The Vatican announced that the 86-year-old Pope Francis , who was hospitalized on Wednesday for pre-scheduled examinations, has a respiratory infection that requires him to stay in hospital for "a few days."

The media director of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, said in a statement that the tests "revealed a respiratory infection (not a Covid-19 infection) that will require a few days of medical treatment in hospital."

A source in the Vatican told Agence France-Presse that Pope Francis' schedule for Thursday was canceled after he was admitted to a hospital in Rome to undergo regular check-ups, indicating the "possibility" that the Pope would spend the night in the hospital.

In a first statement, Bruni announced that "the Supreme Pontiff has been in Gemelli (hospital) since (Wednesday) afternoon for pre-scheduled medical examinations."

On Wednesday morning, the Argentine Jesuit pope took part in his weekly general audience with the faithful in St. Peter's Square, where he appeared smiling and greeted the crowd from the papal carriage.

And Pope Francis, who has been using a wheelchair since May 2022 due to chronic pain in his knee, was previously admitted to Gemelli Hospital for ten days in July 2021 to undergo colon surgery.

The US Senate voted today, Wednesday, in favor of a legislative text repealing a law that gave permission to wage wars in Iraq, 20 years after US forces invaded this country to remove Saddam Hussein from power.

The text, which won bipartisan support, repeals the "Authorization to Use Military Force" issued in 2002, a law that enabled then-President George W. Bush to invade Iraq. The text also cancels the 1991 version of this law, which enabled then-president George H.W. Bush to launch the first Iraq war in response to Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait.

The leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said, "The United States, Iraq and the entire world have changed since 2002, and it is time for legal texts to keep pace with those changes."

And he stressed, "These two authorizations to use military force have outlived their intended period. Revocation of these authorizations will not harm our soldiers abroad and will not impede our ability to keep Americans safe."

And 66 members of the House voted in favor of repealing the law against 30, and 18 Republican members supported the initiative, which was led by Democrats.

US President Joe Biden pledged to sign the legislation if it was referred to him, but passing the text in the House of Representatives, where the majority is Republican, seems more complicated.

In response to a question posed to him recently by the American news network "NBC News", Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy did not want to commit to a vote to revoke the two permissions, and said, "I will have to look first at what the bill they are putting forward leads to."

The revocation of the authorization issued in 2002 is more controversial than the 1991 version, given that the most recent authorization was used to justify several military operations in Iraq after the end of the war, such as in response to militias allied to Iran.

The reliance on this permission was indicated in an operation carried out by the United States in Baghdad in January 2020 to assassinate the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Qassem Soleimani, on the orders of the President at the time, Donald Trump.

The legislation does not revoke the authorization given in 2001 to invade Afghanistan, which granted successive presidents wide-ranging powers to use military force against al-Qaeda and affiliated groups in Syria, Yemen, Somalia and other parts of Africa.

Until the last American combat forces left Iraq in 2011, about 4,500 American soldiers were killed in Mesopotamia, noting that the war resulted in the deaths of more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians, according to the "Body Count in Iraq" group.
More than 32,000 Americans were injured, and tens of thousands continue to suffer today, from toxic burns, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other chronic conditions.

Today, Wednesday, the UAE President , Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan , appointed his son, Sheikh Khaled, as Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, while his brother, Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mansour, was appointed Vice President of the State.

The official Emirates News Agency (WAM) said that the President of the State, in his capacity as ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, also appointed his two brothers, Sheikh Tahnoon and Sheikh Hazza, as deputy rulers of the emirate.

Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan holds the position of National Security Adviser, while Sheikh Hazaa bin Zayed Al Nahyan holds the position of Vice President of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

These are the most prominent political appointments under the President of the State since he assumed office in May 2022 following the death of his brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

WAM said in a tweet on Twitter, "In his capacity as the ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the President of the State issues an Emiri Decree appointing Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed as Crown Prince in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi."
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed used to hold this position himself before he became president.

WAM added, "The President of the State issues a decree appointing Mansour bin Zayed as Vice President of the State alongside Mohammed bin Rashid."

Sheikh Mansour holds the position of Deputy Prime Minister and is the owner of the English football club Manchester City, while Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum holds the prime minister and is the ruler of Dubai.

And the agency continued, "In his capacity as the ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the President of the State issues two Emiri decrees appointing Hazza bin Zayed and Tahnoun bin Zayed as deputy rulers of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi."

In addition to the position of National Security Adviser, Sheikh Tahnoun holds several positions in the oil-rich country, including chairing the board of directors of its sovereign fund, and he was recently behind the UAE's campaign to reform its relations with Qatar, Turkey and Iran.

Since Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed assumed the presidency of the Emirates, eyes have been focused on the vacant position of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. His son, Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed, is a member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and head of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office.

And Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has always been seen as the country's strongman and de facto ruler, who stands behind its diplomatic ascent years ago, even before he assumed the presidency.

Sheikh Mohammed became crown prince in November 2004, and he is the third son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the Emirates. He also held the position of Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

Today, Wednesday, the Iranian embassy in Greece denied any connection between the Islamic Republic and a plan to launch attacks against Israeli targets in Athens.

It said on Twitter, "The Embassy of the Republic of Iran strongly denies the rumors spread by Zionist sources and their baseless accusations against Iran. It is clear that their fabricated scenarios aim to divert the public's attention from their internal crisis."

Greek police said on Tuesday that they had arrested two young Pakistanis of Iranian origin who were planning attacks on areas frequented by Israelis in central Athens.

The source said that the two men set their sights on a building that includes a Jewish restaurant and a prayer hall.

Police spokeswoman Constantia Demogledo told AFP that the "mastermind" of the cell was "a Pakistani who lives outside Europe".

A police source, who requested anonymity, said that this person lives in Iran.

