On Tuesday, two young men were shot dead by Israeli forces in Deir al-Hatab , east of Nablus .

Family sources stated that the two martyrs are the Palestinian security officer and the liberated prisoner, Saud al-Titi, and his companion, the liberator Muhammad Abu Dra’, both of whom are from Balata camp and are activists of the Al-Aqsa Brigades.

An Israeli military spokesman claimed that his forces ambushed a Palestinian cell that tried to carry out a shooting attack against the Elon Moreh settlement, and two of its members were killed, while a third fled the place and combing operations are being conducted in search of him.

He indicated that his forces found two M16 rifles and two pistols.

As the Red Crescent mentioned, a young man who was injured by shrapnel from bullets in the shoulder and hand was transferred, while the occupation forces prevented access to the other injured person.

Germany is proceeding with its decision to abandon nuclear power despite the crisis in this field, as it shut down the last three reactors on Saturday, counting on the success of its environmental transition without relying on atomic energy .

On the banks of the Neckar River, near Stuttgart in southern Germany, the white steam from the Baden-Württemberg nuclear power plant will soon be a memory.

The same applies to the "Essar 2" complex in Bavaria, in the east of the country, and Emsland in the north, on the other side of Germany, near the Dutch border.

While many Western countries rely on nuclear energy, Germany, the economic leader in Europe, is turning this page once and for all, despite the ongoing controversy on the subject.

Germany is implementing the decision to phase out nuclear power taken in 2002, which was accelerated by Angela Merkel in 2011, after the Fukushima disaster in Japan.

The German chancellor said at the time that the Fukushima disaster showed that "even in a high-tech country like Japan, the risks associated with nuclear energy cannot be controlled 100 percent."

The declaration convinced public opinion in a country where a strong anti-nuclear movement had been fueled first by fears of conflict linked to the Cold War and then by accidents such as Chernobyl.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 could have prompted a comprehensive reconsideration of the issue: With Germany deprived of Russian gas after Moscow cut off the bulk of it, Berlin found itself exposed to the darkest scenarios, from the risk of closing its factories to the risk of deprivation of heating in the height of winter.

A few months before the tentative shutdown of the last three reactors, on December 31, the winds of public opinion began to turn. "With the rise in energy prices and the burning climate issue, naturally there have been calls to extend the operation of the stations," says Jochen Winkler, mayor of Neckarfestheim, where the power station of the same name is living its last hours.

And the government of Olaf Scholz, in which the Green Party, the most hostile to nuclear power, finally decided to extend the operation of the reactors to secure supplies until April 15.

Winkler explains, "Perhaps the discussion would have been renewed if we had witnessed a more difficult winter, or if there had been a power outage and a shortage of gas. But the winter that passed us did not have many problems," thanks to the massive import of liquefied natural gas.

For the mayor of the town of 4,000, more than 150 of whom work at the power plant, “the wheel has begun to turn” and there is no time to “turn back”.

Germany has shut down sixteen reactors since 2003. The last three plants provided 6% of the energy produced in the country last year, after nuclear energy provided 30.8% of the total energy in the country in 1997.

Meanwhile, the share of renewables in the generation mix will reach 46% in 2022, compared to less than 25% ten years ago.

However, the current pace of progress in renewables satisfies neither the government nor environmental activists, and Germany will not achieve its climate goals without strong additional efforts.

These goals are "already ambitious without phasing out nuclear energy, and every time we deny ourselves a technical option, we make things more difficult," says Jörg Sackmann, a specialist in energy issues at the Bruegel Research Center in Brussels.

The equation is even more complicated with the goal of closing all coal-fired power plants in the country by 2038, with a large proportion of them shutting down by 2030.

Coal still accounts for a third of Germany's electricity production, up 8% last year to make up for the absence of Russian gas.

Olaf Scholz emphasized the need for Germany to install "4 to 5 wind turbines every day" over the next few years to cover its needs. These numbers are considered high compared to the installation of 551 turbines in 2022.

A series of regulatory easings adopted in recent months should allow the pace to accelerate. “The planning and approval process for a wind power project takes an average of 4 to 5 years,” according to the industry association BWE, which considers accelerating the pace by a year or two as “significant progress”.

China intends to subject artificial intelligence tools to “security audits” regarding the extent to which their contents adhere to “basic socialist values” and do not prejudice state security, at a time when giant local Internet companies are racing to design tools similar to the “GBT Chat” robot.

Launched in November, US ChatGBT's ability to generate detailed answers in a matter of seconds on a wide range of topics has a large following in China.

ChatGBT cannot be used in China, but many articles and discussions on social networks cover it, as major local technology companies compete to design equivalent tools in China.

The search engine "Baidu" was at the forefront of the Chinese groups that entered this line, and soon the Internet and video game company "Tencent" as well as the "Alibaba" company, the pioneer of e-commerce, followed suit.

Amid this rush towards so-called generative AI, China would like to regulate this technology.

Before any product based on generative AI can be put at the disposal of users, it should be "requested to undergo a security audit," according to a draft regulatory text published by the China Cyberspace Administration on Tuesday.

This regulatory body, which published the draft text to monitor comments on it before its adoption, did not specify any date for its entry into force.

The draft regulatory text states that content generated by AI should "reflect core socialist values and not contain (elements related to) subversion of state power".

This content must also respect intellectual property rights, according to the same document.

This text aims to ensure "the healthy development of generative AI technology and its application in accordance with standards."

Andy Chun, a technology expert at the University of Hong Kong, told AFP that the text contained "one of the strictest measures" in the field of regulating ChatGPT artificial intelligence.

China aspires to take the lead in the world in the field of artificial intelligence by 2030, which is expected to revolutionize a number of sectors, including the automotive industry and medicine.

Baidu was the first among Chinese companies to announce the start of work on a similar program, and last month the media briefed on its "Ernie Bot" tool, which works in Mandarin language only and is directed to the Chinese market only, while it is in an experimental stage.

The giant Chinese e-commerce company "Alibaba" also presented its program in the same field on Tuesday, calling it "Tongyi Qian Wen" (a machine that knows everything).

