حقق بايرن ميونخ انتصاره الثاني تواليًا في الدوري الألماني، اليوم الأحد، على حساب ضيفه فولفسبورج (2-0)، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من المسابقة.

وجاءت ثنائية حامل اللقب في الشوط الأول، عن طريق جمال موسيالا وتوماس مولر، في الدقيقتين 33 و43.

وبهذه النتيجة، يواصل بايرن تصدر جدول ترتيب البوندسليجا بوصوله للنقطة السادسة، متساويا مع غريمه بوروسيا دورتموند، فيما استقر فولفسبورج في المركز الـ14 بنقطة واحدة.

Washington (AFP) - A man died Sunday morning near the Capitol after crashing his car into a barricade and shooting in the air and then at himself, police said.

The Capitol Police statement (the building that houses the House of Representatives and Senate) did not clarify the identity of the man or indicate his motives.

Congress is currently in recess, and police said, "It does not appear that the man was targeting any members of Congress."

The incident comes in the midst of escalating tension and intense debate on social media, after a number of boxes of classified government documents were seized in the home of former President Donald Trump in Florida.

The statement stated that the man rammed his car into a barrier erected at "East Capitol Street" and "Second Street" shortly after 4 am (8:00 GMT).

The statement continued, "The car started to catch fire when the man got out of it," and added, "Then the man fired several shots in the air."

When the policemen returned fire and approached the man, "he shot himself."

Except for the driver, no one was hurt.
Washington city police opened an investigation into the man and his record.

Washington - "Jerusalem" dot com - Saeed Erekat - An American official said in an interview with "Al Quds" dot com, yesterday, Thursday, that US President Joe Biden does not wish to see the collapse of the Israeli government.

"Biden has worked hard to prevent the collapse of the Israeli government coalition, and he feels satisfied with the presence of Yair Lapid as prime minister of the Israeli government," he said.

The source, who asked not to be named, said, "President Biden worked well with Benjamin Netanyahu in the first months of his presidency, and he and his administration worked closely with Naftali Bennett during 12 months that were characterized by close cooperation on issues of concern to the United States and Israel, and great achievements, especially in issues that concern the United States and Israel." Israel's security concerns, which the president is committed to as a US strategic priority always and forever, and now he looks with enthusiasm and passion to work with Yair Lapid, who became prime minister in Israel.

In response to a question if Biden was surprised by the Israeli government change on the eve of his visit to Israel and the region, and that Lapid is the one who will receive him as prime minister instead of Naftali Bennett, the source said, "President (Biden) views Israel as a democratic country that has the right to choose its leaders as is the case in vital democracies, and holds A real desire to work with Israel, which is politically stable, and he worked in this way with previous Israeli governments, and Prime Minister (Lapid) is the third prime minister since President Biden came to the White House in January 2021, and Biden worked effectively and supported, supported Israel's security needs, and thwarted threats Iran, supports efforts to integrate Israel into the region, and promote the Abraham Accords, and will continue to support them under Lapid's presidency.

He added, "Yes, there was tension in relations when Biden was Vice President of the United States during the negotiations with Iran, except for reaching the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the Iranian nuclear agreement) in 2015, but the two dealt with each other professionally and in a way that serves the interests of Israel and the United States during the period that They crossed paths with her as leaders of their respective governments (January 20, 2021, until June 13, 2021), and the smooth work continued with Prime Minister Bennett, and now Lapid—there is not much change, but there is a good, positive chemistry with Lapid and perhaps an ideological affinity between the two—of course the President would like that There will be a stable Israeli government and he will support all efforts aimed at strengthening the stability of the Israeli government."

And about whether the Biden administration expects Lapid to be more willing to work with the Palestinians in order to reach the American vision of stopping settlements and achieving a two-state solution, in line with its declared positions, the source said, "Our position is known: We hope that the two parties will not take unilateral steps from It would confuse our aspirations for a two-state solution, ensuring a decent life for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, and stopping violence. As President (Biden) did with previous governments, he will continue to advance this vision and his commitment to the two-state solution, and the need for continued work and cooperation between the Palestinians and the Israelis, as there is nothing that has changed in this regard. .

Regarding Biden's visit next week, the source added, "This is a very important visit: the president will take the opportunity to stress the priority of Israel's security and the need to deepen its integration into the region. He will also assure the Palestinians that the United States wants to see them live in dignity and, ultimately, live in their own state that is being reached." To it through negotiation between the two parties...the president will assure the US allies whom he will meet that the United States is a reliable ally in facing all challenges, especially those coming from Iran.

It is noteworthy that US President Joe Biden confirmed last week that he would meet Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when he visits Riyadh (next week), but he stressed that the visit does not aim to put pressure on Saudi Arabia to increase oil production amid a crisis in production. Indeed, the main focus of this scheduled tour in the Middle East from July 13 to 16 is to "deepen Israel's integration into the region."

According to experts, what is going on behind the scenes in Washington is that Biden “feels happy with the arrival of Yair Lapid to head the Israeli ministry,” and will do everything in his power to help him, and that he will take advantage of his visit to Israel next week in order to enhance Lapid’s chances of winning the upcoming elections, given that Biden "He wants to see the sustainability of the Israeli government, and he does not want to see efforts to achieve common goals hindered by dizzying Israeli political maneuvers, just as he - frankly - does not want to see Netanyahu as the prime minister of Israel again."

Regarding Lapid's relations with the Palestinians, and whether there are prospects for cooperation between Lapid and the Palestinian Authority, The Times of Israel attributed a senior US official as saying, "The Biden administration does not expect relations to improve significantly with the Palestinians, or for Lapid to provide any Concessions to the Palestinians, and that this development (Lapid's rise to the position of prime minister) may actually complicate Israel's relations with the Palestinians in the short term."

It is noteworthy that Lapid had expressed in the past his support for the two-state solution, which was opposed by Naftali Bennett, and in his first speech as prime minister, he also expressed his desire to achieve peace with the Palestinians, according to the "Times of Israel" website.

Al-Quds learned that Biden will visit East Jerusalem, and he will visit the "Al-Mutala' Hospital - Augusta Victoria Medical Complex" in the Mount of Olives, the Al-Buraq Wall, and he will visit the city of Bethlehem, where he will meet with President Mahmoud Abbas.

BEIJING (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has sent a congratulatory message to James Marape on his re-election as Prime Minister of PNG.

In his letter, he told me that Papua New Guinea is a country with important regional influence.

He added that China and Papua New Guinea are comprehensive strategic partners that support and trust each other, and their relations have long been at the forefront of China's relations with Pacific island countries.

He said he is willing to work with Marape to further enhance political mutual trust between the two countries, vigorously expand bilateral practical cooperation in various fields, and strive for more win-win results, so as to upgrade bilateral relations and better benefit the two countries and peoples.

Translation by "Jerusalem" dot com - An Israeli court extended, on Sunday evening, the detention of the young Amir Sidawi until the twenty-second of this month.