Israel accused Tehran of being behind the scheme and said that the Mossad helped avert the attack.

"After interrogating the two suspects in Greece, the Mossad helped uncover the network's intelligence, operational methods and ties to Iran," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.

He added in a statement, "As part of the investigation, it was found that the infrastructure in Greece was part of a wide Iranian network operating from Iran towards many countries."

The announcement came at a time when the under-criticized Greek Prime Minister announced the organization of elections on May 21 against the backdrop of mounting public anger over the failures of the government, which was blamed for the tragedy of a two-train collision that took place last month and killed 57 people.

The Greek intelligence agency has also faced pressure in the past months due to the wiretapping scandal that was revealed last year.

A normalization delegation, including 20 personalities from Gulf and African countries, met on Wednesday with the Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, Amir Ohana , and the head of the so-called National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi , in occupied Jerusalem.

According to the Hebrew website Ynet, the delegation arrived in Tel Aviv from several countries, including countries with which there are no diplomatic relations, such as Saudi Arabia , which was represented by journalist Abdelaziz Al-Khamis , who the website said had participated in the delegation after the Kingdom's approval.

The delegation also included personalities from Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Jordan, Chad, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Mauritania, South Africa, South Sudan, and others.

The delegation will participate in a conference on Israel's relationship with the Gulf and African countries in light of the Abraham Accords.

The Belgian federal judiciary announced that seven people, five Belgians, a Turk and a Bulgarian, were placed in pre-trial detention on Wednesday after being charged with preparing "possible terrorist attacks".

The Federal Public Prosecution said in a statement that it had charged the seven detainees with "participation in the activities of a terrorist group," while only five of them were charged with a second charge of "preparing to carry out a terrorist crime."

The police had arrested them on Monday evening in Brussels and Antwerp during a security operation against the jihadist movement in the country.

Seven years ago, Belgium was subjected to attacks claimed by the Islamic State. Ten men are currently being tried in connection with these attacks in the Criminal Court.

These attacks killed 32 people and injured more than 340 on March 22, 2016.

US President Joe Biden confirmed, on Wednesday, that "there are real indications that the world is moving towards more democracy," during a virtual summit devoted to this topic.

During a virtual summit in which 121 leaders participated, Biden announced $690 million in new funding to support democracy in the world.

In a statement issued by the White House, the US President added that "democracy requires great effort" and "the task never ends."

"I think this is the defining challenge of our time, and today we can proudly say that democratic regimes in the world are getting stronger, not weaker. Authoritarian regimes in the world are getting weaker, not stronger," he said.

He added, "Thanks to the commitment of the leaders... gathered today, and the insistence of people in every region of the world to demand respect for their rights and for their voices to be heard, we see real signs that the world is moving towards more democracy."

"We are at a turning point in history when the decisions we make today will affect the course of our world for decades to come," Biden said.

"Our task is to continue to build on our progress, so that we don't start going in the wrong direction again - to keep the momentum going," he said.

The International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) stripped Indonesia of hosting the FIFA U-20 Men's World Cup , scheduled for May 20-June 11, after a political problem over its objection to the participation of the Israeli national team.

"A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the tournament dates currently remaining unchanged," FIFA said in a statement on Wednesday, referring to possible "sanctions" against the Indonesian Football Federation, without giving additional details on the reasons for withdrawing the tournament and content with the phrase "due to the current circumstances." ".

The draw scheduled for Friday was canceled due to the call of the governor of Bali to exclude Israel from the tournament, which will be held in six cities with the participation of 24 teams.

There is no official diplomatic relationship between the two countries, and support for the Palestinian cause in the largest Muslim-majority country has raised tensions over hosting Israel.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced that he would send the president of the Football Association, Eric Tohir , former president of the Italian club Inter, to hold talks with FIFA officials.

"I did my best. After I presented a message from President Joko Widodo and spoke for a long time with FIFA President Jani Infantino , we have to accept FIFA's decision to cancel the event that we were both looking forward to," Thohir said after meeting the FIFA president in Doha.

He added, "Indonesia is a member of the International Federation, and therefore with regard to matters of international football, we must follow the laws set. FIFA considers that the matter cannot continue in this way, and therefore we must acquiesce."

Indonesia has not competed in this tournament since 1979 and would have participated in it as the host country, but now it will lose its seat in the finals.

Officials revealed that the possible factor in canceling the lottery was the call of the governor of Bali, Ian Koster, to exclude Israel because of its policies towards the Palestinians, in a letter addressed to the Ministry of Youth and Sports last month.

Israel is scheduled to participate after qualifying for the first time to the finals, while Jakarta pledged to protect its participation.

The organizers hoped that hosting Israel's matches on the Hindu-majority island of Bali would lead to solutions, but Koster's opposition cast more doubts.

About 100 conservative Muslim demonstrators marched in the capital, Jakarta, this month to protest Israel's participation.

The country's president had called for politics not to conflict with sports, "I confirm that Israel's participation has nothing to do with the consistency of our foreign policy towards Palestine. Because our support for Palestine is always strong and firm. Do not mix sports with politics."

Widodo's intervention came after football officials in Jakarta feared losing the right to host the first major tournament, and isolating the country spherically by subjecting them to sanctions from the International Federation if they failed to resolve the issue.

Indonesia suffered one of the worst stadium disasters in the history of football, which led to the death of 135 people in a stampede in the city of Malang, east Java last October, including more than forty children.

FIFA stressed that despite this decision, it "remains committed to assisting the Indonesian Football Federation, in close cooperation and with the assistance of the government of President Widodo, in the process of transforming Indonesian football after the tragedy that occurred in October 2022. FIFA team members will continue to be present in Indonesia in the coming months, and will provide assistance to the federation." Indonesian under the leadership of President Thohir.

