Gaza - by Al-Quds Sports Correspondent and Ahmed Al-Masharawi - The Palestinian Athletics Federation, in cooperation with the Relief and Employment Agency and the sports committees in UNRWA schools, launched the second phase of the eye-scanning for the competencies of young people and the category of buds who are good at athletics or sports, on the track of the historic Yarmouk stadium. With the participation of experts in athletics, representatives of the federation and teachers of physical education in the Agency's schools.

Abdullah Al-Masharawi, an observer from the Agency's schools, said that this important stage includes 120 players representing 7 educational areas, including 16 primary and preparatory schools in the Gaza Strip.

He explained that the organizers will organize central tournaments on the sixth of this month at the Yarmouk stadium, which are long and short distance races of up to 2000 meters, 1000 meters, 600 meters, 300 meters, 80 meters, and wheel push and long jump competitions.

For his part, Majed Abu Marahel, representative of the Athletics Association, said that the championships come to reveal the best competencies of players in all competitions, in order to prepare them locally to participate in foreign championships.

Beach technician

This, and the Business Administration Council of the Beach Services Club chose a new technical staff to lead the team during the upcoming winter transfer period, and the staff is headed by technical director Imad Hashem, the former coach of the national team for the beaches, as a replacement for the resigned Jihad Abdel Raouf Al-Soudi, who led the team in the first round, the first round to Fifth place in the first division with 18 points, and the Council hopes to lead the beach in preparation for the return to the Premier League.

sail union

Khaldoun Abu Salim, President of the Palestinian Sailing and Rowing Federation, Executive Director of the Saudi Kayak Federation, Mamdouh Al-Barragh, met at the federation’s headquarters in Riyadh, where they discussed means of cooperation between the federations and the development of kayak sport in Palestine. This sport and the importance of coordination with the President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, to raise the Arab sport of sailing and kayak, to achieve the principle of true competition internationally.

On the other hand, Abu Salim visited the Saudi Olympic headquarters, and met with the Secretary-General of the Rowing Federation, Youssef Al-Julaidan, at the federation’s headquarters, and it was agreed on the first phase, which provides for providing training courses for the Palestinian Federation in the field of beach and Olympic rowing, and benefiting from the existing Saudi expertise in this field to develop Rowing sport in Palestine. At the end of the meeting, Youssef presented the shield of the Saudi Federation to Abu Salim.

Development of sports facilities

The Supreme Council for Youth and Sports started yesterday, Thursday, to develop 3 new sports facilities at a financial value of 25,000 shekels. The facilities include stadiums and sports halls that were approved by the Supreme Council within the third phase of infrastructure development projects for sports facilities in the Gaza Strip. Engineer Ahmed Al-Zinati, Director of the Projects and Institutional Performance Development Department at the Council, said that the projects are vital and serve a large and wide sector of athletes, namely: Al-Mamoura Stadium in Al-Maghazi camp, which was bombed by the Israeli occupation, and the expansion of the wedding hall in Khadamat Al-Bureij Club in the center of the Gaza Strip, and maintenance of the roof of the club hall. The Palestinian National Authority in Gaza.

He stated that the projects will be funded according to the instructions of the Assistant Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, Abdul Salam Haniyeh, within the approved development programs.

Late Muhanna Boxing Championship

At the end of its agenda for the current year 2022, the Palestinian Boxing Federation is organizing the classification sector championship for the game for the categories of men, youth and juniors, the course of the late Ibrahim Muhanna, one of the founders of the game and the Palestinian stars of the game, next Sunday, the fourth of December, in the halls of the University College of Applied Sciences, where the invitation cards were distributed Legal personalities, sports and game stars in the eighties and nineties, parents and relatives of the players to attend the match. In this regard, the Balance and Referee Committee conducted the weight procedures for each player, to determine their participation according to each category, and the players were distributed to duels according to their weights in a lottery manner.

The expert in the game and the former president of the federation, Ali Abdel Shafi, said that these tournaments reveal the preparations of the players and their preparations for this important tournament, which reveals new faces from the junior and youth categories.

The Qatari ambassador attends the second round of the World Cup

The Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza called on the masses to increase participation in the decisive second round of the World Cup hosted by the Qatari capital, Doha, through the places it allocated in Gaza and the West Bank, especially that it will be decisive and will determine the qualifier from one of the two sides of the match. Participation of the Qatari Ambassador, Mohammed Al-Emadi, and his deputy, Khaled Al-Hardan.

The Brazilian Ambassador to the Palestinian Territories, Alessandro Warly Candias, participated in attending his team's last match against Switzerland in the World Cup while he was in the Brazil neighborhood in the Rafah governorate in the southern Gaza Strip. He urged after saying: This participation is an expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people, especially that the Brazilian people He is very close to the Palestinian people, and he expressed his happiness at visiting the neighborhood, and said: I express my happiness as the ambassador of Brazil in Palestine to see this friendship between Brazil and Palestine.

The hurray in the athlete

This, and the Gaza Sports Club with the players Tariq Al-Hour and Hassan Judeh coming from Al-Zawaida Club, in preparation for the upcoming Premier League second leg as part of its efforts to escape from the bottleneck to the warm safety zone, where it occupies the eleventh place - penultimate.

دلهي – “القدس” دوت كوم – انتشرت على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي مقاطع مروعة تظهر نفوق 18 فيلا بريا على الأقل قيل إنها قُتلت بسبب تعرضها لضربة برق في الهند.

ووفقا للمغردين، فإن الفيلة لاقت مصرعها في إحدى غابات منطقة ناجوان بولاية آسام الشمالية.

ويعمل الخبراء على التحقق من حيثيات نفوق الفيلة، في ظل عدم وجود علامات مرئية تشير إلى السبب الدقيق لما ألم بهم.

ويظهر الفيديو الفيلة ملقاة على الأرض بين الأشجار دون حراك، وبدت علامات غير مألوفة على عيني إحداها، كما لو كانت آثار بكاء.

وبدت بعض الفيلة صغيرة الحجم نوعا ما، ما يشير إلى صغر سنها.

ونقلت صحيفة “ديلي ميل” عن السلطات المحلية قولها إنها عثرت على جثث لأربعة من الفيلة ملقاة في مكان منفصل عن الموقع الذي عثرت فيه على الـ14 فيلا المتبقية.

Translated by Al-Quds.com - Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu said last night that the Palestinians do not want to solve anything, they only want to get rid of Israel.

During an interview with the American podcast Peter Robinson, in an interview broadcast last night, Netanyahu called for thinking outside the box in order to solve the Palestinian problem.

He said: "Everyone says that it is not possible to reach the Arab world unless the Palestinian problem is resolved first, but we did that and concluded historic peace agreements with our Arab neighbours."

He added, "It is inconceivable that the historic peace agreements that we concluded with the Gulf states took place without the tacit consent of Saudi Arabia," considering that this creates a basis for hope that the Kingdom will join these agreements.

And he indicated that his goals in the new government are to continue obstructing Iran's work, expanding the circle of peace and concluding other historic agreements, especially with Saudi Arabia.

Netanyahu praised his former ally Donald Trump, who said he was the most friendly president in the United States to Israel, especially since he recognized Jerusalem as its capital, moved the embassy to it and recognized its sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

Kahramanmaraş - (AFP) - A violent 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck large areas of Turkey and parts of Syria on February 6, killing more than 50,000 people in the two countries.

The World Health Organization said it was the "worst natural disaster" in the European region in a century.

A month after the disaster, Turkey faces the daunting task of rebuilding devastated cities where tens of thousands of people are buried, and many survivors live in tents or containers.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu said Saturday that the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 45,968, in addition to 4,267 Syrian refugees who fled the civil war in their country. Thousands more have died in Syria.

The earthquake struck 11 Turkish provinces at 04:17 local time, while residents were sleeping in houses not built to withstand strong tremors.

Turkish officials said that 214,000 buildings collapsed after the quake, many of them in Hatay and Kahramanmaraş.

Teams of workers are still clearing rubble in the quake-stricken cities.

About 14 million people, or one-sixth of the country's population, were affected by the disaster.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 3.3 million people had so far been forced to leave the quake zone. More than 1.4 million people are currently staying in tents and about 46,000 in containers, while the rest have settled in dormitories and guesthouses, according to official figures.

There was growing frustration with the government's handling of the disaster. But Erdogan blamed the harsh winter weather, which covered main roads with ice and snow, damaged a number of roads and stopped operating airports.

In some provinces, including Adiyaman, anger against the government remains high. Survivors told AFP they were left to rescue loved ones trapped under the rubble with their bare hands as there were no rescue teams, soldiers or police for days after the quake.

Some of the survivors recounted that they witnessed the death of their relatives because they were unable to pull them out from under the rubble due to the lack of equipment needed to excavate between the concrete blocks.

Erdogan acknowledged his "shortcomings" and apologized to residents after criticism of his government's handling of the disaster.

"It is not possible for us to be prepared for a similar disaster," he said during a visit to the quake zone.

Media and opposition politicians blamed government institutions, including the disaster management agency, for their slow response.

Likewise, the Red Crescent Society and its president, Karim Qanq, have been criticized for selling tents to earthquake survivors instead of donating them.
So far, no government official has claimed responsibility for the response, and no one has resigned.