According to the Hebrew Kan radio station, the Israeli prosecution requested an extension of Sidawi's detention, to complete the investigations with him.

The Israeli security services accuse Saidawi of being responsible for the shooting attack last night in Jerusalem, which injured 8 settlers.

Translation by "Al-Quds" dot com - Today, Tuesday, the Israeli government celebrated the assassination of Ibrahim Al- Nabulsi , who was pursued by Nablus, after he was trapped in a house in the Old City of Nablus.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said, "The elimination of the terrorist Ibrahim Nabulsi is another step in our relentless war against terrorism." according to his expression.

Lapid welcomed the joint work carried out by the Israeli security organizations, which led to the operation's great success and without casualties among its forces, saying: "The Shin Bet has once again demonstrated its intelligence superiority against terrorist organizations... I would like to thank the men and women of the Shin Bet who participated in the operation for their courage." Their creativity and determination to get to the terrorists and strike them in the places they mistakenly believed would be their sanctuary." according to his expression

For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz praised the work of his forces, especially the Shin Bet, after the assassination of Nabulsi, whom he accused of carrying out a series of attacks and planning more of them.

Gantz said, "We will continue to act against terrorism on all fronts and against anyone who threatens the citizens of Israel. Those who threaten us will not survive." according to his expression

Jenin - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Islamic Jihad movement said, on Sunday, that the occupation forces' targeting and arresting of its leaders and cadres in Jenin governorate at dawn today is a miserable attempt to influence the will of the Palestinian people and the steadfastness and determination of the mujahideen.

In a statement, Al-Jihad added: "The arrest of the leader Sheikh Khader Adnan and the leader Khaled Gawadreh, and a number of their brothers and sons of our people, reflects the extent of confusion and pressure that is persecuting the fascist occupation government, as a result of the escalation of our people's uprising in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank." According to the expression of the statement.

And she continued: "Sheikh Khader Adnan and his mujahideen brothers formed a renewed state of awareness, and a burning ember of clash in the face of the occupation, and we remember his vanguard role in the hunger strike battles in the occupation prisons, which were solid stations in recording rounds of victory for our prisoners and our people." according to its statement.

And she stressed that "despite this frenzied occupation attack against our people, symbols and cadres, it will not be able to extinguish the glow of the uprising and the flame of resistance, and the more the occupation persists in its aggression, this will increase our steadfastness more, and our continuation in our jihad until the liberation of our land and the purification of our sanctities." According to the text of the statement.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Ministry of Education announced that applicants for teaching and support jobs for the year 2022-2023 will be given an opportunity to check their data, which will appear in the role record in its final form, after completing the preparations. Based on foundations that guarantee the achievement of transparency, justice and equal opportunities.

The Ministry of Education called on the applicants to review and verify their data in terms of qualifications, averages, experience, days of work as a substitute, and special cases through the electronic link: http://213.244.123.106:8088/.

The Ministry stated that in the event of a mismatch in the data, the applicant must review the Directorate of Education to which he is applying in order to fill out the form designated for that no later than Monday corresponding to 07/25/2022, in order to approve it in its final form, with the applicant bearing responsibility The validity of his / her data, appreciating at the same time the efforts of all committees and teams that follow up on this effort at the level of the ministry and directorates.

Dubai (AFP) - The US Navy announced on Tuesday the seizure of more than 2,000 assault rifles that were smuggled aboard a fishing boat in a sea lane between Iran and Yemen .

The boat was intercepted Friday off the coast of Oman "in a corridor often used to smuggle prohibited shipments to the Houthis in Yemen," according to a statement from the Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet. The statement added that the boat "was operated by a crew of six Yemenis."

"This shipment is part of an ongoing pattern of destabilizing Iranian behavior," Vice Admiral Brad Cooper was quoted as saying.

The Iranian-backed Houthis took control of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in 2014, and the following year a Saudi-led military coalition intervened to confront them. A devastating war followed, killing hundreds of thousands of people and pushing this poor country to the brink of famine.

A UN-brokered ceasefire that began in April has contributed to a sharp reduction in hostilities. The truce expired in October, but the ceasefire is still largely holding.

The fishing boat intercepted last week was carrying 2,116 AK-47 (Kalashnikov) machine guns.

The Fifth Fleet said that procedures to "transfer the boat and its crew for deportation are underway," adding that "the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the Houthis violates" international law.

The UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on the Houthis in February 2022.

Last month, the US Navy announced the seizure of one million rounds of ammunition, fuses and missile fuel that were being smuggled from Iran to Yemen.

In November, the US Navy said it had intercepted a boat carrying "a huge amount of explosive material, sufficient to fuel more than a dozen medium-range ballistic missiles."

Jerusalem - "Jerusalem" dot com - In a statement issued by them today, Monday, the people of Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood called on the legal authorities and human rights institutions, and the Jerusalemite community, to stand by them, and work to deter settlers who come from several settlements to provoke and assault citizens, with the aim of intimidating them. and forcing them to leave their homes.

The residents of Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood accused the occupation police of failing to repel the settlers and punish them. Rather, the police formed a protective shield for them, which encouraged them to persist in their aggression against the residents of the neighborhood, which led to spreading terror in the hearts of children and women.

Last Thursday, settlers attacked Jerusalemites in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, smashing the windows of several vehicles, with the protection of the Israeli occupation forces, who arrested two young men after assaulting them.

Local sources said that the residents responded to the settlers' incursion, which led to clashes with the Israeli occupation forces, who fired tear gas and sound bombs at the residents and their homes.

The Red Crescent in Jerusalem said that a settler attacked an ambulance with stones in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Jerusalem.

Tehran - (AFP) - Tehran on Thursday rejected US court accusations of a plot led by a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to assassinate former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton , describing them as "ridiculous".

The US Justice Department confirmed Wednesday that Shahram Poursafi, 45, also known as Mehdi Rezaei, has been charged in absentia for offering to pay $300,000 to people in the United States to kill Bolton, who also previously served as the US ambassador to the United Nations.

It seems that the plot was aimed at avenging the assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, in January 2020, with an American raid, and the person who was supposed to kill Bolton revealed it to the authorities, and his identity was not revealed.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani rejected the "ridiculous" US accusations.

"The US judicial authorities issued accusations without providing evidence," he said.

The US accusations come as Tehran is studying a settlement offered by the European Union to revive the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, which has been stalled since the United States withdrew from it in 2018, at the request of former US President Donald Trump, of whom Bolton was his adviser at the time.

In the past months, Iran has demanded that the Revolutionary Guard be removed from the US blacklist of "foreign terrorist organizations", in exchange for a return to implementing its commitments in the nuclear deal.

"It is not the first time we have uncovered a plot by Iran to retaliate on American soil, and we will work tirelessly to detect and prevent every such attempt," said US Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen.

According to the indictment, Shahram Boursafi, at the end of 2021, contacted a person who was supposed to carry out the assassination, but was in fact an informant with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Shahram Boursafi instructed him to open an account in digital currency, then gave him the address of a former Donald Trump advisor and asked him to implement the plan before the first anniversary of Soleimani's killing.

