LONDON (AFP) - Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska on Monday called for a "global response" to the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war, saying prosecutors in Kiev are investigating more than 100 possible crimes that may have been committed by Russian soldiers.

Speaking at the Initiative to Prevent Sexual Violence in Conflict conference in London, Zelenska said the investigations are just a "small fraction" of the real number of such crimes being committed in the Ukrainian war.

"The invaders have expanded their opportunities to humiliate Ukrainians, and unfortunately, sexual violence and sexual crimes are in their arsenal," she added.

"Everyone knows about the huge numbers of rape cases," she told delegates on the first day of the conference, which is hosted by the British government, adding, "They (Russian soldiers) are very open about this."

She said victims are afraid to speak up because of the stigma and fears that those responsible will return and repeat their actions.
"That is why it is so important that this crime be recognized as a war crime and that the perpetrators be held accountable," she added.

"There must be a global response to this. Unfortunately, such war crimes will continue in the world as long as soldiers believe they can get away with it," she said.

The Ukrainian government has launched a support program to help war victims, which Zelenska said she hoped would be "a first step towards investigation and prosecution".

She said Ukraine is looking forward to launching similar initiatives outside the country.

Last week, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced new aid to Ukraine during his visit to Kiev, including support for victims of sexual violence by Russian soldiers.

The conference brings together representatives of about 70 countries and will continue until Tuesday.

On Monday afternoon, the Ukrainian first lady met Akshata Murty, the wife of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in Downing Street, after which they decorated the Christmas tree in front of the residence of the prime minister and the prime minister's office.

Beirut - (dpa) - Arab foreign ministers ended, today, Saturday, their consultative meeting in Beirut, by affirming support and solidarity with Lebanon and the Palestinian cause .

The opening session was chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates in the Lebanese caretaker government, Abdullah Bouhabib, given that Lebanon heads the current session of the Council of Arab Foreign Ministers, according to the "National News Agency" today.

The Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, told reporters after the meeting ended that the discussion dealt with preparations for the Arab summit to be held in Algeria and the catastrophic situation of famine in Somalia in light of the difficult climatic conditions and Arab food security, revealing a plan that the General Secretariat is preparing and will present in September. next September.

He pointed out that the Palestinian issue was discussed, stressing the support and solidarity of the two communities with Lebanon, but no subsidiary or partial issues were raised.

The consultative session started earlier today, and the meeting discussed the files that will be discussed in the Arab summit meetings to be held in Algiers next October, and the joint Arab files.

Upon his arrival to participate in the session, the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad Al-Maliki, spoke to the journalists: "Our presence in Beirut is very important because we stress the importance of the Lebanese state within the Arab House, and the arrival of foreign ministers to Beirut also has very important implications."

He pointed out that "the Palestinian conditions and concerns have become greatly disturbing, and the Arab countries must also pay attention and take into account what is happening in Palestine in terms of violations of the rights of the Palestinians and crimes that rise to the level of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and therefore the Arab countries, especially some countries that go too far, must In the policies of normalization with that entity, you must take into account what is also happening in Palestine within those policies.

In turn, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi stressed that "his country cannot allow Lebanon to slide towards more difficulties," and said, "We hope that Lebanon can overcome its political challenges, a step towards starting to overcome its economic challenges."

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates announced today, Monday, that the bodies of the martyrs, "for a living", Khaled Shurrab and Mustafa Al-Samary, will be transferred from Greece to their families in the Gaza Strip.

The ministry stated in a statement that the two bodies will be transferred this afternoon to Egyptian territory, in full coordination with Egypt, to complete the procedures for transferring them to the Gaza Strip.

The two young men, Shurrab and Al-Semari, drowned with others while they were sailing from Libya to Tunisia in an attempt to reach Europe.

ISLAMABAD - (DPA) - At least two people were killed after unidentified gunmen attacked two passenger buses used by the Taliban 's Ministry of Defense, in the city of Herat, in western Afghanistan , on Monday.

Another 20 people were wounded in the attack. The two buses were carrying employees of the Taliban's 207th Farouk Corps.

The ministry's spokesman, Inayatullah Khwarizmi, confirmed the news to the German News Agency (dpa).

There were initially conflicting reports regarding the number of attacks and the number of casualties.

Some local media reported that four buses were attacked in different parts of the city, killing 18 people, but local security officials confirmed only one attack. Hospital sources said they were not allowed to talk about the number of casualties.

A local security official in Herat told dpa that three men riding in an auto-rickshaw fired AK-47 rifles at a bus carrying civil servants.

The official added that the rickshaw driver was killed by the security forces, but there were other attackers who managed to flee the scene.

Salfit - "Jerusalem" dot com - The settlers of "Ali Zahav" settlement established a cemetery on the lands of the citizens of the town of Kafr Al-Dik, west of Salfit.

According to local sources, the settlers of "Ali Zahav" seized an area of the citizens' land , fenced it, and created a cemetery to bury their dead at the expense of the citizens' property, in the northern area of the town, known as the Balat Rakba area (Khilat al-Qamh).

Naji added that the area is subject to settler attacks on a daily basis, including the uprooting of hundreds of olive trees and the leveling of large areas of citizens' lands in favor of settlement expansion.

(AFP) - The Ukrainian Air Force announced Monday that it had shot down 13 explosive drones that took off from southern Russia at night, after sirens sounded for hours in Kiev.

The Air Force said on the Telegram application that Russian forces launched 15 Iranian-made Shahed aircraft from the Bryansk region, northeast of Kiev, 13 of which were shot down by Ukrainian forces.