Building developers and contractors were blamed for using poor quality materials or not respecting standards, which led to the collapse of a large number of buildings.

The authorities detained more than 200 people, including construction contractors, as part of a wider investigation. Turkish media showed some of the contractors being held at Istanbul airport as they tried to flee the country.

Turkey, which is suffering from severe inflation and a depreciation of the currency, must absorb the economic damage of the earthquake, which the World Bank estimated at more than $34 billion.

This amount is equivalent to four percent of the country's gross domestic product for the year 2021, and does not include the cost of reconstruction, which may reach "twice" the amount, as indicated by the World Bank.

With elections scheduled for May approaching, Erdogan has pledged to provide new housing for the millions of affected people within a year.
The Turkish president relied on the construction sector in the country during his two decades of rule, boasting of a modernization campaign that built roads, bridges and tunnels.

According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, post-earthquake reconstruction efforts may produce economic gains.
"Increasing production from reconstruction activities may largely offset the negative impact of the disruption of economic activity," the bank said.

Erdogan said this week that the legislative and presidential elections will be held as scheduled on May 14, despite the earthquake.
Last month, the president declared a three-month state of emergency in the quake zone, prompting speculation that the elections might be postponed. It remains unclear how the displaced will be able to cast their ballots.

And it seems that these elections will be the most sensitive for Erdogan, who has been in power, first as prime minister and then as president, since 2003.

The earthquake delayed the opposition coalition's announcement of a candidate, which is expected to happen on Monday. The most likely candidate is Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party.
But his candidacy was strongly opposed by the leader of the Nationalist Party in the coalition.

Paris Saint-Germain continued its strong performances this season, with a wide victory over its guest Montpellier (5-2), yesterday evening, Saturday, in the second round of the French League.

The PSG quartet, Faiallo Sacco, “accidentally” and Neymar Jr. scored “two goals”, Kylian Mbappe and Renato Sanchez in the 39th, 43rd, 51st, 69th and 85th minutes.

While Wahbi Khazri and Chatto scored the visitors' goals in the 58th and 92nd minutes, the Parisians scored for the first time under the leadership of the new coach, Christophe Galtier.

With this victory, Saint-Germain raised its score to 6 points, while its guest's balance was frozen at 3 points.

Translation by "Jerusalem" dot com - The Israeli Geological Survey announced today, Wednesday, that a slight earthquake struck the Upper Galilee in northern occupied Palestine .

According to the Hebrew Ynet website, the earthquake measured 3.1 on the Richter scale, and was felt by the residents of those areas, such as Hatzur Haglilit, Rosh Yabna, Safed, and others.

It took place 9 kilometers northwest of Hatzor Haglilit.

Nablus - "Jerusalem" dot com - On Friday morning, the Israeli occupation forces arrested the young man, Nasouh Abu Saada, from Nablus.

According to local sources, Abu Saada was arrested from his family's home when the occupation forces stormed it in the old Askar camp, east of Nablus.

During their incursion into the area, the occupation forces were shot at.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Monetary Authority , in cooperation with CARE International, organized an awareness workshop in Nablus Governorate, on access to financing sources, with the participation of about thirty women and youth entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs from the governorates of Nablus and Jenin, in the presence of representatives of some Banks operating in Palestine.

In his welcoming speech, Mr. Iyad Zitawi, Director of the Financial Stability Department at the Monetary Authority, said that the workshop comes within the framework of a series of meetings aimed at exploring financing options, developing and supporting projects, especially small ones, and enabling entrepreneurial women and youth to access financing provided through banks and specialized lending institutions. Which contributes to the development and sustainability of these projects and the creation of additional job opportunities, thus stimulating and developing the Palestinian economy.

He referred to the efforts of the Monetary Authority in promoting financial inclusion and supporting entrepreneurs, most notably the Financial Inclusion Account, e-wallet services, Manshati platform, Sustainability Fund, and the Regulatory Lab, in addition to the approval of many legislations and instructions that will contribute to creating an environment supportive of creativity and facilitating business and financial services.

In another welcoming speech, Mrs. Buthaina Mazyad, Gender Coordinator at CARE International, touched on the Doroob project implemented by CARE, with the aim of promoting the empowerment and economic prosperity of women and youth (female and male) with limited and medium incomes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

She added that CARE and its partners seek to achieve the goals of the Abder project by working to improve the regulatory and enabling environment for entrepreneurship, and working to address barriers and obstacles that prevent the economic empowerment of women and young men and women, by supporting economic empowerment institutions, service providers, and actors from the public and private sectors. To provide better services to male and female entrepreneurs, taking into account gender differences, and reducing the obstacles they face. Meanwhile, CARE and its partners are building capacity and employment opportunities for women and youth to successfully start, run, and grow sustainable businesses.

Mr. Muhannad Salous, Head of the Financial Inclusion Department, gave a presentation on the Monetary Authority's efforts to enhance financial inclusion in Palestine and to deliver banking services to all segments of society, most notably electronic payment services and its modern technological means to complete financial transactions.

Mr. Mahmoud Barhoum, who is in charge of supervising the Sustainability Department, gave an explanation about the Sustainability Fund, which is supervised by the Monetary Authority, and its financing programs, which includes a program dedicated to providing financing for small, very small and micro projects owned by women, youth and marginalized groups, and the mechanism for obtaining financing for projects. through the fund.

During the workshop, working groups were held with the participation of entrepreneurs, the Monetary Authority and banks, and a discussion took place between the participants, speakers and representatives of banks, about the mechanisms, conditions and guarantees that must be available to obtain financing through the micro-projects program of the Sustainability Fund. The attendees’ inquiries were answered and solutions were provided to them to facilitate their access. to funding sources.

It is worth noting that this workshop is part of a series of awareness workshops, implemented by the Palestinian Monetary Authority in cooperation with international institutions and civil society institutions, with the aim of enhancing women's access to financial inclusion services and their benefit from gender-sensitive financial and banking services.

Paris - (AFP) - Is Russia "more isolated than ever"? Two months after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden's assertion seems a distant hope, with part of the international community still reluctant to condemn Moscow.

"There is a very clear isolation of Russia from the Western bloc, especially because of the successive series of sanctions that have complicated trade and financial exchanges," Sylvie Mattelli, deputy director of the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), confirms.

"However, the situation is completely different with regard to Russia's isolation on the international scene, with a number of countries adhering to extreme caution and refusing to bow to Western pressure," the French researcher adds.

The Russian military offensive, which began on February 24, sparked immediate condemnation from the Europeans and Americans, who promised Moscow to isolate it and impose "unprecedented" sanctions on it.

In the following weeks, NATO and European Union airspace were closed to Russian aircraft, and the United States banned oil and gas imports from Russia. At the same time, Russian banks were excluded from the international payment system SWIFT.

However, the picture is different outside the Western bloc. On March 2, at the United Nations General Assembly, India and South Africa, in particular, abstained from voting on a draft resolution calling for Russia to withdraw from Ukraine.

In Latin America, Brazil and Mexico refuse to participate in the sanctions.
"There is a growing number of countries that want to assert their independence despite their desire for closer cooperation with the West and their need for Western support," Chris Landsberg, professor of international relations at the University of Johannesburg, told Washington Post columns.

For his part, former Chilean ambassador to India and South Africa Jorge Heine said, "Condemning the invasion of Ukraine is one thing, waging an economic war against Russia is another, and many countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia are not ready to take this step." He added that those countries "do not want to be pushed to take a position that contradicts their interests."

This is the case of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have so far avoided taking a stand against Russia.

India also adhered to the same position, considering that "the war imposed an unwelcome choice between the West and Russia, a choice that it avoids at all costs," explains Shivshankar Menon, advisor to former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In an article published in early April titled "Wishes of a Free World: Are Democracies Really United Against Russia?", Menon asserts that "the United States is an essential and indispensable partner in the context of India's modernization, but Russia remains an important partner for geopolitical and military reasons."

On the ground, the Western powers are sparing no effort to increase pressure on Moscow.

The pressure has reached UNESCO, as some forty countries have called in recent months to move the venue for the Heritage Committee's meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Russia in June.

Finally, a compromise was reached with the announcement of postponing the annual meeting to an unspecified date, and this may mean that Russia can host the meeting once the military offensive ends.

The same pressures were brought to bear on the G20, but Indonesia, which it chairs, refused to exclude Russia from it in the name of neutrality.
The absence of short-term effects of Western economic sanctions on the ongoing conflict also does not help convince wavering states.

"Yes, the sanctions are harsh, but they do not deter (Russian President Vladimir) Putin from extending his siege of Mariupol... or bombing other cities," said Judy Dempsey, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment in Europe.

"If the goal was to pressure Putin into withdrawing from Ukraine, it clearly didn't work," Sylvie Mattelli adds.

It will take a few more months to gauge the impact of the sanctions on the Russian economy in the medium and long term.

"The situation of the Russian economy will be more clear in June and July," Alexey Vedev, a financial analyst at the Russian Gaidar Institute, said, noting that "the economy is still operating on the basis of its reserves."

"These reserves are shrinking, but as long as they are still there, the sanctions will not be fully felt," he added.

Tunisia - "Al Quds" dot com - The military team player, Mohamed Ghazzawi, won today, Sunday, the bronze medal in the Arab Taekwondo Championship.

This is the second medal for Palestine after Al-Asadi's bronze yesterday.