Soleimani was the architect of his country's strategy in the Middle East, and the commander of the Quds Force, the unit responsible for foreign operations within the Revolutionary Guards. He was killed on January 3, 2020, in an American strike by a drone in Baghdad.

But after the date of the anniversary of Soleimani's killing passed, Shahram Boursafi continued to pressure the informant to kill Bolton and promised him $1 million in exchange for the assassination of a second person, if the operation succeeded.

The FBI issued a search warrant for Shahram Boursafi, along with several photos, two of which show him wearing the uniform of the Revolutionary Guards.

The US judiciary stated, "During the exchange of conversation, the confidential source referred several times to Bursafi's association with the Quds Force. Bursafi never denied it."

Shahram Boursafi faces up to 25 years in prison, if caught, which is unlikely because he may be in Iran.
John Bolton considered the 2015 nuclear deal a "big strategic mistake".

And when he served as National Security Adviser under Donald Trump from April 2018 to September 2019, Bolton publicly supported Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the agreement aimed at ensuring the civilian nature of Iran's nuclear program.

The indictment asserted that Bolton was informed of the scheme and cooperated with investigators.

John Bolton stressed Thursday that it is important to note "the extent to which the Iranian government has carefully considered (this project) and participated in the planning."

He said on CNN that this shows how "Tehran behaves with regard to its terrorist activities," as well as how it conducts its "foreign policy."

The current National Security Adviser at the White House, Jake Sullivan, warned on Twitter that Tehran was exposing itself to "serious consequences" if it attacked US officials.

The US judiciary did not specify the identity of the second target, but the Axios website mentioned that it was former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The site quoted a source close to the former foreign minister as saying that the Ministry of Justice confirmed to him "directly" that he was one of the targets.

Along with John Bolton, Pompeo was one of the main architects of the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" policy on Iran.

Gaza - "Al-Quds" dot com - Journalist Sakher Abu Aoun, director of the French Press Agency office in the Gaza Strip , passed away on Wednesday morning.

Abu Aoun had been in intensive care at Al-Shifa Hospital for 3 days due to a health setback.

Abu Aoun suffers from several diseases that led to the deterioration of his journalistic status in recent years.

Abu Aoun lost his only son a few months ago due to an incurable disease.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - An official statistic published today, Thursday, showed that the number of martyrs has risen since the beginning of this year to 132 due to the crimes of the occupation and its settlers, which have increased dramatically recently.

According to the statistics published by the Ministry of Health, 82 of the martyrs are from the West Bank , and 50 from the Gaza Strip .

The Ministry of Health pointed out that the youngest martyr is the child Jamil Najm al-Din Jamil Najm (4 years) from the Gaza Strip, who rose during the recent Israeli aggression, and the oldest is the martyr Omar Abdul Majeed Asaad (80 years) from the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate in the West Bank.

تدرب الفرنسي كريم بنزيما، الذي لم يشارك في مواجهة برشلونة الودية، بصورة طبيعية في لوس أنجلوس اليوم، ويسعى لخوض دقائقه الأولى في فترة الإعداد في ودية كلوب أمريكا المكسيكي، فجر الأربعاء المقبل، في سان فرانسيسكو.

وانضم اللاعب الفرنسي، الذي كان قد حصل على إذن ليحظى بأيام راحة أكثر، إلى معسكر الفريق يوم الثلاثاء الماضي، لكن المدرب كارلو أنشيلوتي قرر ألا يسافر مع الفريق إلى لاس فيجاس لخوض مواجهة الكلاسيكو الودية التي فاز بها البارسا بهدف نظيف.

وشارك في مران اليوم أيضا بورخا مايورال الذي وصل أمس إلى المدينة، وانضم إلى الفريق خلال فترة الإعداد.

ويستعد الفريق لأول مباراة رسمية في الموسم يوم العاشر من الشهر المقبل أمام آينتراخت فرانكفورت في كأس السوبر الأوروبي.

وركز أنشيلوتي في التدريبات على بناء الهجمات من الوراء بأفضل صورة ممكنة.

وأظهر المران حالة تركيز كبيرة من قبل الكرواتي لوكا مودريتش والألماني توني كروس، وبالمثل أيضا داني سيبايوس.

Jerusalem - "Jerusalem" dot com - Muhammad Abu Khdeir - The board of directors of the "Ma'ale Adumim" settlement, the largest Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem, and emanating from the occupation municipality in Jerusalem, approved a project to establish a hotel with 1,000 rooms and a water park in the settlement's industrial zone.

In a promotional presentation for the tourism settlement project, the council said that 100 dunams have been allocated for this tourism project, which was won by the "Melouk" group in the tender estimated at 60 million shekels to buy 100 dunams in the park (Israel - Ma'ale Adumim).

The settlement council added: The area designated for the hotel and the water city is near the Magic Cass amusement park, which is located in the desert of Jerusalem, part of which was confiscated to establish a huge commercial complex and an amusement park, and according to the plan, 3 hotels, a water city and a huge sports complex will be built during the next 3 years.

According to the tender organized on the 20th of this month, a hotel and a new water park with 21 slides, six swimming pools, a roller coaster and a game park will be built as a first stage, and then the projects will be implemented simultaneously.

The administration of the largest settlement blocs in occupied East Jerusalem said that for the first time in decades, an innovative water park called Water Kass will be opened, which will be open to settlers throughout the year in the Mishor Adumim area. Its construction will begin soon and will take approximately three years to complete.

And she added: "The project will cover 100 acres and will include nearly a thousand hotel rooms, an indoor water park with 21 water slides, six swimming pools, an 800-square-meter fashion complex, an amphitheater with 4,000 seats, a roller coaster, a restaurant complex, and the second largest amusement park in the world." after Japan).

It revealed that the volume of investment in this region is about one and a half billion shekels.

According to the plan, about 900 rooms will be built on the land in a hotel that will be considered the largest in Israel and the only one that will be able to house a thousand families at a time.

Doha (AFP) - The head of the United Nations Development Program, Achim Steiner, warned Saturday that more countries will suffer a debt crisis and possible default, with 25 of the 52 poor countries spending 20 percent of their revenues to cover the cost of higher interest rates.

"The current situation for developing countries with regard to the national debt is very dangerous," Steiner said in an interview with Agence France-Presse on the sidelines of the Fifth United Nations Conference of the Least Developed Countries, which Doha will host until March 9.

He explained that, based on an analysis of the United Nations Development Programme, "52 countries are either suffering from a debt crisis or are a step away from a debt crisis and possible default."

While these countries do not contribute more than three percent of the stock of public sovereign debt, which explains "the financial markets' lack of interest in the matter," they actually "represent 40 percent of the world's poor and one-sixth of the world's population."

According to Steiner, 25 of these 52 countries "have already spent a fifth or 20 percent of their government revenues to pay the interest on their debt."

"It is unsustainable," he said. "Therefore, we called very clearly for urgent means to pump liquidity with debt restructuring and rescheduling. If that does not happen, we may see one country after another enter into this debt crisis area."