Since October, Russia has launched missile and drone attacks targeting vital Ukrainian infrastructure, prompting Kiev to strengthen its air defenses with help from the West.

In Kiev, sirens sounded for hours early Monday warning of air strikes, and authorities said air defenses had been activated by an "air target".

The official of the military administration, Sergei Popko, said that the marches were on their way to Kiev, but the Ukrainian air defenses shot them down and did not cause human casualties or affect infrastructure.

Ukraine has strengthened its ability to counter Russian air strikes after receiving new missile defense systems from Western allies such as the United States and Britain.

Despite this, a march attack in late February killed two people and wounded three others in the city of Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine.

Last month, Washington announced an additional $2 billion in security assistance to Kiev, after agreeing in December to deliver the high-performance Patriot missile defense system.

And AFP correspondents recently saw elements of the Ukrainian forces on the outskirts of Kiev, protecting them from marching attacks with machine guns dating back to the period before the Second World War.

Washington (AFP) - Inflation in the United States maintained a high level in May at 6.3 percent as household spending slowed, according to the Personal Consumption Expenditures Index, one of the main indicators of inflation released Thursday by the Commerce Department and on which the Reserve Bank relies. federal.

On a monthly level, prices rose by 0.6 percent, compared to 0.2 percent in April. However, the rate remains slightly below analysts' expectations (0.7 percent).

The other inflation indicator, the Consumer Price Index (CPI), published by the Ministry of Labor and used mainly for calculating pensions, recorded an increase of 8.6 percent in May over one year.

The evolution of household spending slowed by more than 0.2 percent, compared to 0.6 percent in April (down by 0.3 points), as consumers were affected by the repercussions of higher inflation and an increase in incomes unchanged from the previous month (more than 0.5 percent). percent, up 0.1 points).

And if the slowdown in household spending continues in June, this will affect the gross domestic product in the second quarter, knowing that consumption is the main driver of the US economy.

The gross domestic product in the United States contracted in the first quarter slightly more than was initially announced, declining by 1.6 percent at an annual rate, which is due in particular to a revision of the decline in personal consumption expenditures.

Ankara - "Jerusalem" dot com - Today, Monday, the Turkish authorities suspended the movement of ships in the Bosphorus Strait , after a cargo ship ran aground while sailing from Ukraine to Istanbul.

According to the Turkish Anadolu Agency, the General Directorate of Coastal Safety said in a press statement, "The cargo ship MKK-1, with a length of 142 meters, ran aground off the coast of Beykoz in the city of Istanbul, while it was heading from Ukraine to the city," adding, "Our eight boats were directed immediately to the scene of the accident."

And she confirmed that "the movement of ships in the Bosphorus Strait has been temporarily suspended."

It is noteworthy that cargo ships sail from Ukrainian ports, within the framework of the Istanbul Grain Transportation Agreement (the initiative for the safe shipment of grain and foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports), which was signed on July 22 last year between Turkey , Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations.

The agreement, which was sponsored by Turkey and the United Nations, included securing grain exports suspended in Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea (eastern Europe) to the world.

Brussels - (AFP) - The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said that the European Union considers the gas leak in two undersea pipelines linking Russia to Germany this week "not a coincidence", amid indications of "deliberate action".

And he warned in a statement that "any deliberate tampering with European energy facilities is completely unacceptable and will be met with a strong and unified response."

Borrell called for an investigation into the leakage on Nord Stream 1 and 2, saying that "all available information indicates that these leakages are the result of deliberate action."

"We will support any investigation that fully demonstrates what happened and why, and we will take further steps to increase our resilience in the area of energy security," he added.

"The Nord Stream sabotage appears to be an effort to further disrupt the EU's energy supply," European Council President Charles Michel wrote in a tweet.

"Those behind this will be held accountable," he added.

Sweden and Poland had announced that the leakage from the two gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea was likely caused by acts of sabotage, and Warsaw hinted at the possibility of Russia's involvement with the aim of escalating the war against Ukraine.

The two pipelines are a strategic infrastructure linking Russia with Europe. While the two pipelines are not currently operating, they contain gas, which caused bubbles to appear in the leak that was detected on the surface of sea water in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark.

Seismologists in Sweden detected two "massive releases of energy" just before the leak occurred.

LOS ANGELES - (Xinhua) -- The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying four astronauts arrived at the International Space Station Thursday and docked with the complex.

The Crew-5 mission will take NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Kasada, along with Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos astronaut Anna Kikina to the International Space Station.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft took off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Wednesday noon ET. The spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station at 5:01 p.m. ET Thursday.

During their time in the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstration applications in areas such as human health and lunar fuel systems, according to SpaceX.

Gaza - "Jerusalem" dot com - Palestinian factions mourned, on Thursday, the martyrs Muhammad Al-Saadi and Naeem Al-Zubaidi, who were shot dead by the Israeli occupation forces in Jenin at dawn today.

The Islamic Jihad movement said that the two martyrs were among the leaders of its military wing, stressing that "this pure blood will be fuel for the continuation of the resistance and for striking the enemy so that it knows the extent of its heinous crime."

She added, "The Islamic Jihad Movement is still shedding the blood of its sons on the road to freedom. The two martyrs, Muhammad al-Saadi and Naim al-Zubaidi, dismounted after a blessed march in resisting the occupation and confronting it, as an extension of our people in Jenin camp, who are known for their sacrifice and redemption."

And I promised the martyrs to continue on their approach and to fulfill their pure blood until the land is liberated and the sanctities are purified from the defilement of the usurpers. according to the text of the statement.