Providing a high-performance chatbot that does not deviate from the very strict framework of what is permissible in terms of content is the main difficulty for developers in China in the race of artificial intelligence.

In light of this future regulation, companies must "exercise extreme caution" and ensure that all data used to feed their AI is "in line" with the directives, says Andy Chun.

Likewise, "it is difficult to guarantee the accuracy of (the answers), as there is not yet any artificial intelligence system that can do that," he said.

China is at the forefront of regulating new technologies, which some argue could pose a potential threat to the stability and power of the Communist Party.

After years of permissiveness, since 2020 the Chinese authorities have been taking a more stringent approach to the practices of powerful digital companies, particularly in cases relating to personal data.

China already closely censors the Internet and the media. An army of censors daily removes content that gives a negative image of state policy.

As for social networks, they are subject to increasing scrutiny.

Last year, Chinese authorities asked internet giants to share their algorithms, which they usually keep secret.

These algorithms are the brains of many applications and services on the Internet.

Last January, Beijing tightened control over deepfakes (what is known as "deepfake"), which allow digital manipulation of images in a way that they appear real, and pose a challenge in combating disinformation.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations , Antonio Guterres, began Tuesday in Mogadishu a brief visit to Somalia , a country suffering as a result of a long conflict and natural disasters.

Pictures published on social media showed Somali Foreign Minister Absher Omar Harusi receiving Guterres at Mogadishu airport.

The Somali authorities strengthened security in Mogadishu on the occasion of the unannounced visit, with most roads cut off and public transport restricted.

Guterres, who visited Somalia in March 2017, will hold talks with political leaders and visit a camp for the displaced, according to local press reports.

Guterres is visiting him at a time when the country is suffering from a catastrophic drought that has brought many to the brink of famine, while the government is dealing with a bloody Islamist insurgency.

The United Nations launched an appeal to collect $ 2.6 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of this country located in the Horn of Africa, but it has not collected so far only 13% of the necessary funds.

Five consecutive disastrous rainy seasons in some parts of Somalia as well as in Kenya and Ethiopia led to the worst drought in the region in four decades, destroying livestock and crops and forcing at least 1.7 million people to leave their homes in search of food and water.

The United Nations estimates that about half of the population will need humanitarian assistance this year, as the drought affected 8.3 million people.

"The crisis is not over yet, the needs are still great and urgent," said the UN coordinator for Somalia, Adam Abdulla, last week in Geneva, warning that "some of the most affected areas still face the risk of famine."

He mentioned that floods resulting from seasonal rains in March killed 21 people and displaced more than 100,000, indicating that the rains may not be sufficient to improve the food security situation in the future.

Somalia witnessed a famine in 2011 that killed 260,000 people, more than half of whom were children under the age of six. The United Nations held its responsibility in part to the international community for not moving at the required speed.

A study published in March by the Somali Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and the UN agency UNICEF warned that the consequences of drought in Somalia could kill between 18,100 and 34,200 people during the first six months of the year.

Somalia, one of the world's poorest countries, suffers from decades of civil war, political violence and a bloody insurgency waged by the al-Shabaab movement, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda.

President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, who returned to power in May 2022, threatened the Islamists last year with "total war" and sent troops in September to support an uprising by local clan militias in the center of the country against Islamist fighters.

In recent months, the Somali army and clan militias have recaptured several areas from Al-Shabaab in the operation, which was carried out with air support from US forces and the support of the African Union force in Somalia.

At the end of March, the government announced that more than 3,000 al-Shabaab militants had been killed since the start of the attack, and the Ministry of Information reported that 70 cities and villages had been “liberated” from Islamists who have waged a rebellion since 2007 against the federal government supported by the international community.

It was not possible to verify this information from independent sources.

Al-Shabaab often responds by launching bloody attacks that show their ability to launch strikes inside cities and on Somali military installations and civilian, political and military targets, despite the advance of government forces.

Guterres stated in a report to the UN Security Council in February that the year 2022 recorded the largest number of civilian casualties since 2017, especially as a result of the increase in Al-Shabaab attacks.

Today, Tuesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed that two headquarters will be closed in Ariha and Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip , while maintaining and strengthening all programs in those affected areas and in other existing offices.

The committee also confirmed in a statement that it will continue to provide the humanitarian services and activities it used to provide in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Israel.

"We remain closely committed to all societies affected by conflict and occupation since 1967, in particular through our work to promote protection and respect for the civilian population," said ICRC Head of Delegation Alessandra Mignon.

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces arrested a young man after assaulting him near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron .

According to local sources, these forces arrested a young man from the al-Rajabi family and transferred him for interrogation, after they assaulted him, claiming he had a knife.

China 's inflation fell sharply in March to below 1%, a sign of weak demand as the world's second-largest economy tries to recover from the recession caused by the pandemic.

The National Bureau of Statistics said in its official figures that the consumer price index, which is the main measure of inflation, was 0.7 percent, compared to 1 percent in the previous month.

Beijing has set a target for average consumer price inflation in 2023 of 3 percent.

Analysts had expected inflation to pick up in March, as economic activity picked up after the waiver of strict COVID-related restrictions at the end of 2022.

The producer price index, which measures the cost of goods leaving the factory, shrank for the sixth month in a row, with prices falling 2.5 percent.

"The economic recovery is on the right track, but it is not strong enough to raise prices," said economist Jeffy Zhang of the "Penpoint Asset Manager" group.

"This is an indication that the economy is still operating below its potential," he added.

China was relatively unaffected by the sharp rise in world prices for raw materials and food and the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

However, the Chinese economy was greatly affected in 2022 by the isolation measures and movement restrictions imposed within the framework of the strict "zero Covid" health policy that finally ended in early December.

Activity and consumption will gradually resume.

"We believe that consumer price inflation will rebound in the coming months," financial advisory firm Capital Economics said in a note.

Analysts pointed out that "it will be well below the ceiling set by the government by about 3 percent, and the increase in inflation will be much less than what has been seen elsewhere."

And the world's second largest economy recorded growth of only 3 percent in 2022, which is among the lowest in four decades.