Ghazzawi participated in the 68-kg weight competition, and won the first fight against an Omani player, but lost in the semi-finals to a player from Algeria, to settle for the bronze medal.

(Xinhua) - Afghan police have rescued a kidnapped child in northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province and arrested a suspected kidnapper, Jumauddin Khaksari, spokesman for the provincial police, said Sunday.

The spokesman told reporters that, following searches, the three-year-old boy was rescued from the kidnappers yesterday evening (Saturday) and handed over to his family by the police.

The spokesman added that the police also arrested a man involved in the kidnapping of the child.

In a similar operation, the police freed a child from the grip of the kidnappers in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of Balkh province, a few days ago.

Criminal gangs often try to kidnap children from well-to-do families for ransom in the war-torn and impoverished country of Afghanistan.

SHANGHAI -- (Xinhua) -- A Chinese scientific investigation team on Sunday released updated data on the height of China's tallest tree, which was 83.4 meters, according to the Shanghai Zhenshan Botanical Garden.

The record-height tree, whose scientific name is Abies ernestii var. salouenensis, is located in a mountain valley in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. The area that includes the tree, with an average elevation of 2,800 meters above sea level, enjoys heavy rains, a mild climate, and moderate sunshine.

The tree was first found during a scientific investigation conducted by the Institute of Botany under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in May this year. The researchers discovered a number of giant trees with a height of more than 75 meters in that forest, including the tree "Abies ernestii var. salouenensis", whose height was initially determined to be 83.2 meters, by a drone.

A team from the Institute of Botany, Shanghai Zhenshan Botanical Garden and other institutes measured the tree's height again last August and confirmed that it is 83.4 meters high.

The researchers also measured the diameter of the tree at chest level, and said it was 207 cm, which led them to conclude that it is about 380 years old.

Gaza- Ahmed Al-Masharawi: The Palestinian Al-Ahly Club qualified for the ranks of the Premier League clubs in the Premier League with the adults, by defeating the Islamic Complex, 1-0, at the Yarmouk Municipal Stadium, in the opening of the 21st week’s meetings in the second leg in the first division of the General League for the football season 2022/2023 It was scored by the star, Muhammad Shabeer, in the 43rd minute.

Thus, the Palestinian Al-Ahly raised its tally to 45 points in the lead, while the Islamic Academy remained, with 22 points, in ninth place. The referee of the meeting: Fayez Omran for the square, and Ahmed Shabeer, Marwan Khattab, and Hani Mesmah assisted him fourth.

Beach services - Al-Aqsa

Services of the beach continued its pursuit of the Palestinian Al-Ahly, by defeating Al-Aqsa Club with a score of 2-1, at the Martyr Muhammad Stadium. The captain of the team, Suleiman Al-Obaid, scored for Al-Shati with two goals in the 6 minutes, 90 + 4, and for Al-Aqsa Alaa Al-Bayouk in the 63rd minute. With this, the services of the beach raised its tally to 43 points in second place, and Al-Aqsa remained in the 11th place, penultimate and close to relegation to the second division, with a score of 18 points, accompanied by Al-Jalaa Club.

The referee of the meeting: Mahmoud Abu Mustafa for the square, and Muhammad Al-Ghoul helped him, Nader Abu Hajres, and Khaled Abu Al-Khair fourth.

Namaa - Beit Hanoun

The third competitor, the Namaa Association, was satisfied with a positive result with its neighbor Beit Hanoun Al-Ahly 4-4 at the Beit Hanoun Municipal Stadium. The match was exciting and strong. The quartet of Beit Hanoun scored Nimr Al-Masry in the 11th minute, Muhammad Abu Musa in the 27th minute, Youssef Musleh in the 69th minute, and Ahmed Ajour, in the 77th minute, Namaa Hamza Salameh scored (two penalties in the 45 + 4 minutes, and 83), Abdullah Abu Shamala in the 75th minute, and Abdullah Al Majayda in the 84th minute. With this, Namaa raised its score to 42 points in third place, and Beit Hanoun Al-Ahly to 35 points in fourth place.

The referee of the meeting: Muhammad Abu Shahla for the arena, and Khaled Badir helped him, Mahmoud Al-Sawaf, and Alaa Abu Taha fourth.

Hope - my family Nuseirat

Al-Amal defeated Al-Nuseirat, with a score of 5-3, at the Khan Yunis Municipal Stadium. Tamer Makram scored for Al-Amal in the 13th minute, with a header, 26, Ahmed Al-Akhras in the 17th minute, Adnan Al-Farra in the 78th minute, and Kamal Al-Nadayat in the 82nd minute, scored for Al-Nuseirat. Iyad Al-Nabris in the 33rd minute with a header, and Muhammad Abu Toha in the 61st minute, (a penalty kick in the 90th + 2 minute). Thus, Al-Amal raised its score to 26 points in the seventh place, and the Nuseirat family remained in the tenth place with 22 points.

The referee of the meeting: Hazem Al-Soufi for the arena, and he was assisted by Muhammad Al-Zaanin, Ahmed Zomlot, and Mahmoud Jargon fourth.

Beit Lahiya - Bureij services

Beit Lahia and Khadamat Al-Bureij tied, with a score of 2-2, at Beit Lahia Stadium. Fadl Abu Riyala scored 37 minutes for Beit Lahia, Ahmed Odeh scored in the 64th minute, Baha Al-Daalsa scored for Al-Bureij in the 41st minute, and Ahmed Al-Kurnaz scored in the 89th minute.

Thus, Beit Lahia raised its tally to 28 points in sixth place, and Al-Bureij services to 24 points in eighth place. The referee of the meeting: Muhammad Al-Hassani for the square, and Muhammad Al-Sududi and Ibrahim Al-Sheikh Khalil helped him, Hassan Salah fourth.

Saturday matches

Today, Saturday’s meetings in the Premier League are led by the Rafah Youth and Rafah Services match at the municipal stadium in Rafah, and the Al-Shuja’ia Union will meet the Palestinian Crescent, at the Yarmouk Municipal Stadium, and Al-Zawaida Youth and the Beit Hanoun Union, at the Martyr Muhammad Stadium, and a final match will take place in the 21st week in the first division between Al-Jalaa Khan Yunis services at the Palestine International Stadium.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Due to the difficult conditions that Palestine is going through during these days, especially in Jerusalem, Nablus, Jenin and other governorates of the homeland, Augusta Victoria Hospital - Al-Mutala announced the cancellation of the three charity concerts that were planned to support the hospital's mobile clinic. Al-Mutala', and promoting awareness efforts to encourage Palestinian women on the importance of conducting check-ups to ensure their safety from breast cancer.

The insider expressed his gratitude to his partners; The Trio Joubran Ensemble, Jafra Artistic Production and Bank of Palestine for their charitable efforts with him, pointing out that all those who purchased the tickets can return them and get their value from the same place they bought them from. They can also donate the value of the tickets they have purchased to the mobile clinic if they wish. The value of these tickets and their proceeds would go to support awareness efforts and free private check-ups for women, and encourage them to get tested for early detection of this disease.

Paris - (AFP) - The French began casting their votes on Sunday to elect their next president and test, as in 2017, between outgoing President Emmanuel Macron and his nationalist rival, Marine Le Pen, in a ballot whose results will be decisive for the country's future.
The participation rate in the second round of the French presidential elections reached 26.41 percent as of mid-Sunday, almost two points lower than the same time in the second round of the presidential race in 2017 (28.23 percent), according to what the Ministry of the Interior announced.
Also, this figure represents a decrease compared to the second round of the presidential elections of 2012 (30.66%) and 2007 (34.11%) and is close to the percentage recorded in 2002 (26.19%) when she faced the far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen. and Jacques Chirac (right). On the other hand, the participation rate increased slightly compared to the first session two weeks ago (25.48%).
The polling stations, to which the 48.7 million French voters were invited, opened at 6:00 GMT, and closed at 17:00 and 18:00 GMT in the main cities.
The French have a historic choice. They will have to renew the outgoing president, which has never happened, except for a period of coexistence with the government of another political side, since the selection of the head of state began by direct universal suffrage in 1962.
The other option is the election of the first woman and the first leader of the far-right to sit in the Elysee, which will resonate beyond France's borders, similar to Britain's exit from the European Union and the election of Donald Trump in the United States in 2016.
The re-election of Macron, 44, would represent continuity, though the president pledged to put the environment at the heart of his work.
As for the arrival of Le Pen, 53, at the head of a nuclear power with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, it will be an earthquake in terms of its magnitude, especially in the context of a war at the gates of Europe.
In front of a school in Rennes (west), Bernard Mougier, a 76-year-old retiree, said that he had voted "to avoid civil war," adding, "We must not make a mistake in choosing a person," expressing his "concern" about the outcome of this election.
As for the retired Pierre Charolais, 67, he believes that "there is a special situation" in the context of the war in Ukraine and the French presidency of the European Union. "Between bad and worse, the right choice must be made," he added.
And the latest opinion polls revealed that Macron will win the second round, which constitutes a second version of the one that took place in 2017, by a lesser margin than the one he recorded five years ago when he received 66 percent of the vote compared to 33.9 for his rival, to become the youngest president of the republic at the age of 39 years. .
The two candidates' platforms clash and offer radically different visions of Europe, the economy, purchasing power, relations with Russia, pensions, immigration, the environment...
With the aim of confronting his rival, Emmanuel Macron, who advanced in the first round (27.85%) by more than four points, reactivated the "Republican Front" in order to block the far right, as it seems that it lost its strength compared to 2017 and 2002 when Jacques Chirac overtook Jean- Marie Le Pen, Marine's father, won the second round of the presidential election.
In her third attempt, the National Assembly candidate focused on another front, "everyone except Macron."
In a wealthy area of Dijon (east), Morgan Moishe, 30, said upon leaving the polling station, "Vote for exclusion."
On the other side of town, in a more modest district where radical left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon topped in the first round on April 10, Charlie Grouleau, 41, said his vote went to "an imperfect candidate," adding, "But I voted with conviction. I could not see myself not participating in the elections."
Between the two sessions, the two candidates sought to win over the voters of Jean-Luc Melenchon.
But many of his "France in Rebel" supporters may be tempted to avoid the polls.
Voters will be called to the polls again on June 12 and 19 to participate in the legislative elections, where the new president will seek to obtain the necessary majority to rule.