For its part, Hamas mourned the two martyrs, and said: "Targeting the leaders and continuing the assassination policy against the resistance fighters will not succeed in achieving security for the occupation and its settlers, nor will it extinguish the rising resistance in the West Bank. Our revolution is born, and our generations know the path towards victory and liberation."

In a statement, the movement called for an escalation of resistance and revenge for the blood of the martyrs, and to respond to the cry of Al-Aqsa, which is under threat and Judaization.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine also mourned the two martyrs, and affirmed that the occupation’s crimes against our people will increase, and our resistance is stronger and more determined to pay the occupation the price for its crimes until it is defeated from our entire land. As stated in the text of its statement.

She added, "The increase in the frequency of incursions into Palestinian camps confirms that our camps will remain fortresses of resistance, and these Zionist crimes only increase our people's strength and resilience in the face of this aggression."

Gaza - " Jerusalem " dot com - Palestinian factions condemned today, Friday, the crime of the occupation in Jenin, which led to the death of 3 young men and the injury of 10 others.

Hamas said that the assassination, which it described as "cowardly", would only increase the Palestinian people's determination and persistence towards resisting the occupation.

Abdel-Latif al-Qanua, a spokesman for Hamas, stressed in a press statement that the occupation will pay the price for its crimes, saying: "This pure blood represents fuel for our people's uprising and its massive revolution against the occupation, and a beacon that lights the way for all generations towards resistance and permanent engagement with the occupier."

Al-Qanou added, "Jenin will remain unbreakable and will continue its steadfastness and resistance against the occupation until its goals and crimes are thwarted, which will not grant it security on our land."

The Hamas spokesman called for escalating the resistance in all its forms and confronting the crimes of the occupation, and for this bloodshed to be a turning point in confronting the occupation in the various regions of the West Bank.

For its part, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine condemned the assassination of the three young men, stressing that their blood would not be in vain.

Democracy confirmed in a statement that the policy of cold-blooded assassinations and executions of our people is a failed Israeli attempt to undermine the will of resistance and steadfastness, and the rising popular resistance in the West Bank. As stated in the text of its statement.

It held the occupation government fully responsible for the consequences of that heinous crime, and said: Our people, with their resistance, will not stand idly by.

She added: Our Palestinian people have no choice to confront the occupation and defend our national dignity except by escalating resistance and comprehensive confrontation in all forms and methods.

For its part, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine mourned the three martyrs, stressing that the assassination operation will only increase our people and their resistance in resisting the occupation, leading to paying the price for its crimes and expelling it from our land.

And the people affirmed that the resistance in all its forms is the choice of our people to respond to this heinous crime, and it is the shield of our people and its cutting sword against the settler gangs and the army of crime, which necessitates an escalation of resistance and that all contact areas and barriers turn into a mass of flame under the feet of the Zionists. As stated in the text Bbanha.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - 4 prisoners in the occupation prisons continue their hunger strike to achieve multiple demands.

According to the Prisoner's Club, the detainee Khalil Awadeh has been on hunger strike for 110 days, refusing his administrative detention, and he is being held in "Asaf Harofeh" hospital with a serious health condition. seriously healthy.

On the basis of their support, the prisoner Zakariya Al-Zubaidi continues his hunger strike for the 16th day in a row, as he languishes in the cells of "Aylon-Ramle" prison.

The prisoner, Muhammad Nawara, continues his hunger strike for the 7th day, rejecting the continuation of his 11-month isolation in the cells of "Raymond" prison.

Translation by "Al Quds" dot com - An Israeli security official said, on Wednesday, that the bodies of any Palestinians held in exchange for the body of the Druze youth being held in Jenin camp by gunmen will not be handed over.

The Israeli Army Radio quoted the official as saying that such an option is not on the agenda.

While the Hebrew channel Reshet Kan reported that the UN envoy for the peace process in the Middle East, Tor Winsland, and the Palestinian Authority are participating in the ongoing negotiations to try to hand over the body.

The Druze young man's family asked the Israeli government not to carry out a military operation to recover the body and leave the opportunity for negotiations at the present time.

Nablus - "Jerusalem" dot com - Ghassan Al-Katout - The Nablus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Jawwal Pay signed today, Sunday, a cooperation agreement for electronic payment.

The signing took place at the Chamber’s headquarters, in the presence of the Chairman of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, Omar Hashem, and the Director of the Corporate and Strategic Accounts Department in Jawwal Pay, Thaer Abu Bakr, and with the participation of members of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, Tayel Al-Hawari and Majdi Al-Bazra, General Manager Issam Abu Zaid, Information Technology Department Officer Naim Malhis, and Director The Corporate and Strategic Accounts Department in the North is Amir Turkiyeh, Head of the Corporate and Strategic Accounts Unit in the North, Basel Al-Masry, and the Director of Strategic Accounts in the North, Rabih Maqbool.

Hashem expressed his happiness with this pioneering agreement in the field of the work of the Chamber of Commerce, stressing its endeavor to improve the level of services provided to the public authority and the citizen.

And he indicated that merchants and businessmen will be able to complete their financial transactions for the Chamber in an easier and faster way electronically, in addition to the possibility of paying through the Jawwal Pay wallet.

This agreement comes within the direction of the Chamber to computerize business and services, facilitate and facilitate the members of the General Assembly of men, women and business owners, and shorten time and effort through various electronic means.

For his part, Abu Bakr said that this agreement is a quantum leap that will have an impact on the services of merchants and businessmen, as their service will be fast and safe and without the need to use cash.