China has set a target of 5 percent growth in 2023.

Two employees of the " Catholic Relief Services " organization were shot dead during the weekend in the Amhara region in northern Ethiopia , which has been witnessing unrest for several days, according to what this non-governmental organization announced.

Demonstrations and road closures have been recorded in Amhara since Thursday, after the federal government began the process of disarmament and the inclusion of elements of armed units in the federal army or police under local authority.

And formed these units called "special forces" in Ethiopia outside any legal framework about 15 years ago by the Ethiopian provinces.

"Chol Tungiek, a security official and driver Emara Kindia, was shot dead in an organization's car in the Amhara region on the way back from Addis Ababa at the end of a mission," the organization said.

The Catholic non-governmental organization based in the United States added that "the circumstances of their killing are not yet clear."

According to the organization's website, it has been operating in Ethiopia for nearly sixty years.

It is difficult to determine the situation in Amhara, which journalists are prevented from entering for "security reasons".

On Monday, restrictions were imposed, especially on movement at night and gathering, in three cities in Amhara, Gondaro Dessi and Debre Burhan.

These restrictions were imposed by the military "command center" in each of these cities, which gives the impression that the federal army is now holding on to security.

And Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed confirmed Sunday that the disarmament process will be completed "at any cost" and warned that "the law will be applied to all those who contribute to destabilization."

The government confirms that the operation is being carried out in all regions and that the unrest is confined to Amhara, in which the "special forces" in force provided essential assistance to the federal army during the two-year armed conflict between the authorities and the Tigray region.

An agreement signed last November ended this war, but several local disputes are still tearing Ethiopia apart, especially related to ethnic claims and land disputes.

Dr. confirmed. Eman Mostafa , a professor at the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the Egyptian National Research Center , discusses the importance of fasting and its impact on health in general, and on immunity in particular, noting that fasting Ramadan lowers high blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels as well as blood sugar levels, and is also a factor. Preventive and therapeutic help in cancer diseases, by strengthening the immune system.

She said that the immune system in the human body is based on a large system of vital processes, to protect the body from diseases, toxins, and cancerous cells. Mostafa said that the immune system works according to two systems, one of which is innate or natural, and inherited, and the other is represented by acquired immunity, as a result of contracting a disease or taking various vaccinations. .

Mustafa said that fasting strengthens the natural and acquired immunity, noting that fasting for long hours stimulates the activity of the immune system, so the body gets rid of dead or damaged cells that it does not need and helps to produce new cells, which enhances immunity. Intermittent fasting, which lasts about 16 hours or more, affects immune cells, as research has shown that these cells leave the bloodstream during fasting, and resort to the bone marrow known for its richness in nutrients, to start multiplying and enhancing its energy and activity, and its ability to protect the body and reduce the chances of disease. .

Fasting stimulates the secretion of many proteins, which in turn help regulate metabolic processes, repair DNA, strengthen immunity and increase cognitive abilities. Fasting increases the secretion of endorphins, which cause happiness, which in turn modulates the production of antibodies from immune cells and calms the immune system, which increases the ability of white blood cells to eliminate microbes and reduce the chances of infection.

Amidst the continuing crisis of the teachers' strike , which has been going on for more than two months, there are negative effects that threaten the current academic year , amid calls to resolve the crisis, before reaching catastrophic effects that may affect the pillars of the educational process.

Disastrous effects on the school year
The director of the U-Smart Center for Training and Consultation, an educational expert, Jawdat Sisan, said in an interview with Al-Quds.com: “The irregularity of working hours may have catastrophic effects on the academic year, with the exception of the Tawjihi, although there is confusion, but things are moving towards holding the exam, and Compensation for the educational loss can be towards overcoming the risk of adopting the school year.

Saisan believes that there are other effects of the continued ignoring of the solution to the teachers' strike crisis, as these effects may affect the teaching profession , amid warning of the reluctance of male teachers from the teaching profession, in addition to the fact that many low-income people are thinking of going to the private education sector, which is expensive.

In turn, educational expert Youssef Abu Ras said in his interview with Al-Quds.com: "The options available to the government and teachers are closed, in light of the intransigence of each party and its adherence to the demands, and thus the continuation of the crisis."

Abu Ras asserts that the continuation of the strike means that the school term is in danger, and the Ministry of Education may resort to closing the school year and calculating the marks for the first semester.

Abu Ras stresses that it is important to consider that the disruption of working hours affects the quality of education in terms of: the skills, experiences, attitudes, and values that students acquire, as there has been an educational loss over the past four years, as a result of the Corona crisis and the strike of public teachers. past and present.

With regard to the "Tawjihi" test, Abu Ras confirms that it was passed and its date was set on the eighth of next June, and I do not think that matters will reach a choice by any teacher in the "Tawjihi" district, because that means that we are going to a disastrous choice both in terms of The students themselves or their families, which means that we are going towards increasing problems in the Palestinian society.

Promote educational loss!
The spokesman for the Ministry of Education, Sadiq Al-Khdour, confirms in a statement to Al-Quds.com that the educational loss that is occurring is not only due to the teachers’ strike this year. The loss rate for this year reached 21% due to disruption of working hours.

Al-Khdour believes that the repercussions of the educational loss vary from one school class to another, but the most affected classes are the first stages of study, as they are the foundation stage, and there is an educational loss that will leave a weakness among the students whose effects can be felt in the coming years and remain with the student in the subsequent grades. In addition, the effects of the strike affect the pillars of the entire educational process, whether among the teachers themselves, or teachers and parents, as well as the psychological effects it leaves on students.

Al-Khdour says: "Since the beginning of the crisis, we have confirmed that this crisis has no winner, but rather that the entire educational process is a loser, and the student is the biggest loser. If we want to monitor the repercussions of the crisis, we can see them, and we hope that they will not affect high school students when they enroll in universities, being a student." (Tawjihi) is one of the affected.”