Yinchuan (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on Tuesday reported a case of bubonic plague in the regional capital of Yinchuan, according to the regional epidemic prevention and control headquarters.

The patient had returned to Yinchuan from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China, according to sources with the headquarters.

Ningxia launched the fourth-level emergency response for epidemic prevention and control as of 11 p.m. Tuesday, calling for efforts to fully treat the patient and implement comprehensive prevention and control measures.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Today, Sunday, the Ministry of Health announced the registration of 6,954 deaths from the Corona virus, from 10 to 17 July, in occupied Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

According to the ministry, in its weekly epidemiological report, 1,950 injuries were recorded in Jerusalem, 3,140 in the West Bank, and 1,864 in the Gaza Strip.

She indicated that the new recovery cases amounted to 1,700 in Jerusalem, 2,860 in the West Bank, and 88 in Gaza.

She indicated that the only death was from the West Bank.

And it showed that the cases that are treated in hospitals: 40 | Intensive Care: 8| Respirators: 3 | Number of examinations: 10,786 (excluding the city of Jerusalem).

Ramallah - "Al-Quds" .com In the framework of its continuous efforts to enhance the security of customer data, Palestine Islamic Bank obtained, for the third year in a row, the Payment Card Data Security Standards "PCI-DSS" certificate.

The bank obtained the certificate issued by the International Payment Cards Security and Protection Council, after an examination and audit process that included all security policies, procedures and requirements applied in the field of dealing with payment cards, carried out by the "Sovereign Secure" company specialized in the field of information security through its local partner in Palestine company "SYSTACK".

The General Manager of the Palestine Islamic Bank, Dr. Imad Al-Saadi, the testimony was given by the representative of "SYSTACK" Rabea Barakat, at the headquarters of the Bank's General Administration in Ramallah, in the presence of the Assistant General Manager for Planning and Development, Asim Al-Masri, and a number of bank department managers and media representatives.

Al-Saadi said that the bank is proud of obtaining this certificate, for the third year in a row, which confirms its commitment to providing the best security standards to protect customer data and accounts and is in line with its constant efforts to lead in this field.

Al-Saadi added: “Obtaining this certificate is of high importance in the field of customer data security, as it is a prerequisite for dealing with the most prominent card service providers around the world, such as MasterCard and Visa, and its standards include monitoring networks and systems related to cards using advanced technologies.” And follow safe work procedures and policies in the field of dealing with them, and educate customers on how to maintain the confidentiality of their card data and develop sustainable programs to educate bank employees about the procedures that they must take to secure the bank from any risks that may threaten the security of customer data.

Al-Saadi indicated that, in parallel with the bank’s successive achievements in the field of digital transformation, it is keen to provide its services to customers with the highest levels of security, realizing the importance of this aspect in increasing the customer’s confidence in the bank and motivating them to turn towards the various digital services it provides, and to spare them the risks of any fraud they may fall victim to. .

It is noteworthy that the procedures that the bank followed to obtain this certificate included the fulfillment of many technical requirements such as building a secure network for devices that deal with cards so that they are separated from the rest of the networks within the institution, permanent monitoring of card payment systems, testing networks on a regular basis, and developing and updating all systems related to managing Security vulnerabilities and the protection of cardholders' data, in addition to implementing many requirements related to buildings, offices and facility security.

The message and vision of Palestine Islamic Bank revolves around providing qualitative and modern comprehensive banking solutions in accordance with the provisions of Islamic Sharia and investment with an advanced technological perspective. Online and Islamic Mobile, which offers a distinctive package of banking services through an easy and secure environment that enhances the digital experience for individual and corporate customers. The bank also recently won the award for the best bank that provides banking services and products compatible with Islamic law in Palestine for the year 2022 by the International Union of Arab Bankers and its magazine, The Banking Executive.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Association of Arab Universities decided to select the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research , Mahmoud Abu Mowais, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Council of Social Responsibility of Arab Universities.

The Council enjoys an independent legal status, and was established by a decision of the Association of Arab Universities in 2021, and it is an active member within the educational institutions affiliated with the Union to achieve its goals aimed at serving higher education in the Arab world, and raising the level of performance of those concerned with higher education.

The Council is the first of its kind that works on framing, promoting, developing and activating social responsibility in Arab universities, through exchanging experiences and assisting in the development process of universities as a cornerstone in all sustainable development work.

In this context, Abu Mowais thanked the Association of Arab Universities, represented by its Secretary-General Amr Ezzat Salama, for this confidence, stressing moving forward in cooperation to serve the higher education sector in the Arab countries, and working to achieve Arab academic unity.

NEW YORK (Xinhua) -- One-third of all college students in the United States have considered dropping out within the past six months, United Press International reported, citing a survey conducted by Lumina and Gallup.

About 32 percent of bachelor's degree students reported that they had considered dropping out for at least one semester; Forty-one percent of associate degree students have considered taking a break in the past six months, according to the State of Higher Education 2022 report.

"Emotional stress caused by COVID-19, the cost of tuition and challenging coursework were the three most common reasons why students considered taking a break," United Press International said in its report on the survey.

She noted that colleges are now adding mental health counseling to existing academic assistance, noting that virtual classes, which have quickly become a necessity during the pandemic, make education accessible to students who need a break.

"Many schools offer de-stress activities to reduce anxiety before midterm and final exams," she added.

غزة – أحمد المشهراوي - قررت لجنة المسابقات في اتحاد كرة السلة تخسير نادي خدمات جباليا بالنتيجة الإدارية، 20-صفر، بسبب غيابه عن المباراة أمام خدمات دير البلح، ضمن الجولة الرابعة لدوري كرة السلة للدرجة الأولى، المؤهلة إلى دوري الأضواء الممتاز، التي كانت مقررة على صالة خلف العجلة بنادي خدمات البريج.

ووفق الإجراءات القانونية، انتظر طاقم الحكام وصول جباليا قبل انتهاء المدة القانونية، وهي 15 دقيقة، لكنّ الفريق لم يصل حتى نهاية هذه المدة، وتقرر تخسير الفريق، وحرمانه من الحصول على نقطة الخسارة، في حين نال خدمات دير البلح نقطتي الفوز. يذكر أنّ الفائز ينال نقطتين، والخاسر نقطة وحيدة.

حكم اللقاء: دولي سائد، أحمد القاضي، محمد العالول، ميقاتي مؤمن الجربة، ميقاتي 24 ثانية مروان حمد.

The Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Jordan, Nayef bin Bandar Al-Sudairy, in an exclusive interview with Al-Quds.com:

* The Palestinian issue is the first for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its leadership

• The Kingdom affirms its commitment to peace as a strategic choice and condemns unilateral measures that undermine the two-state solution

• The Kingdom is keen to support the budget of the Agency (UNRWA); to enable it to fulfill its obligations

• The incursions and practices in Al-Aqsa Mosque are painful and provocative to the Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims

• We rejected American dictates in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and we maintained neutral diplomacy

Amman/ The interview was conducted by: Ziyad Abu Al-Zaluf and Muhammad Abu Khudair

The Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Jordan, Nayef bin Bandar Al-Sudairy, stated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not bargain or delve into slogans, but works and takes positions according to a consistent methodology and strategy regarding the Palestinian issue, which has the first place in the priorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in terms of Arab and Islamic issues.

Ambassador Al-Sudairi said in an exclusive interview with Al-Quds.com, at the embassy's headquarters in Amman, that the Palestinian issue, Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque are of great interest to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

Ambassador Al-Sudairy denounced the violations and crimes committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people and holy sites, foremost of which is the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

He stressed the necessity of resolving the Palestinian issue in a just solution based on the resolutions of international legitimacy and the establishment of the Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital. He said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supported the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and provided political, economic and financial support to establish the steadfastness of the Palestinians on their land and to preserve their constants and sanctities.

The following is the text of the meeting:

Q: How do you assess and describe the Saudi-Palestinian relations at this stage?

A: The Saudi-Palestinian relations are ancient and extended, and it takes time to talk about them. It is possible to write books of their depth, ramifications, and antiquity, dating back to the era of the late King Abdul Aziz, in remarkable encounters and meetings dating back to the beginning of the last century, with the international powers, which began with the holding of the London Conference in 1935, known as the Conference. The round table to discuss the Palestinian issue, and the Kingdom supported the Palestinian cause on all political, economic and social levels.