He added that reliance has become great on electronic payment methods that contribute to paying bills and amounts due, which benefit a large segment of citizens who do not have bank accounts due to the limited spread and long procedures that take them a long time.

It is noteworthy that Jawwal Pay is the first multi-functional electronic wallet via mobile phone, and is also the first company to obtain a license from the Monetary Authority to provide electronic payment services to the public.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Today, Sunday, the Israeli court of Ofer postponed the trial of the prisoner, Sheikh Bassam Al-Saadi, a leader in the Islamic "Jihad" movement.

According to the prisoner's lawyer, the session was postponed until Wednesday (8/31/2022) to issue a decision on extending his detention.

Jerusalem - (AFP) - Israel rejected today, Thursday, amendments proposed by Lebanon to a draft agreement on the demarcation of maritime borders with Israel that would facilitate the investment of potential resources of oil and gas at sea.

A senior Israeli official told AFP, "Israel received the Lebanese response to the mediators' proposal, and Prime Minister Yair Lapid was briefed on the details of the fundamental changes that Lebanon is seeking to make and instructed the negotiating team to reject them."

The draft proposal put forward by the American mediator, Amos Hochstein, and presented to the Israeli and Lebanese sides, includes a set of proposals related to the demarcation of the southern maritime borders.

In practice, the two countries are at war, and the last war Israel fought against Hezbollah, in 2006, lasted 34 days.

The Hebrew state welcomed Hochstein's proposal, but Prime Minister Lapid confirmed that it would be subject to legal review before it was presented for final government approval.

On Tuesday, Lebanon presented its response to the American proposal.

According to the Israeli official, who asked not to be identified, "Israel will not give up its security and economic interests, even if this causes the failure to reach an agreement."

Last week, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed optimism about making progress on the agreement, and the Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, considered the American proposal a "very important step."

On Tuesday, a Lebanese official involved in the two negotiations said that Beirut's response to the initial US proposal included "amendments to specific sentences so that there is no misunderstanding."

Negotiations between Lebanon and Israel began in 2020, then stopped in May 2021 due to differences over the size of the disputed area after Lebanon demanded to amend the map used by the United Nations during the talks, which it said was based on wrong estimates.

The talks between the two sides, upon their inception, were supposed to be limited to an estimated marine area of about 860 square kilometers, whose borders are known as Line 23, based on a map that Lebanon sent in 2011 to the United Nations.

However, Lebanon later considered that the map was based on erroneous estimates, and demanded that an additional area of 1,430 square kilometers be searched, including parts of the Karish field, known as Line 29.

Since the beginning of June, developments related to the file have accelerated after a pause for months, following the arrival of a production and storage ship near the Karish field, in preparation for the start of gas extraction from it.

Beirut considers it to be located in a disputed area, while Israel says it is within its exclusive economic zone.

Hezbollah issued a series of threats to Israel, warning it not to undertake any activity in Karish before reaching an agreement on the demarcation of the maritime borders.

Paris - (AFP) - Several French airports , including Charles de Gaulle and Orly near Paris, will be affected on Friday and at the weekend by new strikes, ahead of the start of the summer tourist season.

These social movements, which come against the background of a high inflation rate and a strong recovery in air traffic after the Covid-19 epidemic crisis, will be reflected in the cancellation of about 17% of flights departing or coming to and from Charles de Gaulle Airport between seven in the morning and two in the afternoon, according to the General Administration of Aviation. civil.

The authority requested the precautionary cancellation of flights that will represent 10% of air traffic at this airport on Friday, as a safety precaution due to the strike of firefighters since Thursday to demand better salaries, which forces the closure of part of the runways at the largest airport in the country.

In addition, the Federation of Paris Airport Platform Employees Union called for joining a "multi-sector" strike, also to demand higher wages.

Social movement, with expected gatherings in front of some buildings at Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports on Friday, may slow the flow of passengers as they approach facilities and checkpoints. The sorting of bags may also be affected.

A strike notice was also submitted between the first and the fourth of July at Marseille airport in southern France, but its administration did not expect flight cancellations or any delays, after a decree was issued by the local administration forcing employees to continue working.

The ADP Paris Airports Group called on passengers to arrive early, that is, "three hours (before the expected take-off time) for international flights, and two hours before the time for domestic flights or within Europe."

And the company, "Air France", announced that it had canceled more than 10% of its short and medium-distance flights on Friday, departing from Charles de Gaulle airport, and maintained its long-haul program.

The summer tourist season, which begins next weekend, July 9-10 in France, seems very difficult for the European aviation sector: the sector is struggling to restore its effectiveness due to the mismatch between strong demand and the still weak number of employees at some airports and at some companies. .

By a decision of the Minister of Local Government, Eng. Magdy Al-Saleh, a new committee was formed to run the municipality’s work in Beit Furik , succeeding the previous committee.

The new committee includes eleven members, who are: Hussein Haj Muhammad (chairman), Nahi Taher Hanani (vice-chairman), Munadel Mustafa Hanani, Fares Bashar Nasasra, Zahi Suleiman Khatatbeh, Alaa Hosni Malitat, Adel Naji Abdullah, Muhammad Abdul Mahdi Gholami, Saeed Abdul Rahim Mleitat, Majdouline Amin Khatatbeh, Rabih Abdullah Nasasra.

The handover and delivery procedures took place, in the presence of the representative of the ministry and the dissolved committee, Nayef Rabaya, where the financial and administrative reports were reviewed.