Officials are trying to polish the game's reputation after being suspended by the International Federation in 2015 for a year, due to government interference in the game.

The young man, Idris Odeh (20 years old), was killed on Wednesday evening, as a result of being shot by unknown persons in the town of Jaljulia , inside the occupied territories.

According to the Hebrew website Ynet, Odeh was shot directly in the head, which severely injured him. He was taken to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, and his death was announced shortly after.

A contract to expand Beirut International 'class='highlighted-tag'>Beirut International Airport sparked controversy in Lebanon, with non-governmental organizations questioning its legality and accusing the caretaker government of lack of transparency in a country whose institutions are ravaged by corruption and witnessing chronic economic collapse.

Last week, Minister of Public Works and Transport Ali Hamiyah announced the signing of a contract to construct a new passenger terminal at the airport, with a capacity to accommodate about 3.5 million passengers annually.

And " Rafik Hariri International Airport ", the only passenger airport in Lebanon, has not witnessed any expansion projects since a huge workshop to rehabilitate and expand it ended in 1998.

According to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, given the huge funds required by such a project, it has resorted to "attracting financing, investment and employment from abroad (...) without the public treasury bearing any burdens."

The ministry said that it had entered into an agreement with the Lebanese Air Transport Company (LAT), which has been operating at Beirut airport for decades, to “finance the entire project’s components,” at a value of $122 million, noting that a company owned by the government of Ireland will operate the new building for 25 years.

The move sparked criticism from private non-governmental organizations in terms of reaching a consensual agreement inconsistent with the public procurement law issued in 2021, and some questioned the authority of a caretaker government to decide on huge contracts in this way.

The head of the Public Procurement Authority, Jean Al-Alya, told AFP that "the contract did not pass the Public Procurement Authority for consideration" according to what is stipulated in a law issued in 2021, indicating that he is awaiting the decision of the Audit Bureau, which is supposed to take the legal position on the contract that was based on the law. It goes back to 1974.

Ten non-governmental organizations, including Transparency International-Lebanon, announced in a statement last week that the aim of the new public procurement law was to "put an end to years-long practices of non-transparent procurement and ineffective spending," noting that the airport contract "was illegal." .

The organizations warned of "serious abuses" in Lebanon in applying the law, "which opens the door to corruption and nepotism."

"The contract was reached by mutual consent and without a public bidding process, which raises questions about its transparency," Sybil Rizk of the Kulluna Irada organization, which signed the statement, told AFP.

Marc Daou, a deputy from the Changelings bloc, which emerged from a protest movement against the ruling authority accused of corruption, considered that outsourcing the airport "contradicts the principle of transparency of tenders and auctions," and "is a violation of the authority to conduct government business."

Faced with the controversy, Hamiyah announced that his ministry would deposit a detailed report with the Audit Bureau.

The International Monetary Fund, which is awaiting the implementation of urgent reforms to launch an aid plan for Lebanon, announced last week that the public procurement law must be "implemented quickly."

Since 2019, Lebanon has witnessed an economic collapse that is considered the worst in the country's history, coinciding with political paralysis and a vacuum in the presidency due to political divisions that have prevented the election of a president for nearly five months.

Therefore, the country is led by a caretaker government, which obstructs decision-making at all levels.

Lebanon ranks 150 out of 180 countries in the latest ranking of Transparency International's Corruption Index.

On Wednesday evening, two Israeli soldiers were injured in two separate accidents that took place in two different areas.

According to a military spokesman for the Israeli army , a female soldier was wounded by a bullet during routine training inside a military base in the Negev, and her condition was described as moderate.

According to Hebrew sources, a soldier was moderately injured as a result of being accidentally run over by a traffic accident during a search of a vehicle at the Al-Murabaa checkpoint, south of Nablus .

The number of nuclear warheads ready for use in the world increased during 2022, influenced by Russia and China in particular, according to a report published Wednesday.

The report of the "Observatory for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons", published by the non-governmental organization "Norwegian People's Aid" Norsk Folkehjelp, said that at the beginning of 2023, the nine countries that possessed nuclear weapons, formally or informally, had 9576 nuclear warheads ready for use with a power equivalent to "more than 135,000 bombs like those dropped on Hiroshima.

The figures come as Moscow constantly brandishes the nuclear threat during its invasion of Ukraine.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday that he had an agreement with Minsk to deploy "tactical" nuclear weapons in Belarus, the country located at the gates of the European Union .

The addition of 136 warheads to the global nuclear stockpile last year is due to Russia, which has the largest arsenal in the world (5889 ready warheads), as well as China, India, North Korea and Pakistan.

"This increase is alarming and continues a trend that began in 2017," said Greti Loglu Eastern, responsible for the report.

The total stockpile of atomic weapons, which also includes those that have been decommissioned, continues to decline.

It fell from 12,705 to 12,512 in one year due to the destruction of old warheads in Russia and the United States.

The same official said that if the introduction of new warheads is not stopped, "the total number of nuclear weapons in the world will soon begin to rise again for the first time since the Cold War."

The eight nuclear powers are officially the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea, while Israel possesses weapons of this type without officially declaring it.

The Land Research Center of the Arab Studies Association said that the Zionist movement has completed the confiscation of about 2.3 million dunums of West Bank land for the benefit of their settlement project.

In a statement on the occasion of the forty-seventh anniversary of Land Day, the center stated that the number of settlements and outposts established by the occupation, despite international legitimacy and its decisions, amounted to about (572), and they are inhabited by about 850,000 Jewish settlers, who uprooted more than two million perennial olive trees that testified to Arabism and Palestinians. This land, and demolished more than (12,350) Palestinian homes in the occupied Palestinian territories in 1967.