And then King Saud, Faisal, Khalid, Fahd, Abdullah, and the auspicious era of King Salman and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia participated in most of the conferences and meetings related to resolving the Palestinian issue, starting with the Madrid Conference and ending with the road map and the Arab Peace Initiative, which were proposed by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz (the Crown Prince at the time) and adopted by the Arab countries as a unified Arab project at the Beirut Summit in March 2002 to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. .

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has called on Israel to abide by the implementation of the relevant international legitimacy resolutions that provide for complete withdrawal from all occupied Arab lands since 1967 AD, and calls on the international community to intervene urgently to stop the aggressive and repeated Israeli attacks and practices against the Palestinian people.

The Kingdom had a prominent and consistent role and position regarding the stages and violations committed against the land and the Palestinian people. The Kingdom condemned Israel's construction of the separation wall that includes vast Palestinian lands, and submitted a protest note to the International Court of Justice in The Hague condemning Israel's construction of the apartheid wall, and the court issued a decision not to The legitimacy of this wall and demanded that Israel remove it.

King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz announced at an early stage a peace project at the Arab summit conference held in the Moroccan city of Fez in 1982 AD, and it was approved by the Arab countries and became the basis for the Arab project for peace, just as this initiative was the basis for the peace conference in Madrid in 1991 AD.

Then came an initiative announced by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz at the Beirut summit in March 2002, and adopted by the Arab countries as a unified Arab project to resolve the Arab-Palestinian conflict, which provides security and stability for all peoples of the region and secures a permanent, just and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The aim of the initiative was the establishment of an internationally recognized Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, the return of refugees and withdrawal from the occupied Golan Heights, in exchange for recognition and normalization of relations between Arab countries and Israel. The Arab Peace Initiative was announced at the Arab Summit in Beirut, and it won Arab support, and through it he announced his initiative, calling for Israel's complete withdrawal from all Arab lands occupied since 1967, in implementation of Security Council Resolutions (242 and 338), which were reinforced by the decisions of the Madrid Conference in 1991 and the principle of Land for peace, and its acceptance of the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. This is in return for the Arab countries establishing normal relations within the framework of a comprehensive peace with Israel.

The initiative is summed up in withdrawal from the occupied territories up to the borders of June 4, 1967. Acceptance of the establishment of a Palestinian state on the occupied lands in the West Bank and Gaza, with Jerusalem as its capital. Solve the refugee issue in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy.

The Kingdom confirms its commitment to peace as a strategic choice, and that the security and stability of the Middle East region requires speeding up a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Kingdom also condemns all unilateral measures taken undermine the two-state solution and call for its immediate and complete cessation.

Q: What is the amount of financial support provided to the Agency, the people and the Palestinian Authority?

A: There is no ceiling for aid to the Palestinian cause. Last week, I handed over to the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, the check from Saudi Arabia for the agency's budget in the amount of $27 million to support the agency's programs and operations in The region, in the presence of the head of the Refugee Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Ahmed Abu Holi, under the direction of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud - and his Crown Prince, Prince Muhammad bin Salman, Prime Minister - may God protect them - and out of their keenness to support the Palestinians in the occupied territories, they are keen to support the UNRWA budget; To enable it to fulfill its financial obligations in order to improve the living, educational and medical services for the Palestinian refugees, in addition to the assistance it provides to the Palestinian people through approved official channels.

And the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always devoted most of its capabilities to support the Palestinian cause in various political, economic and social fields, in addition to its absolute support for the cause and the rights of the Palestinian people in the United Nations and humanitarian organizations, including the historical cooperation relationship with UNRWA and the continuous support for its services and appreciation of its role in supporting the Palestinian refugees and its work in particular In light of the unprecedented financial challenges due to the outbreak of the Corona Covid 19 pandemic, in addition to the challenges represented by the repetition of the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian people in all Palestinian territories.

The total Saudi support directed to Palestine since 1999 amounts to more than $5.2 billion, including support for the budgets of the Palestinian National Authority and direct support for a number of sectors of infrastructure, health, education, food and agricultural security, the government, Palestinian civil society, water and environmental reform.

The Saudi support for the Palestinian people stems from the Kingdom's firm belief in the important assistance provided by UNRWA to more than 5.4 million Palestinian refugees through its education and health programmes, in addition to the relief services, social services and other job opportunities it creates, so that the Palestinian people can enjoy a decent life.

The Kingdom has previously provided material and moral support to the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people since the beginning of the Palestinian cause. The Kingdom made a generous donation at the Arab Summit Conference in Khartoum in 1967 AD, and the Kingdom committed itself at the Baghdad Summit in 1978 AD to provide annual financial support to the Palestinians in the amount of one billion and ninety-seven million and three hundred thousand dollars, for a period of ten years (from 1979 to 1989 AD). At the emergency summit in Algeria in 1987, the Kingdom decided to allocate a monthly support of 6 million dollars to the Palestinian Intifada. In the first intifada in 1987, the Kingdom made a cash donation to the Palestinian Intifada Fund in the amount of one million four hundred and thirty-three thousand dollars, and provided two million dollars to the International Red Cross to purchase medicines, medical equipment, and food. for the Palestinians.

The Kingdom pledged to finance a development program through the Saudi Fund for Development, amounting to three hundred million dollars, concerned with the sectors of health, education and housing. It was announced at conferences of donor countries during the years 94-95-97-1999 AD. In addition to customs exemptions for Palestinian goods and products. The Kingdom has fully fulfilled its contributions as determined by the 2002 Beirut Summit to support the budget of the Palestinian Authority, and what was confirmed by the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit 2003 AD to renew the Arab commitment to this support, as it transferred the full commitment and the amount of 184.8 million dollars for the period from 2002 AD to 2004 AD. It also fully fulfilled its commitments according to the Tunis Summit 2004 regarding the continued arrival of financial support to the Palestinian Authority's budget for six months, starting from April until the end of September 2004, when it transferred the full amount of 46.2 million dollars.

At the Arab Summit Conference in Cairo 2000, the Kingdom took the initiative to propose the establishment of two funds under the name of “Al-Aqsa Fund” and the Jerusalem Intifada Fund, with a capital of one billion dollars. The Kingdom’s government has also paid attention to the Palestinian refugee problem, as it provided humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees directly or through international agencies and organizations concerned with refugee affairs such as UNRWA, UNESCO, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the World Bank, and the Islamic Bank. Its share of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), represented in its annual contributions amounting to one million two hundred thousand dollars to the agency’s budget, and provided it with exceptional donations amounting to about sixty million four hundred thousand dollars, to cover the deficit in its budget and implement its programs for the Palestinians.

Q: Can you tell us about the activities of the King Salman Center and its role in the Saudi-Palestinian relations?

A: The King Salman Relief Center works with high efficiency inside Palestine and plays an important role in directing support to the Palestinian brothers and the national authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).

Q: How do you view the Israeli assassinations and incursions, and what is the required Arab and Islamic move to deter the occupation from its practices against the Palestinian people and holy sites, especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque?

A: The Israeli practices are inhumane and rejected wholeheartedly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and you heard and saw the speech of His Highness the Foreign Minister Prince Faisal at the General Assembly in New York last month, who devoted a large part of his speech to what was related to Palestine, the Palestinian cause, the Palestinian people and the ideas of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the settlement. And the Kingdom is the only country in the world that presented an initiative that was adopted by the Arab League in 2002 and became the Arab Peace Initiative.

I believe that peace is possible, but according to the resolutions of international legitimacy, the basis of which is Security Council Resolution 242, and the preservation of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. We view this issue with great importance, especially the issue of Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, a very important issue.

Q: What about the violations in Al-Aqsa Mosque and the attempts of the occupation and the settlers to change the status quo in the mosque in favor of the settlers and Judaization?

A: The storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque is unacceptable and extremely dangerous, and it increases the complexity and tension of the situation. What we have seen and are witnessing of storming and practices in Al-Aqsa Mosque is painful and provocative to the Palestinians, Arabs and all Muslims, and it is unacceptable and must stop immediately in any way.

Q: What is the position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the Abraham Accords and the Emirati-Bahraini normalization with the Israeli occupation?

A: The normalization and peace agreement that was signed between the UAE, Bahrain and Israel unilaterally is the case of these countries. With regard to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the position is clear. What matters to us is that the Palestinian people obtain their rights in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy. Then we discuss the repercussions of these agreements on the people and the Palestinian cause. What matters to us is that any Agreements that have a positive impact on the cause and the Palestinian people, what is the benefit of any agreement concluded with Israel and how much brings us closer to the legitimate Palestinian rights in Palestine, especially in Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque?

Q: What about opening Saudi airspace to Israeli civil aviation?

A: This is an international technical subject in accordance with the international agreements in force in the world. It has nothing to do with normalization and relations with the Israeli occupation.

Q: What about the joint Saudi-Palestinian economic committee to enhance joint cooperation that was established in 2019?

A: The committee is recovering and its activities after most of the work was disrupted during the past two years due to the (Corona) crisis and the epidemic that disrupted and obstructed many committees and joint projects. We hope that within the next few months, this committee will be activated to achieve its goals in promoting economic cooperation.