On Saturday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized the world's rich countries and giant energy companies for contributing to burdening the least developed countries, whose debts have quadrupled in a decade, to record about $50 billion in 2021, by imposing "greedy" interest rates on them.

But it is difficult to determine the current total debt, given that the bulk of the debt (60 percent) is owed to private parties and because of China's prominence in the field of public sovereign credit.

Many countries are now having to go into debt as they struggle to recover from the economic repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"There is now the war in Ukraine and the impact on food and energy prices. Especially when it comes to debt, the effect of inflation is driving up rates," Steiner said.

The G20 countries are having difficulty helping the least developed countries in light of the geopolitical divisions, and therefore "there has been only shy progress after the epidemic," according to the director of the UN program.
Development has been delayed in several African countries, such as Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso, from 10 to 20 years due to the impact of political violence and the failure of governments to provide basic services to citizens, including security, health and education.

Steiner pointed out that the world is already experiencing social unrest, even since before the pandemic in 2018 and 2019. "Whether in Chile, Paris, Hong Kong, the United States or the United Kingdom, people are starting to voice their political issues on the streets. There is already a strong sense of frustration, partly linked to issues of inequality and poverty," he said.

The rise in fuel prices caused a "short-term shock" that left many countries facing difficulties in maintaining basic financial stability and imposed restrictions on budgets, according to Steiner, while the issue of increasing investments in renewable energy sources and combating climate change is gaining increasing importance in light of the disasters the world has witnessed recently. associated with a sharp change in weather conditions.

"The ability of poorer and middle-income countries to significantly expand clean energy-related infrastructure ... is being affected," the UN official told AFP.

He stressed the need for the international community to play the role of "an investment partner in order to help poorer economies maintain their ability to invest in access to clean and affordable electricity."

"The only bright side on the horizon is that, unfortunately, as a result of the conflicts, crises and war in Ukraine, the issue of energy security has become such a dominant factor that I believe that in the next three to five years we will witness a massive increase in investments in infrastructure related to clean energy," he said.

However, he stressed that the least developed countries should not be abandoned, calling on the international community to invest in these countries in order to achieve "poverty reduction, carbon removal, and political tension, so that violent political extremism does not find its way to success."

(AFP) - Moroccan internationals Ashraf Hakimi and Argentine Lionel Messi led their team, Paris Saint-Germain, to continue the awakening by turning the tables on guest Toulouse by defeating him 2-1, Saturday, at the “Parc des Princes” stadium in Paris, in the opening of the twenty-second stage of the French Championship in soccer.
The guests surprised the owners of the land with the first goal through the Dutchman Branko van den Bomen in the 20th minute, but Hakimi equalized (38), then set up the winning goal for Messi (58).
It is the second victory in a row for Paris Saint-Germain and the seventeenth this season, so it strengthened its position in the lead with 54 points, by eight points in front of its direct pursuer, Marseille, who hosts Nice on Sunday at the end of the stage, noting that Saint-Germain and Marseille will meet in a fiery summit next Wednesday at the “Velodrome” stadium in The price of the final of the local cup competition.
Paris Saint-Germain suffered two things to stop the awakening of Toulouse, which suffered its first loss in the last six matches in the league (four wins and one loss), so it remained twelfth with 29 points.
Paris Saint-Germain played in the absence of its international goalscorers Kylian Mbappe, Brazilian Neymar Jr., defenders Prisnel Kimpembe and Spaniard Sergio Ramos due to injury, and Italian international midfielder Marco Verratti due to suspension.
Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier praised the Argentine star who won the World Cup with his country late last year in Qatar, and said, "Lionel Messi took over the leadership of this team. He was a very important locomotive, similar to his goal and the chances he created."
"I ask the team to play for Leo and work with him. We have to relieve him of certain tasks. His teammates have to redouble their efforts in recovering balls and creating spaces so that he can make his assists, which are very rare in football today, in small spaces."
Galtier also praised defender Hakimi, "Achraf was decisive. In the face of a low block, it is important to take initiatives in shooting."
And the Parisian club's suffering continued with the injury when the Portuguese international midfielder, Renato Sanchez, was forced to leave his place for the Frenchman, Al Shadel Picciapo, in the 14th minute, due to a thigh injury.
Saint-Germain had barely recovered from the shock of Sanchez's injury until he conceded a goal for the guests from a direct free kick, which the Dutchman Branko van den Bomen rushed to with his right from outside the area and settled it in the right corner, where the Italian international goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was present without succeeding in removing it (20).
And the Brazilian international defense pole captain, Marquinhos, almost equalized, with a header from close range that hit the crossbar and exited (34).
Moroccan international Zakaria Abu during scored a second goal for Toulouse with a header from close range, which was canceled for offside after resorting to the video assistant referee “VAR” (36).
Paris Saint-Germain equalized when Moroccan international defender Ashraf Hakimi took advantage of a ball from the right side, so he penetrated towards the middle of the field, manipulating defenders at its outskirts, before hitting it powerfully with his left from 22 meters into the far right corner of goalkeeper Maxim Doub (38).
Paris Saint-Germain continued his preference in the second half and succeeded in advancing when Hakimi did it again by manipulating the defense of the guests at the outskirts of the area, so Messi took advantage of the ball and hit it hard with his left from outside the area and placed it in the right corner of goalkeeper Dob (58).
The post denied Messi the double by returning his shot in the last fourth minute of stoppage time.
Lille regained its winning streak after a loss and a draw, by defeating Rennes 3-1.
Rennes started the match in the best possible way by opening the scoring in the first minute through Algerian-born Amine Guerre, but Lille turned the tables in the second half by scoring three goals, which were alternated between Kosovar Idon Zhigrova (59), Remy Kabila (85) and Portuguese Andre Gomes (90 + 3).
Lille strengthened its position in sixth place, with 38 points, two points behind Rennes, fifth.
In a third match, Lyon won a huge victory at Troyes 3-1.
Lyon finished the first half ahead with the goal of striker Bradley Barkola in the 43rd minute, and Rayan Sharqi added the second goal at the beginning of the second half (59), and Portuguese midfielder Rony Lubis narrowed the difference after three minutes before captain Alexandre La Cazette delivered the fatal blow to Troyes by scoring the third goal in the minute. The third of injury time.
Lyon rose to eighth place temporarily, with 32 points, compared to 19 points for Troyes sixteenth.
Sunday also meets Clermont-Ferrand with Monaco, Lorient with Angers, Ajaccio with Nantes, Strasbourg with Montpellier, Auxerre with Reims, and Brest with Lens.

