Paris - (AFP) - At least 100 Iranians arrested during more than 100 days of protests in their country face charges that carry the death penalty, the Oslo-based non-governmental organization Human Rights in Iran said Tuesday.

Iran is rocked by protests that erupted after the death on September 16 of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, who was arrested by the morality police for violating the Islamic Republic's dress code.

Tehran this month executed two youths linked to the protests, in an escalating crackdown by the authorities that activists say is aimed at spreading fear among the population.

In a report published on Tuesday, the organization revealed that 100 prisoners are at risk of the death penalty, including 13 who have been sentenced to death. He noted that many of them do not have access to a lawyer.

"By issuing death sentences and executing some of them against demonstrators, (the authorities) want people to get out of the street," said Mahmoud Amiri Moqaddam, head of the organization.

"This had a certain effect, but what we noticed in general was an increase in resentment against the authorities," he told AFP, adding that "their strategy of spreading fear with executions failed."

In an updated toll published on Tuesday, the organization said that 476 demonstrators had been killed since mid-September.

The United Nations said in November that at least 14,000 people had been arrested since the protests began in Iran.

On December 12, Majid Reza Rahnavard, 23, was hanged in a public place after a court in Mashhad (northeast) convicted him of killing two members of the security forces.

Four days earlier, Mohsen Shakari (23 years old) was executed for injuring a security officer.

The judiciary announced that nine other people had been sentenced to death in connection with the protests, and two of them were allowed to be retried.

The father of a death row convict, Mohamed Qabadlo, called on social networks for his son's release.

"Mohammed has no criminal record yet," the father said in a video clip published this week, stressing that he suffers from a mental disorder.

The 22-year-old was accused of "corruption on earth" after he "attacked two policemen with a car, killing one of them."

The judiciary's Mizan Online website reported that Qabadlo underwent a psychiatric evaluation, which concluded he "was aware of the nature of the crime he had committed".

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - 3 citizens were killed, last night, and 4 in the morning, and 17 others were injured, as a result of traffic accidents that occurred in separate areas of the West Bank.

Colonel Louay Irzeigat, the police spokesman, stated that a 42-year-old citizen was killed in a traffic accident that occurred this morning on Oyoun al-Haramiyeh Road, on the road between Nablus and Ramallah.

Erzeigat had previously stated that the traffic accident that occurred tonight on the Ramallah-Nablus road near the town of Turmusaya, northeast of Ramallah, was caused by a collision of three vehicles, two of them carrying Palestinian license plates and a vehicle carrying a yellow registration plate, resulting in the injury of 6 citizens. Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, H Clinic Hospital, and Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. Doctors at Palestine Medical Complex announced the death of two people, and the death of another in Rafidia Hospital, describing one serious injury and two minor injuries.

In another accident, 14 citizens were slightly or moderately injured as a result of a traffic accident involving four vehicles on the main road connecting the governorates of Nablus and Qalqilya near the town of Nabi Elias in Qalqilya Governorate.

Arziqat confirmed that the Public Prosecution Office was informed and the traffic police investigated the two accidents to find out their circumstances.

Bethlehem - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Palestinian police seized, on Friday evening, 82 seedlings suspected of being narcotic marijuana in the town of Za'tara, south of Bethlehem.

The Public Relations and Media Department of the Police stated that after receiving information to the police that people were suspected of planting marijuana seedlings in the town of Za’tara, south of Bethlehem, a force from the Anti-Narcotics Branch, backed by a police force from the governorate, immediately moved to the place and seized 82 seedlings suspected of being narcotic marijuana. Its length is from 15-40 cm and it has been investigated.

She added that the police are still conducting research and investigation procedures about the people who were taking care of these seedlings to bring them to justice.

The police appeal to citizens to communicate with the competent authorities or to call (100) in case of suspicion of any person cultivating this scourge that is destroying society.

Paris (AFP) - Iran carried out its first public execution in more than two years on Saturday by hanging a man convicted of killing a policeman, a non-governmental organization reported, amid growing concern over growing repression in the country.

The Norway-based Iranian non-governmental human rights organization said, based on information reported by official Iranian media, that the worker, Eman Sabzkar, who was convicted of killing a policeman in February 2022 in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, was hanged early in the morning at the crime scene.

In early July, the Supreme Court publicly confirmed his death sentence.

"The resumption of this brutal punishment in public places aims to frighten and intimidate people so that they do not demonstrate," said the director of the organization, Mahmoud Amiri Moghadam, calling on the international community to respond firmly and protest against this "medieval" practice.

Pictures spread on social media, allegedly of the execution, showed a man dressed as a prisoner hanging several meters from the ground with a rope attached to a truck crane.

Executions in Iran are usually carried out inside prisons.

The organization said that public executions are used as a deterrent, especially when it comes to killing a member of the security forces, noting that the last public execution in Iran was on June 11, 2020.

The organization expressed its concern that four men who were sentenced to death for killing police officers in separate but similar cases would face the same fate, noting that the number of executions in the Islamic Republic doubled in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2021.

Activists have expressed in recent weeks their concern about an increasing crackdown in Iran, which is witnessing unusual protests due to the economic crisis. Well-known intellectuals and film directors have been arrested.

