Large Palestinian masses in the Negev , this evening, Sunday, mourned the body of the martyr, Doctor Muhammad Al-Osaibi (26 years old), who was shot dead by the occupation police in Bab Al-Silsilah, one of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The funeral procession of the martyr Al-Osaibi departed from the Institute of Forensic Medicine "Abu Kabir", to his family's house in the village of Hoora, to give him a last farewell look.

The masses performed the funeral prayer for the martyr Al-Osaibi, before his body was buried in the "Al-Saqati" cemetery.

A Syrian delegation, headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Soussan, headed today (Sunday) to Moscow to participate in a meeting of the Syrian-Russian-Iranian-Turkish quartet to discuss ending the Turkish military presence on Syrian territory.

The official Syrian News Agency (SANA) stated, "The delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic, headed by Dr. Ayman Soussan, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, left Damascus this morning, heading to Moscow to participate in the quartet meeting of the assistant foreign ministers of Syria , Russia, Iran and Turkey."

The agency quoted Soussan as saying, "The Syrian delegation will hold bilateral consultations with the Russian and Iranian sides on April 3, and the next day it will participate in the quadripartite meeting."

Soussan added, "The delegation will focus specifically on ending the Turkish military presence on Syrian territory, combating terrorism, and non-interference in Syrian internal affairs."

Turkish and Russian officials had previously talked about ongoing preparations for holding this quadripartite meeting, in preparation for talks between the foreign ministers of the four countries.

Russia supports rapprochement between Syria and Turkey, and previously hosted talks between the defense ministers of the two countries on December 28 in Moscow, according to media reports.

In mid-December, Russian media reported that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted a proposal to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin , to hold a tripartite meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad , who confirmed in statements during a visit to Moscow last March that he would not meet the Turkish president unless Turkey withdrew. its forces from northern Syria.

Today, Sunday, the National Committee for Supporting Prisoners, in partnership with the Prisoners' Club, organized a stand in Martyrs' Square in the center of Nablus , in solidarity with the sick prisoner, Walid Daqqa , and all sick prisoners in the occupation prisons .

Representatives of the various forces, activities and institutions, and a crowd of citizens and families of the prisoners participated in the vigil, as they raised Palestinian flags and banners of solidarity with the prisoners in the occupation prisons.

The coordinator of the National Committee, Mudhaffar Thouqan, called on human rights institutions to stand up to their responsibilities in front of this complex crime with the support of the extreme right-wing government, indicating that it uses this policy to kill prisoners with premeditation.

He added: "This collective responsibility needs all Palestinians and the unity of the class for the victory of the prisoners, through broad popular participation to deliver our voice and message to all the free people of the world who are victorious over our suffering and the cause of the Palestinian people."

For her part, the mother of the wounded prisoner, Kamal Jouri, said that her son needs surgery because his nerve is completely damaged and the bullet is still in his pelvis. .

The role of the luxury watch industry is keen to keep pace with the times through several means, including applications on social networks such as “Snapchat” and the availability of payment by the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, in an effort to attract teenagers belonging to “Generation Z” and young people of the “Millennial Generation”, and make them a strong engine for the growth of this sector.

Millennials born between 1980 and 1997 and Generation Z born between 1997 and 2010 are interested in luxury brands early on, and their spending is expected to increase three times faster than other generations by 2030, according to a study conducted by the Italian Federation of Luxury Brands "Altagama" and "Altagama" company. Bain & Company Consulting.

And at the "Watches and Wonders" exhibition, which includes 48 of the most prominent watch brands and continues until Sunday in Geneva, the Swiss watchmakers are well aware of this trend.

Rolex President Jean-Frederic Dufour stressed in a press conference during the exhibition the importance of companies showing "once a year that wearing a watch is still in fashion and is even suitable for the younger generation," considering that the sector must attract this generation "that sees everything." through screens.

In a booth dedicated to innovations, a representative of "Snapchat" was giving an explanation of an application that allows you to experience watches virtually on a smartphone or tablet. The image adapts to the user's wrist to experience the main models in the "Cartier" collection or choose the colors of the "Oblo" watches.

The house of "Hermes" in its pavilion addressed the new generation through a set of drawings for watches inspired by its silk squares, one of which represents a princess on a horse taking a self-portrait.

"This young generation, contrary to popular belief, has more economic power than previous generations," said Jean-Philippe Berschi, an analyst at Vontobel, in a study. "They earn more, save more and invest at an earlier age," he added.

He estimated "more than 80 thousand billion dollars, including about 73,600 billion dollars in the United States alone," the value of money and property that will be transferred to the "millennial generation" and "Generation Z" during the next two decades.

However, in the short term, this generation is finding it difficult to find housing in light of the high real estate prices, according to analysts from Morgan Stanley, who note that about half of young American adults between the ages of 18 and 29 years still live with their parents, according to population in the United States, "a level not seen since the 1940s."

The analysts concluded that "young people, despite their inability to pay rent, have more disposable income to spend on luxury goods."