A complete compensation plan
According to Al-Khadour, the Ministry of Education has a complete plan to compensate students who lost their education, and it will start implementing it after the month of Ramadan. However, the Ministry is monitoring the return of some schools and the total disruption has become limited, and there are teachers who have returned, but we leave this week as preparation for students and breaking the impasse, and in the event of the crisis continuing, there are several scenarios. The Ministry has to deal with any developments, and we need a careful study of all scenarios, and standing on all the details.

Al-Khdour stresses that any amendment to the academic year's agenda will remain the same for the next academic year, noting that a date has been set for the "Tawjihi" exam on the eighth of next June, as the test is related to students' association with universities.

At a time when Al-Khdour called on the parents to support the ministry, he saluted the teachers, and appealed to them all to win in the interest of the students, and said: "The ministry's mission is to achieve a balance between the rights of the teacher and the student alike."

Teachers' willingness to compensate while upholding their rights
On more than one occasion, the "teachers' movement" affirmed its willingness to compensate the students, but with its adherence to claiming its rights, and in the face of the failure of many initiatives to solve the crisis, the "teachers' movement" announced its escalation of its protest steps since yesterday, Sunday, which have been going on for more than two months, and announced a boycott of the test. High School “Tawjihi”, and an emphasis on the continuation of the strike, to demand the implementation of an agreement concluded, last year.

In May 2022, an agreement was concluded between the Palestinian government, the General Union of Palestinian Teachers and the "teachers' movement", sponsored by many institutions and personalities, and the strike stopped after that, but the protests and strikes have returned since February 5, 2023, to demand the implementation of that initiative.

The agreement included 5 clauses: returning discounts to teachers, professionalizing education, issuing a teacher protection law, working to “democratize the union”, and depositing a 15% bonus for the nature of work on the salary slip, starting from the first month of the new year 2023.

Thousands of young doctors in the United Kingdom will launch a four-day strike on Tuesday to demand better pay in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, piling pressure on the country's health system.

"It is the mobilization that will have the biggest impact in the history of the NHS and the most stressful," said Stephen Boyce, health director for NHS England.

"Priority will be given to urgent and dangerous cases, but the appointments of some patients will be postponed," he added.

And the NHS Confederation reported that 350,000 medical appointments could be postponed. The young doctors went on strike for three days last month, affecting 175,000 appointments.

In the UK, junior doctors represent about half of the doctors in hospitals, from young doctors who have just graduated to doctors with eight years of experience.

The strike, which begins on Tuesday morning and ends on Saturday morning, comes after the Easter break, with many workers on holiday.

"This strike will have a catastrophic impact on the ability of the NHS" to operate at full capacity, NHS union director Matthew Tyler told Sky News on Monday.

He added, "It is not useful to hide that it will create risks for patients," calling on the British to be careful. "Try to avoid risky behavior because the NHS will not be able to provide the necessary care."

The BMA, which represents trainee doctors, confirmed that these doctors have lost 26 percent of their actual wages since 2008.
The union is calling for a 35% increase in wages, which Health Minister Steve Barclay described as "unrealistic".

The NHS system is going through a major crisis after it was weakened by austerity policies and the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic. Strikes have been frequent since the beginning of the year among nurses, doctors and paramedics.

In the midst of her tears and sadness, as she received the blessed month of Ramadan , in the absence of her captive son, Shadi Muhammad Gawadrah (36 years), who was sentenced to life imprisonment, the occupation disturbed his family’s joy in the holy month, and added a new wound and suffering to her, by arresting her second son, university student Badr (21 years), in The first day of Ramadan.

His fiftieth mother, Khadija Gawadrah, told Al-Quds.com: "My son, Shadi, received the 20th of Ramadan in the prisons of the occupation , which deprived us of him, and his absence from our lives, our occasions, and our tables.

She adds: "Over the past years, we did not know the joy and taste of Ramadan except with its religious rituals, and the month this year was more difficult, after the occupation snatched my second son, and turned him from a student to a prisoner, and we are missing two of our sons at our tables, so which Sharia or law allows this Israeli injustice?

The prisoner Badr is considered the last of his family of 11 members. He was born, raised and lived in the village of Bir al-Basha, south of Jenin , and he experienced with his family the seasons of pain and pain since his childhood, during the journey of chasing and arresting his brother Shadi. His mother, Shadi’s mother, says: “Badr only cared.” With his studies and planning for his future, and after his success in high school, he joined Al-Quds Open University, but the occupation cut him off during his studies in the second academic year.

And she adds: "On the dawn of 3/23/2023, the occupation forces surrounded our house, and stormed it in a barbaric and brutal manner, as it was the first day of the holy month. They detained and isolated family members, until the campaign of tampering, searching and destroying all the contents of the house ended, in a vengeful and fierce manner, with the aim of punishing us." .

And she continues: "During that, they detained our son Badr in one of the rooms of the house, subjected him to field investigation, then handcuffed and blindfolded him and arrested him without allowing us to say goodbye, but our shock was great, and it brought back to us pictures of the terrible suffering that has not ended in our lives since the arrest of my son Shadi, who is still Behind bars, as well as our son Sami, who spent 9 years until he was freed.

Um Shadi, who suffers from several chronic diseases, waited for Badr's return and liberation, and hoped that it would be a mistake in his arrest case, but she was greatly affected, after the occupation refused to release him, and said: "My son is committed to his university and work. He does not interfere in politics and has no activity. All his interests are in his family and his university." He worked after the academic period, and they took him to the cellars for investigation, and when they failed to convict him of any charge or case, they transferred him to administrative detention.

And she adds: "Until today, he was unable to communicate with us, and the lawyer was not allowed to visit him, and we received news through the prisoners that after the end of the investigation with him without convicting him of any charge, they transferred him to administrative detention for a period of 6 months, under the pretext of a secret file, which confirms that his detention is arbitrary and invalid."

And she continues: "Administrative detention is difficult, painful, and very cruel. There is no end to it, and we will continue to live on our nerves, because the intelligence services control his fate and life."

The mother, Umm Shadi, expresses her pride in her children’s steadfastness, despite her daily pain over their absence, and says: “Badr’s arrest comes, and we have been moving between prisons for 20 years, to visit my wounded and sick son, Shadi, who is suffering as a result of his bullet wounds from the occupation and complications affecting his kidneys and vision. It is considered a case of medical negligence in prisons.