The villages and cities of the Palestinian interior were not spared from the demolition, as the village of Al-Araqib was demolished 214 times, and Al-Hula Lake was drained.
They plundered the sources of the Jordan River, and are now drying up the Dead Sea in an unprecedented defiance of all the international community's charters. As the statement said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that the international sanctions imposed in the wake of the Russian attack on Ukraine may have "negative" repercussions, after months of asserting that Moscow is adapting to the new economic reality.

He said during a meeting with the government, the proceedings of which were broadcast on television, that "the sanctions imposed on the Russian economy may have negative repercussions on it in the medium term."

Western capitals imposed unprecedented sanctions on Moscow after Putin ordered the launch of the operation in Ukraine more than a year ago.

Putin has often declared that Russia is dealing with the repercussions of economic sanctions, which specifically target oil and gas exports.

The Russian leader said Wednesday that unemployment in the country "is still at an all-time low," while inflation is expected to "fall below four percent" by the end of March, after rising sharply in the spring of last year.

But, he added, "returning to a growth trajectory does not mean we have to relax."

"We have to support and strengthen the positive paths in our economy, increase their effectiveness, and ensure our sovereignty in the technological, employment and financial fields," he said.

Putin called on the government to "act quickly and avoid any unnecessary bureaucracy and delays."

King Charles III arrived Wednesday in Berlin , accompanied by his wife Camilla, on his first state visit abroad since his accession to the throne of Britain , in what the German president considered an "important European gesture" after the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union.

The white plane, flying the UK flag, landed at Berlin International Airport and came to a stop in the airport's military area garage, where a red carpet was rolled out at the bottom of the stairs.

The King and his wife, after being received by the German Chief of Protocol and the British Ambassador to Germany, went to the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin, where they were received by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife.
The famous Unter den Linden avenue was decorated with the British flag on the occasion of the visit of the king, who is the first guest on a state visit to be received with military honors at the feet of this famous monument that has been a symbol of the division of the city for three decades.

The German president, who accompanies Charles III at every stop, described his visit as an "important European gesture".

The visit was in anticipation of many Germans, who waited hours, hoping to enter the site where the reception ceremonies take place.

"It's the king's first visit," said Anja Witting, 50, a shoe store employee who came with her 18-year-old daughter from Oldensburg in western Germany. "We want to celebrate that, no matter how long it takes."

For his part, said student Mike Mattis (21 years), who came from Munich to Berlin for the Easter holidays, "I came here by chance," but it is "a good occasion (...) and watching the events live is better than watching them on TV."

There are 1,100 policemen with reinforcements from other regions, as well as twenty bomb-sniffing dogs. Some major roads were closed to traffic in the center of the capital.

"The royal couple wished they could communicate directly with the people of Berlin," police chief Thomas Drechler told German media.
Later, the King will head to the Presidential Palace, where a reception will be held within the framework of this visit, which constitutes an official occasion to celebrate the friendly relations between the two countries.

"I want to say to him and certainly to all Britons: We in Germany and in Europe want close and friendly relations with the United Kingdom even after Brexit," said the German president, who invited Charles III during Elizabeth II's funeral in September.

On Thursday, the king will hold talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in particular, and he will stroll with the mayor of the capital in a market, deliver a speech in the House of Representatives and meet Ukrainian refugees.

The couple's visit to Germany ends Friday in Hamburg, Germany's second largest city.

The king and his wife were supposed to go first to France before Germany, but the visit was canceled due to protests related to the reform of the pension system in this country.

Queen Elizabeth made a recent visit to Germany in 2015 during the reign of Chancellor Anguilla Merkel, and the visit aroused great enthusiasm in the country.

As for her most important visit, it was in 1965, when the wall separated the two parts of Berlin. The visit was seen as the station that dedicated reconciliation between the two countries after World War II.

Michael Hartmann, a sociologist at Dammstadt University, told AFP that the Germans are big supporters of the British royal family and their "great interest" in it did not fade even after the death of the once popular Queen Elizabeth.

Iran's foreign minister said today (Wednesday) that Tehran and Moscow are taking the last step towards signing a long-term cooperation agreement .
Hossein Amir Abdollahian , who left Iran for Russia yesterday (Tuesday), made the remarks in a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Amir Abdullahian said that Russia has reviewed and completed its version of the long-term strategic cooperation agreement, and the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reviewed the agreement and hopes to make final amendments to it in less than a month.

He added that different high-ranking Iranian and Russian delegations exchange views at different levels, and that the presidents of the two countries are in constant contact with each other.

He noted that relations between Tehran and Moscow are on the "right track" and improving, expressing his hope that bilateral cooperation in regional and international organizations will continue positively.

Amir Abdullahian told reporters upon his arrival in Moscow yesterday evening that Russia played a very active role in the negotiations that lasted for months in Vienna regarding reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, from which the United States withdrew in 2018.

He also touched on the concerns of the United States regarding cooperation in the field of defense between Iran and Russia, saying that cooperation in the field of defense is among the issues on the agenda of Tehran and Moscow, but this cooperation will not be against any third party.

Lavrov said in the meeting held today with his Iranian counterpart that the talks between Moscow and Tehran are continuing "effectively" in various fields and are making progress.

He said bilateral relations, exchanges and cooperation in politics, trade, investment and economy, as well as implementation of major projects, have all expanded.
He added that the relations between the two sides, through the Economic Cooperation Committee, witnessed sustainable growth, noting that Russia and Iran enjoy close cooperation in regional and international affairs.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said, on Wednesday, that despite the decrease in external support for the government and the continuation of illegal Israeli deductions from clearance funds, the Palestinian economy has recovered and achieved growth, especially after the Corona pandemic.