The Municipality Committee held its first session under the chairmanship of Haj Muhammad. Committees were formed and tasks and responsibilities were distributed.

United Nations (Xinhua) - The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution renewing the mandate of the cross-border aid delivery mechanism to Syria for a period of six months.

The current mandate expired on Sunday after the Security Council failed on Friday to adopt any resolution to renew the mechanism.

Russia vetoed a draft resolution drawn up by Ireland and Norway demanding a 12-month renewal of the mandate.

A Russian draft resolution that would have renewed the mechanism for six months failed to obtain the necessary votes for approval.

Resolution 2642, adopted by 12 votes in favor, with three abstentions, decides to extend permission for aid deliveries through the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the border with Turkey until January 10, 2023.

An extension of another six months would require a separate Security Council resolution.

Britain, France and the United States abstained from voting.

The resolution calls on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to submit a special report on the humanitarian needs in Syria no later than December 10, 2022.

It also requests the Secretary-General to brief the Security Council on a monthly basis and to report regularly at least every 60 days on the implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2642, and on compliance by all concerned parties in Syria.

and further requests the Secretary-General to include in his reports general trends of United Nations operations across safe and unhindered lines, in particular with regard to its progress throughout Syria on early recovery projects, as well as detailed information on humanitarian assistance delivered through cross-border operations, Including its transparency, distribution mechanism, number of beneficiaries and operating partners, aid delivery locations at the district level, and the volume and nature of items delivered.

The resolution urges the holding of an informal interactive dialogue of the Security Council every two months with the participation of donors, interested regional parties, and representatives of international humanitarian agencies operating in Syria, in order to regularly review and follow up the implementation of Resolution 2642, including the progress made in early recovery projects.

The resolution welcomes the ongoing efforts and encourages further initiatives to expand humanitarian activities in Syria, including water, sanitation, health, education, electricity and early shelter recovery projects undertaken by humanitarian organizations, and calls on other international humanitarian agencies and relevant parties to support them.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed hope that the Security Council would renew the cross-border mechanism after six months.

"We asked for its renewal for one year, and I very much hope it will be renewed after six months," he told reporters after the adoption of Resolution 2642.

Cross-border aid is essential for the people of Idlib, he said. It is a matter of life and death for many of them.

Brussels - (AFP) - A European plan to cut gas consumption across the continent by 15 percent to deal with the energy price crisis triggered by Russia's war on Ukraine goes into effect on Tuesday.

And published on Monday in the European Union's official administrative newspaper, the decree related to a plan agreed by the 27-country bloc two weeks ago, to be implemented on Tuesday.

"In view of the imminent threat to the security of gas supplies caused by Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, this law must be brought into force urgently," the text said.

The goal is for the European Union to be able to boost its gas reserves before a winter that is expected to be very difficult. Soaring energy prices and reduced supplies of Russian gas , on which several member states depend, are putting pressure on families and businesses in Europe.

The law states that EU countries will "make maximum efforts" to reduce gas consumption by "at least 15 percent" between August this year and March next year, based on the average amount they have consumed over the past five years.

But some European Union countries have been exempted from having to strictly follow this rule, which is called a "voluntary cut in demand".

These countries are either not fully connected to the European electricity grid or pipelines with other parts of the European Union, or they are unable to provide enough pipeline gas to help other member states.
Hungary, which depends on gas pumped directly from Russia, demanded an exception.

The bulk of European gas imports came from Russia last year, amounting to 40 percent, to Germany, the largest economic power in the European Union.

And in the event that the European Commission detects a "significant shortage of gas supplies" or an exceptionally high demand, it can ask the European Union countries to declare a state of alert for the bloc. Such a move would make consumption cuts compulsory and limit exceptions.

And while EU sanctions on Moscow did not include Russian gas, the Kremlin cut supplies dramatically anyway, something Brussels saw as an attempt to twist its arm.

Muhafazat - "Al-Quds" dot com - Palestinian official and factional bodies condemned, on Tuesday, the Israeli occupation's crime against citizens, and the continuation of field executions that claimed the lives of 3 martyrs from Ramallah and Hebron .

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the two brothers, Jawad and Dhafer Rimawi, from Beit Rima, were killed by the occupation forces in Kafr Ein, northwest of Ramallah, and Mufid Akhalil, from the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron.

The presidential spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, condemned the new Israeli crime, holding the Israeli government fully responsible for these crimes and holding it accountable for it.

Abu Rudeineh said: The American administration also bears a great responsibility for the occupation authorities’ continuous crimes against our people, as it is the only sponsor of the occupying state in the world in arms and financing and in international forums, and it must reconsider its accounts.

Abu Rudeineh stressed the need for the US administration to take serious stances that deter the occupying state from continuing its crimes that destabilize the entire region.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh described what happened as a "heinous and shocking crime, like all occupation crimes," considering it a declaration of war against the Palestinian people, one of the pillars of the new Israeli government.

In a press statement, Shtayyeh called on the countries of the world to intervene urgently to stop and curb the Israeli killing machine, and to hold the perpetrators accountable.

For his part, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein al-Sheikh, described what happened as a "heinous crime."

Al-Sheikh said in a tweet to him on his Twitter account: "Execution in cold blood is a fascist behavior for the occupation forces and a violation of Palestinian blood with political instructions."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates also condemned the crime of field execution against the three young men, saying that "these crimes committed by the occupation forces are an integral part of the daily series of killings against our people with the cover and approval of the Israeli political level."