Moscow - (AFP) - President Vladimir Putin gifted eight gold rings to the leaders of former Soviet republics allied to Moscow, sparking ridicule and comparisons likening him to the character of Sauron, the tyrant and power-hungry in the novel "The Lord of the Rings".

The leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States received golden rings engraved with the CIS logo and the words " Russia " and "Happy New Year 2023" during their summit with Putin in St. Petersburg on Monday and Tuesday.

And Putin kept a ninth ring for himself.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko appeared alone in one of the pictures, putting the ring on his finger.

Some commentators, including the prominent political scientist Ekaterina Shulman, considered that the indirect reference to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy by British writer J.R.R. Tolkien was intended.

In Tolkien's epic novel, Sauron gives rings to nine kings in order to force them to bend to his will.

Since Putin sent his forces to Ukraine in February, the Ukrainian authorities have compared Russia to "Mordor", the kingdom of Sauron, and the Russian forces to his "Orcs".

Tolkien expert Shulman writes that gifting rings seems at first like a "daydream".
"Of course this is intentional," she added on Instagram.

Another political commentator, Yulia Latynina, described the gifts as "weakness rings," an apparent reference to Putin's growing international isolation over his attack on Ukraine.

"Every country whose ruler wears this ring will turn into a dark state ruled by a madman," Latynina said sarcastically, adding, "I think only Putin will wear the ring. Not for long."

"Putin got bored of being the Hitler of the 21st century, so he decided to play the Lord of the Rings," wrote Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no need to analyze too much about the meaning of the gifts.

"It is just a souvenir for the New Year, and there is nothing special about it," he said, adding that "Putin will not wear his ring."

Vienna - (AFP) - Three migrants were killed and others injured Saturday when the truck carrying them attempted to flee from Austrian border police, the Interior Ministry and the Austrian News Agency (APA) said.

The Interior Ministry said the accident occurred in Burganland, the border crossing with Slovakia.

Twenty people, including children and women, were found inside the back of the truck, two men and a woman died, and the driver was arrested, according to the Austrian agency.

"The tragic death of three people today (...) once again demonstrates the brutality and unscrupulousness of the people-smuggling mafias," Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said in a statement.

Communication with the police has not yet been available.

Last May, the Austrian Ministry of the Interior announced the dismantling of a network of smugglers that smuggled tens of thousands of displaced people, especially Syrians, from Hungary to Austria.
In 2015, 71 bodies, including children, were found in a truck. It is likely that they suffocated during their transfer to Hungary.

Juba (AFP) - South Sudan will send 750 soldiers to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to join a regional force engaged in countering a rebel attack, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

For months, fierce battles have been taking place between the Congolese forces and the rebel "M23" faction, prompting the "East African Group" to deploy a joint force to curb the violence, and Kenya and Uganda have sent troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

During a military graduation ceremony in the capital, Juba, General Lul Ruai Koang, speaking on behalf of the South Sudan People's Defense Forces, said that the South Sudanese soldiers "will go to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as soon as possible."

He explained that the battalion, which includes 750 soldiers, has been undergoing training for more than six months, in preparation for its deployment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

At the military graduation ceremony held in Juba, President Salva Kiir instructed the military to "maintain order" and urged them to "protect civilians and their property from any harm."

The military graduation ceremony was held about four months after thousands of fighters, including former rebels loyal to Kiir and others loyal to his opponent, Vice President Riek Machar, were absorbed into the South Sudanese army, in implementation of a basic clause stipulated in the peace agreement that put an end to a brutal civil war.

In the conflict (2013-2018), about 400,000 people died.

On Wednesday, Kiir said, "You are one army," and you are "going as soldiers to southern Sudan."

The renewed fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo fueled regional tensions, as Kinshasa accuses its neighbor Rwanda of supporting the "M23" faction, a conclusion supported by UN experts, the United States, France and Belgium, and Kigali denies its validity.

The "M23" is a former Tutsi rebellion movement that was defeated in 2013, and returned to take up arms at the end of 2021 and took control of areas throughout North Kivu province and advanced towards Goma, the main city in the province.

Last week, M23 handed over the strategic town of Kibumba to a regional military force, following major international pressure, describing the matter as a "goodwill initiative taken in the name of peace."

But the Congolese army described the withdrawal as a "sham" and said it was aimed at strengthening the movement's positions elsewhere.

The "East African Group" force is scheduled to include soldiers from Kenya, Burundi, Uganda and South Sudan, but its actual number is not yet clear.
Kenyan soldiers arrived in the country on November 12, and the Ugandan army later announced that it planned to deploy 1,000 soldiers at the end of November.

Translation by "Jerusalem" dot com - The Israeli Magistrate's Court in occupied Jerusalem extended, this evening, Wednesday, the perpetrator of the stabbing attack yesterday in the city, which led to the moderate injury of a settler.

According to the Hebrew website, Ynet, the extension took place for a period of 5 days, indicating that the investigation will continue with it.

It is noteworthy that the porter is a resident of Ramallah, and he is 44 years old.