The head of the house "Ashe Mosier" Edouard Millan told AFP that a category of clients "younger and more attached to digital technologies" is emerging in Asia, where the great fortunes.

He stated that the source of "more than 50 percent of sales in China" is "Generation Z" and "Millennials".

This brand, which entered the world of "Metaverse", also sold products that Sharon paid for with bitcoins, including a watch at a price of 350,000 Swiss francs (about 380,000 dollars), which was sold for 10 bitcoins. "We shot the deal," Milan says.

Analysts "Stanley Morgan" noted that the flagship models of major brands are "especially popular" with this generation, who attach great importance to posting pictures of what they buy on Instagram.

Analysts explained that this generation wants products that are "instantly recognizable", especially with regard to watches, which "can highlight the logos of brands or the letters that symbolize them to a lesser extent than is available in leather goods or ready-to-wear."

"On the contrary, some want to stand out with a watch that others don't have," said Frenchman Christophe Aube, who lives in Australia, where he founded the brand "Pazole" after a career in watchmaking in Switzerland.

Aub always makes sure that his watches, which he makes in Switzerland, include what symbolizes Australia.

"We lost this generation because of mobile phones, but we got it back thanks to the Apple Watch," said Opp. The Frenchman recently used social media stars to sell a $1,200 model over the Internet.

Opp stressed that young people "returned to the habit of putting something on the wrist with watches connected via the Internet, but now they want something else."

Today, Sunday, settlers uprooted olive saplings from the lands of Al-Khader town, south of Bethlehem .

Local sources reported that settlers uprooted 45 olive seedlings from lands in the Batin Al-Maasi area, south of the town, belonging to Issa Ahmed Salah.

It is noteworthy that, in the past few days, the settlers escalated their attack on the citizens' lands in Al-Khader, and two days ago they uprooted 400 olive and grapevine seedlings.

Today, Sunday, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine organized a mass stand in Gaza City, rejecting the non-disbursement of social affairs funds.

A crowd of the Front's activists, along with a wide presence of social affairs beneficiaries, participated in the stand organized by the Front in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Social Development in Gaza City.

A member of the political bureau of the Popular Front, and the official of its branch in the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud al-Ras, said, "This stand, in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Social Development, came to raise our voice in the face of tyranny, marginalization, corruption, and policies of impoverishment and deprivation, and to stand in defense of the rights of our children, elders, and women that the government insists Praise be to God for maximizing their suffering by depriving them for many months of their rights in social affairs allocations, at a time when the government is evading its responsibilities, indifference or responding to dozens of calls and statements, and the continued waste of public money at the expense of the poor, the downtrodden, and the marginalized, and the government’s insistence on procrastination and procrastination. It increases people's suffering, pain and pain."

He added, "We came to tell them: stop trading in the rights of the poor, the marginalized, and the families of the martyrs, at a time when the corrupt are tampering with the capabilities of the Palestinian people, and corruption is spreading in various forms at the expense of the living and life rights of all segments and groups of our people, especially marginalized groups and families benefiting from social affairs programs." .

He continued, "This policy confirms that this government is practicing a systematic policy of infringing on the rights of the disadvantaged, settling misery and hunger among the masses of the poor, and expanding the circles of the disadvantaged so that the tyrants increase in prosperity and satiation, especially since what is happening in terms of denial and appropriation of the rights of the poor, the vulnerable, and the disadvantaged, as well as the attack on the rights of the martyrs." their parents and their families.”

Today, Sunday, the Jordanian Minister of Industry and Trade, Youssef Al-Shamali , and the Iraqi Minister of Industry and Minerals , Khaled Al-Najm , announced an international bid to attract a developer for the joint economic city project, to be established on the border between the two countries on an area of 22,000 dunams.

The invitation to tender includes preparing studies, designs and engineering plans, developing, financing, implementing, managing, investing, promoting and operating the economic city, and maintaining and maintaining its elements and facilities, according to a statement issued by the Jordanian Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The statement stated that the Iraqi-Jordanian Company for Industry, owned by the governments of Jordan and Iraq, in charge of implementing the project, invited all international companies specialized and qualified in the field of developing economic cities, industrial cities, development zones, and free zones to participate in the bid.

The statement quoted the Jordanian and Iraqi ministers as stressing the importance of the project to enhance economic cooperation between the two countries, achieve integration in many fields, especially industrial ones, bring about the required development in the two countries, provide job opportunities, attract investments and revitalize many sectors.

The two ministers said, "We have reached an advanced stage to start implementing this strategic project, which will constitute a strong lever for economic cooperation, and stimulate the attraction of Arab and foreign investments, and it is a strong message of the possibility of achieving economic integration within the Arab framework in many fields."

It is noteworthy that the joint economic zone was announced to be established at the end of 2018 on the borders between Jordan and Iraq, with an area estimated at about 22 thousand dunums equally between the two countries.

Last September, the Iraqi Jordanian Company for Industry, owned equally by the two governments, signed an agreement with the ((Coalition)) Engineering Consultancy Company, to provide advisory services for the project, including procedures and stages for attracting a developer for the Economic City, after the financial and technical offer submitted by it obtained the highest evaluation. Among the Jordanian and Iraqi bidders.