We are working to strengthen the Saudi-Palestinian economic cooperation, and we have a strategy and a fixed goal, which is that anything that benefits and supports the steadfastness and economy of the Palestinian people, we support it and cooperate with the Authority's strategy in reconnecting the Palestinian economy with the Arab and Islamic economy.

With pleasure, and God willing, in the near future, we will see some results in this field.

Q: How do you deal with some voices and social networking sites that attack the role and positions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?

A: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the only country that has a well-established and strong strategy that relies on action and deed. It does not care and does not like talk, rhetoric, distortion and slogans, especially with regard to the Palestinian cause. "The sun's rays are not covered by a sieve." Our role, position and influence is clear and tangible and in an advanced Arab, Islamic and international position.

There is no doubt that those who attack and make fun of the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have special agendas and have special parties that feed this suspicious role that they play. However, we are betting on the awareness of our people in Palestine and our Arab and Islamic people who see the Kingdom’s political, economic and social role on all Arab, Islamic and international levels.

As for some tweeters and bloggers on some social sites and platforms, some teenagers attack some positions of the Kingdom out of ignorance. They do not offend the Kingdom, but rather offend themselves. They distance and alienate the Saudis and the Saudi people and prepare them against the cause and the Palestinian people.

Unfortunately, we see and hear some of these polemics and attacks on the Kingdom, and we do not know whether they come from real accounts or from fake accounts, and where were they? Regardless of the party that moves them and works to sow the seeds of discord between the Saudi and Palestinian peoples, the fate of these people is to reach the truth that the Kingdom has been and will remain the supporter and supporter of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and their just cause, and they realize that the Palestinian cause is the first issue for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its wise leadership. Since before the Palestinian Nakba in 1948.

Q: What about the Iran axis, is there an improvement in relations with this axis and the organizations that receive support from Iran?

A: We wish this axis guidance, and everyone knows that Iran is not relied upon in any matter that serves the interests, rights and sanctities of the Arab and Islamic nations, and that it is always behind chaos, problems and strife, and the evidence is before us in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and in many other regions and it is trying to Palestine. I believe that this is harmful to the Palestinian cause and the Arabs as a whole.

Iran's record since its revolution in 1979 is full of spreading unrest in the countries of the region. There is no doubt that Saudi Arabia has practiced a policy of restraint throughout this period, despite its continued suffering and the countries of the region and the world from Iranian policies.

We see in Iranian foreign policy, especially the principle of exporting the revolution, a violation of the sovereignty of states and interference in their internal affairs under the name of "supporting the oppressed and oppressed peoples."

The Arab region did not know sectarianism and sectarianism until after the Iranian revolution in 1979 AD. The Iranian regime has intervened in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, to the extent that one of its aides, Haider Moslehi, the former Iranian Minister of Intelligence, ranted that Iran occupies 4 Arab capitals.

Q: What about the Arab, Islamic, regional and international role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?

A: Saudi Arabia is one of the most important countries in the world along with the United States of America, Russia and others, as it is considered a strong country in the energy sector, which possesses wide capabilities in this sector, which makes it of strong importance in the sector, especially since it has a wide contribution to any decision in the sector. energy in the world.

Saudi Arabia has wide political and economic relations in the countries of the region and the world, at a time when it has proven great importance in the Middle East region, which is considered one of the most important locations in the world, and any global decision in the region, Saudi Arabia must participate in this aspect., and Saudi Arabia has accumulated its wealth including It is beneficial to the Saudi people, to become a pioneer in all fields in recent years.

This was reflected in our brothers and friends, and the assistance provided by Saudi Arabia precedes in its size and impact the assistance of many of the superpowers that are permanent members of the Security Council.

Saudi Arabia has succeeded within the Group of Twenty in responding to the global financial crisis, with the measures it took that prevented the world from falling into recession. As the resilience of the financial system in Saudi Arabia has been strengthened over the past years, thanks to strict measures and proactive supervision, in light of the banking system maintaining its sound conditions, profitability levels and high capitalization even in the aftermath of the recent global crisis.

Saudi Arabia plays a positive and influential role in enhancing regional and international security and stability in the economic and political aspects, especially in the stability of global energy markets through its active role in the global petroleum market. From this standpoint, Saudi Arabia's petroleum policy advances on a balanced basis, taking into account the interests of energy-producing and consuming countries.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that has the ability to fill any shortage in the energy markets, which reflects its production efficiency in oil, and this was proven by the last period, when it contributed to filling the deficit of a number of countries whose production stopped during the recent events in the region, as it has huge potential In operations supplies to global markets.

The importance of Saudi Arabia comes among the twenty countries, as it is the largest oil exporting country, and oil is the largest commodity in trade exchange - exports and imports - and represents 3.1 trillion dollars annually, which enhances the importance of Saudi Arabia’s presence among these twenty countries in that Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of this commodity in the world. As Saudi Arabia accounts for 18 percent of the global trade in crude oil.

According to the International Monetary Fund report, Saudi Arabia plays an influential role in the global oil market system and its stability as one of the largest exporters of crude oil and the only producing country that has a huge surplus production capacity, as the proven oil reserves of Saudi Arabia amount to 266 billion barrels, and it is estimated that its surplus production capacity is At the present time, it is 2.7 million barrels per day, and he indicated that Saudi Arabia will continue to have an influential role in light of the uncertainty about the prospects for the global oil market.

Q: What are the repercussions of the Russian war on Ukraine on Arab and Islamic issues?

A: There is no doubt that it is a global crisis and it has cast a shadow over the whole world at different levels, and from this standpoint the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is making efforts to resolve this crisis peacefully. It has presented many initiatives, the latest of which is the release of prisoners, which confirms its neutral and influential role on both sides in the bloody conflict. Our relations Excellent with both sides. This is annoying to some countries and friends, but we insist on a neutral role in the conflict.

We have rejected American dictates in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, we have maintained neutral diplomacy, humanitarian work and a peaceful solution to this conflict, we have rejected the American positions related to the US midterm elections, we have rejected the American logic in which they deal, and the American demand from the Kingdom to increase oil production knowing that the United States is the largest producer and can Increase production first!

The United States exports gas to its allies in Europe at four times the price of gas in the world, and it is the beneficiary and exploiter of the global crisis from the war.

Washington is allowed to look at its economic and national interests while we are forbidden?

This conflict did not affect our assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees - UNRWA.

Q: The vision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2030.. has become the talk of those interested, especially in the region.. Tell us about it?

A: It is natural for the Saudi Vision 2030 to be the talk of the world, not just the region.. especially when His Highness, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the architect of the vision, announced the endeavor to make not only the Kingdom but our region, the Middle East; It is the new Europe.. This is of course what the forces of evil, darkness and terrorism do not want.

The Saudis and the wise people in the region and the world are happy with this vision and its achievements and the amazing transformations that the Kingdom is witnessing since the inauguration of Vision 2030, which centered on the issue of centering around the citizen mainly and its tripartite that the Saudis have come to preserve (an ambitious homeland, a prosperous economy, a vibrant society), which was confirmed by the Crown Prince when Setting the goal of Saudi Arabia today, which lies in removing challenges, exploiting opportunities, and continuing to grow and prosper, and if this ambition is the goal of the goals of any development experiment, then the details mentioned by the Crown Prince confirm its transition from the realm of initiatives to a comprehensive vision or what is called (a project). The vision today is not an option, but rather a Saudi project that rises to existential importance, and this was confirmed by its architect, Prince Muhammad bin Salman, when he touched the degree of awareness of the importance of the vision, as it is a settled issue that cannot be touched and no person on this planet has the power to thwart it. Where Saudi Arabia today is the most developed country in the world by 7.6%, and the Saudi banking sector today is among the strongest 4 in the world, and today it owns the second largest sovereign fund in the world among ten, and the largest reserves in foreign currency, in addition to the great influence in meeting the demand for oil And it is a vision that comes at an important time and an exceptional time when the world is living in the chaos of imbalance, more than the consequences of the controversy of the conflict in Ukraine. Issues of sovereignty, foreign reserves, investment in the homeland, and the independence of economic orientation have become urgent and sensitive files for all countries of the world, even those that do not come into contact with the Ukraine crisis or The post-Corona world and the daunting challenges it poses.

Today, the Saudis are betting with their geopolitical and economic position, as well as richness and a long historical extension, on achieving Vision 2030, which is beginning to bear fruit, and has the ability and flexibility to overcome challenges thanks to investment projects in people, initiatives and programs to achieve and empower the vision that is taking place in all regions, and groups of young people And the brilliant young women to develop their strategies side by side with the experts who provide the amazing new generation in the numbers of its achievements with a lot of wisdom that they need, and between generations and the bonds of belonging to the homeland, history, customs, traditions and generosity, which in turn turned from mere values known by those who visited the Kingdom and resided in it to projects of a culture of welcome and good Hospitality in the relevant ministries.

One of the goals of Vision 2030 is a vibrant society, and to reinforce this trend, Prince Mohammed bin Salman established a framework to improve the quality of life of citizens and residents. It includes increasing cultural and recreational ways, and working to promote healthy lifestyles through sports, leisure activities, sustainability, etc., and this is evident in the Green Saudi Arabia project, and the Green Middle East project, which is considered the largest urban afforestation project in the world, in addition to the “The Line” project, which is It is a carbon-neutral futuristic city; This is thanks to the merging of nature and artificial intelligence in order to create a hybrid future that aims to create 380,000 jobs and add $48 billion to the gross domestic product.

