان تنفيذ قرارات الشرعية الدولية قبل فوات الاوان، وخلق الظروف المناسبة لتجسيد الدولة الفلسطينية على الأرض تحقيقاً لمبدأ حل الدولتين.

وأدانت الوزارة في بيان لها، انتهاكات سلطات الاحتلال وجيشه وميليشيا مستوطنيه المتواصلة ضد شعبنا وأرضه ومنازله وممتلكاته ومقدساته ومزروعاته، والتي كان اخرها جرائم هدم المنازل بحجج واهية كما حدث في صور باهر، واقدام عناصر الإرهاب اليهودي من المستوطنين على تقطيع ١٧٠ شجرة زيتون معمرة في قريتي ياسوف والساوية.

وأكدت أن هذا المشهد الاحتلالي لا يمكن أن يصبح مألوفاً مهما طال أمد الاحتلال باعتباره خرقاً فاضحاً للقانون الدولي وقرارات الشرعية الدولية والتزامات إسرائيل كقوة احتلال تجاه شعبنا، كما أن شعبنا بصموده ورفضه للاحتلال يؤكد بشكل يومي رفضه المطلق للتعايش مع هذا المشهد العنيف والاضطهادي والعنصري.

وحذرت الوزارة من مغبة التعاطي الدولي مع تلك الانتهاكات والإجراءات الإسرائيلية أحادية الجانب غير القانونية كأمور باتت مألوفة واعتيادية لأنها تتكرر يومياً، كما وحذرت من التعامل معها من باب الاحصائيات والارقام العابرة بعيداً عن ما تخفيه تلك الأرقام من معاناة وآلام يتكبدها شعبنا على المستويات كافة.

اعتقلت قوات إسرائيلية، اليوم الأربعاء، طالباً جامعياً بعد أن داهمت منزله في منطقة قرن الثور في الخليل.

وبحسب مصادر محلية، فإن تلك القوات اعتقلت الطالب في جامعة القدس ياسين جواد الحلمان (21 عاماً).

Israeli intelligence estimates gather that the coming month of Ramadan, which begins at the end of next week, will be the most explosive ever, in light of the continuation of the continuous attacks for more than a year, the weakness of the Palestinian Authority’s rule, and the continuation of what is described as “incitement” through social networks. In addition to the crisis and the political division within Israel, what generates ideas that the latter is more fragile than ever.

According to the Israel Hayom newspaper in a report, this coincides with the strengthening of relations between Hezbollah in Lebanon and the "Hamas" movement, which has recently accelerated its positioning there, especially in the Tire and Sidon camps.

The newspaper says that Saleh al-Arouri , who is responsible for the external activity of the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, seeks to install an additional party against Israel that will be used in the event of escalation from Gaza or the West Bank, noting that he has recruited hundreds of Palestinians and trained them to launch rockets and prepare and plant explosive devices with the intention of using them. when required.

According to the newspaper, the activity of "Hamas" takes place under the eyes and sight of Hezbollah and in coordination with it, but until now it is not possible to say for sure in the interest of Hassan Nasrallah , in light of his party's abstention in recent years from endangering Lebanon or implicating it.

And she adds, "If Hamas acts out of its own interests or under pressure from Iran, it may drag the northern border and Hezbollah into an unwanted escalation, which may affect Lebanon and cause ruin."

It considered that this activity on the part of "Hamas" is in addition to its activities in other arenas in recent years, by encouraging and supporting the implementation of operations in the West Bank, even if it is at the expense of dragging Gaza into a war, as happened in 2014, a possibility that will greatly increase during the month of Ramadan.

The newspaper says: "This challenge requires Israel to take maximum steps to coordinate with several parties, including the United States, Europe, the United Nations, Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states, to try to prevent this escalation, which is not a simple task, especially since there are forums within the cabinet." Stability has been undermined at a time when the dispute over legislation is tearing Israel apart from within and threatening its unity and army, which incentivizes its enemies to attack it. as described.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces beat a female employee at the Polytechnic University, on her way back to Hebron Governorate, at the Container military checkpoint , southeast of Jerusalem.

The reporter at Palestine Polytechnic University, Sundus Al-Talbishi, told the Palestinian News Agency "Wafa" that the occupation soldiers stationed at the "Container" military checkpoint detained her after she documented her with her mobile phone to obstruct the passage of citizens at the checkpoint.

She explained that the occupation soldiers carefully searched her vehicle, forced her to enter cement rooms, searched her violently, beat her with rugs hard on her legs, and cursed her with obscene words, despite her informing them that she was a media person, and that her vehicle had a "press" badge.