Cairo - "Al Quds" dot com - The Minister of National Economy, Khaled Osaily , and his Libyan counterpart, Mohamed Al-Hawij, agreed to enhance the volume of trade exchange between the two parties, and work to implement the memorandum of understanding signed between the two parties to enhance economic cooperation.

This came during a joint meeting held on the sidelines of the work of the Economic and Social Council in its 111th regular session at the ministerial level, which was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the Arab League in Cairo.

Osaily confirmed the readiness of all preparations and arrangements, in order to receive a delegation of Libyan businessmen in the next few days, on a visit to Palestine, and to see the available investment opportunities, whether in the food and pharmaceutical industries, or agriculture and industrial zones, in addition to tourism.

In turn, the Libyan Minister of Economy, Muhammad Al-Huwaij, expressed his aspiration to carry out a visit to Palestine in the near future, which would develop and strengthen economic and trade cooperation relations between the two countries.

Nablus - "Jerusalem" dot com - The young man, Ahmed Amer Abu Junaid, 21 years old, was killed on Wednesday evening, as a result of his critical wounds, which he sustained at dawn, when the occupation forces shot him in Balata camp, east of Nablus.

According to the Ministry of Health, Abu Junaid was shot in the head and was critically wounded.

The occupation forces stormed Balata camp in an attempt to arrest a group of resistance fighters, but they failed amid armed clashes.

Dubai - "Jerusalem" dot com - It was announced at the GITEX International Exhibition that Palestine won three awards in the Arab Challenge for the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence for the year 2022.

The results were as follows: The "Smart Air Mattress" project won the first place in the graduation projects category for its owners, Moamen Al-Sammak, Ali Obaid and Walaa Murtaja from the Gaza Strip, and the "Zamakan" project won the best presentation award in the emerging projects category for its owners, Hamza Siraj and Ahmed Salhab. And Issa Kouba from the city of Jerusalem. In addition, the "Gaz Sensor" project for its owner, Spinning the Camel from the suburbs of Jerusalem, won third place in the schools category.

The three projects reaped this victory and deserved success amid strong competition with a large number of nominated projects and startups from eleven Arab countries, namely: Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, the Emirates, Tunisia, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Qatar and Oman.

Engineer Aref Al-Husseini, founder and CEO of Al-Nayzak Foundation for Supportive Education and Scientific Creativity, expressed his pride in the successive achievements of Palestinian youth in various scientific and technological fields, stressing that Palestinian youth each time demonstrates its ability to compete and challenge in regional and international competitions, and presents high scientific levels of excellence. creativity and innovation.

Al-Husseini praised their pioneering role in advancing the Palestinian creative process and putting Palestine's footprint in the projects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, pointing to the remarkable progress and development in terms of quantity and quality in all projects.

It is noteworthy that this achievement is a continuation of the success achieved by the Palestine Challenge for the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence for the year 2022, which was organized by Al-Nayzak Foundation last month, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Supreme Council for Creativity, the Swedish Diakonia Foundation and Bank of Palestine, and in coordination with eleven universities. Six accelerators and business incubators.

Through it, seven Palestinian technological projects specialized in the field of Internet of Things and artificial intelligence qualified to represent Palestine in the finals of the Arab Challenge in Dubai.

Gaza - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Palestinian Media Forum condemned, on Saturday, in the strongest terms the campaign of the "Zionist lobby" in the Netherlands against the broadcaster and presenter of media programs, Natasja Gibbs, for describing the occupation entity as an apartheid regime, in addition to prosecuting her legally amid other calls to continue targeting and incitement. on her.

In a statement, the Forum considered that this "reflects the extent of intellectual and moral terrorism practiced by the Zionist lobby against all voices supporting Palestinian rights and condemning Israeli criminality, which transgresses all international and humanitarian laws and norms."

The Forum praised the media presenter, Natasja Gibbs, for her bias towards the principles of justice and humanity, and her rejection of the Israeli crime against the Palestinian people, expressing its full and complete solidarity with her, and her absolute rejection of the systematic campaign of the "Zionist lobby" against the media, journalists, and activists who expressed their rejection of the Israeli apartheid regime.

He stressed the need to continue exposing and exposing the ugly face of the Israeli occupation, which violates sanctities, desecrates sanctities, and sheds blood day and night.

The Palestinian Media Forum called on the International Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, and all local and international human rights organizations to support journalist Natasja Gibbs in the face of the campaign of the "Zionist lobby", and not to allow in any way the suppression of freedom of opinion and expression or to restrict the work of the media under flimsy pretexts, in addition to the necessity Prosecuting the "Zionist lobby" in legal and international forums for its practice of intellectual and moral terrorism against the journalist Natashaji Gibbs, especially in light of the Israeli occupation's record of crimes against the Palestinian media with all its components, as the occupation forces destroyed the headquarters of more than 60 media institutions during their blatant aggression on the Gaza Strip in May 2021 In cold blood, 55 journalists have been killed since 2000, the most recent of which was colleague Sherine Abu Aqleh and colleague Ghufran Warasneh, in addition to the arrest and assault of dozens of journalists in various forms and forms.

Today, Tuesday, the Israeli Ministry of Health announced that 27 deaths and 8,492 cases of coronavirus were recorded during the last day, after conducting 35,596 laboratory tests.