And she adds: "Every day I cry for Shadi, who is sentenced for life, and I wait for his freedom and his return to my arms, but today I became sad for depriving me of him and Badr, but we have nothing but patience and steadfastness, faith and supplication to the Lord of the worlds, and we will remain as a Palestinian people who are proud of our heroes and adore this country even if the occupation arrests us." All of us, and my prayers to God are to celebrate their freedom and all the prisoners, and to welcome them with a national wedding on the next holiday.”

The Central Bank of Cuba announced that deposits in US dollars are again allowed after the decision to suspend them in 2021 due to the blockade imposed by the United States.

"Financial and banking institutions will accept cash deposits in US dollars in bank accounts," said a decision issued by the Central Bank of Cuba, published Monday in the Official Gazette.

This new decision cancels a decision issued by the Central Bank of Cuba, which in June 2021 suspended cash deposits in dollars due to the difficulties associated with the ongoing US blockade.

The decision, which came as a surprise, stated that the new monetary policy responds to the current priorities in the island, namely the economy and tourism, two sectors that have suffered greatly from the Covid-19 pandemic and have begun their gradual recovery.

The Central Bank of Cuba attributed its decision to these favorable economic conditions, noting the continuation of measures to "prevent cash deposits in US dollars abroad".

Cuban economist Omar Everlini Perez said the authorities are trying to reverse mistakes they made, stressing that "dollars are still circulating on the black market."

The Central Bank of Cuba, for its part, pointed out that "the core of the problem has not been solved."

The island has been under a US blockade since 1962, which makes dollar exchanges difficult. This blockade was tightened under former US President Donald Trump, with more than 240 additional measures that current President Joe Biden has not returned.

The monetary reform adopted by the Cuban government in January 2021 in the midst of the pandemic led to a decline in the Cuban peso from 24 to 120 against the US dollar, according to the official exchange rate, with a huge increase in the black market, where the price is 185 pesos against one dollar.

This was accompanied by runaway inflation that reached 70% in 2021 and 39% in 2022.

More than 17,000 Filipino and US soldiers on Tuesday began the largest joint military exercise in decades in the Philippines , amid criticism that it is escalating tensions in the region rather than promoting peace and stability.

According to the Philippine military, the annual 18-day exercise dubbed "Balikatan" involves 5,400 Philippine and 12,200 US soldiers, making it the largest Philippine-US joint military exercise in decades.

About 100 members of the Australian armed forces participate in the exercise, while ten countries, including Japan and Britain, participate as observers.

The "Balikatan 2023" exercise will be held in several regions, including northern Luzon Island, Palawan Province, Batanes Islands and Zambales Province from April 11 to 28.

The exercises will focus on maritime security, amphibious operations, live fire training, cyber defence, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness. The Philippines and the United States will deploy complex weapons systems, including a Patriot missile battery and High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS).

Hundreds of demonstrators, including members of the Philippine Students Association, held a "flash rally" at around 5 a.m. local time today (Tuesday), a few hours before the official launch of the Balikatan exercise in the Philippines. The students urged the Philippine government to cancel military agreements with the United States.

The demonstrators carried banners denouncing the exercises and urging Filipinos to oppose the joint exercises. Some activists threw "paint bombs" and defaced the seal of the US Embassy in Manila to denounce the joint military training.

Another protest was held at the gate of a military camp while the opening ceremony was taking place inside the headquarters.

Ana Malindog-Oy, vice president of the Manila-based Philippine Century Asian Institute for Strategic Studies, warned that organizing Balikatan would create instability and volatility in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region and the broader Asia-Pacific region, adding that Filipinos would be stuck. in the midst of mutual conflicts and will suffer the most.

Roland Sempulan, vice president of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance in the Philippines, urged his country to focus more on economic relations with all countries rather than continuing to spend on arms sales, which implies Balikatan and other joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States.

Balikatan, which means "shoulder to shoulder" in the Filipino language, is the most extensive of several joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States.

The Visiting Forces Agreement gives US forces a legal basis to be in the Southeast Asian country to conduct bilateral military exercises and governs the conduct of US armed forces personnel.

Kazakhstan announced on Tuesday that it had initiated international arbitration proceedings against major oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Shell, regarding the deduction of $16.5 billion from the proceeds of two oil fields.

The official news agency quoted Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev as saying that the government "has started an international arbitration against the companies operating the Karachaganak and Kashagan fields," adding that "the sums are 3.5 billion and 13 billion dollars."

The vast Kashagan field in the northern Caspian Sea is managed by the North Caspian Operating Company consortium, which includes Mazmuanegas, Eni, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total Energy, China National Petroleum Corporation and Inpex.

The Karachaganak field in western Kazakhstan is operated by Eni, Shell and Kazmonaygas, along with Chevron and Lukoil.

The operating companies deducted some costs from the revenues of the two fields before sharing them with the government under production-sharing contracts.

Thursday, the European Space Agency launches its space probe, " Juice ", on a journey to Jupiter that will last for eight years, in an effort to find out if there are environments conducive to life on the giant planet of the solar system, and on its icy moons.

The "Ariane 5" rocket is scheduled to take off from the Kourou base in French Guiana on Thursday on its penultimate flight (it will be replaced by "Ariane 6") carrying the probe whose name consists of the initials of the phrase "Jupiter Icy Moons explorer". .

The project manager of the "Arianespace" group, Veronique Loiselle, explained in a press conference that the probe, which weighs more than six tons and was designed by the "Airbus" company with its ten scientific tools, will be pushed to a height of 1,500 km before being transferred to orbit.

And then begins the journey of "Joss", which is expected to arrive in the year 2031 to its final destination, located about 628 million km from Earth. The probe's journey will be long and winding because it does not have enough energy to reach Jupiter via a direct path.

Goose will be able to continue his journey with the benefit of gravity, relying on the use of the force of attraction of other planets, similar to the technology of the catapult. It will fly first over the Moon and the Earth, then over Venus in 2025, then over the Earth again in 2029, before heading towards the giant solar system and its icy moons that Galileo discovered 400 years ago.