بقلم:منيب رشيد المصري
الانقسام الفلسطيني هو الجرح الأكثر ألما من جراح الشعب الفلسطيني الكثيرة والمتعددة، لأنه جرح فلسطيني وبإيد فلسطينية ، لأنه إنقسام تحت احتلال ، ولأنه إنقسام دون مبرر، ولأنه يتواصل في الوقت الذي ينزف به شعبنا دما وتتصاعد به جرائم الاحتلال وعدوانه.ولأن عدالة قضيتنا وعظمة شعبنا وصموده لا يستحقان هذا الإنقسام.
خمسة عشرة عاما وهذا الجرح ينزف ويتعمق، خمسة عشرة عاما والفصائل والقوى تجتمع في القاهرة، ومكة المكرمة ، واسطنبول، وغزة، ورام الله، وموسكو ، وبيروت دون جدوى حتى أعلن عن المبادرة الجزائرية التي أعادت الأمل وبقوة لإنهاء وطي هذه الصفحة السوداء من تاريخ الشعب الفلسطيني.
المبادرة الجزائرية تكتسب قوتها من التجربة النضالية للجزائر ، وللعلاقة الخاصة التي تجمع الجزائر بفلسطين، وللمواقف النضالية المشرفة للجزائر اتجاه فلسطين ، ولأنها بالتنسيق والتكامل مع الشقيقة مصر ، وبمباركة الجامعة العربية.
لا استغرب من حالة الاحباط وردود الفعل السلبية على إعلان الجزائر، خاصة وأن هذا الإعلان بعد فشل العديد من الاتفافيات على مدار السنوات الماضية، ولأن حالة الانتفاض والبطولة التي يعيشها الشارع الفلسطيني تتطلب إنهاء الإنقسام بشكل فوري وتوحيد الصفوف ، ومع كل ذلك فإن إعلان الجزائر هو نافذة أمل لبلسمة الجرح الفلسطيني ، وخطوة في الاتجاه الصحيح ، وإنجاز هام على درب إنهاء الانقسام لاعتبارات عدة أبرزها على النحو التالي:
أولا : إعلان الجزائر هو اختراق هام ، بعد انقطاع الحوار الوطني لأكثر من عام ونصف ، ولهذا فإن استعادة الحوار الوطني والتأكيد على المبادئ المشتركة وخارطة طريق لإنهاء الإنقسام بحد ذاته إنجازا يسجل لحوار الجزائر.
ثانيا: الجميع يتفق بأننا لسنا بحاجة لاتفاقيات جديدة في ظل كثرة الاتفاقيات الموقعة والتي تغطي كافة التفاصيل والآليات المطلوبة لإنهاء الإنقسام ، ولهذا من يتهم إعلان الجزائر بأنه مجرد مبادئ عامة فهو مخطىء ، فالجزائر وكافة الفصائل المجتمعة حرصت على صياغة نهج جديد للعمل يركز على جسر الهوة بين طرفي الانقسام ، والتركيز على آليات المتابعة والإشراف على تنفيذ إعلان الجزائر والاتفاقيات السابقة .
ثالثا: إعلان الجزائر سيتم تقديمه للدول العربية خلال انعقاد القمة العربية مطلع الشهر المقبل في الجزائر، وسيتم الطلب رسميا تشكيل فريق جزائري عربي للإشراف على تنفيذ الاتفاق ، وهذه سابقة تضمن استمرار جهود الجزائر والاخوة العرب لحين تنفيذ الاتفاق على عكس المبادرات السابقة والتي شملت رعاية للتوقيع دون متابعة التنفيذ ، وهذا يشكل فرصة حقيقية لإنهاء الإنقسام بشكل فعلي.
رابعا : أكد إعلان الجزائر على حق الشعب الفلسطيني بالمقاومة بكافة أشكالها ، والتأكيد على الشراكة الوطنية الكاملة ، واعتبار منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية الممثل الشرعي والوحيد للشعب الفلسطيني ، وتوحيد مؤسسات الدولة ، والدعوة لانتخابات شاملة بما يشمل القدس، وتشكل هذه المبادئ أرضية صلبة لإنهاء الإنقسام وكذلك بناء استراتيجية نضالية لمواجهة الاحتلال.
خامسا : الزخم الرسمي والشعبي الذي قدمته الجزائر لهذا الإعلان ولإنجاز هذه المهمة الوطنية والقومية يحتم على الكل الفلسطيني الخجل والصحوة والالتزام بتنفيذ إعلان الجزائر ، فرعاية الرئيس الجزائري عبد المجيد تبون شخصيا لهذا الإعلان ومشاركته ومعالي وزير الخارجية في زيارة المجتمعين في قصر الصنوبر، والاحتفال المهيب الذي نظم في القاعة التي احتضنت اعلان الاستقلال الفلسطيني عام 1988 بمشاركة أركان الدولة كافة من وزراء ونواب وعسكريين إضافة إلى السفراء العرب والأجانب هو بحد ذاته رسالة بأن الفشل ممنوع وغير مقبول .
وفي هذا السياق وبكل صدق وصراحة كل العبارات والعبرات لا تفي للجزائر حقها لما بذلته من جهود وحرص ورعاية لحوارات إنهاء الإنقسام ، ولعل خطاب سيادة الرئيس عبد المجيد تبون وعباراته بأن علاقة الجزائر بفلسطين علاقة أزلية تشكل بحد ذاتها فرضا وواجبا على كافة الفصائل والقوى لاحترام هذا الإعلان، كذلك خطاب وزير الخارجية الجزائري الذي قال بشكل واضح وهو يخاطب قادة الفصائل والقوى بأن وحدتكم أساس وحدة العرب هي رسالة واضحة بأن توحيد العرب ودعمهم للقضية الفلسطينية ووقف التطبيع مرهون بإنهاء الإنقسام واستعادة الوحدة الوطنية الفلسطينية . فشكرا من قلب كل فلسطيني للجزائر رئيسا وقيادة وشعبا، وستبقى الجزائر قطعة من قلب كل فلسطيني أينما وجد.
ورسالتنا لقادة الفصائل والقوى ، بأن أي محاولة لإفشال إعلان الجزائر هو انتكاسة وجريمة وطنية بكل ما تحمله الكلمة من معنى، وستكون بمثابة تهلكة حقيقية نخسر من خلالها ثقة شعبنا بالكامل ، ودعم العالم الحر الذي تمثل الجزائر رمزا له. وعليه المطلوب في هذه اللحظة عدم جلد الذات ، وإنما التفاؤل والأمل والإرادة لإنهاء الإنقسام وتنفيذ أعلان الجزائر وتكامل وتوحيد الجهود لتحقيق ذلك ، المطلوب التحلي بالصبر والإيجابية والعزيمة ومواصلة العمل بشكل مكثف لينتهي الإنقسام بشكل فعلي وللأبد . وليكون الجزائر كما في كل مرة وكما في كل محطة عبر التاريخ بلسم الجراح الفلسطينية ، والسند الأبرز لنضالنا وقضيتنا .