The Jordanian Iraqi Company for Industry was established in 1981 with a capital of 20 million Jordanian dinars (about 28 million dollars) equally between the governments of Jordan and Iraq, and it has investment contributions to the Jordanian and Iraqi sides.

The Sidi M’hamed Court in the center of the Algerian capital, on Sunday, ruled a five-year prison sentence, including three, against the Algerian journalist, Ihssan El-Kadi , who has been arrested since December, on charges of receiving funds from abroad.

The judge sentenced the journalist, during a public session, attended by the accused, to "three years of active imprisonment, two years of non-enforceable imprisonment, and a fine of 700,000 dinars (about 4,800 euros)."

Immediately after the verdict was pronounced, the journalist raised his hand in the sign of victory before being removed from the courtroom.

"The verdict will be appealed within the required deadlines, according to the prior agreement with our client," said lawyer Abd al-Ghani Badi, a member of the defense team that boycotted the trial sessions and the pronouncement of the verdict, in protest against "the lack of conditions for a fair trial."

On Sunday afternoon, the Israeli government officially approved the establishment of the so-called "National Guard", under the supervision of the Minister of the so-called "National Security" Itamar Ben Gvir .

During its weekly session, the Israeli government decided to cut horizontally 1.5% of the budgets of government ministries in favor of establishing the National Guard, in line with the promise of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , Ben Gvir, during negotiations to freeze judicial reforms.

The decision was approved after a series of discussions, and amid disagreements between most of the ministers and Ben Gvir, as the majority opposed these cuts from the ministries, before Netanyahu convinced them of that.

Gila Gamliel, the Israeli Minister of Intelligence, entered into a direct argument with Ben Gvir, accusing him of wanting to dominate and get everything he wanted for his ministry, as Ben Gvir raised his voice over her to interrupt his words, before Netanyahu intervened and tried to calm the differences.

During the discussion, Information Minister Galit Destal-Ataprian said, "As long as this is done in the government, I want 1,000 shekels from each ministry to do some good projects."

This approval comes despite warnings from the Israeli police and security services about this step and its impact on police work, the security overlap in tasks, and its exploitation by Ben Gvir for personal and extreme right-wing interests.

Arab members of the Knesset warned that this would be an armed militia operating at Ben Gvir's disposal to target Palestinians.

Qatar Energy Company announced today, Sunday, that it has signed an agreement with Shell to acquire a 40 percent stake in the C10 offshore exploration block off the coast of Mauritania.

Qatar Energy said in a statement on its official account on Facebook that under the agreement, the Qatari company will own a 40 percent stake in the exploration and production agreement for C10, while the operator (Shell) will own a 50 percent stake, and the Mauritanian hydrocarbons company. 10 percent.

The statement quoted the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the Managing Director and CEO of (Qatar Energy) Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi as saying that this opportunity "will enhance our exploration presence in the African continent, and we look forward to a successful exploration program."

The C10 area covers an area of about 11,500 square kilometers, and is about 50 kilometers off the coast of Mauritania, in waters with depths ranging between 50 and 2,000 meters, according to the statement.

The statement indicated that the agreement will be subject to the usual official approvals by the Mauritanian government, without disclosing the value of the deal or other details.

This agreement comes in line with the Qatari company's expansions in its business outside the country, the latest of which was the announcement at the end of last March that Qatar Energy had acquired a share of two offshore exploration licenses off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, under an agreement with ExxonMobil Canada.

As for the African continent, the most important Qatari investments there are through (Qatar Energy), according to local media, as it concluded an agreement to acquire a 40 percent stake in an exploration area owned by the American (ExxonMobil) in the North Marakia concession area in the Mediterranean Sea off the Egyptian coast.

It also signed an agreement with the Italian company (ENI) and (ExxonMobil) to acquire 25.5 percent and 10 percent of the exploration concession in the Ingochi marine basin in Mozambique, and an agreement with the French (Total) according to which it acquired 45 percent in two offshore areas off the coast of Côte d'Ivoire.

In the Republic of the Congo, it acquired a 15 percent stake in (Total) as well, while it signed an agreement with the same company in South Africa to become a 25 percent partner in the exploration work in the marine area off the shores of the African country, according to the same source.

Somalia ' class='highlighted-tag'>The Somali National Army has killed 14 al- Shabaab militants during an attack in Somalia's southwestern state, an official said Saturday.

Ali Mohamed Habbad, commander of the 60th Division of the Somali National Army, told the Somali National News Agency (SUNA) that the forces also arrested many militants and seized weapons during the operation.

SUNA quoted Chabad as saying that the gunmen tried to ambush the army in the middle of the night, but the soldiers who were in the camp defeated them.

The agency stated that efforts to eradicate Al-Shabaab fighters from the country continue after the Somali president announced the second phase of offensive operations against the militants.

Official data released by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed that the photovoltaic energy sector in China recorded strong growth in the first two months of 2023, with growth rates of main products in the industrial chain recorded on an annual basis of about 60 percent.

