LONDON (AFP) - Buckingham Palace apologized Wednesday and a former aide to Queen Elizabeth II resigned after a black British philanthropist repeatedly asked about her origins at a reception.

Ngozi Fulani, chief executive of the London-based Sistah Spice Group, recounted the details of her conversation with the unidentified woman on Twitter.

Fulani, a prominent advocate for domestic violence survivors, was attending a palace reception with other activists on Tuesday.

And she wrote in her post that after she said that she was born and raised in the United Kingdom and that she was British, “Lady S.H” asked her, “Where are you really from, and where are your people from?”

She was forced to say that she was "of African-Caribbean descent" but reiterated that she was a British citizen.

Fulani said the conversation left her with "mixed feelings" about the reception hosted by King Charles III's wife Camilla to highlight violence against women and girls.

For its part, Buckingham Palace said in a statement that it took the incident "very seriously" and described the comments as "unacceptable and very unfortunate".

"We have been in contact with Ngozi Fulani about this matter, and we invite her to discuss all elements of her experience in person if she so desires," the statement said.

"In the meantime, the woman concerned would like to express her deepest apologies for the hurt she has caused and has stepped down from her honorary role with immediate effect," he added.

"All members of the Royal Family are reminded of the diversity and inclusion policies they must abide by at all times," the statement continued.

Taipei, (AFP) - Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Wednesday that her country "will not back down" in the face of the threat of China , which is preparing to organize dangerous military exercises near the coast of the island in response to the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

During a meeting with Tsai in Taipei, Pelosi said that she came to the region "in peace", stressing at the same time that the United States will not abandon its commitments to the democratic island that lives under the constant threat of a Chinese invasion.

"Today our delegation (...) came to Taiwan to say unequivocally that we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan and that we are proud of our enduring friendship," said Pelosi, the highest-ranking US official to visit the island in 25 years.

The US official arrived in Taipei on Tuesday evening aboard a US military plane, which immediately sparked sharp reactions in Beijing.

China's Foreign Ministry condemned the "grave violation" of US commitments to Beijing, which "seriously undermines regional peace and stability."

The Chinese government summoned US Ambassador Nicholas Burns on Tuesday evening. Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng expressed his country's "firm protests" over the visit.

"The initiative (Pelosi's visit to Taiwan) is very shocking and the consequences will be very serious," he said, according to the Xinhua news agency.

For its part, the Chinese Ministry of Defense promised "targeted military actions" through a series of military maneuvers around the island starting Wednesday, including "firing long-range live ammunition" in the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from mainland China.

The coordinates published by the Chinese army indicate that part of the military operations will take place twenty kilometers from the coast of Taiwan.

A spokesman for the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, Sun Lifang, said, "Some areas of the Chinese exercises overlap (...) with the territorial waters of Taiwan." "This is an irrational act aimed at challenging the international order," he added.

As for Japan, it said it was "concerned" about the Chinese exercises, noting that some of them would violate its exclusive economic zone.

South Korea called for the next stop on Pelosi's Asian tour, Wednesday, for calm.

On Wednesday, China announced the suspension of importing some types of fruits and fish from Taiwan and exporting natural sand to the island.

On Wednesday, China's customs administration said it would suspend imports of citrus fruits and some fish from Taiwan.

And she confirmed that she had "repeatedly" spotted a type of harmful parasite on citrus fruits and recorded excessive levels of pesticides.

The Ministry of Commerce, for its part, also announced to "suspend the export of natural sand to Taiwan" from Wednesday, without giving any explanation.

The President of Taiwan confirmed Wednesday that her country will not back down. "We will continue (...) to defend democracy," she said during her meeting with Pelosi.

She thanked the US official for "taking concrete steps to show her unwavering support for Taiwan at this crucial moment."

Taiwan authorities said Tuesday and Wednesday night that 21 Chinese military aircraft entered the island's air defense identification zone - an area much larger than its own airspace. Taiwan's Defense Ministry condemned "the unilateral attempt to threaten our ports and cities and undermine regional peace and stability."

She added, "The army will certainly remain in place and protect national security, and we ask the public to be reassured and support the army."

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry spokesman's remarks came after a statement by the ministry, which confirmed on Wednesday that the Chinese military exercises threaten the main ports and urban areas on the island, and promised to "strengthen" defenses and respond firmly.

The ministry said the exercises constitute "an attempt to threaten our important ports and cities and to unilaterally undermine regional peace and stability."

A number of US ships are also sailing in the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, according to US military sources.

Most observers consider the possibility of armed conflict to be small.

But US officials said they were preparing for shows of force by the Chinese military.