حديث القدس
لوحظ في الآونة الأخيرة تصاعد اعتداءات قوات الاحتلال وقطعان المستوطنين على سيارات الاسعاف الفلسطينية وطواقم الاسعاف وعلى الاطباء والمستشفيات، الامر الذي يدلل على ان هذا الاحتلال الغاشم يتعامل مع شعبنا على أساس شريعة الغاب، وانه لا يعير أي اهتمام للقوانين والاعراف الدولية التي تحرم ذلك وتعتبر الاعتداء على الاطباء والطواقم الطبية وسيارات الاسعاف والمسعفين جريمة حرب كبرى يقدم مرتكبوها لمحكمة الجنايات الدولية لإنزال أشد العقوبات بحقهم.
غير ان دولة الاحتلال التي ترتكب الموبقات بحق شعبنا وأرضنا ومقدساتنا، لم تأبه ذلك نظراً لأنها تعتبر نفسها
فوق القوانين والاعراف الدولية، ما دامت الولايات المتحدة الاميركية والعديد من الدول الغربية الكبرى تقدم لها كافة وسائل الدعم وتمنع المجتمع الدولي من معاقبتها وتحول دون تنفيذ القرارات والاحكام الدولية عليها.
صحيح ان الاحتلال الاسرائيلي يعتدي منذ احتلاله على الكل الفلسطيني بما في ذلك الطواقم الطبية والمسعفين والمستشفيات وأطقم الدفاع المدني، وكل ما له علاقة بالانسان والانسانية، إلا ان التصعيد الاخير الذي يستهدف المؤسسات الطبية والدفاع المدني، كانت بارزة للعيان وتمارس أمام مرآى ومسمع العالم أجمع، والذي لا يحرك ساكناً ما دام الامر يتعلق بدولة الاحتلال وضد الشعب الفلسطيني.
ان استهداف هذه المؤسسات ان دل على شيء فإنما يدل على ان هذا الاحتلال مجرد من كل القيم الانسانية والحضارية، بل انه لا يمت للانسانية بصلة، رغم تبجحه بأنه الدولة الديمقراطية الوحيدة في الشرق الاوسط.
فما معنى أن يحاصر المدن والقرى والبلدات والمخيمات الفلسطينية ويحول دون دخول سيارات الاسعاف لمساعدة المرضى ونقل المرضى بالكلى الى المستشفيات للقيام بعمليات غسيل الكلى.
وما معنى رفض نقل حوامل الى المستشفيات ليضعن مواليدهن في المشافي، وما معنى منع سيارات الاسعاف من نقل المصابين برصاص الاحتلال الى المستشفيات وابقائهم على الارض ينزفون حتى يستشهدون.
ان جميع هذه الممارسات وغيرها التي لا تمت للانسانية بصلة وان هدفها النيل من صمود شعبنا، لجعله يرضخ لاجراءات وانتهاكات الاحتلال كمقدمة لترحيله عن ارضه، سواء برغبته أو بالقوة ومن خلال وسائل القتل والقمع على ايدي قوات الاحتلال وقطعان المستوطنين.
واذا اعتقد الاحتلال بأن مثل هذه الجرائم والانتهاكات يمكنها ان تجعل شعبنا يستكين فهو واهم، فشعبنا لن يرضى بديلاً عن تحقيق اهدافه في الحرية والاستقلال مهما بلغت التضحيات.

Vladivostok (Xinhua) -- At least 20 people have been killed and six others injured in a fire in a private nursing home in Kemerovo, Russia's West Siberian region, Tass news agency reported Saturday.

The report said that two of the injured were in critical condition.

The report, quoting law enforcement agencies, added that the fire was caused by a fault in the operation of the stove used for heating.
The fire broke out on Friday night in a two-story wooden building that houses the nursing home, which law enforcement agencies said was open illegally.

Istanbul - (AFP) - The Coordination Center for Ukrainian Grain Exports across the Black Sea was officially inaugurated in Istanbul, according to the agreements signed on July 22.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a short ceremony that the center, which is located in a military academy, will be run by "five representatives of Russia , Ukraine and the United Nations, in addition to Turkey, with an equal number of military and civilians."

Under the agreements concluded for a period of four months between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, this center will be in charge of conducting inspections of ships at sea, and upon their arrival in Istanbul, to verify that they are only transporting grain.

Global markets suffer from a severe shortage of agricultural crops, especially Ukrainian wheat, which have been stuck in ports due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine since February 24.
Akar said the convoys would sail from the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. "Preparation and planning for the first ships to sail is under way," he added.
At the same time, the Ukrainian Navy announced that these three Ukrainian ports had "resumed work".

And after he indicated that "there will be no military presence" around these convoys, he enumerated the most important tasks that the central coordination center would have to perform.

The center will have to register and track merchant ships that will participate in the convoys, monitor them via the Internet and satellites, and inspect ships "by joint inspection teams in the appropriate places" during loading in Ukrainian ports and upon arrival at Turkish ports.

If necessary, mine clearance will be decided and organized "by the parties". The Turkish minister said that this matter "is not necessary at this stage." "Those who work here realize that the eyes of the whole world are upon them," he added, expressing his hope that "the center will best contribute to meeting humanitarian needs and collective peace."
For his part, former US Admiral Fred Kenney, who represents the United Nations, noted that the "first function" of the new center is "to ensure the safe navigation of cargo ships." "Everything will be done in this direction," he said.
He added that "the agreement includes grains, food products and fertilizers," without being able to confirm whether it also applies to foodstuffs exported from Russia.
Russia demanded to be able to export its agricultural products without being subjected to Western sanctions.
"We are fulfilling our obligations and counting on the effective implementation of the Istanbul agreements," Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Ivan Nechaev said Wednesday.
However, he noted that "the issue of the export of Ukrainian grain and those related to Russian exports" should have been settled "by linking them together."
After a Russian strike on Odessa on Saturday morning, the day after the signing of the export agreement, Turkey said it was "concerned".
"The attack in Odessa worried everyone," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday morning.
Cavusoglu added, "It is not the type of attack that prevents the port from working, but it should not be repeated."
"We hope that the implementation of the agreement will be possible without problems," he added.

Moscow - (AFP) - A Russian diplomat confirmed Saturday that Moscow and Washington are discussing a possible exchange of detainees, including a Russian arms dealer held in the United States and an American basketball player held in Russia.

The United States has announced several times that it has made a "serious proposal" to Russia to release American women's basketball star Brittney Grainer and former American soldier Paul Whelan.

And US media reported that the matter is related to the exchange of Brittney Grainer and Paul Whelan for Victor Bot, dubbed "Death Dealer".

Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States. His unusual biography inspired the 2005 gun-running film "Lord of War," starring Nicolas Cage.

"Discussions on the highly sensitive issue of (prisoner exchange) are taking place through channels chosen by our superiors," said Alexander Darchev, director of the North America department at the Russian Foreign Ministry.

He added in an interview published by the Russian news agency (Tass) on Saturday that the names reported by the American media "are already being considered. Russia has been seeking the release of Viktor Bout for a long time."

He made it clear that "'quiet diplomacy' continues and must bear fruit if Washington (...) is keen, of course, to avoid being drawn into propaganda."

This is the first time that Moscow has confirmed that discussions are underway for a possible exchange involving a bot.

The Kremlin has long criticized Washington for making public statements about the ongoing negotiations.