The Ministry held the Israeli government fully and directly responsible for these crimes, calling on the international community to provide international protection for our people, calling on the International Criminal Court to quickly complete its investigations into the crimes of the occupation and its settlers.

The "Hamas" movement, through its spokesman Hazem Qassem, mourned the three martyrs, pointing out that the occupation expanded its aggression against the Palestinian people.

Qassem said: "The Zionist occupation is trying desperately to stop the legitimate struggle of our people to recover their land and wrest their freedom through killings and assassinations, but this blood will be fuel for our people's revolution and its continuous uprising."

He added: "The occupation's escalation of its crimes and terrorism will be met by escalating resistance and revolutionary action in response to this Zionist terrorism." according to his expression.

For its part, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said, "The occupation's escalation of its aggression in the camps, towns, and cities of the occupied West Bank comes as part of a systematic racist policy, which requires field unity at the highest levels to repel this aggression."

The Front saluted all the resistance fighters who daily write the most wonderful images of bravery in the face of this occupation on the path of maximizing the clash and expanding its circle. As stated in the text of its statement.

The People's Assembly called on the international community and human rights and humanitarian institutions to intervene immediately to stop the violations of the occupation and curb the right-wing fascist government's tendencies that were produced by the racist society in the occupation entity as a true reflection of its criminal nature. according to the text of its statement.

Gaza - "Jerusalem" dot com - " Hamas " movement renewed, on Tuesday, its assertion that the liberation of all prisoners in the prisons of the occupation is a comprehensive national responsibility, which was and will remain at the top of its priorities, and it will not rest until the completion of an honorable loyalty deal through which they breathe the fragrance of freedom. .

In a statement marking the eleventh anniversary of the “Wafaa al-Ahrar” deal, Hamas warned the occupation against continuing its aggression against the prisoners in its prisons, calling on all human rights and humanitarian institutions to expose the occupation’s crimes against the prisoners.

She said: The crimes of administrative detention, isolation, psychological and physical torture, and deprivation of the most basic human rights will not succeed in breaking the steadfastness of the prisoners and their will to wrest freedom and legitimate national rights.

She called on the Palestinian people and the free people of the world to continue their solidarity with the cause of the Palestinian prisoners in the occupation prisons, to strengthen their confrontation with the occupation in empty stomach battles, to activate programs of victory for them and to support their steadfastness, until they attain freedom.

رام الله – “القدس” دوت كوم – علي سمودي – طرأ تحسن طفيف على الحالة الصحية للأسير إياد حريبات (39 عامًا) من قرية سكا قضاء مدينة دورا جنوبي الخليل.

وتحتجز سلطات الاحتلال حريبات داخل قسم الطوارئ بمستشفى “سوروكا” الإسرائيلي، تحت أجهزة التخدير والتنفس الاصطناعي، وهو ما يزال بحاجة ماسة لعناية طبية فائقة لحالته.

وقال هيئة الأسرى في بيان لها إن تدهورًا حادًا طرأ على الوضع الصحي للأسير حريبات في الآونة الأخيرة أثناء تواجده بمعتقل “ريمون”، حيث أصيب بالتهاب حاد في البروستاتا أدى إلى حدوث مشكلة حصر البول لديه، ونُقل على إثرها إلى المستشفى وتم تركيب أنبوب لمساعدته على إخراج البول، وعند عودته إلى المعتقل انفجر الأنبوب ما أدى إلى حدوث تهتك في المثانة والبروستاتا، ونُقل مرة أخرى إلى مشفى “سوروكا” وخضع لعملية جراحية صعبة ومعقدة.

وأضافت، أن الأسير حريبات كانت بحاجة ماسة لرعاية طبية حثيثة بعد خضوعه للعملية الجراحية الأولى، لكن إدارة سجون الاحتلال أعادته إلى المعتقل رغم حاجته للبقاء في المشفى، مما أدى إلى تفاقم حالته بشكل خطير ودخوله بمرحلة حرجة.

ولفتت الهيئة أن الأسير حريبات تعرض لجريمة طبية مسبقاً من قبل إدارة سجون الاحتلال، وذلك بعد الاشتباه بتعرضه لحقنة ملوثة عام 2014 أدت إلى إصابته بانتشار بكتيري داخل جسده وإضعاف بنيته.

وأشارت إلى أنه وخلال عام 2017 تعرض حريبات للرشّ بغاز سام أدى لإصابته بحروق في الجسم، خلال عملية قمع نُفذت بحق الأسرى حينها في سجن “ريمون”، كما أصيب بمرض عصبي، سبّب له رعشة في جسمه، ومشاكل في النطق، وصعوبة في الحركة، وفقدانًا مؤقتًا للذاكرة، ولم تقدم إدارة معتقلات الاحتلال العلاج اللازم له حينها، وأهملت وضعه بشكل كبير.

الجدير ذكره، أن الأسير حريبات معتقل منذ 21/9/2002، ومحكوم بالسجن المؤبد، بالإضافة إلى 20 سنة.

Moscow - (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered the imposition of martial law in four Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, which Moscow annexed in September.

Putin announced the measure during a televised meeting of the National Security Council. The Kremlin then issued a decree announcing the entry into force of martial law in these areas, as of midnight Thursday.

Putin's announcement came as Ukrainian forces made advances in areas controlled by Moscow for months.

"The Kiev regime refused to recognize the will of the people, rejected any proposals for negotiation. Shooting continues and civilians are dying," said the 70-year-old Russian leader.

He accused Ukraine of using "terrorist methods".

"They are sending sabotage groups to our lands," he said, saying that Moscow had thwarted other attacks after targeting the Crimean bridge, "including our nuclear energy facilities."