Shtayyeh indicated, during his meeting with the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development , Odile Reno Basso , that the banking and financial system in Palestine is stable and strong.

Shtayyeh discussed with Basu support for development projects and investments in the field of solar energy and infrastructure, in the presence of Minister of National Economy Khaled Al-Osaily.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of providing reduced interest on loans provided by the European Bank in favor of development projects, with the aim of further encouraging investment and advancing the national economy.

The Human Rights Council discussed a report on the settlement and its repercussions on the rights of the Palestinian people , presented by the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, reviewed before the Human Rights Council a report on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan, through which he confirmed that the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has increased from 520,000. to more than 700,000 over the past decade.

The report stated that these settlers lived illegally in 279 Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including 14 settlements in occupied East Jerusalem, with a total population of more than 229 thousand people, and that 147 of these settlements were illegal outposts under local law. Israeli.

The report documented a relationship between Israeli settlement expansion and settler attacks against Palestinians over the past decade, noting that the United Nations verified 3,372 incidents of settler violence that injured 1,222 Palestinians.

The report indicated that Israel failed to investigate and prosecute violent crimes committed by settlers and Israeli forces against Palestinians, stating that the current Israeli plan to double the number of settlers in the occupied Syrian Golan by 2027, and to increase the number of settlements from 34 to 36 is an unprecedented plan.

The report covered violations of international law and settlement monitoring over the past ten years, including the number of settlements and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the continuation of land control and settlement expansion, and settler attacks on public and private property.

The report concluded with a set of recommendations and conclusions, and considered settlements a war crime according to the law. This was followed by interventions on behalf of the Arab Group, the Group of Cooperation Council States, the Islamic Group, the Group of Non-Aligned Countries, the African Group, and the Group of Friends of the United Nations Charter. 47 countries spoke in their national capacities from all continents, and condemned the settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory and the policy of occupation, especially in light of the current government and the decision to legislate settlements, cancel the decision to disengage and build new settlement units.

A number of countries condemned the attacks on Palestinian civilians, places of worship and civil society institutions. The various groups and civil society organizations demanded the need to put pressure on the occupying power to stop the settlement policy and the escalation against civilians, and to end the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.

The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Ambassador Ibrahim Khreishi, said in his speech that the report of the High Commissioner monitored a wide range of legal violations of the political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights of the Palestinian people, as well as violations of international legitimacy resolutions, including those of the Security Council, the General Assembly and the Council. Human rights, the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, and all relevant laws and decisions.

He added that the report included settlement developments over the past ten years, and after the decision of the Human Rights Council in 2012 to form a fact-finding committee about settlement and its repercussions on the rights of the Palestinian people, which continued under the successive occupation governments, as the number of settlers reached more than 700 thousand in 274 settlement, 13 of which are in East Jerusalem.

Khreishi pointed out that with the arrival of the far-right occupation government with a fascist tendency, which was formed on the basis of strengthening settlements, annexation, population transfer, and the Judaization of Jerusalem, this government legalized 9 new settlement outposts, and the Knesset approved the abolition of the disengagement law of 2005, which means a return to evacuated settlements north of the city. West Bank, and also announced the start of building 10,000 new settlement units.

He added that Israel is continuing its settlement occupation project based on apartheid and the apartheid system, calling on the international community and the United Nations to take punitive measures to stop this legal crime, and the High Commissioner to update the list of companies operating in the settlements in implementation of the Council’s mandate in this regard, and to stop all forms of dealing with settlements and settlers. And with the current prime minister and his extremist ministers, most of whom are settlers. This also requires recognition of the State of Palestine from countries that have not yet recognized and supported the two-state solution, and not repeating statements that call for a negotiated two-state solution.

He pointed out that this year marks the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration, and several weeks after the 75th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, which began with the United Nations recognition of the establishment of the State of Israel at the hands of Zionist gangs that destroyed more than 500 villages and towns. Palestinian, killed thousands and displaced more than 850,000 Palestinians, whose number now exceeds six million refugees around the globe, and stole half of the area approved by the General Assembly in its unjust resolution in 1947, known as Resolution 181, the decision to divide Palestine into two states.

Khreishi touched on the violations and crimes committed by the occupying power, its army, and its settlers, which continue on an incremental and daily basis, in addition to the new draft law in the Knesset that prohibits talking about the Christian faith in the occupying state, warning of the repercussions of continuing to attack Christian and Islamic places of worship in the near future, and what Some still say that Israel shares the same values and principles, and some also say that Article 7 is unfair and unfair, which requires everyone to stop double standards and stop politicization, as Israel is the first country to violate the Charter of the United Nations, and it is the country that most violates international law and humanitarian law. International, and international human rights law since 75 years until today.

Source: Wafa Agency.

An independent investigation commissioned by George Washington University , in Washington, D.C., acquitted Lara Sheehy , a professor of psychology, of charges of anti-Semitism after claiming that her views on Israel created a hostile environment for Jewish students.

The investigation came after the pro-Israel organization StandWithUs filed a complaint in January, alleging that Sheehy had discriminated against several Jewish students because of their Israeli or Zionist identity during the fall semester.

The well-known DC law firm, Cowell & Moring, which was appointed to conduct the university's investigation, found that there was no evidence Sheehy had discriminated against the students, or retaliated against them after their complaints.

In a statement released by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which represented the Palestinian-born Dr. Sheehy, Sheehy welcomed the findings and said she hoped the report's findings "send a clear message" to groups trying to "harass and silence" academics like herself.

"I am grateful for the investigators and the effort to document what I knew meticulously from day one: Those of us who fight for Palestinian liberation do not do so at the expense of our Jewish brothers, nor do we discriminate against, retaliate or isolate Jewish or Israeli students in our ranks," she said.