These negotiations accelerated after Grainer was sentenced to nine years in prison in early August for drug trafficking.

The Phoenix Mercury player, who is considered one of the best basketball players in the world, was arrested in February in Moscow before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in possession of electronic cigarette packages containing liquid from Indian cannabis, and she fell victim to the geopolitical crisis that arose between the United States and Russia.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - A Palestinian young man was killed, Monday evening, as a result of being shot by unknown assailants in the town of Jisr al-Zarqa in the occupied interior .

Local sources said that Jalal Ammash (17 years old) was killed while he was in a shop in the town.

The death toll of murder victims in Arab towns in the occupied interior has risen since the beginning of this year 2022 until today, to 82 dead, including 11 women, noting that the death toll last year amounted to 111 victims, including 16 women.

BEIJING (Xinhua) -- The Chinese economy managed to maintain positive growth despite facing difficulties in the second quarter, growing by 2.5 percent year on year in the first half of this year, showing its resilience and latent potential amid headwinds.

The main economic indicators in China witnessed a sharp decline last April due to the increasingly complex and dangerous situation abroad and the resurgence of Omicron cases inside the country, which constituted a rare scene for the second largest economy in the world.

However, the downward trend was curbed after a number of measures were taken to support growth and control the latest wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Data released last Friday showed that the Chinese economy is increasingly firmly on the ground.

Value-added industrial output reversed its decline in May and accelerated its growth in June.

The manufacturing PMI is back in expansion range, indicating the growing confidence of manufacturers.

Consumption improved as retail sales of consumer goods rose 3.1 percent year-on-year in June, after falling year-on-year in April and May.

The recovery is expected to continue as China embarks on a path of expanding consumption, modernization and innovation.

Foreign trade has weathered an unfavorable international trade environment, overcome the impact of the epidemic on industry and supply chains, and has registered relatively rapid growth since the beginning of the year. Foreign trade of goods, in particular, jumped 9.4 percent year on year in the January-June period.

More importantly, industrial modernization is gaining momentum, fueling new growth engines for the economy.

In the first six months, the value-added output of large high-tech manufacturing firms grew 9.6 percent year on year, while investment in the high-tech industry rose 20.2 percent.

On the other hand, consumer prices rose moderately. The job market also improved, with the surveyed urban unemployment rate coming in at 5.5 percent in June, down from 5.9 percent in May.

The headwinds are evident for China, where risks of stagflation are rising for the global economy, the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, and demand contraction coupled with supply shocks at home.

But the plain fact is that the fundamentals of the Chinese economy have not changed, including its huge potential, strong resilience, and wide room for maneuver.

China will seize the sound momentum, remain confident, and forge ahead for a steady recovery of the economy.

Translation by "Jerusalem" dot com - Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said today, Sunday, that the current escalation in the northern West Bank is the result of the weakness of the Palestinian Authority and its security services.

In an interview with the Hebrew website Walla Lapid, Lapid confirmed the continuation of security cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, which he said enables normal life for settlers and Palestinians, and that his government has an interest in continuing to do so.

He pointed out that the escalation in the West Bank is not supported by any Palestinian factions, despite the great efforts made by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but in general there is no organizational work, rather they are frustrated young men, and we are dealing with them on the field level.

He said: We focus our efforts on keeping the escalation limited and confining it to those areas and seeking to reduce it, and for the holiday and the election period to pass quietly, noting that all the various Israeli agencies are working at one table and in an unprecedented way of cooperation to thwart any attacks.

Regarding a political settlement with the Palestinians, Lapid said that the Palestinian side is responsible for the current situation after it evaded 3 times from proposals for a political settlement on more than 90% of the land, the last of which was in 2014, and Israel went as far as possible, but Abu Mazen did not respond. So far on those proposals.

He added: This is not our fault, it is the fault of the endless rejection of Abu Mazen and the Palestinians, and all we must do now is pass these months in peace and try to calm the situation.

Lapid tried to refrain from answering the possibility of carrying out a large-scale military operation in the northern West Bank, pointing out that a certain policy is being pursued in coordination between the political and military echelons.

TIRANA - (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said here Thursday that the European Union will provide 80 million euros (79.7 million US dollars) in grants to Albania to tackle the energy crisis .

According to the Chairperson of the Commission, this energy support package will be part of the €500 million support package that the European Union will provide to the Western Balkan countries to help overcome the energy crisis and also as investments in energy communications, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

During a joint press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, the Commission Chair emphasized that the immediate payment of the package will support Albanian families and small businesses at this difficult time and will also help the country to address the impact of high energy prices.

Albania is von der Leyen's second stop on her Western Balkans tour, following her visit to North Macedonia on Wednesday. She is also scheduled to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and Montenegro.

Tokyo, 7-25-2022 (AFP) - 42 people have been injured by stray macaques in the western Japanese city of Yamaguchi since the beginning of July, in attacks of an unusual scale that have forced local authorities to use hypodermic stun guns to calm them down.

Macaques are common in the Japanese archipelago, where they are sometimes seen as a nuisance, breaking into homes or plundering crops.

Although it is unusual for these little monkeys to directly attack humans, both children and adults have been scratched or bitten by these animals in recent weeks.

"The whole of Yamaguchi is surrounded by mountains, so it is not rare to encounter monkeys there," an employee of the Japanese city's municipality told AFP on Monday.

However, he noted that "recording so many attacks in such a short period is not uncommon," adding, "In the beginning, the attacks targeted only children and women. But recently, elderly men and adults have also been targeted."

Local authorities have been patrolling since the first attacks on July 8, but have so far failed to catch any macaques. It remains unknown whether the attacks are related to an aggressive isolated group of monkeys, or whether they reflect behavior that has become widespread among these primates.

These incidents made headlines in the Japanese media, which reported many testimonies of residents of Yamaguchi who fell victim to them. "I heard crying on the ground floor, so I rushed to the place, and there I saw a monkey attacking my child," said the head of a family recently to the local newspaper, "Mainichi."

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - A memorandum of understanding was signed in Ramallah, today, Wednesday, within the framework of promoting domestic tourism and supporting hotels and tourist facilities, which were greatly affected as a result of the Corona pandemic.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed today, at the Arab Hotels Association in Ramallah, with the Small and Medium Enterprises Assistance for Recovery and Recovery Project (SMART), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the Development Alternatives Company (DAI), a qualitative agreement to launch a promotional campaign for the Palestinian tourism sector, which is the first of its kind and under the slogan "Give us a mile."

The campaign, which will last for three months, aims to promote the various tourist areas in Palestinian cities and villages and encourage domestic tourism trips to these areas, in addition to supporting hotels that have been severely damaged in the past years as a result of the impact of the Corona pandemic.

The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. Saeed Abu Hijleh, SMART Project Manager, and Mr. Elias Al-Arja, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arabian Hotels Association.

The promotional campaign is scheduled to be launched through several media and marketing platforms, and it includes the production of a special song, in addition to the production of a video for many tourist areas throughout the West Bank and East Jerusalem for several attractive tourist areas.