Under Russian law, martial law allows the army to build up, impose curfews and censorship, limit movements, and train foreign citizens.

"We are working on solving very complex and large-scale tasks to ensure security and protect the future of Russia," Putin added.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Israeli occupation forces arrested, on Monday evening, the Jerusalemite child Muhammad Najeeb (14 years) from the Ras Al-Amoud neighborhood in the town of Silwan.

In the same context, the Occupation Court released the Jerusalemite youth Musa Muhammad al-Abbasi on the condition of house arrest for a period of three days, after his arrest and assault on him yesterday.

Tonight, the occupation forces arrested a citizen at a military checkpoint in the area between the city of Beit Sahour and the village of Dar Salah, east of Bethlehem.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces, stationed at a military checkpoint, stopped a vehicle near Beit Sahour Bridge, arrested its driver and seized the vehicle without being able to identify the detainee who owned the vehicle.

Oslo (AFP) - Norway, Europe's largest natural gas supplier, will not grant new permits to explore for oil in unexplored or fully explored areas until 2025 under a political settlement announced on Tuesday.

In the course of negotiations aimed at approving the 2023 draft budget, the center-left minority government accepted a request in this regard from the Socialist Left, a small party seen as a support force that makes the climate emergency one of its battles.

The settlement stipulates that a “normal” concession cycle will not be organized until the end of the current legislative body, that is, in the year 2025.

Since 1965, this mechanism allows oil companies to apply for exploration in unexplored or partially explored areas of the Norwegian continental shelf.

The current action mainly concerns the waters of the Barents Sea in the Arctic, which potentially contains the largest reserves of fuel yet to be discovered in the country, after extensive drilling in the North Sea.

"This was at the heart of the Socialist Left Party (the battle), they won," Prime Minister Jonas Gar Store told a press conference.

However, the agreement does not exclude the granting of exploration licenses in the so-called mature areas.

While the chances of discovering large fields there appear to be less, these areas, which are being exploited on a large scale, remain attractive to the oil industry because developing new potential resources is easier and less expensive than existing facilities.

No regular concessions cycle took place this year either, due to another compromise reached last year between the government and the Socialist Left in previous budget negotiations.

United Nations (United States) - (AFP) - In a statement, the United Nations Security Council condemned Monday the legalization of nine Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, considering the settlements an "obstacle" to peace.

In this statement issued by the Presidency, with the support of all 15 of its members, which is not binding, the Council considered that "the continuation of Israeli settlement activity endangers (the principle of) the two-state solution."

He also affirmed his "opposition to all unilateral measures that impede peace, including the construction and expansion of Israeli settlements, the confiscation of Palestinian lands, the 'legitimization' of settlements, the demolition of Palestinian homes and the displacement of Palestinian civilians."

He expressed his "deep concern and surprise" at Israel's announcement of legalizing the nine settlements and building new homes in the existing settlements.

Last week, the United Arab Emirates distributed to the member states of the Council a draft resolution condemning "all attempts at annexation, including Israeli decisions and actions related to settlements," and calling for their "immediate withdrawal." The text called on Israel to "immediately and completely stop its settlement activities in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem."

The initiative angered the United States, which has veto power in the council. The US State Department denounced the decision as "little useful in light of the necessary support for negotiations on a two-state solution."

However, Washington condemned at the same time the Israeli declaration related to the nine settlements.

A diplomatic source said the draft resolution was withdrawn after talks between the Palestinians and the Americans.

In December 2016, for the first time since 1979, the Security Council called on Israel to halt settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories in a resolution passed as a result of the United States not using its veto power.

The United States had abstained from voting when this resolution was issued, weeks before the transfer of power from former President Barack Obama to former President Donald Trump, noting that Washington had always supported Israel in this sensitive file.

Written by: Hamada Pharaoh
In his important article, Manny Mautner, published in Haaretz, under the title: “Does Israel really want peace?” :

“The Israeli right has been living for decades within the framework of a historic decision, which is based on continuing to retain the “Judea and Samaria” areas, which is a better option for them than reaching a peace that requires the evacuation of all territories (in the Palestinian West Bank) and the division of Jerusalem.

So let's define first what are the titles that the right and the extreme Israeli right refuse to concede, and insist on sticking to them?? It is: 1- Jerusalem as the unified capital of the Israeli colony, 2- The Palestinian West Bank, which is not Palestinian, not Jordanian, not Arab, not occupied, but rather "Judea and Samaria", which was liberated in 1967, as part of the map of the Israeli colony.

Secondly, what is the size of the right and the Israeli extreme right?? Let's check the parties and blocs of the current Israeli parliament as a result of the 24th Knesset elections that took place on March 23, 2021. Today, nine out of 13 parties are members of the current parliament: two of them are Arab-Palestinian parties and blocs: 1- The Joint List and it has six seats, 2- The Consolidated List and it has Four seats, and two of the centrist-left parties are: 1- The Labor Party, headed by Merav Michaeli, with 7 seats, 2- The Meretz movement, headed by Nitzan Hurvitz, with six seats. The nine right-wing and extreme right-wing parties are: Five of them are partners in the government coalition, and they are: Yesh Atid, there is a future headed by Yair Lapid with 17 seats, 2- Kahol Lavan and Blue and White headed by Benny Gantz with 8 seats, 3- Yamina headed by Naftali Bennett, before his resignation, with 7 seats, 4- Yisrael Beiteinu headed by Avigdor Lieberman with 7 seats, 5- Tikva Hadashah New Hope headed by Gideon Sa’ar with 6 seats, and the four opposition parties are: 1- Likud headed by Netanyahu with 30 seats, 2- Shas headed by Aryeh Deri with 9 seats, 3- United Torah Judaism headed by Moshe Gafni with 7 seats, 4 Religious Zionism is headed by Bezalel Smotrich and has 6 seats, which means The Israeli right and extreme right are the parliamentary majority as a result of the ballot boxes, which confirms that they are the decision makers in directing the policy of the colony and its administration towards settlement, towards a solution, or towards dealing with the Palestinian people, and their positions are dominant and their conviction is dominant.