China considers Taiwan, with its population of 23 million, as one of its provinces that it has not succeeded in annexing to the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War (1949).

Beijing opposes any initiative that gives the Taiwanese authorities international legitimacy, and opposes any official contact between Taiwan and other countries.

US officials visit the island regularly. But China sees Pelosi's third personal visit to the US country as a major provocation.

And last week, in a phone conversation with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the United States not to "play with fire."

Since 1979, Washington has recognized only one Chinese government, the Beijing government, but it has continued to provide support to the Taiwanese authorities, especially through large arms sales.

The United States also practices a policy of "strategic ambiguity" as it refrains from saying whether or not it will defend Taiwan militarily in the event of an invasion.

Russia, China's main ally, accused the Americans on Tuesday of "destabilizing the world" and described Nancy Pelosi's visit as a "sheer provocation".

North Korea, another ally of Beijing, expressed its "full support".

KABUL (Xinhua) -- Deputy Minister of Refugee Affairs and Repatriation in the Afghan caretaker government, Arsala Kharuti, said that 272 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were repatriated to their home states from the capital, Kabul, on Sunday.

The displaced were repatriated to their homes in the provinces of Ghazni, Bamyan, Daikundi and Wardak with the help of a joint program of UNHCR and the Afghan Ministry of Refugee Affairs and Repatriation.

According to the deputy minister, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) provided each family with up to $200 in return for returning home.

According to officials with the Ministry of Refugee Affairs and Repatriation, those returning home will be helped by local relief agencies.

As many as 6,000 displaced families residing in Kabul have been repatriated to their home states in recent months, according to reports.

Taipei - (AFP) - Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen confirmed Wednesday that her country "will not back down" in the face of the threat of China , which announced the organization of dangerous military exercises near the coast of the island in response to the visit of Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.

During a meeting with Tsai in Taipei, Pelosi said that she came out of "friendship towards Taiwan" and for "peace in the region," stressing at the same time that the United States will not abandon its commitments to the democratic island that lives under constant Chinese threat of invasion.

"Today our delegation (...) came to Taiwan to say unequivocally that we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan and that we are proud of our enduring friendship," Pelosi said, the most senior US official to visit the island in 25 years.

The US official arrived in Taipei on Tuesday evening in a US military plane, which immediately sparked sharp reactions in Beijing.
China declared the military exercises "necessary and legitimate".

"In the current conflict surrounding Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the United States is the instigator, China is the victim. The joint provocation of the United States and Taiwan came first, followed by China's defense," said the State Department in Beijing.

However, the president of Taiwan said that her country of 23 million people will not back down. "We will continue (...) to defend democracy," she said during her meeting with Pelosi.

She thanked the 82-year-old US official for "taking concrete steps to show her unwavering support for Taiwan at this crucial moment."

Before leaving Taiwan, Pelosi met many of the dissidents who have suffered their share of China's wrath, including the leader of the Tiananmen student protests, Wuer Kaishi.

"We totally agree that Taiwan is on the front lines (of democracy)," Kaishi said.

Pelosi's delegation left Taiwan on Wednesday night for South Korea, her next stop on an Asian tour. Later, she will head to Japan.

After its departure, Taiwan's Ministry of Defense announced late Wednesday that 27 Chinese warplanes had entered the island's Air Defense Identification Area (ADIS).

Over the past two years, Beijing has increased its military sorties in the Taiwanese "Adiz" region.

The ministry released a map showing that 16 Su-30s and six J-11s crossed the so-called "demarcation line" of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial border in the narrow waterway that separates the island from mainland China and includes vital shipping lanes. .

Chinese planes crossed the "dividing line" during two high-level visits by US officials in 2020 during Donald Trump's presidency.

The Chinese government summoned US Ambassador Nicholas Burns on Tuesday night. Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng expressed his country's "firm protests" over the visit.

"The initiative (Pelosi's visit to Taiwan) is very shocking and the consequences will be very serious," he said, according to the Xinhua news agency.

For its part, the Chinese Ministry of Defense promised "targeted military actions" through a series of military maneuvers around the island starting Wednesday, including "firing long-range live ammunition" in the Taiwan Strait that separates the island from mainland China.

The coordinates published by the Chinese army indicate that part of the military operations will take place at a distance of twenty kilometers from the coast of Taiwan.

A spokesman for the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, Sun Lifang, said, "Some areas of the Chinese exercises overlap (...) with the territorial waters of Taiwan." "This is an irrational act aimed at challenging the international order," he added.

However, a source in the Chinese army told AFP that the exercises would take place "in preparation for actual combat."