The university said in a summary of the law firm's findings on Monday (3/27/23) that "many of the statements that the complaint alleges were made by Dr. Sheehy, according to those who listened to them, were either inaccurate or taken out of context and distorted."

The Zionist group StandWithUs said in a statement that it did not agree with the university's investigation findings, that its complaint had been submitted to the Federal Education Administration, not the university, and could still proceed, according to Rose Rothstein, director of StandWithUs.

The summary of the investigation indicated that the dispute in Sheehy's course, which is compulsory for students of psychology, centered on how to define anti-Semitism. The abstract states that StandWithUs, and a few students in the class, advocated a broad view of the definition of anti-Semitism, which, if accepted in a university setting, could violate the principles of freedom of speech and academic freedom.

Sheehy, a psychoanalyst of Palestinian origin, has publicly participated in advocacy activities for the Palestinian cause outside the university campus, prompting StandWithUs to say that Sheehy made offensive comments to students during class.

George Washington University, one of the most important universities in Washington, D.C., which some have accused of anti-Semitism, announced the results of the investigation, while Sheehy declined to comment immediately after the decision was issued that acquitted her of the allegations against her. But in February, she published a defense in the progressive online magazine Counterpunch, saying that StandWithUs was seeking to "stoke controversy about my studies and activism throughout Palestine."

Sheehy said (in the cited article) that the students who participated in the complaint against her displayed a "disturbing level of anti-Black and Arab racism," and that she provided a comprehensive discussion and condemnation of anti-Semitism in her diversity-focused course.

The summary of the investigation found that Sheehy had "denounced anti-Semitism as a real and present danger".

More than 200 Jewish psychologists defended Sheehy following the complaint filed by StandWithUs, which she said resulted in threats and harassment.

Sheehy was represented by the Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee during the investigation, and Abdel Ayoub, the organization's director, praised the findings and said on social media, "This was a defamation campaign by StandWithUs."

“This whole ordeal reveals how influential groups like StandWithUs are in discrediting pro-Palestinian academics,” Ayoub said. "The findings of GW should set a precedent across all universities."

A Kuwaiti court has sentenced Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho and a member of the ruling family to prison over a financial case linked to the Malaysian sovereign fund, according to a copy of the verdict seen by AFP on Wednesday.

According to the text of the ruling issued by the Court of First Instance, the son of the former Kuwaiti prime minister , Sabah Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, and four partners, including Low Taek Jehu, laundered 343.7 million Kuwaiti dinars (more than 1.1 billion dollars).

The ruling stated that this money was looted from the Malaysian Sovereign Fund.

Launched by former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2009, this public investment fund is at the center of a wide-ranging corruption scandal.

The case, for which the former leader was sentenced to 12 years in prison, has sparked investigations around the world, including in the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.

According to the Kuwaiti court, Sheikh Sabah Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah received funds under a fictitious construction contract, and then the sums were transferred to various accounts, mainly in tax havens, through complex financial operations carried out with the help of his partners.

Sheikh Sabah Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah and his partner, Hamad Al-Wazn, were sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labor. The Kuwaiti lawyer, Saud Abdul Mohsen, was sentenced to 7 years in prison, and the expatriate, Muhammad Kiwan, and the Malaysian financier, who were tried in absentia, were sentenced to the same period.

This ruling can still be appealed.

Low Taek Jeho is considered the "mastermind" of the looting.

According to civil lawsuits filed in the United States, more than $4.5 billion was diverted from the Malaysian investment agency between 2009 and 2015 to purchase luxury residences, yachts, works of art and to invest in film productions, including "The Wolf of Wall Street" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces arrested two young men, one from Jenin and the other in occupied Jerusalem .

According to local sources, an Israeli military force arrested a young man, whose identity was not known, when he passed a flying military checkpoint at the Araba roundabout, south of Jenin.

Another force arrested a 27-year-old man at the Al-Jib checkpoint near Jerusalem, claiming that he had a knife in his possession, and referred him for investigation.

On Wednesday, Azerbaijan opened its first embassy in Israel .

The embassy was opened in the presence of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov , who arrived in Tel Aviv yesterday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said, "The opening of the Azeri embassy in Israel is further evidence of the strengthening of relations between the two countries."

He added, "I agreed with the Azeri foreign minister to form a united front against Iran." As stated in a statement on his tongue.

Occupational stress or work-related burnout costs the British economy each year 28 billion pounds , or about 32 billion euros, and results in 23.3 million days of leave, according to a study published Wednesday.

The authors of this study, conducted by the French insurance company "AXA" and the British research center CEBR, said that Britons are "more likely to suffer psychological problems than citizens of other countries" included in this research.

Their conclusions were based, in particular, on a census conducted by the "Ipsos" institute that included 30,000 people between the ages of 18 and 74 in 16 countries and regions around the world.

This statistic shows that 21% of British adults suffer from emotional distress, ahead of Americans (17%), Belgians (11%), French (10%), Chinese (10%) and Swiss (9%).

"Nearly half of Britons are currently not in good mental health and are at risk of occupational stress, which has a significant impact on the UK economy and businesses," a statement read.

The authors of the study pointed out that the cost of living crisis in the United Kingdom is having a negative impact, as inflation rose again in February to 10.4% on an annual basis, which weakened the purchasing power of the British.

CEBR data showed that financial stress and employee concerns cost British businesses up to £6.2 billion in sick leave and lost productivity.

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli Central Court in Tel Aviv issued a 20-year prison sentence and a fine of 180,000 shekels against the young man, Muhammad Bani Odeh, from Tammun, south of Tubas .

According to the Hebrew Channel Seven, the occupation accuses Odeh of carrying out an operation in Jaffa more than two years ago, which resulted in the injury of an Israeli.