According to the ministry, 419 patients are in serious condition, including 88 on ventilators.

She noted that 11,208 Israelis have died since the virus began spreading years ago.

Istanbul - (AFP) - A Turkish appeals court on Wednesday upheld a judicial conviction against a prominent opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was sentenced to life in prison, which has fueled strained relations between Ankara and the West.

In April, Paris-born philanthropist Osman Kavala was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of pardon, for seeking to overthrow the government by financing popular protests in 2013.

In the case, seven other people were sentenced to 18 years in prison each for their contributions to the attempt to overthrow the government headed by Erdogan during what was called the "Gezi Park protests" in Istanbul.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the appeals court had concluded the April ruling was "in accordance with the law".

Kavala's defense attorneys can appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.

Kavala's trial extended for many years and negatively affected the strategic, but troubled, ties of Turkey, a member of NATO, with its Western allies since the sudden suspension of the opposition in October 2017.

At the time, Kavala was known as a businessman who spent some of his wealth to promote culture and projects aimed at reconciling Turkey with its arch-rival, Armenia.

However, Erdogan insisted on describing Kavala as a left-wing agent of the Hungarian-born American billionaire George Soros, accusing him of receiving foreign funding to overthrow the government.

Kavala was initially accused of financing the wave of protests in Turkey in 2013, which analysts say was a reaction to Erdogan's more authoritarian tendencies in the second half of his two-decade rule in Turkey.

The court acquitted him and released him in February 2020, but the police returned and arrested him before he could return to his home and wife.

Then another court charged him with involvement in a coup attempt against Erdogan in Turkey in 2016, during which more than 250 people died in Istanbul and Ankara.

In the end, Kavala was charged with both charges, and later the court convicted him of the charge he was acquitted of in 2020.

The United States expressed "grave concern" about Kavala's sentence, while Germany demanded his immediate release.
Turkey ignored a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights demanding Kavala's release.

Kiev ( Ukraine ) (AFP) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Tuesday proposed to President Volodymyr Zelensky to cut diplomatic ties with Iran , which has been accused of supplying drones used by Russia for strikes.

"In light of the massive destruction caused by Iranian drones to civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and the deaths and injuries inflicted on our people... I present to the president a proposal to sever diplomatic relations with Iran," Kuleba said in a video posted on Facebook.

The Ukrainian minister said that Tehran has provided Russia with drones "while telling us that it is against war and does not support any party."

In recent days, Kiev has repeatedly said that Russia is using Iranian-made drones — including the Shahed 136 — to strike Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure.

To justify his proposal, Kuleba emphasized "publishing reports on the possibility of continued arms supplies from Iran to Russia," after press articles indicated the imminent delivery of Iranian surface-to-surface missiles to Moscow.

In the video, he said, "Iran's actions betray evil and are lies that we will not tolerate...Tehran bears full responsibility for destroying relations with Ukraine."

But Dmytro Kuleba promised to reconsider this proposal "if Iran stops supplying weapons to Russia."

RIYADH (Xinhua) - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Chairman of the Board of Directors of "NEOM", announced today (Monday) the designs of the environmentally friendly "The Line" city.

The city centers around people, and represents a leading global model that achieves sustainability and the ideal of living in harmony with nature, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The designs of the city of "The Line" reflect what urban societies will be like in the future in an environment free of streets, cars and emissions.

It is expected that the city will contribute to preserving 95% of the lands of "NEOM" for nature, and rely on renewable energy by 100%, to make human health and well-being an absolute priority instead of the priority of transportation and infrastructure as in traditional cities.

The announcement of the city's designs came after the Saudi Crown Prince launched the initial idea and vision for the city in January last year.

One of the most important specifications of the city of "The Line" is that it is only 200 meters wide, 170 km long, and 500 meters above sea level.

The city will be built on an area not exceeding 34 square kilometers, and will accommodate about 9 million people, which is completely unprecedented in cities of this size, and this in turn reduces the expansion of infrastructure and enhances the efficiency and sustainability of the city, and its ideal climate throughout the year will ensure residents enjoy By nature when navigating on foot.

The Line provides all residents with access to all facilities and services within 5 minutes, in addition to a high-speed train that connects both ends of the city within 20 minutes.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that upon the launch of "The Line", the concept of urban development was redefined through the development of societies where people are the main focus.

He continued: "Today, The Line achieves the ideal of living and addresses the urgent challenges facing humanity. These exceptional designs illustrate the internal structure of the multi-layered city and address the problems of the traditional flat horizontal cities, thus achieving complete harmony between urban development and preserving nature with all its resources."

He stressed the importance of not ignoring the environmental crisis and the way of life facing the cities of the world.

He stressed the determination to provide new and innovative solutions, including the implementation of the idea of "building to the top", through a team led by "NEOM", in addition to a group of the brightest minds in architecture and construction worldwide.

The city focuses on introducing a new approach to city design that focuses on the concept of "zero gravity", as this means distributing and building the components of the city in the form of vertical layers, allowing people to move in the three directions, which are up and down, as well as horizontally on each side.

In contrast to the concept of high-rise buildings, this idea facilitates the process of moving between the locations of daily needs, from workplaces, schools, gardens, and homes within five minutes.