"If the Taiwanese forces deliberately came into contact with the (Chinese) People's Liberation Army and fired by mistake, the People's Liberation Army will take firm countermeasures, and the Taiwanese side will bear the consequences," the source warned.

As for Japan, it said it was "concerned" about the Chinese exercises, noting that some of them would violate its exclusive economic zone.

South Korea, for its part, called for calm.

For their part, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries saw, on Wednesday, that there was "no justification" for China to use Pelosi's visit as a "pretext" for conducting military maneuvers.

"It is normal for deputies of our countries to pay international visits. (China's) escalatory response is liable to increase tension and destabilize the region," the ministers of the United States, Japan, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom added in a statement.

On Wednesday, China announced the suspension of importing some types of fruits and fish from Taiwan and exporting natural sand to the island.
A number of US ships are in the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, according to US military sources.

Most observers consider the possibility of armed conflict to be small.

China considers Taiwan one of its provinces that it has not succeeded in annexing to the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese Civil War (1949).
US officials visit the island regularly. But China sees Pelosi's visit as a major provocation.

And last week, in a phone conversation with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on the United States not to "play with fire."

Since 1979, Washington has recognized only one Chinese government, the Beijing government, but it has continued to provide support to the Taiwanese authorities, especially through large arms sales.

The United States also practices a policy of "strategic ambiguity" as it refrains from saying whether it will defend Taiwan militarily in the event of an invasion.

Russia, China's main ally, accused the Americans on Tuesday of "destabilizing the world" and described Nancy Pelosi's visit as a "sheer provocation".

North Korea, another ally of Beijing, expressed its "full support".

Gaza - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Palestinian media faces her professional work with challenge and courage, on the field square, and she is in front of the targeted fire of killing or arrest and abuse, by the Israeli occupation, which is trying to prevent her from conveying the live picture of the suffering of the Palestinian people and what the occupation is committing against them, their land and their sanctities A war crime that violates all international conventions and norms.

The Journalist Support Committee confirmed, on the eve of International Women’s Day , which falls on the eighth of March of each year, that the occupation continues to practice its violations against women journalists, including arrest, extension of detention, house arrest, direct assaults, shooting, beating and running over by the occupation and its settlers, preventing them from covering, raiding and breaking into home, use as human shields and other forms of violence and abuse.

And she recalled the Israeli occupation’s killing of the two journalists, Sherine Abu Aqleh, Al-Jazeera correspondent, and the free-lance journalist, Ghufran and Rasna, who were assassinated by the occupation forces last year 2022, calling on the International Criminal Prosecutor to look into Abu Aqleh’s file, and to rely on Palestinian investigations to condemn the occupation, and then open a special investigation in it, and summon Those responsible for this crime to appear before the International Public Prosecution”, as well as the submission of the occupation to the International Criminal Court on charges of the assassination of the martyr Sherine Abu Aqleh, the wounding of the colleague Ali Al-Samoudi, and the attempted murder of the colleague Shaza Hanaysha “in the same incident.

The committee also demanded the lifting of house arrest and the release of journalist Lama Ghosheh, who is still suffering from the procrastination of the mock occupation courts, which postponed her trial on February 14, 2023 to March 15, 2023, and she had been subjected to more than 6 consecutive arrests and extensions of detention, after the occupation forces arrested her from Among her two children while they were safe in their home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied Jerusalem, her arrest was transferred to house arrest and prevented from contacting and communicating until the end of the legal procedures against her, under the pretext of “incitement through social media.”

The committee said: "House confinement and detention is a heinous and reprehensible crime against Palestinian women activists in general and media professionals in particular, and a clear attack on freedom of opinion and expression."

The committee expressed the seriousness of the increasing violations of the occupation against press freedoms without the existence of a deterrent to the Israeli occupation, which requires a serious stand by the international community and all Arab countries and women's and human rights organizations in order to stop this injustice.

The Journalist Support Committee considered that the crimes and violations of the occupation clearly reveal the level of targeting and persecution of the press body by the occupation, and disregarding all the values, principles and decisions of international institutions, including United Nations resolutions.

She called on the Security Council to be on the side of the victim to stop the ongoing Israeli terrorism against international conventions and human rights, stressing the need for women journalists to have all means of legal protection and professional training.

The Committee congratulated all female media professionals on International Women's Day, and we commend their capabilities and their continuous efforts throughout the stages of the Palestinian struggle, and we stress the importance of continuing their work and support for their fellow journalists.

The committee affirmed that the Palestinian journalist proved that she deserves an honor worthy of her and her sacrifices, perhaps it amounts to the amount of suffering she received from the arrogance of an unjust enemy.