The targets also include: a thriving economy.

Through the Vision Program, the Crown Prince is looking forward to creating more new job opportunities for male and female citizens of the Kingdom by investing heavily in developing an educational system that is compatible with market requirements. The Crown Prince seeks to achieve this by narrowing the gap and linking the outputs of higher education. Making at least five Saudi universities among the top 200 universities in the world.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman also focuses on providing opportunities for youth, entrepreneurs and small businesses. As different organizations and institutions launch a package of new programs that are in line with this pillar; The Mohammed bin Salman Charitable Foundation, known as “Misk Charity” for short, has developed many initiatives that help Saudi youth to be a workforce ready to launch in the local and global market.

Over the past five years, Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been keen to provide a suitable environment for citizens in the private and non-profit sectors. This is through launching the National Transformation Program to enhance operational efficiency and establish centers of excellence. Perhaps the main platforms established under this pillar are; It is the oversight and anti-corruption authority “Nazaha” that works to make the country more transparent, accountable and free from corruption.

Among the objectives of the vision are: energy sources.

The vision aims to generate 50% of the Kingdom's energy from renewable sources by 2030. To this end, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, headed by the Crown Prince, has invested about 1.5 trillion Saudi riyals since 2016 in alternative energy.

In furtherance of this, the Kingdom is looking forward to using clean technologies and renewable energy to reduce its expected emissions for 2030 by more than 130 million tons, and to reduce its contribution to global emissions, which currently represent more than 4% of all emissions on the planet.

Q: What is the word that you address to the Palestinians and Jerusalemites in particular?

A: Palestine and Jerusalem in particular receives attention and it is in the heart of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister and in the heart of every Saudi. We always pray in our prayers to God Almighty that God relieve the suffering of our brothers in Palestine and Jerusalem, and we work and hope that the Palestinian issue will be resolved to the satisfaction of our people. And our brothers in Palestine, and to obtain their legitimate rights in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy.

God willing, we will meet soon in Jerusalem and pray together in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Paris - (AFP) - Emmanuel Macron, with his divisive positions and style of exercising governance, shocked many Frenchmen who considered him disconnected from their reality, but he scored points at the international level in European challenges and issues related to memory.

Macron, whom the French accuse of arrogance, spent five years in office marked by his ability to change and adapt his policies as needed, in a manner that prompted Le Monde newspaper to compare him to a "chameleon".

And from an obscure figure who had never been elected to any public office, he became Minister of the Economy in the government of former Socialist President Francois Hollande, then the youngest president to enter the Elysee Palace in 2017, when he was still thirty-nine years old.

The ambitious young man knew how to draw an image of himself coming from outside the traditional arena of left and right, and capable of playing with skill on the chord of the fragmentation of the traditional parties in the Fifth Republic.

He surrounded himself with a loyal team based on young men in their thirties who built their experience in the fields of advertising, consulting and management positions.

The former banker, a graduate of the École Nationale d'Administration (ENA), the almost obligatory path for every aspirant to assume high public responsibility in France, has always shown his desire to surprise and even shock.

Early on, the title of "president of the wealthy" and urban elites stuck to him, especially after two decisions he made at the beginning of his presidential term that the left did not accept at all: abolishing the wealth tax and reducing housing subsidies.

In the eyes of some of the French, public positions and statements he made indicate his separation from their daily lives, such as his talk about people who "are worth nothing," or his consideration that the unemployed may find a job by simply "crossing the street."

Macron thus aroused irreversible aversion among some left and popular circles.

And he stressed, during a television interview in December, that he had gained "a lot of respect for everyone," admitting that in the absence of that, "we cannot move anything."

The remarks he made were not limited to social classes or political currents opposing his views.

In 2020, in the midst of warnings and fears of climate change, he drew criticism from environmental experts after he mocked those who preferred to "return to the kerosene lamp."

His close relationship with the advisory offices on which he relied greatly harmed his image at the end of a presidential term that was unambiguously marked by the “yellow vest” protests against his social policies in 2018 and 2019.

The violence that took place during these protests, especially the number of people who were blinded in their eyes by the fire of the security forces, shocked some of the French.

Macron also made risky bets during his tenure, such as his refusal in January 2021 to impose a new comprehensive lockdown called for by ministers and scholars in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this decision was ultimately in his favor.

Despite this, Macron ends his term enjoying greater popularity than his predecessors, Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, enjoyed - during the same period.

Macron sought to expand his popularity base, especially in the last stages.

He moved away from his liberal reformist leanings and chose to provide massive social and economic assistance during the pandemic, placing it within the framework of the equation of helping the French “whatever the cost.”

Recently, he has returned to repeating the phrase "at the same time," which he repeated repeatedly during his election campaign in 2017, and pushed the social measures in his program to the fore, at a time when it seems that the direction of the left's votes may be decisive in determining the winner in the second round of the presidential elections between him. And his far-right rival, Marine Le Pen.

And it came to him to confirm during an election rally in the city of Nantes, western France, that "our lives are more valuable than their profits," a slogan raised by the extreme left.

Macron kept to the sidelines on some ideological issues, but never deviated from the pro-European ones. He has made the continent the mainstay of his diplomacy for the past five years, and is pushing for a boost in European defence.

Since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Macron has remained the most communicative leader with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and plays a mediating role between the Kremlin on the one hand and Western leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the other.

The outgoing president pushed French society towards conciliatory steps with its history of issues that remained intractable for decades.

His tenure witnessed a remarkable rapprochement between Paris and Kigali after he published in 2021 a report by the Committee of Historians prepared at his request, acknowledging that France bears a "great and grave responsibility" in the genocide of the Tutsi minority in Rwanda in 1994.

He also took initiatives to reconcile with the memory of the Algerian war, acknowledging that the mathematician Maurice Audin was killed under torture, and that the national lawyer Ali Bumengel was "tortured and killed" by the French army, contradicting the official version of his suicide.

Last year, he asked for "forgiveness" from the Algerian activists who fought in the ranks of the French army during the Algerian war, and who were "abandoned" by France.

In February 2017, Emmanuel Macron, who was then a candidate for the presidential elections, denounced the right and the French returning from Algeria after declaring that colonialism was a "crime against humanity."

At the beginning of 2022, he expressed his country's "gratitude" to the French who returned from Algeria, and called for recognition of the "two massacres" of shooting that took place on Islay Street in Algeria in 1962, and in Oran in 1962, after the signing of the "Evian" agreements.

Macron, the first post-colonial French president, has also worked to improve relations with African countries.

Jenin - "Jerusalem" - dot com - Ali Smoudi - A young man was wounded by a rubber bullet in the foot, and a child was hit by a sound bomb, today, Wednesday, during the Israeli occupation forces' raid on the town of Zababdeh, southwest of Jenin.

Eyewitnesses told Al-Quds.com that special units infiltrated the town and surrounded the house of the young man, Hassan Sharqawi, claiming that he was wanted. At the same moment, military support patrols stormed the area, but they were unable to arrest Sharqawi after storming and searching his house.

Gunmen opened fire on the army, which stopped the vehicles at the entrances to the town, detained their passengers and prevented them from passing until the operation was over.

The occupation forces also stormed the shops and started searching and searching campaigns that are still going on for surveillance cameras, after closing the entrances to the town of Rummana, after gunmen opened fire this afternoon on the occupied Salem camp.

Washington (AFP) - A team of Chinese scientists has discovered that male spiders of the species Philoponella prominense flee immediately after mating to avoid being killed and eaten by their mates.

During the mating process, the spiders use two of their legs to propel themselves within a fraction of a second, leaning on the female spider. The technique was described for the first time in a study published Monday in the journal Current Biology.

This discovery required the use of high-speed and high-resolution cameras, said lead study author Xing Shang Dzhang of Hubei University in China.

The researchers were conducting a study on the sexual choices of this species, which lives in groups of up to 300 spiders.

Of the 155 matings studied, in 152 the male spider ran away and subsequently survived the encounter with its mate.

As for the three males that did not walk quickly, their companions killed and ate them.

The 30 spiders that the researchers prevented from escaping met the same fate, and the scientists concluded that this mechanism is necessary for males to escape from female spiders.

Xingshang Dzhang noted that female spiders judge the males' sexual ability based on their ability to escape.

He explained, "The male spider, through mating, can escape sexual predation for the female, who chooses the spider that has high sexual performance, because this is directly related to the male's physical condition."

Female spiders have the ability to retain sperm and choose whether or not to use it to fertilize their eggs.

Thus, females choose sperm from males with high sexual performance, according to Xing Shang. In the future, the scientist would like to study the possibility that there is an actual link between male jumps and mating success.

Cairo - (AFP) - The foreign ministers of Egypt and Greece considered on Sunday that the memorandum of understanding signed between Libya and Turkey regarding oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean is "illegal".

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said during a visit to Cairo that this agreement "threatens stability and security in the Mediterranean."

He added that Tripoli "does not enjoy sovereignty over this region" in which the exploration agreement was signed, stressing that it is "illegal and unacceptable."

For his part, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed that the "outgoing" Tripoli government does not have the legitimacy to sign such agreements.