Forests, oceans and wetlands are amazing carbon sinks and thus limit the effects of climate change , but a recent study showed that nine species of animals play an important role in achieving the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Some wild species facilitate carbon capture, by treading on the ground, eating plants and animals, or through their feces.

Preserving nine species, namely marine fish, whales, sharks, gray wolves, otters, sea otters, musk oxen, African forest elephants and American bison, captures 6.41 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide annually, according to the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. They were prepared by 15 scientists from eight countries.

The amount of carbon dioxide captured by these animals, combined with all other measures to reduce emissions, constitutes 95% of the amount needed annually to achieve the global goal of removing 500 gigatonnes of carbon from the atmosphere by 2100, which would keep global warming below a threshold. 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era.

Oswald Schmitz, the study's lead author, said, "Wild animals account for only 0.3% of carbon emissions within the global biomass, and this figure is not taken into account when calculating the amounts of carbon emitted into the atmosphere. However, several types of animals can contribute to the control significantly." significantly alters the carbon cycle, by causing changes of 15 to 250% in the amounts of carbon dioxide absorbed and stored by plants and soils.

Among these animals are the elephants of the Congo Basin forest, whose role is not only to eat tree seeds and defecate, which is an effective carbon storage process, but also contribute to the germination of trees through their feces. Also, by trampling on plants that grow beneath others, they provide more space for tall trees, which capture a large amount of carbon.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the number of these elephants has decreased by 86% over the past 31 years.

Restoring this species could store an additional 13 million tons of carbon annually, according to the scientists.

As for their extinction, it will cause a loss of 7% of the stored carbon quantities, equivalent to three tons in total, according to a study published in 2019.

Fish are the main contributors to the carbon storage process, as they alone are responsible for capturing 5.5 gigatonnes of this gas annually.

US President Joe Biden will open his "democracy summit" on Wednesday, considering it a "turning point" in confronting authoritarian regimes, during which he will announce about $700 million to support "democratic renewal" in the world.

The United States , Costa Rica, the Netherlands, Zambia and South Korea are participating in organizing the second edition of this summit, which comes in the midst of the war in Ukraine, and against the backdrop of fears of the growing power of China.

Democracies are under pressure from the United States to Israel, where a judicial reform project deeply divided the country and sparked mass demonstrations before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally announced his "suspend".

"They cannot continue this path, and I think I have expressed my opinion clearly," Biden said on Tuesday evening, noting that he does not intend "in the near term" to invite the Israeli prime minister to visit the White House.
In an online speech at the summit, Netanyahu said, "Israel and the United States have known differences of opinion from time to time, but I am keen to stress that the alliance between the largest democracy in the world and Israel, a strong, proud and independent democracy in the heart of the Middle East, is firm and unshakable. Nothing can change that."

Biden is expected to announce an investment of $690 million to support "democratic renewal" in the world, largely at the virtual summit, said a senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He stressed that this amount should be used to promote fair and free elections, defend human rights and freedom of the press, and fight corruption, explaining that it will be added to the 400 million that were released in the first edition of the summit held under the auspices of President Biden in 2021.

It is expected that a large part of the discussions will also revolve around the threats posed by new technologies, according to what the US official confirmed, referring to spying programs in particular.

The leaders of each of the five host countries will preside over a virtual plenary session during the summit on Wednesday, and the US President's session will focus on "democrats' response to global challenges", to which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was invited.

Thursday, on the second day of the summit, activities will be held in the capitals of each of the host countries.

At least 121 countries were invited to attend the summit, eight more than at the first summit.

The many working sessions, most of which are virtual, bring together civil society officials to discuss challenges to democracy around the world, including in the field of technology, while Westerners accuse the "Tik Tok" application in particular of working as a tool for Beijing.

President Biden fulfilled his campaign pledges regarding this summit, and revived US alliances after the years of Donald Trump's rule, but he disappointed many observers by cozying up to leaders accused of authoritarian abuses and with controversial human rights records. Last year, Biden visited Saudi Arabia and Egypt to participate in the COP27 summit and established working relations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

However, none of these three countries were invited to participate in the summit.

Others not invited include Hungary, led by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Singapore and Bangladesh.

The US State Department refused to address the criteria that determined whether or not to invite certain countries, speaking of a social, economic and regional distribution. "We are not looking to identify democratic and non-democratic countries," a spokesman said.

India, the world's largest democracy, was invited days after opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was excluded from the Indian Parliament.

Neighboring Pakistan declined the invitation, saying it wanted, according to a spokesperson, to "work bilaterally" with the host countries.

Freedom House, a democracy research group supported by the US government, said that the year 2022 witnessed a decline in democracy around the world, according to its annual report.

South Korea offered to host the third edition of this summit at an unspecified time, according to the US official.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued today (Wednesday) a decree to make a government reshuffle that includes five ministers, according to the Syrian official media .

And the Syrian News Agency (SANA) stated that President Al-Assad "issued today Decree No. (91) of 2023, which provides for a government reshuffle that includes five ministers."

The decree stipulated naming Firas Hassan Kaddour as Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources to succeed Bassam Tohme, Mohsen Abdel Karim Ali as Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection to succeed Amr Salem, and Abdel Qader Joukdar as Minister of Industry to succeed Ziyad Sabbagh.

The decree also stipulated the naming of Louay Imad al-Din al-Munajjid as Minister of Social Affairs and Labor to succeed Muhammad Saif al-Din, and Ahmed Bustahji as Minister of State.

The decree ended the naming of Muhammad Fayez Al-Barsha as Minister of State.

The amendment also comes more than a month after a devastating earthquake struck several areas in Syria, killing 1,414 people and wounding 2,357, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health.

The Russian administration announced on Wednesday that Melitopol, one of the main cities in southern Ukraine, was hit by a missile attack by the Ukrainian army, which caused a power outage.