The temperature in which the probe will be present during its journey will vary, as it is 250 degrees above zero when it passes over Venus, compared to 230 degrees below zero around Jupiter, as explained by Carole Larigaudry, head of the "Joss" project at the French National Center for Space Studies. Which necessitated that it be equipped with a multi-layer insulating cover to ensure that its tools are kept at a constant temperature.

Another challenge is enabling GOSS to conserve energy, since sunlight is twenty-five times weaker than it is on Earth. Hence, it has been equipped with solar panels totaling 85 square metres, the size of a basketball court, in order to store "maximum photons".

Upon reaching its destination after traveling a distance of two billion kilometers, "Goose" must enter the orbit of Jupiter by means of a risky braking operation.

"Joss" will explore the Jupiter system, that is, the giant planet itself and its main moons, which are the volcanic Io and the three frozen satellites accompanying it, Europe, Ganymede and Callisto, noting that other probes have previously paved the way for this mission, including "Galileo" and "Juno".

Olivier Weetas, scientific director of the "Joss" project at the European Space Agency, said that it is "a mini solar system whose study will allow to enhance understanding of how the solar system was formed" to which the Earth follows.

The weather, magnetic fields, and satellite interdependence will be some of the information that will help Joss in his main mission, which is to find habitable environments, that is, suitable for life forms.

The probe focuses on Ganymede, the largest moon of the solar system, and also the only one that has its own magnetic field that protects it from radiation. Goose is scheduled to enter Ganymede's orbit in 2034, which would be a first.

The available data on Ganymede make it, like Europa, one of the best moons whose habitability can be studied. "This does not mean that we will find life on it, but we want to know if its presence on it is possible," said the planetary scientist at the French National Center for Space Studies.

Beneath the icy crust, the two moons hide vast oceans of liquid water, which are the main condition for the emergence of life forms.
It is assumed that the tools provided to the vehicle (such as an optical camera, spectrophotometer, radar, altimeter, magnetometer, etc.) will allow the determination of the characteristics of this ocean to see if it can harbor forms of life. "We have no idea" which one of these forms might be possible, said Francis Rocard.

But by extrapolating from what is known about terrestrial life in extreme environments, scientists believe that primitive microorganisms such as bacteria could exist.

The data that Joss will collect will be complemented by NASA's Europa Clipper probe, which will also be sent in 2024 to study Europa.

JOS, with a total cost of 1.6 billion euros, is the first European mission to enter the outer solar system, which begins after Mars.

The launch of the probe comes in the midst of a space missile crisis afflicting Europe, as it almost no longer has the ability to conduct independent flights into space, given the withdrawal of the Russian “Soyuz” missiles from Kourou, the delay of “Ariane 6” and the failure of the first commercial “Vega” flight.

The Israeli occupation forces continue to tighten their military measures in the Jordan Valley, for the fourth day in a row.

According to local sources, these forces tightened their military measures at the Tayaseer and Hamra military checkpoints, which caused a suffocating traffic crisis.

For four days, citizens have been facing real suffering in reaching their places of work and farms in the Jordan Valley, due to the strict siege imposed by the occupation forces on several areas, especially in the village of Frush Beit Dajan in the Central Jordan Valley.

A Yemeni government spokesman said today (Tuesday) that all arrangements for the implementation of the exchange of 887 prisoners and detainees between the government and the Houthis have been completed, indicating that the process will begin on Thursday.

The spokesman for the government team in the prisoners' negotiations, Majed Fadayel, told Xinhua that all arrangements regarding the implementation of Switzerland's agreement to exchange 887 prisoners and detainees have been finally completed.

He added that the International Committee of the Red Cross has completed its visit to all those covered by the agreement in Marib, Aden and the western coast, and has completed all other arrangements in preparation for the start of the process of implementing the exchange.

Fadayel, who is also the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Human Rights in the Yemeni government, confirmed that the exchange process will begin next Thursday, corresponding to April 13, and on the first day, former Defense Minister Mahmoud Al-Subaihi and General Nasser Mansour Hadi will be transferred from Sana’a to Aden Airport, along with other military prisoners, in conjunction with the transfer of A number of Houthi prisoners from Aden Airport to Sana'a Airport.

According to the spokesman, Fadayel, next Friday, 19 soldiers from the Arab coalition forces will be transferred from Sana'a airport to Riyadh airport, and at the same time, Houthi personnel will be transferred from the Saudi Khamis Mushait airport to Sana'a airport.

And last Saturday, the Yemeni government and the Houthi group announced the postponement of the start date for the exchange of 887 prisoners between them, after it was scheduled to start today (Tuesday).

Last March, the United Nations sponsored a Yemeni round of negotiations between the government and the Houthis regarding prisoners and detainees, and on the 20th of the same month it was announced that an agreement had been reached to exchange 887 prisoners from both sides.

The agreement included the release of 706 Houthi prisoners in exchange for the release of 181 in favor of the government and the Arab coalition.

In 2020, the United Nations sponsored a round of negotiations in Switzerland, at which time an agreement was reached, according to which the Yemeni government and the Houthi group implemented an exchange operation that included more than 1,000 prisoners and detainees from both sides.

Yemen has been suffering from a bloody conflict since late 2014 between the government and the Houthis, and this is the second largest exchange between the two sides, once completed.

Many antiquities have been looted not only from museums, but also from illegal excavations conducted in archaeological sites across Iraq , following the US invasion in 2003, according to a report published on the English-language website of Al-Jazeera on Friday.

In this context, the Iraqi government is doing its best to recover lost cultural relics, but there is still a lot of work to do, according to the report.

Haider Farhan, an archaeologist and professor of antiquities at the University of Baghdad, was quoted as saying, "There are no official statistics on the number of stolen antiquities."

Many Iraqis blamed the United States for the loss of many artifacts relating to their country's history.

During the invasion, US officials expressed dismay at the apparent reluctance of military leaders to protect archaeological sites, including the Iraqi National Museum, according to the report.