Both sides of the city are covered with glass surfaces, which are reflective mirrors that give it a unique character, and allow its details to merge with nature.

NEOM will digitally design the entire city, as well as use the latest construction technologies and manufacturing processes.

"NEOM" is one of the most prominent projects of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, as it embodies the Kingdom's strategies and directions towards benefiting from renewable resources, such as solar energy and wind energy, to generate electric power.

It had previously announced the launch of "Exagon", the city of advanced industries, and "Trojina", the global tourist destination that offers the first outdoor skiing experience in the Arabian Gulf, in addition to the launch of two subsidiaries of NEOM, which are the "Inoa" company that deals with innovations and industries. Energy, water and hydrogen, and the digital technology company NEOM.

Kiev ( Ukraine ) - (AFP) - "Intensive" strikes with more than 120 Russian missiles targeted several Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kiev, on Thursday morning, according to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Presidency.

"The enemy is attacking Ukraine on several fronts, with cruise missiles launched from planes and ships," the Air Force wrote on social media.

"More than 120 missiles were launched to destroy basic civilian infrastructure and kill civilians in large numbers," Ukrainian presidential advisor Mikhailo Podolyak said on Twitter, without providing a tally of possible victims.

On Thursday, Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine, was deprived of electricity by 90%, as a result of this new bombing that targeted energy facilities in the dead of winter.

And the mayor of Lviv, Andrei Sadovy, said on "Telegram" that "90 percent of the city is without electricity... Trams and buses no longer run in the city and the water supply may be cut off."

The Kremlin had warned that there would be no truce for the New Year on the ground in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin justifies the attack on Ukraine, which has been going on for more than 10 months and caused very great losses, by saying that the West was exploiting Ukraine to threaten Russia.

Mexico City (AFP) - Mexico's president on Tuesday urged citizens not to be deceived by drug cartels, after footage emerged of suspected gang members distributing toys and Christmas gifts in a major city.

Authorities said they opened an investigation after video footage posted on social media showed alleged criminals in decorated trucks distributing toys to children in Guadalajara.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador addressed the citizens during a press conference, saying, "Do not let them manipulate you, even if they give you food. They do not do this with good intentions, but to use you as shields."

He added that the goal of the gangs is to encourage people to alert them "if cocaine is seized, for example, so that residents rush to protect the smugglers."

According to local media, the gift distributors are believed to belong to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the most violent gangs in a country plagued by drug-related crime.

During the outbreak of the Covid epidemic, it was also reported that foodstuffs from the same cartel were distributed in several regions in western Mexico, and gift boxes bearing the image of the notorious drug dealer Joaquín El Chapo Guzman were also spotted in the state of Sinaloa.

Dubai (AFP) - A large screen on the upper deck of a three-story luxury yacht at sea is one of the options available to well-off people to watch the World Cup in Dubai, which is looking forward to reaping profits from the World Cup in neighboring Qatar.

The wealthy emirate relies on the short distance between it and Doha, its developed service sector, its hotels, and its relatively more open social laws in the Gulf, to attract fans who will have to travel and return at every match they want to attend.

At Dubai Harbor, a group of luxury boats and yachts is moored, preparing to receive visitors.

Among these yachts is the "Stardom", which includes a jacuzzi and a drinks bar in addition to luxury rooms, and is available for rent to World Cup fans for $ 20,000 per night. Fans will watch the matches at sea while the boat sails through the landmarks of the Emirate of Dubai, known for its tall buildings and advanced modern facilities.

"We have a chef on board who will prepare dishes (...) from all over the world," Jenny Thacker, marketing officer at Exclusive Yachts, told AFP. The company also provides services on the yacht upon request to customers.

The company offers a range of options for watching the World Cup, according to Thacker, who notes that "the minimum rental (yacht) is $15,000 per night to watch the World Cup at sea."

She adds that the company has so far received 15 reservations, and that the majority of reservations include two or three people.

She describes the people interested in the service as "really VIPs (..), owners of luxury cars, from the elite," explaining that the majority of reservations are for "semi-final and final matches" in the World Cup.

"more liberal"

Away from the beach, it was announced the opening of special areas for fans in various parts of Dubai, including a park for football fans in the Dubai International Financial Center, as well as luxury restaurants.

Many options are available for fans. For example, Dubai Harbor will host a fan festival in an area that broadcasts all matches, and extends over an area of 330 square meters. Tickets can be obtained starting from $21 per person.

But getting a table for eight people costs more than $ 920, while the so-called premium suite, which can accommodate 15 people, is sold for a package of up to $ 3,676, and the service includes serving alcoholic beverages.

Tourism is the lifeblood of Dubai's economy, known for its luxury hotels and resorts, and it received about 16 million tourists in 2019, compared to about 5.51 million in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and 7.3 million last year.

James Swanston, economist at Capital Economics, believes that "the luxury of the Dubai market, and to some extent Abu Dhabi, makes them in a better position compared to the Gulf economies, with the exception of Qatar, to benefit from the World Cup."

"Activities supporting tourism such as hospitality, restaurants, retail and wholesale trade are likely to benefit the most," he told AFP.