China produced about 176,000 tons of polysilicon during the reported period, up more than 60 percent over last year, according to the ministry.

The data showed that the production of polysilicon wafers expanded by 78 percent compared to last year.

In the two-month period, the production of crystalline silicon photovoltaics increased by 57.5 percent to 62.2 gigawatts, while the module output increased by 62.2 percent, the ministry added.

A new carrier rocket made its maiden flight in China on Sunday, sending a satellite into its planned orbit.

The rocket, known as TL-2Y1, took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 4:48 p.m. (Beijing Time).

The flight will check the overall program of the missile, coordination between systems, and obtain flight environment parameters.

The satellite will be used for remote sensing imaging experiments and other technical verifications.

Today, Sunday, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs revealed, in its report, quoting its lawyer, Fawaz Shaloudi, details of the health conditions of a number of prisoners held in the “Ramla Prison” clinic, among these cases:

The case of the prisoner Muhammad Hamdan from Beit Sira / Ramallah, who was arrested after the occupation forces shot him directly and injured him in his right foot, which necessitated that he undergo surgery and implant platinum in his foot, as the prisoner Hamdan moved around on crutches, and received many medicines, He needs constant health care.

While the prisoner, Thaer Oweidat (29 years), from Aqabat Jaber camp / Jericho, complains that he was also shot by the occupation soldiers during his arrest, and was hit by several bullets all over his body, in addition to a serious head injury, and as a result, the prisoner stayed in Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem. , for 35 days in the recovery room and he was unconscious, and until this moment he receives compensation for many treatments and medications, and he still suffers from an imbalance in the body and slurred speech.

As for the case of the prisoner Kamal Jouri from the city of Nablus, who suffers from a severe injury in the pelvis after the occupation forces shot him during his arrest, and the prisoner Jouri underwent surgery during which they were unable to remove the bullet, due to the possibility that this would lead to paralysis. permanent.

While the prisoner Malik Taqatqa (24 years), from the town of Beit Fajar / Bethlehem, suffers from severe pain in his left foot, as he was shot during his arrest, and was hit by an explosive bullet in his left foot. The prisoner, Taqatqa, was transferred to Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem, for 4 days. Days, the prisoner underwent surgery on his foot and platinum was applied to him, and he is now moving around on crutches.

South Africa 's ruling African National Congress has announced that it has sent senior officials to Russia on a "working visit" with President Vladimir Putin 's United Russia party, including for "discussions on resetting the global order".

The party said in a statement that "this visit comes at the invitation of the United Russia party, the largest political party in Russia and the old ally and friend of the African National Congress."

He pointed out that the visit includes "discussions about resetting the world order in order to reverse the consequences of neo-colonialism and the unipolar world that prevailed before."

South Africa has been facing criticism since the beginning of the war in Ukraine due to its proximity to Moscow, and Pretoria asserts that it adopts a "neutral" position and refuses to join Western calls to condemn Russia, explaining that it wants to promote dialogue.

The southern African country is scheduled to host in August the BRICS summit, which includes Brazil, China, India and Russia, while in March the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, issued an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin on charges of war crimes.

The visit of representatives of the African National Congress, which began Thursday, will continue until Sunday, and the delegation is headed by Obed Babila, a member of the party's influential executive committee.

South Africa hosted naval exercises with Russia and China off its coast in February, which sparked international concern.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov paid an official visit to Pretoria in January.

Relations between South Africa and Russia date back to the apartheid era with the Kremlin supporting the ANC in the fight against the apartheid regime.

An Israeli female soldier was killed during training that was taking place in a settlement in Ramallah .

According to a spokesman for the Israeli army, the soldier fell and collapsed during the training, and an investigation was opened into the incident.

A French volunteer was killed in Ukraine a week ago, the country's foreign ministry announced Saturday, confirming information reported by Le Monde newspaper.

And the French newspaper reported that "a person named "T" died a week ago."

"We learned of the sad news. We offer our condolences to the family, with whom the relevant departments in the ministry are in contact," the French Foreign Ministry told AFP.

Last week, the department also reported the death of Kevin D. In Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine, a former humanitarian worker left more than a year ago to fight alongside Ukrainians.

"We recall that all of Ukraine's territory is a war zone. In this context, it is not officially recommended to travel to Ukraine for whatever reason," the ministry told AFP, repeating a recommendation it made last week.

A number of Frenchmen went to fight in Ukraine, but their number is not officially known, and Le Monde reported that eight of them were killed.

Without celebrations and in an atmosphere of renewed political tension and security concerns, Northern Ireland celebrates in April the twenty-fifth anniversary of the peace agreement that ended three decades of bloody conflict.

On April 10, 1998, on the Good Friday before Christian Easter, the Republicans who supported the reunification of their province with Ireland and the Unionists determined to remain in the United Kingdom, extracted an unexpected peace agreement after intense negotiations involving London, Dublin and Washington.