The archaeological researcher, Amer Abdel-Razzaq, was quoted as saying, "American tanks surrounded the Iraqi Museum during the period of occupation and chaos, but did not move a finger in the face of the mafia and antiquities thieves who attacked the museum and stole about 14,000 valuable pieces from it."

At the same time, he indicated that the default was intentional. "Although the US military later committed itself to protecting Iraqi antiquities due to pressure from Iraqi archaeological institutions, at first, it took the archaeological sites as bases and camps," the report said, quoting Abdul Razzaq.

Despite the fact that the United States has already returned thousands of artifacts to Iraq, Abdul Razzaq believes this is not enough.

"What has been recovered is only a small amount. There are still pieces being sold at auctions in the United States, Britain and other countries," Abdul Razzaq was quoted as saying.

UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu stressed Monday that implementing global tools to control arms trade and transfers is crucial to prevent weapons falling into the wrong hands.

In her speech at a session of the UN Security Council on the topic of "risks arising from violations of agreements regulating the export of arms and military equipment," Nakamitsu stressed that the measures taken to address arms transfers "contribute significantly to global peace and security," especially in efforts to prevent conflicts, noting He noted that the illegal and unregulated trade and diversion of arms and ammunition "has always been a major concern of the international community."

In response to these risks, I mentioned that countries have established a number of international, regional and bilateral arms control treaties, agreements and frameworks to prevent and eliminate the illicit trade and diversion of conventional arms.

Nakamitsu urged member states to "fully comply with their obligations" under the agreements to which they are parties, and called for strong frameworks to effectively control the export, brokering, import, transfer, stockpiling and retransfer of weapons and ammunition.

"Preventing weapons being diverted into the wrong hands requires strong cooperation and exchange of information between importing countries, transit countries and exporting countries, as well as vital tracking systems," she said.

She also stressed that transparency in arms shipments "can serve as a confidence-building measure between countries, reducing tensions, ambiguities and misperceptions."

Nakamitsu referred to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, which was established in 1992, and urged all member states to participate in it "by reporting exports and imports of all equipment falling under the seven categories of small arms and light weapons in the register."

Additionally, Nakamitsu called on countries not yet to do so to the Arms Trade Treaty, and urged all countries to consider the differential impact of illicit arms and ammunition trafficking on women and men, girls and boys.

The American star, Kim Kardashian , who gained international fame through the reality TV program that was dealing with her family, announced in a post on Monday on social networks that she is returning to the small screen, but in an acting role this time, by joining the cast of the series “American Horror.” Story" (American Horror Story).

The businesswoman and social networking star posted a short promotional video informing her 352 million followers on Instagram that she will be participating in the twelfth season of the series alongside actress Emma Roberts.

The brief and ambiguous video contained little information about her role and the story of the series. In the video, a voice is heard whispering, "Emma and Kim are sensitive."

However, the specialized magazine "Variety" reported that Kim Kardashian will assume one of the main roles in the twelfth season, and that the character that she will embody was created specifically for her.

Kardashian gained wide fame in 2007 thanks to the reality TV show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians", which has been reporting for 20 seasons the daily life of her wealthy family.

Since then, the tabloids have been interested in keeping up with the slightest details of her private life, for example, covering her marriage to rapper Kanye West, and then their divorce.

Kim Kardashian, now 42, has leveraged her celebrity status to build a business empire, launching cosmetics line SKKN by Kim and lingerie brand Skims.

Kardashian was assigned roles in a few films in the late 2000s, and most recently she voiced a character in the animated movie "PAW Patrol".

But her role in "American Horror Story" will be her first in over a decade, and perhaps the most important of her career.

This award-winning series consists of standalone seasons centered on different stories and locations.

The cast often includes celebrities, including American singer Lady Gaga and actress Angela Bassett.

Remittances of Pakistani workers abroad increased by 27.1 percent in March on a monthly basis, Bank of Pakistan reported.

In this context, the Central Bank said that workers' remittances recorded an inflow of $2.53 billion in March, compared to the previous month's statistics of $1.99 billion, adding that they decreased by 10.6 percent year-on-year.

With a cumulative inflow of $20.52 billion between July and March in the 2023 fiscal year, remittances decreased by 10.8 percent year on year, according to the statistics.

Last month, remittances came mainly from Saudi Arabia, amounting to $563.9 million, with $406.7 million from the UAE, $422 million from Britain and $316 million from the United States, according to the bank.

It is worth noting that workers' remittances play an important role in the Pakistani economy, as they are one of the main sources of foreign currency.

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli occupation forces arrested citizens from Bethlehem and occupied Jerusalem.

According to local sources, these forces arrested Karam Ghaleb Al-Harimi (17 years old) after raiding and searching his father's house in the "Abu Anjim" area.

In Jerusalem, the occupation forces arrested Mufid al-Abassi, after they raided and searched his house in Silwan.

The Abu Jaber family, this morning, Tuesday, buried the body of the martyr Youssef Abu Jaber (45 years old) in the city of Kafr Qassem , in the occupied interior .

Dozens of the Abu Jaber family and a few of the city's residents participated in the funeral, where the body of the martyr Abu Jaber was narrated in the Martyrs' Cemetery.

Abu Jaber was shot dead by the Israeli police , last Friday evening, claiming that he had carried out a trampling operation in Tel Aviv, which resulted in the death of an Italian tourist and the injury of others.

The police also imposed conditions on the Abu Jaber family, to release the body of their son and his funeral.

Israeli newspapers, issued on Tuesday morning, lied about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking during a press conference yesterday evening, that strikes had been directed against Hezbollah in Lebanon .

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli army command, which followed the conference, was surprised by Netanyahu's statements.

And the newspaper indicated that Netanyahu himself agreed to the recommendation of the army leadership not to respond to Hezbollah because it had nothing to do with the firing of rockets from Lebanon in recent days.

She pointed out that the attacks focused only against Hamas in Lebanon.

She stressed that the current Israeli government has shown security weakness and that it does not have the magic solution to stop the attacks as it claimed before it came to power. Rather, the situation during its reign has worsened. In addition to individual attacks, there have been organized attacks, as happened in Hawara and the Jordan Valley, for example. As the Hebrew newspaper says, which indicated that 19 Israelis were killed within two and a half months of Netanyahu's rule.