According to Swanston, the UAE "enjoys a more liberal atmosphere compared to its Gulf counterparts, which makes it conducive to visiting tourists."

Dubai is famous for its skyscrapers and giant real estate and entertainment projects.

And the UAE announced that holders of the “Haya” card, which is intended for World Cup fans, will obtain a visa to enter and stay in the Emirates for a period of up to ninety days for only 100 dirhams ($ 27), with the possibility of extending it for an additional 90 days.

However, due to the economic slowdown and rising global prices, many of those who are not well off in Dubai will be content with a more economical option, such as watching the World Cup without costs.

Lebanese Tony, 36, who is a father of one child, says, "I will subscribe (to the streaming service that transmits the matches on TV) (...) and watch the matches at home."

Jerusalem - "Al Quds" dot com - Today, Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces arrested two young men in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem .

According to local sources, the occupation forces arrested the child, Ali Bakr Mustafa (15 years), from the Council Gate in Al-Aqsa Mosque, who is from the town of Al-Issawiya.

In a related context, the Occupation Court renewed the administrative detention of the prisoner Khaled Raed Al-Sheikh from Biddu, northwest of Jerusalem, for an additional four months.

Governorates - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Israeli occupation forces launched, at dawn and this morning, Wednesday, a campaign of arrests and raids in several areas of the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem.

According to local sources, the occupation forces arrested the leader of the Hamas movement, the editor Nayef Rajoub, after storming his house in the town of Dura, south of Hebron.

The editor, Kamel Iqtil, and the editor, Ayman Darabei, were arrested from the same town, after their homes were raided and subjected to field investigation. They also raided the house of the editor, Mahmoud Al-Fasfous, and demanded that his family hand him over, threatening to kill him.

In the town of Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem, the occupation forces arrested the freedman, Ismail Halabiya, after raiding his house.

While another force handed the journalist Faisal Al-Rifai a report to review its intelligence following the storming of his house in the town of Anna, north of occupied Jerusalem.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Captive Club said, on Thursday, that the occupation forces arrested more than (170) citizens from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, in the first 12 days of this year, and some towns and camps witnessed repeated arrest campaigns. Most notably, the town of Beit Ummar / Hebron, the Dheisheh camp, and the Qalandia camp, which witnessed last night a massive campaign of arrests against (14) citizens, and they are among (25) citizens who were arrested last night, and until this morning, during which Samir Aslan (41 years) was martyred. He is the father of the detainee, the boy Ramzi Aslan, in addition to the arrest of the girl, Saja Abdel Rahman Jaber, from Hebron, where she was arrested a day after the demolition of her family home.

And the Captive Club continued in a statement; The arrests escalated at the military checkpoints during the past few days, as well as the arrests after summons made by the occupation intelligence to a group of citizens, in addition to the arrest of others with the aim of pressuring a family member to turn themselves in.

The Captive Club indicated that the arrests affected all groups, including children, women, the elderly, the sick, in addition to the wounded, and were accompanied by widespread sabotage and abuse.

It is worth mentioning; That 7,000 cases of arrests were recorded during the past year 2022, as arrests constitute one of the most consistent and systematic policies that the Israeli occupation uses on a daily basis, in an attempt to undermine any escalating confrontation against it, and to impose more control and monitoring of citizens, and more measures Systematic abuse.

Brussels - (AFP) - Greek Socialist MP Eva Kaili, one of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament , was arrested Friday evening in Brussels as part of an investigation into suspicions of corruption related to Qatar, according to an informed source told AFP.

Four other people were arrested in the Belgian capital on Friday morning in connection with the same case. The source said that Kylie, who is the companion of one of the four suspects, was "stopped for a hearing" by the police.

For its part, the Greek Socialist Party (Pasok Kinal), to which Kylie belongs, announced in the evening that she had been "dismissed."

The investigation, led by a judge in Brussels, revolves around the actions of a "Gulf country" suspected of "influencing the economic and political decisions of the European Parliament, by paying large sums of money or presenting large gifts," according to the Federal Prosecutor's Office.

As for the recipients of the sums and gifts, they are people who "have political and/or strategic positions" within the European Parliament.

Among the four arrested is a parliamentary aide attached to the Socialists and Democrats bloc, Rafiq Eva Kaili, as well as the former Italian deputy in the European Parliament, Pierre Antonio Panziri, who is also a socialist. The other two are an NGO director and an Italian trade union leader.

The Federal Prosecutor's Office did not name the Gulf state concerned. However, a source familiar with the course of the case confirmed to AFP press reports that said the country was Qatar.

Nablus - "Jerusalem" dot com - A citizen was injured, this evening, Wednesday, as a result of a settler attack on his vehicle while it was passing near the Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus.

According to press sources, a number of settlers gathered near the checkpoint and attacked passing vehicles, injuring a citizen and destroying his vehicle.

Dolina - (AFP) - Russian fighters are fighting in the ranks of the Ukrainian army in the Donetsk region (east) within a symbolic corps called "Freedom of Russia", but their exact number is top secret and their locations cannot be accessed and their rhetoric is elaborate.

When their spokesman, Cesar, meets with reporters, he usually leads them to the ruins of an Orthodox monastery in Dolina, in an area recaptured by the Ukrainian army in the fall.