The memorandum of understanding, which was signed on Monday during a visit by a high-ranking Turkish delegation to Tripoli, came three years after the conclusion of the controversial maritime border demarcation agreement in 2019, which angered the European Union at the time.

The maritime agreement allows Ankara to assert its rights in large areas in the eastern Mediterranean, which arouses the discontent of Greece and the European Union.

Cyprus, Greece, and Egypt consider that the 2019 agreement violates their economic rights in this region, as the discovery of vast gas fields in the past years has raised the ambitions of the countries of the region.

"We will resort to all legal means to defend our rights," Dendias said.

In return for this agreement, Turkey militarily assisted the former Tripoli government in repelling an attack in mid-2020 on the capital by the strong man of the east, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

Ankara sent military advisers and drones to Libya at the time, which made it possible to inflict a series of defeats at the gates of Tripoli on the forces of Field Marshal Haftar, who is supported by Russia and Ankara's regional rivals, especially the UAE and Egypt.

The agreement was also rejected by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, based in eastern Libya, and the government of Fathi Bashagha, appointed by the parliament, considering that the signing of the agreement is "illegal" and "unacceptable."

Two governments have been competing for power in Libya since March, the first is the Tripoli government, which was born in 2021 as part of a peace process sponsored by the United Nations, and the second has been led since March by former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha with the support of Haftar.

Amman - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs condemned the violations committed by extremist settlers by storming the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif, and allowing them provocative practices that violate the sanctity of the Noble Sanctuary and Islamic cemeteries, with the protection of the Israeli occupation police.

Today, Tuesday, the official spokesman for the ministry, Ambassador Sinan Al-Majali, said that the continuous and unacceptable provocative practices against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and their escalation and accompanying provocative practices in the sanctuary and in the Islamic cemeteries surrounding it, which are considered an Islamic endowment, in addition to continuing to impose restrictions on the entry of worshipers to the mosque. The Blessed Al-Aqsa is a flagrant and unacceptable violation of international law, and of the historical and legal status quo in Jerusalem and its sanctities.

He stressed that the continuous violations and attacks on sanctities, in conjunction with the continuous Israeli incursions into the occupied Palestinian territories, warn of further escalation and represent a dangerous trend that must be stopped immediately.

Al-Majali stressed that the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif, with its entire area of 144 dunums, is a pure place of worship for Muslims, and that the Jordanian Department of the Jerusalem Endowments and the Affairs of the Blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque is the legal authority with exclusive jurisdiction to manage the affairs of the Holy Mosque and regulate entry to it. Al-Majali demanded, on behalf of the ministry, Israel. As the occupying power, to immediately stop all practices and violations against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and respect its sanctity, stressing the need to stop all measures aimed at changing the existing historical and legal situation and imposing temporal and spatial division, and respecting the authority of the Jerusalem Endowment Administration and the affairs of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

روما (أ ف ب) -ينتظر إنتر ميلان الإيطالي صانع الألعاب الدنماركي كريستيان إريكسن الذي تعرض لأزمة قلبية في مباراة بلاده الأولى في كأس أوروبا، لاستقباله بـ”ذراعين مفتوحين” بحسب ما أفاد المدرب الجديد لبطل “سيري أ” سيموني إينزاغي.

وقال إينزاغي الأربعاء خلال تقديمه كمدرب جديد لإنتر خلفاً لأنتونيو كونتي “في الوقت الحالي يجب أن يفكر بالراحة، لكن كمدرب لإنتر أنا أنتظره بذراعين مفتوحين”. وكشف المدرب السابق للاتسيو “تحدثت معه قبل كأس أوروبا لكني لم أفعل ذلك بعد تعرضه لهذه الحادثة. إنه لاعب أعتمد عليه”، مقراً في الوقت ذاته أن النجم الدنماركي بحاجة الى الوقت للتعافي. وتصدر ابن الـ29 عاماً العناوين في بداية كأس أوروبا التي تختتم الأحد، وذلك بعد تعرضه لأزمة قلبية وسقوطه أرضاً خلال مباراة الدنمارك الأولى في النهائيات القارية ضد فنلندا في كوبنهاغن.

واحتاج لاعب توتنهام الإنكليزي السابق الى إعادة إنعاش على أرض الملعب قبل ان يستكمل تعافيه في المستشفى، حيث تم تثبيت جهاز تنظيم دقات القلب داخل جسمه.
ويرسل الجهاز نبضات كهربائية عندما يكون معدّل ضربات القلب بطيئاً جداً، وذلك لتجنب السكتة القلبية. بالإضافة الى هذه الوظيفة، يمكنه أيضاً معالجة دقات القلب السريعة جداً.

وبعد العارض الصحي الذي استقطب اهتمام العالم، استأنف لاعبو الدنمارك تلك المباراة تحت الصدمة وخسروها بهدف نظيف قبل ان يسقطوا في المباراة الثانية 2-1 امام بلجيكا، إلا أنهم استعدوا توازنهم وتأهلوا الى ثمن النهائي بعد الفوز على روسيا (4-1) ثم ربع النهائي (على حساب ويلز 4-صفر) وحجزوا مقعداً في دور الأربعة (بالفوز على تشيكيا 2-1) .

وهناك الكثير من التساؤلات بشأن مستقبل إريكسن وإمكانية عودته الى الملاعب لاسيما في إيطاليا حيث يعتبر الجهاز الذي زرع في الدنماركي بمثابة عائق كبير لممارسة كرة القدم على صعيد احترافي، لكن كل شيء يعتمد بالتأكيد على التقييمات المستقبلية لحالة اللاعب الصحية من قبل ناديه.

(AFP) - When Nada, a 28-year-old yoga instructor, started pole dancing a few years ago, the reaction in conservative Saudi society was very harsh, but she didn't stop.

For years, her family and friends have told her that this grueling sport, which requires physical strength and coordination of acrobatic movements on a pole, is "so wrong". Society often associates the sport of pole dancing with the dances that appear in Hollywood films in night strip clubs and in some dance performances that include sexual overtones.

However, despite the criticism and the negative view of this unpopular sport in the Arab world in general, the young Saudi woman continued her training in a sports hall in Riyadh, defying her critics.

And she says today that she believes that she has made progress in convincing them of the benefit of this sport, which also depends on the element of agility, at least among her friends.

"In the beginning, my friends said it was inappropriate and wrong. Now they say: we want to try it," she explains to AFP, preferring to use only her first name for fear of any negative reaction towards her.

For decades, Saudi women have suffered from strict social restrictions that limited their role in the labor market and their ability to practice a large number of sports, accompanied by the compulsory wearing of the black abaya and the veil.

However, the promotion of women's sports has recently begun to escalate as part of an unprecedented campaign to achieve social openness and change the Kingdom's image in the outside world from strict to soft, despite the continuous repression of activists and dissidents.

Last month, the Saudi women's football team played its first home match against Bhutan, and work is underway to launch the Women's Premier League.

Officials also aim to get more women involved in golf, a traditionally male-dominated sport that is popular locally.

And while changes are accelerating in the mostly young Saudi society, at least three gyms in Saudi Arabia have launched pole dancing courses, AFP noted.

"I feel that pole dancing (also called pole dancing) is getting more attention because it is something new that girls love to try," says Mai Al-Youssef, director of one of these halls in Riyadh.

A former pole dancer in Riyadh asserts that she was not "at all" ashamed of her experience, explaining, "This is my personality. I will not be ashamed (...) of my femininity. I am not ashamed of anything as long as I do not harm others."

But she acknowledged that others may not feel the same degree of comfort, noting that she agreed to talk about her experience to France Press, on condition of anonymity.

She pointed out that the only reason she stopped practicing this sport is that pole dancing is something that requires great physical effort, and it is more difficult than it appears on TV.
"I realized this is not for me. I need a lot of muscle and a lot of strength to be able to do this," she says.
As for Youssef, she hopes that the photos and videos that she publishes to her followers on the “Instagram” application will show the extent of the effort that it takes to dance on the pole.
According to the gym manager, her clients started talking about physical changes for the better after exercising, and that they "loved themselves more".

Aden, Yemen - (Xinhua) - The Yemeni government approved on Sunday the Second Protocol to the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, after nearly 8 years of ongoing war that caused destruction and damage to a number of archaeological sites and historical cities in the country.

The Yemeni news agency, Saba, which is run by the government, stated that the Council of Ministers, in its meeting today in the interim capital, Aden, headed by Prime Minister Dr. Maeen Abdul-Malik, approved Yemen's accession to the Second Protocol to the Hague Convention of 1954 for the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict.

The Cabinet directed "the Ministry of Legal Affairs to complete the necessary procedures to ratify the protocol," according to the agency.

The Hague Convention (Dutch City) for the Protection of Cultural Property is an international treaty that obliges signatories to protect cultural property in war, and has been ratified by more than 100 countries.

The agreement provides for the protection of movable or immovable cultural property, such as architectural buildings of artistic or historical value, historical sites, archaeological sites, artifacts, manuscripts, books, and everything of archaeological or historical value.

According to the agreement, member states are obligated to protect cultural property as a result of armed conflicts, and to take many measures to preserve it.

Yemen has been suffering from a bloody conflict for 8 years, and the ongoing conflict has caused destruction and damage to a number of historical cities, archaeological sites, buildings and museums in large areas of the country.