The Good Friday Agreement ended three decades of violence that left 3,500 dead between Unionists, mostly Protestants, and mostly Catholic Republicans, with the involvement of the British Army.

But 25 years later, everyone tends to commemorate, not celebrate. The domestic institutions created in the aftermath of the peace agreement, including a joint executive authority between the two political camps, have been paralyzed for more than a year due to disagreements arising from Britain's exit from the European Union.

Following the attempted assassination of a police officer in February by members of a dissident republican group, the terrorist threat level in Northern Ireland was recently raised from "substantial" to "severe".

The attempted murder, which was condemned by political leaders, reminded Northern Ireland of the violence that was common in the province.

Over the coming weeks, Belfast will host a series of events for current and former heads of state to mark the anniversary of the end of the conflict.

US President Joe Biden, of Irish descent, will head to the province on a trip that has not yet been scheduled. He is expected to visit the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

On April 17, Queen's University Belfast will organize a three-day conference with the participation of former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose husband, Bill Clinton, president between 1993 and 2001, played a key role in achieving the peace agreement.

This meeting will focus on the transformation that the British province has witnessed in the past 25 years.

In the years following the peace agreement, armed groups were disarmed, military borders dismantled, and British forces left the region.

"It was always about a process, and the last 25 years have been more fun and comfortable than the 25, maybe 75 years that preceded it," former prime minister Bertie Ahern told AFP.

But in 2023, peace in Northern Ireland appears more fragile than it was in 1998, except in rare stages.

And the "Democratic Unionist Party", which adheres to the province's connection to the United Kingdom, has obstructed the work of the executive branch for more than a year by refusing to participate in the government unless the post-Brexit provisions aimed at avoiding the return of the physical border with Ireland are abandoned.

Since the United Kingdom left the European Union, tensions have escalated over the Northern Ireland Protocol, which opponents fear will isolate the province from Britain and make Irish unification more likely.

In March, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who also helped broker the peace deal, said Brexit was a "hard equation" with regard to Northern Ireland.

The DUP has in recent weeks refused to renegotiate the protocol aimed at addressing unionist concerns between the EU and the UK.

An opinion poll in January revealed that a majority of Unionists would vote against the Good Friday Agreement if it was reinstated today in a referendum.

India's defense exports reached an all-time high of 160 billion Indian rupees (1.94 billion U.S. dollars) during the 2022-23 fiscal year (April 2022-March 2023), data released by the Defense Ministry on Saturday showed.

The figure represents an increase of about 30 billion Indian rupees (US$365 million) over the previous fiscal year, and a more than 10-fold increase since 2016-2017.

"India now exports to more than 85 countries, and Indian industry has shown its design and development capability to the world, with 100 companies exporting defense products at present," the ministry said in a statement.

In order to boost the export of defense products, in the past five to six years, the Indian government has taken a number of policy initiatives and implemented reforms, including simplifying export procedures and making the industry more convenient to do business while completing the end-to-end online export licensing process to reduce of delay.

A copy of the famous landmark in the French capital, ten times smaller than the original one, was held on Saturday in the Champs de Mars, adjacent to the Eiffel Tower in Paris , but this step was not well received by some visitors and residents.

"The idea of building the Eiffel Tower on a scale of 1/10" came to him "seven years ago," the creator of the version called "Evella", Philippe Mendron, told AFP.

The copy is 33 meters long and weighs 32 tons. Its parts were assembled in the Vendet region, about 400 km from Paris.

And the Capital Municipality published on Twitter a picture showing the small and large towers, which I attached to a comment inspired by the spirit of the date of April 1, the day of jokes and pranks, saying, "Rest assured, you see clearly."

The newspaper "Le Parisien" indicated that the copy is scheduled to remain on the site until April 10.

The reactions of the visitors to the place varied, as the retired Parisian, Dominique Dimitrov, considered that the idea was "very cute" and that it allowed visiting "two Eiffel Towers at one price," while the 35-year-old tourist, Frederic Loubouti, noted that the small tower was "an exact copy of his older brother."

On social networks, the "Friends of the Champs-de-Mars" group criticized the initiative, saying in a tweet that "most of the city's residents simply want to take a walk in the beautiful gardens" surrounding the tower.

And on the same social network, the official Eiffel Tower account, Saturday, reported a “lie” on the occasion of April 1, stating that “the highest slide in the world will be installed from July 1! At the top” of the tower, which was completed 134 years ago, with a video clip. Computer generated explaining the alleged project.

But it was clear from a sign with fish painted on it (a symbol of pranks day), that it was nothing more than a joke.

Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso announced in a speech Saturday the expansion of the state of emergency to the country's largest port city and two other provinces plagued by drug trafficking and crime.

The areas concerned by the decision include the coastal city of Guayaquil and two surrounding towns, Duran and Samburondon, as well as the provinces of Santa Elena and Los Rios in the west of the country, as explained by President Laso in his speech broadcast on television and radio.

Laso did not specify the duration of the state of emergency, which will enter into force on Sunday, and requires a curfew between one and five in the morning (06:00 and 10:00 GMT).