Melitopol is the Russian capital in the section it controls from the Zaporizhia region, where the nuclear power plant of the same name is located, which is occupied by Russian forces and is visited by the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, on Wednesday.

In recent days, Russia has accused Ukraine of intensifying attacks and strikes in Melitopol, where 150,000 people lived before the war . According to the occupation administration in the city, the bombing hit a depot for locomotives at dawn, without causing any injuries.

The official in the region , Vladimir Rogov, said on Telegram that the bombing was carried out with the American high-precision HIMARS system, and the city is located more than 65 km from the front.

"Because of the fires launched by Kiev, the electricity supply infrastructure was damaged, and electricity distribution was cut off in Melitopol and many nearby villages," he added.

On the Ukrainian side, the city's exiled mayor , Ivan Fedorov, reported the explosions Wednesday, saying he hoped to receive "good news" from Ukraine's armed forces about the target sites.

Russia had accused Ukraine of carrying out strikes on Melitopol on March 27. On March 23, Kiev was accused of launching a homemade bomb attack, which resulted in the injury of a policeman, and on the 15th, an occupation official was killed in a car bomb attack.

For weeks, speculation has been circulating about a possible Ukrainian counterattack towards Melitopol, because advancing towards it and retaking it would cut off the land corridor that Russia occupied to connect its lands with the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

To be able to inflict new defeats on Russia, Ukraine needs long-range munitions to destroy Russian supply routes and warehouses.

Until now, the range of the missiles in its possession did not exceed 80 km.

The United States promised ammunition with a range of 150 km.

Ukraine launched successful counterattacks, and the fall offensive in the south allowed Kherson to be recaptured in November, preceded by Himars strikes and attacks on Russian-appointed officials.

After arriving from Reunion Island, Stephen Mayo (23) joined the ArcelorMittal plant in Eisenhötenstadt, Germany , for an apprenticeship at the giant steel group.

This sector is one of the sectors most affected by the shortage of specialized labor force in Europe's largest economies .

Faced with this challenge, the government of Olaf Scholz should adopt a bill on Wednesday aimed at easing the rules for obtaining visas and work permits for citizens of non- EU countries.
For example, it will soon no longer be necessary to present an employment contract to settle in the country, as this is replaced by a points system that measures the "abilities" of candidates to integrate into society.

The goal is to attract more workers. Thus, Berlin is going against the general trend in Europe of closing borders to immigrants.

For Stephen, it was the higher salary and future career behind his decision to leave his island for this city near the border with Poland on Germany's eastern frontier.

This decision was a relief for the giant group, whose director in Germany, Rainer Blaschick, realized that attracting young apprentices like himself was "increasingly difficult".

The shortage of specialized labor has become a real problem. There are currently 2 million vacancies in Germany as the 60's retire.

Due to an aging population, the labor market is expected to lose seven million people by 2035 if the government does not take any steps according to a study by the Institute for Labor Market Research (IAB).
Forty-four percent of German companies from various sectors surveyed by the Ifo institute confirmed that they were affected by a labor shortage in January.

Faced with this difficult situation, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz encouraged employees not to retire early while companies are testing the increasing use of robots, as is the case in the field of providing care for the elderly.

At the beginning of the month, Scholz warned in parliament that relying on Germany's population alone "would not be sufficient" to make up for the shortfall.

Industrialists are trying to face shortage challenges themselves by proposing to train foreigners.

New Eisenhotenstadt (City of Ironworks) was built in the 1950s during communist East Germany. ArcelorMittal employs 2,700 people and welcomes fifty new trainees annually, such as Stephen Mayo.

"For the sake of my future career I have to stay here," he told AFP at the factory, though he misses his country.

Employment Minister Hubertus Hill said during a recent visit to the factory, where he met apprentices, that proper training is important to "retention" of young people.

But it is particularly difficult to find candidates in eastern Germany because of lower incomes compared to the West and an inhospitable reputation.
"So we will also attract the workers we need by opening legal immigration channels," the minister explained.

Achim Dirks, deputy director of the German Chambers of Commerce (DIHK), said at the beginning of the year that the shortage could "impede the achievement of important transition goals" in Germany towards "electric vehicles or renewable energy".

For example, the ArcelorMittal group plans to replace a fossil-fuel furnace with a new hydrogen-electric unit by the end of 2026.

The shift to greener production processes will eliminate some jobs but will create new jobs and thus new job opportunities.

"We are facing a major technical transformation... If we want to transform our facilities over the next four years, we have to start changing the method of training starting now," Blachik says.

Russian oil giant Rosneft announced on Wednesday that it had signed a contract with an Indian partner to "significantly increase" shipments of Russian oil, while Moscow, targeted by Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, seeks to redirect its sales to Asia.

Rosneft said in a statement that its president , Igor Sechin , during a trip to India "signed an agreement with Indian Oil Company to significantly increase oil supplies to India."

The Russian company did not specify the value of the signed contract nor the quantities agreed upon under this deal.

This announcement comes a day after Russia announced that its oil exports to India increased 22 times in the year 2022.

Russia, which is targeted by severe Western economic sanctions and an embargo on oil derivatives because of its attack on Ukraine, is trying to redirect its oil and gas exports to other countries, especially in Asia.

India and China, two big energy consumers, are at the forefront of countries that Moscow relies on to offset contracts in Europe.

"The parties also discussed ... possibilities of payment in the national currency," Rosneft said in its statement on Wednesday, as Russia tries to remove the dollar from its economy to become less dependent on Washington.

According to data from the Indian Ministry of Commerce mentioned in the press release, last year Russia became, for the first time in its history, one of the five main trading partners of India, while the volume of trade between the two countries amounted to $38.4 billion.