It will also cooperate with many media professionals and influencers on social media to shed more light on these tourist areas and encourage visitors to come to these areas and explore them themselves.

Mr. Saeed Abu Hijleh, SMART Project Manager, confirmed that the project aims to support the Palestinian private sector, especially the tourism sector, which was greatly affected as a result of the Corona pandemic, and that the campaign is part of the program to support the recovery of the tourism sector, which was launched in November from In 2021, a study was conducted to determine market requirements and target groups to stimulate domestic tourism by encouraging local tourists to visit and reside in the areas of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In addition to continuing to support hotels and the craft sector to recover and help them return to work as it was before the Corona pandemic.

Abu Hijleh added that during the last period, work has been done within the hotel recovery support program to provide financing grants on the basis of cost-sharing for approximately 30 hotels in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, which focused on supporting the capital expenditures necessary to restore hotels to work.

Abu Hijleh indicated that the assistance included improvements and renovations to hotel facilities, repair and replacement of vital equipment and systems, with the aim of restarting these hotels and preparing them to receive guests according to the best services.

In turn, Mr. Elias Al-Arja, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Hotels Association, thanked the SMART project for the joint cooperation and financing of the campaign, noting that hotels were greatly affected during the Corona pandemic, and that many hotels closed their doors as a result of high operational costs and the lack of domestic tourism during the pandemic period, which led to To great damage to the facilities of these hotels.

Al-Arja added that the launch of the campaign and the grants provided through the project will reflect positively on the Palestinian tourism sector, which employs approximately 40,000 people, and is a basic source of income for hundreds of Palestinian families working in this important and vital sector.

The Arab Hotels Association, the partner in the campaign, has 82 members, and the member hotels include more than six thousand hotel rooms ready to receive tourist trips.

The SMART Project is a four-year, $40 million project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The project works to help Palestinian companies to overcome the losses resulting from the Corona pandemic and put them on the path of sustainable economic growth. As a result of the Corona pandemic, 93% of Palestinian companies were negatively affected, as their production operations and services provided decreased, and their sales recorded a decrease of nearly 50%.

In its first year, the SMART project aims to provide support to more than 100 Palestinian companies (small and medium enterprises and start-ups) to recover from the economic impacts of the Corona pandemic, through small grants, training in new technologies, and market access support.

The support provided by the project will contribute to increasing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized companies and startups, and providing the necessary tools to increase their market share and increase job opportunities.

The project will also widely contribute to economic growth and self-reliance in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
The project gives priority to companies that comply with environmental protection standards and controls, as well as companies supported by youth, women, and marginalized groups in society, and encourages these groups and companies that enjoy growth opportunities to apply for grants through the project's website www.smartproject.ps.

Tokyo - (AFP) - Shinzo Abe , who was shot dead last Friday in the Nara region of western Japan , assumed the post of prime minister for the longest period in the country's history, during which he left his mark on political and economic life and dealt with many scandals.

Nearly two years after he had to relinquish power for health reasons, Abe, 67, was shot dead during an election rally on Friday. The memorial service was held on Tuesday at a large Buddhist temple in Tokyo, the day after the last look at it.

Abe was 52 years old when he became prime minister for the first time in 2006, making him the youngest prime minister in the country's history. He was seen as a symbol of change and youth, but he also represented the third generation of politicians belonging to an elite conservative family.

At its beginning, his reign was turbulent and witnessed scandals and disagreements, and it ended with his sudden resignation.

After first saying he was stepping down for political reasons, he admitted he was suffering from a disease that was later diagnosed as ulcerative colitis.

Abby was in therapy for months. Upon his return to power in 2012, he said he had overcome the disease with the help of a new drug.

His second term, in which he became the longest-serving prime minister in Japan's history, was dominated at home by his economic strategy, which he called "Abenomics", combining increased budgets, monetary flexibility and structural reforms.

He also sought to increase the birth rate by making workplaces more considerate of fathers and, in particular, of mothers.

He also introduced a controversial consumption tax in 2019 that aims to help fund nursery places for children three and under, as well as to contribute to an overstretched social security system. However, Japan's economy began to decline even before the Corona virus crisis, which wiped out the remaining gains.

His handling of the crisis was seen as slow and confusing, which led to a decline in his support to the lowest levels during his rule.

He was scheduled to remain in the position until September 2020, which would allow him to attend an important event in his historic mandate, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was postponed in 2021, but it seems that his health problems managed him again, and in 2020 he announced his resignation due to illness.

On the international stage, he took a firm stance on North Korea, but sought to be a peacemaker between the United States and Iran.

And he made it a priority to build a close personal relationship with Donald Trump, in an effort to preserve Japan's most important alliances, despite the slogan "America First" that the former US president used to raise, and he tried to repair relations with Russia and China.

But here, too, the matter is not without inconsistency. Trump remained determined to force Japan to pay a larger amount for the American forces deployed on its soil.

Tokyo failed to make progress in resolving the issue of the northern islands disputed with Russia, while a plan to invite Chinese President Xi Jinping for an official visit failed, amid rising domestic resentment towards Beijing.

During his tenure, he dealt with political scandals, including accusations of nepotism, which led to a decline in his approval rating, but it was unable to harm his authority, due, among other things, to the weakness of the political opposition in Japan.

Abe did not repeat a controversial visit in 2013 to a memorial to war victims that sparked widespread resentment in the region and criticism of the United States, and he adhered to a hard line towards South Korea over ongoing disputes from the war period, and continued to push plans to amend Japan's pacifist constitution.

Geneva, 7-8-2022 (AFP) - The chief economist in the Swiss government expected that the country would not witness a recession this year, despite the risks of a shortage in energy supplies.

The Swiss government's chief economist, Eric Schaidiger, said in a statement to the "Sonntagzeitung" newspaper that the Swiss economy is "in good shape" despite the repercussions of the ongoing war in Ukraine on energy prices.

He said companies should prepare for the possibility of energy shortages in the winter months.

"We may have to revise down our economic forecasts for next year. The revised forecast will be published on September 20. But we don't expect a recession this year," he added.

He added, "We face the risk of severe shortages in energy supplies in the winter. If production disruptions continue in the European Union and we suffer from a shortage of gas, then it becomes problematic."

And he expected the country to record in the "negative scenario" in the year 2023 "zero growth instead of a growth of about 2 percent."

Despite the risks of energy shortages and the repercussions of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Scheidegger ruled out that Switzerland would face a serious economic crisis.

"Currently, the economy is in good shape. Current indicators show that the economy in this country recorded good growth in the second quarter, after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine," he said.

"Economic support measures such as public aid and tax breaks are currently unnecessary and unhelpful," he noted.

He stressed that Switzerland's economy is less vulnerable to the repercussions of high energy prices compared to other European countries, because gas constitutes only five percent of the total energy consumed in the country.

With regard to inflation, Schideiger considered Switzerland an "island of bliss" compared to the United States, expecting the inflation rate to decline before the end of the year.