The constitution allows the president to declare a state of emergency and request the army's intervention when the country faces serious internal unrest.

"We have a common enemy, which is delinquency, drug trafficking and organized crime," Laso said.

A state of emergency was declared in Guayaquil three times in 2022.

The province of Esmeraldas (northwest), bordering Colombia, which is one of the areas most affected by crime and drug trafficking, has also been subject to a state of emergency for 60 days since the beginning of March.

Ecuador, which lies between Colombia and Peru - the world's two largest cocaine producers - seized 210 tons of the drug in 2021, most of it from cocaine destined for European ports.

The quantities of confiscated drugs exceeded 200 tons in 2022, which led the government to declare war on smugglers who fiercely defend drug routes.

At the same time, the murder rate nearly doubled. Between 2021 and 2022, the rate increased from 14 to 25 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the authorities.

And Guayaquil, which is considered the commercial center of the country and the center for shipping the bulk of the drugs, is one of the regions with the greatest prevalence of crime. In the places covered by the state of emergency, 434 murders were recorded between January and mid-March out of 1,151 murders nationwide in the same period.

On Saturday, the Ecuadorian president also announced an amendment to a decree to allow "the possession and carrying of weapons for civil use in self-defence" and the use of incendiary pepper spray.

"I am as worried as you are about the lack of security," said President Laso, who is promoting a "wide campaign for security," stressing that "the Ecuadorian government considers your peace and reassurance as vital."

At the same time, he affirmed the prohibition of the manufacture, registration and possession of hand-made weapons.

Laso added that the authorities had identified 15 organized crime leaders whom they considered "valuable targets", including six who had been arrested.

At the end of his speech, Laso, who is undergoing impeachment proceedings in the opposition-dominated National Assembly on suspicion of embezzlement of funds, stressed, "We will fight criminals with all the force of the law because our priority is to reassure you."

Representatives previously tried to dismiss Laso in June 2022, but the divided opposition failed to gather enough votes.

At the height of indigenous demonstrations against the high cost of living, a group of deputies submitted a motion to dismiss him. But the proposal did not receive the support of 92 deputies - out of 137 - as required by the constitution to remove the president.

Today, Sunday, the Authority for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said that prisoner Asif Al-Rifai (20 years old), who suffers from cancer in various parts of his body, still needs intensive medical care, amid a recent deterioration in his health condition.

The authority added that prisoner Al-Rifai had been diagnosed with cancer in the colon, intestines, and glands during 2021, and at that time he underwent several operations to remove tumors and chemotherapy sessions, but his recent arrest caused a decline in his health condition and the disease reached an advanced stage as a result of the occupation’s negligence in Monitor his health condition and provide him with the necessary treatment.

She pointed out that Al-Rifai is currently facing a very disturbing health condition, as he suffers from severe pain in various parts of his body, and the prison administration still does not care about his condition and health.

The authority held the occupation fully responsible for the life of the prisoner Al-Rifai, calling on the institutions of the international community to intervene immediately and urgently in order to release him and all sick prisoners against whom a medical crime was committed.

It is worth mentioning that the Israeli occupation army re-arrested Al-Rifai on September 24 of last year, after raiding his house in the town of Kfar’in, northwest of Ramallah, and searching it and overturning its contents, noting that he is a former prisoner who was arrested several times before.

Finland will witness decisive legislative elections on Sunday, in which the Social Democratic Prime Minister, Sanna Marin , will confront the right and the far right in an attempt to stay in power. Below is information about the elections and the Scandinavian country .

Finland was part of Sweden until 1809 before it turned into a Russian grand duchy until its independence during the Russian Revolution in 1917. Swedish is still an official language alongside Finnish, and a first language for about 5 percent of Finns.

Finland seized the opportunity of the Bolshevik revolution in 1917 to declare its independence, which led to a civil war between the "Reds" and the "Whites".

And invaded by the Soviet Union in 1939 after the German-Soviet treaty, Finland resisted valiantly during the three months of the Winter War, but after the resumption of the conflict in 1941, the war ended in defeat.

Under a "friendship" treaty signed in 1948 under pressure from Moscow, Helsinki agreed to remain outside Western military cooperation, in a form of compulsory neutrality called "Finnishness".

At the end of the Cold War, Finland entered the European Union and took root in the West, but it did not decide to join NATO until after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

The most recent polls predicted the Social Democrats, the center-right and the far-right would be tied, each with just under 20 percent of voting intentions. So it is difficult to predict the future majority.

The leader of the party that comes in the vanguard holds the position of prime minister, provided that he can form a coalition. Analysts believe that the Finns Party (far-right), led by Rika Bora, may break its previous record recorded in 2011 (19.05%), in the midst of the wave of inflation. Which raises his fortunes, bearing in mind that the Eurosceptic, populist, and anti-immigration formation never triumphed.

The center-right National Coalition Party, led by Petteri Orbo, may tend to ally with the Finns' Party, as in 2015.

Another option is a red-blue alliance between Marin and Urbo.