Haaretz and Maariv newspapers focused on the same issue, especially after Netanyahu's attempts to hold the previous government responsible.

At least two young men were injured, and a number of others were arrested, on Tuesday morning, during the Israeli occupation forces’ raid on several neighborhoods in Jenin and the outskirts of its camp.

According to eyewitnesses told Al-Quds.com, special forces infiltrated the neighborhoods of Al-Hadaf, Jabriyat and Burqin, near the outskirts of Jenin camp, amid armed clashes with resistance groups.

The witnesses indicated that the occupation forces occupied several buildings and deployed snipers on them.

According to medical sources, two young men sustained minor injuries.

During their military campaign, the occupation forces arrested a group of young men, including Ahmed Turkman, the son of the persecuted Maher, after storming his house, the young Ahmed Al-Souqi while he was in Nablus Street, and the two brothers Abdullah and Nour Al-Batal.

On Tuesday morning, hundreds of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque , under the strict protection of the occupation police.

The settlers, led by the extremist Yehuda Glick , made provocative tours of the Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals.

Settler groups storm Al-Aqsa on a daily basis, except for Friday and Saturday.

The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz said, on Tuesday, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not bother to take responsibility for the dangerous security situation, and blamed it on the era of his predecessors, even though the attacks became more intense during his reign.

She indicated that, during his speech, Netanyahu blamed his predecessors (Bennett-Lapid) for the cause of the rocket fire from Lebanon , claiming that the maritime agreement was one of the reasons for this tension that allowed Hezbollah and Hamas to increase their strength and encourage rocket fire.

The newspaper lied to Netanyahu's claims that Hezbollah targets were attacked in response to those missiles, after he rejected the idea of responding to the Lebanese party, and took the Israeli army's recommendation because it had nothing to do with the attack.

She said that this time the press conference included a toxic mixture of fabrications, distortions and inaccuracies, noting that it was held against the background of the pressure he is exposed to due to opinion polls, as well as against the background of the crisis of the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, whom Netanyahu announced yesterday that he will remain in his position.

She added: Netanyahu succeeded in disrupting the broadcast agenda last night, but it is questionable whether his appearance brought him more supporters, perhaps on the contrary: he appears confused and annoyed, and a leader less in control of the situation.

Israeli intelligence estimates that the possibility of entering into a real and large-scale war on several fronts during the next year.

According to the report of the Intelligence Division of the General Staff of the Israeli Army, as reported in the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, the series of recent events on various fronts may push towards this war even if unintentionally, despite the widespread belief that Iran , Hezbollah and Hamas are not interested. with a direct and comprehensive conflict, but they are ready to take risks and gamble by daring to carry out more offensive operations, because they see that Israel has been weakened by the internal crisis, which has reduced the space for strategic maneuver.

The Hebrew newspaper says that Al-Aqsa Mosque is still the source of "the main explosion that ignited the fire", especially after it was stormed by the Israeli police and attacked the worshipers inside, which prompted the firing of rockets from Lebanon , Syria and Gaza, and the implementation of the Jordan Valley and Tel Aviv operations.

She pointed out that the Al-Aqsa Mosque will remain the focus of attention until the end of Ramadan, especially as it intersects with the holidays of the three religions, the Jewish Passover, the Christian Passover, and Eid al-Fitr for Muslims.

And she indicated that the recent escalation came in light of the change in the strategic environment for Israel, due to the reduction of American interest in what is happening in the Middle East, the increase in Iranian self-confidence, which is expressed in direct attempts to challenge Israel, and the increase in instability in the Palestinian arena.

It saw that Hamas avoided a military confrontation in Gaza, but tried to ignite other fronts by focusing on attacks from Jerusalem and the West Bank, and encouraging the launch of these attacks, at a time when the Palestinian Authority is weakened due to corruption and indulging in the growing struggle to succeed President Mahmoud Abbas, which he is actively moving. External factors, including the Americans, were active. In addition to all this frustration among the young generation in the West Bank, which exacerbated the severity of the attacks, especially with the availability of weapons on a large scale and their willingness to fight and come out with their weapons at every shooting operation to target the Israeli forces, which increased friction and with it the number of victims. Which contributes to igniting the situation.

And it considered that the unusual developments that occurred recently are the firing of missiles from Lebanon, and the attack in Megiddo, noting that these events took place with the approval of Hezbollah, although the Israeli intelligence insists that it is not.

The ministers informed the Israeli cabinet that the rocket launches took place at the initiative of Hamas in Lebanon, and it appears that the instructions of Saleh al-Arouri and Khaled Meshaal were instructed.

She pointed out the possibility that the meeting that took place between Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh and Saleh Al-Arouri was aimed at agreeing to manage the conflict with Israel.

And she believed that the common denominator in these developments coming from Lebanon is the willingness to deviate from the previous reaction equations and the willingness to risk more stringent measures, despite the possibility that this will result in a harsh response from Israel, noting that the Israeli response was limited in Lebanon, and expanded in The Gaza Strip, on the recommendation of the army command, which preferred not to enter into a confrontation with Hezbollah, especially with assurances that it was not involved in firing rockets.

She pointed out that the far-right ministers, including Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, voted in favor of the decision, like some of the new Likud ministers who began to realize the limits of power, and that not everything they desire can be done, especially when you are sitting in the room where decisions are made.

Today, Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to announce his final position on the issue of allowing settlers to storm Al-Aqsa Mosque during the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan .

According to the website of the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz, Netanyahu will make the final decision today, after I presented to him the positions of the various security services in this regard.

It is expected that Netanyahu will announce the cessation of allowing settlers to storm Al-Aqsa, provided that today, Wednesday, will be the last of these days, with the start of the first of the last ten days.

Differences emerged in the positions of the Israeli security services in this regard, as some of them expressed their opposition to allowing settlers to storm Al-Aqsa today, Tuesday, while some supported this position, before presenting a unified position allowing it today only, provided that it stops tomorrow, Wednesday, until the end of Ramadan.