Against the background of this knowledge and information, Palestinian, Arab, Islamic, and Christian positions, policies, and programs should be developed regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, without illusions based on desires that are not backed by facts, and on self-misleading factors.

In his article, Manny Mautner concludes, "It is time to acknowledge the fact that Israel (the colony), uses the rhetoric of peace, but in practice contributes very little towards its realization."*

The colony carries out all the actual practical procedural steps on the ground, including: 1- Israelization, Judaization, Zionization, and Arabization of the city of Jerusalem, 2- Establishing and expanding settlement settlements on the land of the Palestinian West Bank, and increasing their effectiveness and the number of their settlers, 3- Disrupting the Palestinian land, preventing its development in the rural areas, and mobilizing the Palestinians in cities and isolating them from each other, benefiting from:

1- The Palestinian division between Fatah and Hamas, between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and the prevailing state of monopoly by the two sides of the Palestinian division.

2- The inter-Arab wars that destroyed the decision-making countries, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Libya, and the weakness of the other Arab countries that were drained financially and politically in the inter-wars, and in the face of regional countries colliding with them: Iran, Turkey and Ethiopia.

The truly serious colliding circle is the antithesis of the colony, and in confronting it is the Palestinian people, who have an interest in equality, independence and return, and they are the creators of the cumulative starting step in clashing with the colony and in confronting its policies and procedures and working to defeat it, so do they pay attention!! do they wake up?? Do they preach?? do they learn?? Do they know??.

Kiev - (AFP) - The Ukrainian army entered on Saturday the strategic town of Liman in eastern Ukraine, located in the Donetsk region, whose annexation the day before by Moscow sparked a storm of international condemnation and rejection by Kiev, which is determined to regain its lands.

Kiev also condemned the "illegal arrest" of the general director of the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia (south), Igor Murachov, who was arrested by Russia, which occupies the site, for an unknown reason on Friday.

"Ukrainian air assault forces are entering Liman, Donetsk region," Ukraine's Defense Ministry wrote on Twitter in the afternoon.

The tweet was accompanied by a one-minute video showing two Ukrainian soldiers waving and then hanging the blue-and-yellow national flag next to a banner reading "Lehman" at the entrance to the city.

"We raise our national flag and plant it on our land," said one of the soldiers with a smile. "Lyman will always be part of Ukraine."

"After being threatened with encirclement, the allied forces were withdrawn from Liman to more convenient lines," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Shortly before that, the Ukrainian army said it was "encircling" thousands of Russian soldiers in this town in the Donetsk region, which Russia annexed on Friday.

A Ukrainian military spokesman said "about 5,000 or 5,500 Russians" had holed up in and around Liman in recent days.
The full capture of Liman would be a major victory for Kiev, an important railway junction in eastern Ukraine.

In the wake of Moscow's annexation of four Ukrainian regions, Kiev announced filing a case with the International Court of Justice, calling for "the court to consider the case as soon as possible."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also announced that he would "sign Ukraine's candidacy for rapid accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)."

In Washington, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed that his country and Canada support Kiev's accession. "We strongly support the accession of countries that wish to do so and that can contribute their capabilities," he said.

But he added that "there is a process to achieve this and countries will continue to follow it."

The Russian president completed the annexation ceremony on Friday evening in front of several thousand people who had gathered for a festive concert in Moscow's Red Square. "Victory will be ours," he said, while his army struggled in Ukraine at the same time.

The leaders of the European Union countries issued a statement on Friday declaring their "rejection" and "condemnation" of this "illegal annexation".

In turn, NATO denounced the "illegal" annexation, while the UN Security Council discussed in New York a resolution condemning the "alleged annexation" of Ukraine, which had delayed its passage by a Russian veto.

US President Joe Biden pledged to "support Ukraine's efforts to regain control of its territory" and said Putin would "not intimidate" the United States and its allies.

Ukraine's recent military successes prompted the Russian president to order the "partial" mobilization of hundreds of thousands of civilian reservists, in an attempt to reduce Kiev's vitality.

On the ground, the bodies of 22 civilians, including 10 children, were found, who were shot dead in the Kharkiv region (northeastern Ukraine), according to what the Public Prosecutor's Office in Ukraine said on Saturday.

The AFP team saw the bodies of at least 11 civilians who were shot dead at this location.

Ukraine also condemned the "illegal detention" by Moscow of Igor Murachov, general director of the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, for a reason that remains unknown.

Kiev called for his "immediate release," condemning "a new terrorist act by Russia."

Petro Kotin, head of the Ukrainian nuclear energy company "Energo-Atom", said on a social network that a "Russian patrol" arrested Murachov on Friday at around 16:00 (13:00 GMT) as he was on his way from the plant to the Russian-controlled town of Ernogodar.

He added that the car transporting the factory manager was intercepted, removed from it, and transported "blindfolded to an unknown destination."
As of Saturday afternoon, Murachov's fate was still unknown.