Of the eight major parties, seven are led by women. Finland is at the forefront of the world's countries in the field of gender equality.

When Sanna Marin came to power in 2019 as the third female prime minister, images of her alliance of five parties, all led by women, went viral.

The Finnish parliament was the first in the world to have women deputies, when the country was still Russian. Women MPs currently represent 47 percent of the outgoing parliament.

Finland has one of the lowest numbers of foreign-born residents in Europe (7 percent), according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

But the acceleration of the arrival of arrivals encouraged the emergence of the Finns' party, which followed a more hard line after a split in 2017. Referring to the guerrilla war taking place in neighboring Sweden, the party wanted to tighten immigration policy similar to another northern neighbor, Denmark, with the aim of "saving Finland" from the "model The Swede.

The National Coalition believes that immigration is a solution to the aging population, while Sanna Marin refuses any cooperation with the "openly racist" Finns Party.

A red-blue alliance will be complicated by economic differences, as the right has waged a campaign accusing the government of fiscal irresponsibility.

The Finns are known as a humble people, and they were ranked as the happiest people in the world in March for the sixth year in a row, in a ranking sponsored by the United Nations.

The country includes thousands of lakes and forests spread all over it, with a population of 5.5 million people, and extends over more than 330 thousand square kilometers, and enjoys an effective social model, limited aspects of inequality, and in which the authorities enjoy high confidence.

With the Finns facing frost for almost half a year, they also occupy the lead in the number of saunas, which reached three million, exceeding the number of cars.

However, Finland's first place on the list of the world's happiest countries came as a surprise in 2018, with many locals describing themselves as taciturn and gloomy.

Forest fires broke out in South Korea on Sunday due to dry weather and storms in the spring, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the Korea Forest Service .

According to the Korea Forest Service's real-time forest fire information website, a total of 30 forest fires broke out nationwide at 3:30 p.m. local time (0630 GMT).

Of the total, 15 fires have been put out, as the government issued a special dry weather warning.

There have been no reports of casualties so far.

The Israeli occupation forces arrested 230 Jerusalemites and issued 70 deportation orders from Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City last March.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center stated, in its monthly report, today, Sunday, that the arrests included 3 children under 12 years of age, 58 boys, and 8 women.

And he indicated that more than 80 arrests were made from Al-Aqsa Mosque, its roads, and the streets of Jerusalem, in addition to the arrests from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

The center indicated that it monitored the issuance of 70 deportation decisions during last March, which included deportation from the Old City of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque, the place of residence, the streets of Jerusalem, the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and a ban on entering the West Bank.

And he indicated that the occupation authorities issued 30 deportation decisions from the Old City, "including the entire Old City and the roads leading to it and Al-Aqsa, and 25 deportation decisions from Al-Aqsa Mosque," noting that among the deportees were 13 women and 12 boys.

The French age , Colette Maz, born in 1914, does not discourage art, as the fingertips of the 108-year-old woman did not tire and did not get tired of playing the piano , while her musical activity was followed by thousands of people via the Internet.

Born a month before the outbreak of World War I and a few months after the death of Claude Dubussy, one of her favorite composers, Colette plays the piano four hours a day.

Maz is preparing to release her seventh album, "108 Years of Piano," before the summer, featuring compositions by Gershwin, Piazzolla, Schumann, and Dubussy.

Inside her apartment on the 14th floor of a building overlooking the Seine, the slender woman moves slowly between the three pianos in her living room.

Not only is her longevity impressive, but so is her passion and determination to play the piano.

She describes herself enthusiastically as "young", and believes that "ages are non-existent stories". She notes smilingly that "there are people who remain young and fascinated by everything, while others are fed up with everything and do not like anything or anyone, even their life partners if they exist."

And her son, journalist Fabrice Maz, says proudly that his mother "is probably the last person to continue recording albums."

Since the age of 100, Colette has become a celebrity on social media, and a Facebook page has been dedicated to her, while media outlets from around the world have covered her. Her son believes that it "raises people's spirits, and that is why it is so popular."

Maz explains that his mother "does not suffer from diabetes, cholesterol or pressure," but rather "eats cheese and chocolate...".
Although her memory has weakened due to her advanced age, Colette still remembers the sound of the "Big Bertha Cannon" used by the Germans to bomb Paris during the First World War.

As for the liberation of France, you don't remember anything about it. In response to a question about the identity of the current French president, she often answers that he is Georges Pompidou or Jacques Chirac. And her son notes that she is "aware of the present moment, but she is completely detached from following the news."

"During the Second World War, I was a nurse in Auxerre and I (in 1940) traveled from Paris to Clermont-Ferrand (center) on my bicycle with two suitcases full of clothes," she recalls.

Her vivid memories are often associated with the piano. "When I was young, I had asthma and calmed down when my mother played the violin with the piano teacher who gave me lessons," she says.

"Why do I keep playing? Because the piano is my life and my friend. I need to feel it and hear its sound," she says before playing a piece by Debussy.