The monastery's golden dome in ruins, the stucco lion in the rubble and religious icons scattered are a perfect example of "showing the world Putin's values".

Cesar, a handsome young man with blue eyes, utters phrases in Russian and sometimes in English. "I am not fighting the motherland, I am fighting Putin's regime and tyranny," he says. He adds, "I am not a traitor. I am a true Russian patriot."

At the beginning of the war, the Russian Fighters Corps formed a closed fist with the words "Freedom" and "Russia" on it, and it is part of the International Volunteer Group within the Ukrainian Army.

The Corps includes, according to Cesar, "hundreds" of Russians who, after receiving two months of training, have been deployed since May in the mining region of Donbass in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow is trying to completely occupy.

Corps elements are deployed in Bakhmut, one of the most hot spots on the eastern front, which has been the scene of fierce battles between Russian and Ukrainian forces for months.

They are mainly subordinate to the Artillery Corps, under the command of Ukrainian officers.

"They are enthusiastic and professional fighters, and they carry out their mission to the fullest," said a Ukrainian officer, who requested anonymity.

The recruits underwent many interviews, psychological tests and even a lie detector in anticipation of any hacking attempt.

On social networks - Telegram, Twitter, Instagram ... - the "Freedom of Russia" corps mainly publishes propaganda videos and claims to have received thousands of applications.

"They are taking part in the war, but their influence is not great because of their limited number," says Ukrainian military expert Oleg Zhdanov. "Their importance is political. It is good for Ukraine to be able to prove that there are Russians who support democracy and freedom and fight on the right side," he added.

It is difficult to find out exactly who the "Russian patriots" who make up the Legion and their motives are. For Tykhi, a worker who hails from Russia's auto capital Tolyatti, 800 kilometers southeast of Moscow, their motives are more personal than political.

This young man in his forties belongs to a mixed family, as his wife, whom he met in Russia, is Ukrainian.

"You wouldn't understand if we stayed in Russia," says the father-of-two, who was visiting family in Kiev when he started. They never returned to Russia and joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Army within the Legion.

He has cut off almost all contact with his family in Russia, which does not understand his choice. "They have been brainwashed. But I know they are worried about me."

He cut ties with his friends. "They are sitting on their couch in Russia and repeating, 'We will liberate Ukraine,'" he added sarcastically.
Without remorse, he says he considers Russian soldiers to be "enemies" and "will blow himself up with a grenade in order to be captured" by Moscow's forces.

Tychy applied for Ukrainian citizenship but would not be able to obtain it until the war was over. "At the moment I still have the enemy's passport," he explains.

Cesar, the spokesperson, for his part, hails from St. Petersburg, where he was a physiotherapist. He says he is politically motivated and presents himself as a "right-wing nationalist" who believes that Vladimir Putin's regime can only be overthrown by force.

He doesn't trust dissidents - "they are all puppets", he says - and believes his countrymen "don't want to see or hear anything".

Suddenly he gets excited, saying, "Russia is dying. Go to the villages and you will find drunks, drug addicts and criminals. The people are suffering."
He says, "It is the result of Putin's rule for twenty years. His system, government and deputies are nonsense. They are losers, corrupt and thieves who only think about making money and living happily. This is not a way to run a country."

The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 was the spark that prompted him to take his wife and four children and move to Kiev.

"They also live in fear of the bombing and the cold, but they support my choices," says Cesar. He speaks without hiding his face since his family is now "safe" in Ukraine.

Washington – “Al Quds” dot com – Saeed Erekat – Investigative journalist Jack Murphy reported, citing unnamed former US intelligence and military officials, that the CIA has been using the intelligence services of a European country in NATO to carry out subversive attacks inside Russia since Invasion of Ukraine in February.

The report, which was posted on Murphy's own website, said there were no US personnel on the ground in Russia, but the operations were being directed by the CIA. According to the report, the United States is using allied intelligence services to add an additional layer of plausible deniability, and a former US Special Operations official told Murphy that this layer was a major factor in US President Joe Biden's approval of the attacks.

Murphy says he did not name the NATO country whose intelligence services are used in the report because "doing so could jeopardize the operational security of cells still operating inside Russia."

In a note at the end of the article, Murphy explained why he did not publish this article in a well-known media outlet, choosing instead to publish the article on his own site, saying, "While working with editors at major publications, I have been asked to do things that are illegal and immoral in one instance, and in Another case I felt was that a senior CIA official was able to edit my article by making off-the-record statements, before leaking the report to the New York Times to undermine this (journalistic) piece.

According to the report, the covert campaign inside Russia was years in the making, with two former military officials saying that the (unnamed) NATO country's spy services hid a cache of explosives and equipment in Russia more than a decade ago, and some of the equipment was used recently.

As a former U.S. Special Operations official and an American person familiar with the campaign said, the CIA did not become involved in NATO country operations inside Russia until 2014, the first time sleeper cells entered Russia at the direction of the CIA while a NATO ally was engaged in espionage service (in Russia) in 2016, and more entered the country in the following years," according to Murphy's article.

Murphy explains, "The NATO ally provided the undercover agents with stories and alibis to explain their presence in Russia and documents to support these claims." And they were ready to give orders as to which targets to hit."