Born into a bourgeois Saulnier family in Paris, Colette started playing the piano at the age of five, but her parents were against her becoming a professional pianist. But at the age of fifteen, she entered the Paris College of Music, where she was apprenticed to the famous professors in the field, Alfred Corto and Nadia Boulanger.

Colette, who has taught for decades at the Paris College of Music and the Conservatory of Bagno, is still there. She adopts the Corto technique, which is based on relaxation and flexibility exercises for all muscles.

Her son says, "She is the last one in the world to adopt this method, while many pianists from different countries come to watch her play."

In this way, the perennial, who does not suffer from osteoporosis, kept her hands flexible.

And about the secret of her youth, she says, "I practiced dancing a lot. I think I need to feel my muscles, the abs, the thighs, the arms... All these organs must remain alive."

The Captive Club said, on Sunday, that the list of martyrs of the captive movement is on the rise, and that the occupation authorities are still holding the bodies of 12 prisoners who were martyred inside their prisons.

In a statement on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the martyrdom of the prisoner Maysara Abu Hamdiya, the club indicated that since 1967 AD, (236), including (75) prisoners, were martyred as a result of the crime of medical negligence (slow killing).

He pointed out that the crime of medical negligence was the most prominent reason that led to the death of prisoners during the past few years.

He stated that there is a significant increase in the number of sick prisoners in the occupation prisons, as their number reached about (700), including (200) prisoners suffering from chronic diseases, including (24) prisoners suffering from cancer and tumors of different degrees, including (Walid Daqqa, Asif Al-Rifai, And Ahmed Abu Awwad, Musa Soufan, and Ali Al-Hroub).

And he indicated that the number of prisoners with cancer and tumors has been increasing for two years compared to previous years, especially with the continuation of the crime of medical negligence (slow killing) against them, and the occupation’s refusal to release them, despite the fact that some of them have reached an advanced stage of the disease.

He renewed his demand to work for the release of prisoners and their freedom in light of the medical neglect they are subjected to and the unfair procedures against them.

Last night, settlers destroyed four agricultural rooms and saplings in Shufa village , southeast of Tulkarm .

Local sources said that a group of settlers destroyed 4 agricultural rooms built of old stone, tin and wood, and vandalized their contents of agricultural equipment and a small poultry farm, in addition to polluting the water well by pouring dirty materials into it, and breaking fig, grape and olive saplings in the vicinity of the rooms.

The editorial boards of " Le Monde " and " Liberation " announced Sunday that the correspondents of the two French newspapers in Burkina Faso were expelled on Saturday night from this country, describing the measure as "arbitrary" and "unacceptable".

"Our correspondent in Burkina Faso, Sophie Doss, has just been expelled from the country (...) at the same time as her colleague from Liberation, Agnès Vivre," Le Monde wrote on its website.

For its part, "Liberation" said that "the punishment came and brought with it confirmation that freedom of the press in Burkina Faso is greatly threatened," explaining that her correspondent and colleague in "Le Monde" arrived "on Sunday morning to Paris."

Le Monde confirmed that it "condemns in the strongest terms this arbitrary decision that forced the two journalists to leave Ouagadougou in less than twenty-four hours." She pointed out that "Sophie Doss, like her colleague, practices independent journalism for Le Monde Africa, away from any pressure."

And she added that the newspaper's director, Jerome Vinolio, "demands the local authorities to reverse these decisions as soon as possible and immediately restore the conditions for an independent media in the country."

"Liberation" confirmed that "Agnès Vivre and Sophie Doss are two journalists of complete integrity who worked legally in Burkina Faso and have valid visas and accreditations issued by the government of Burkina Faso."

"We strongly protest these unjustified expulsions and the ban on our journalists working independently," the newspaper added.

The National Security Department summoned the two journalists to Ouagadougou on Friday and ordered them to leave Burkina Faso within 24 hours.

"Liberation" stated that "its publication of an investigation on March 27 about the circumstances of filming a video clip showing children and adolescents executed in military barracks by at least one soldier, which aroused great anger among the ruling military council in Burkina Faso."

"The government strongly condemns these manipulations, disguised by the press to tarnish the image of the country of honest men," Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo, a spokesman for Burkina Faso's government, wrote after the publication of this investigation, stressing that the army operates in "strict respect for international humanitarian law."

And at the beginning of December, the ruling military in Burkina Faso stopped broadcasting Radio France Internationale (RFI), which belongs to the group that includes France 24 and France Médias Monde.

On Sunday, the Israeli General Security Service, the Shin Bet , announced that it had thwarted, in cooperation with the police, a shooting attack against the latter's forces in Jerusalem.

A joint statement indicated that Omar Abdeen (21 years), a resident of occupied Jerusalem , was arrested, suspected of planning the attack, and he is a Hamas activist.

According to the statement, Omar was communicating on Facebook with a Hamas activist in Lebanon , before they spoke later on Telegram, and asked him to carry out a shooting or bombing attack, and that he would receive money for this purpose, and he agreed to the request and planned an attack. Against a bus carrying Israeli police officers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque area.

An indictment will be presented against the arrested youth by the Israeli Public Prosecution.