It is not clear how many attacks the sleeper cells were responsible for, but there have been a series of mysterious explosions at Russian military facilities, power plants and railways since the invasion. The report indicated that saboteurs may have been behind a fire last April at the Research Institute of the Russian Air Defense Forces, which killed more than 20 people.

The report indicates that "disruptive" operations supervised by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) require presidential approval, and that former US President Barack Obama signed a conclusion before leaving office that allowed covert action against Russia due to allegations that Moscow interfered in the 2016 elections, a claim. It has never been proven.

According to the Washington Post, Obama's "conclusion" allows "the implantation of electronic weapons in Russia's infrastructure, (the digital equivalent of bombs) that can be detonated if the United States finds itself in an escalating exchange with Moscow." Murphy cited a former CIA official who said the finding also allows for disruptive operations against Russia, though other former officials he spoke with said existing operations would have required a modification or an entirely new outcome.

According to the report, a CIA spokesperson denied the allegations in the report, but Murphy noted that the spy agency could legally deny the existence of its covert operations.

Experts warn that directing the CIA's subversion inside Russia risks a major escalation between NATO and Russia and could lead to a nuclear escalation.

Ukraine has recently escalated its attacks inside Russian territory, and according to The Times, the Pentagon tacitly supported the recent drone strikes that hit air bases deep in Russian territory, raising the risk of escalation.

It is noteworthy that Murphy said in his report that he published this story to inform the public, as he believes that, in fact, the Russian government knows very well who is sponsoring these sabotage strikes, as well as the American intelligence services know that, "and that the only party left in the dark is the public in general, who He was left unaware of the shadow war going on behind the scenes."

Murphy said the article "underwent a rigorous fact-checking process, and was deemed newsworthy as strategic bombings in Laos and Cambodia (during the Vietnam War) or the CIA's covert drone campaign in Pakistan."

London - (AFP) - The euro's exchange rate hit its lowest level against the dollar in five years on Wednesday, at a time when the US currency is benefiting from its status as a safe haven amid economic turmoil and the US Federal Reserve is raising interest rates.

The exchange rate of the single European currency fell to $1.0588, its lowest level since April 2017.

Moscow - (AFP) - Russia announced that 384 Japanese deputies were banned from entering its territory in response to the sanctions imposed by Japan on Russian deputies in the midst of the attack on Ukraine.

And the Russian Foreign Ministry, which published the list of deputies on its website, accuses them of "adopting an unfriendly and anti-Russian position by expressing groundless accusations against our country in connection with the special military operation in Ukraine."

Since the beginning of Russia's attack on Ukraine, Japan has joined in harsh Western sanctions against Moscow.

For its part, Russia issued a decree on July 1 to transfer to a Russian company the rights to the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project located in the far east of Russia, in which Japanese groups participate. The LNG produced by the project was mainly delivered to Japan.

Tokyo has announced that it wants to remain within this strategic project as a country that relies heavily on fossil fuel imports. About 8% of the liquefied natural gas that Japan imports comes from Russia.

Governorates - "Jerusalem" dot com - Bulldozers of the Israeli occupation forces demolished, today, Wednesday, two houses in the village of Birin, south of Hebron .

According to local sources, the occupation forces, accompanied by bulldozers, raided Khallet Al-Furn area and demolished a 100-square-meter house for Saber Burqan, which housed his eight-member family.

The Israeli bulldozers also demolished a 60-square-meter house under construction for the citizen, Jasser Burqan, in the same area, under the pretext of being built in Area C.

The death toll from house demolitions in the governorate rose within hours to four.

In the context, a group of settlers attacked the citizens' lands and destroyed their agricultural crops in the "Aqwis" community in Masafer Yatta.

According to local sources, the settlers attacked the lands of the people, and grazed their livestock on the crops of wheat, barley, and olive trees, which caused damage to a large part of the crops, and the olive trees were broken.

In the northern Jordan Valley , the Israeli occupation forces confiscated an agricultural tractor and a cart from al-Ras al-Ahmar belonging to Ahmed Diab Abu Khaizran, while he was working on some agricultural lands.

Gaza - "Jerusalem" dot com - Hamas said today, Thursday, that the so-called " Jerusalem Declaration " document is "nothing but a new chapter of the chapters perpetuating the occupation and strengthening joint American-Zionist terrorism directed against our land, people, and sanctities, like other acts of terrorism." Void covenants and treaties, which our people experienced throughout their history of struggle, and were able, thanks to their steadfastness and resistance, to thwart and thwart them.

In a statement, Hamas warned of "the danger of what is stated in this document to the present, future, security and stability of our Arab and Islamic nation and its peoples, by trying to integrate this strange occupying entity into its body."

Hamas called for the mobilization of all forces in the nation towards rejecting the so-called "Jerusalem Declaration" and not giving in to American dictates, which sponsor the interests of the occupation at the expense of the interests of the Arab and Islamic peoples and the cause of the nation of Palestine.

It also called on the Palestinian people, factions and forces to declare their rejection of this document, and to move forward on the path of struggle with comprehensive resistance until the fulfillment of the aspirations of our people for liberation and return.