Ramallah - "Al-Quds" dot com - Hussein Al-Sheikh, a member of the Executive Committees of the Liberation Organization and the Central Committee of the Fatah movement, welcomed the participation of all international bodies in the course of the investigation of the assassination of fellow journalist Sherine Abu Aqleh.

Al-Sheikh said in a tweet to him via Twitter, that these authorities can communicate with the Palestinian Public Prosecution, which has jurisdiction, which issued its preliminary report yesterday.

And he considered that what happened at the funeral of Abu Aqelah's body yesterday by the occupation forces reinforces our position rejecting Israel's participation in this investigation. like he said.

Jerusalem - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs stated, in its report this evening, Monday, through its lawyer, Hamza Quttina, that the occupation authorities today transferred the Jerusalemite prisoner Malik Hussein from Shuafat Camp / Jerusalem to administrative detention for a period of 4 months.

The Commission added that this decision was issued by the current Minister of the Occupation Army.

The Commission condemned this retaliatory policy practiced by the occupation authorities and its extremist government against the prisoners inside the occupation prisons, which is represented by a number of practices and punishments based on racism.

Washington - (AFP) - The US State Department said on Wednesday that the Egyptian citizen residing in Iran, Saif al-Adel , became the leader of al-Qaeda after the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri in July 2022.

"Our assessment is consistent with the assessment of the United Nations - that the new de facto leader of al-Qaeda, Saif al-Adel, is in Iran," a ministry spokesman said.

The United Nations issued a report on Tuesday stating that the prevailing view of member states is that al-Adl has become the leader of the jihadist organization.

However, the organization has not yet officially declared him its "emir" due to its sensitivity to the concerns of the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan, who did not want to admit that al-Zawahiri was killed by an American missile in a house in Kabul last year, according to the United Nations report.

The UN report also mentioned that the Sunni al-Qaeda organization is sensitive to the issue of Saif al-Adel's leadership because of its residency in Iran, which has a Shiite majority.

The UN report pointed out that "his whereabouts raises questions that have an impact on al-Qaeda's ambitions to assert its leadership in a global movement in the face of the challenges of the Islamic State," its rival.

Saif al-Adl, 62, is a former officer in the Egyptian Special Forces and a prominent figure in al-Qaeda's old guard.

Al-Adl helped build the organization's operational capacity and trained some of the hijackers who participated in the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, according to the American organization "Counter Extremism Project."

Former FBI counterterrorism investigator Ali Soufan said Saif al-Adel had lived in Iran since 2002 or 2003, when he was initially placed under house arrest, but later became free enough to make trips to Pakistan.

"Saif is one of the most experienced professional fighters in the global jihadist movement, and his body bears the scars of battle," Soufan wrote in an article published in 2021 for CTC Magazine, issued by the West Point Counter-Terrorism Center.

"When it moves, it does it efficiently," he added.

بغداد- “القدس” دوت كوم- أكد قادة الأردن ومصر والعراق ضرورة تفعيل الجهود لتحقيق السلام العادل والشامل الذي يلبي جميع الحقوق المشروعة للشعب الفلسطيني ونيل مطالبه المشروعة للحصول على دولته المستقلة على خطوط الرابع من حزيران 1967 وعاصمتها القدس الشرقية، وفق القانون الدولي وقرارات الشرعية الدولية.

جاء ذلك في البيان الختامي الصادر عن القمة الثلاثية التي عُقدت في بغداد، اليوم الأحد، وجمعت رئيس جمهورية مصر العربية، عبد الفتاح السيسي، وملك المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية، عبد الله الثاني بن الحسين، ورئيس مجلس وزراء جمهورية العراق مصطفى الكاظمي.

وأكد القادة أن حل الصراع على أساس قرارات الشرعية الدولية هو السبيل الوحيد لتحقيق السلام العادل والشامل والدائم في المنطقة، وشددوا على ضرورة وقف اسرائيل جميع الاجراءات التي تقوض فرص تحقيق السلام العادل، بما فيها تلك التي تستهدف تغيير الوضع التاريخي والقانوني القائم في القدس ومقدساتها الإسلامية والمسيحية، وأكدوا على أهمية دور الوصاية الهاشمية التاريخية في حماية هذه المقدسات وهويتها العربية والإسلامية والمسيحية.

وثمن قادة العراق والأردن الدور المصري في إنهاء جولة التصعيد الأخيرة في غزة ووقف العمليات العسكرية الإسرائيلية، وأعربوا عن تقديرهم للجهود المصرية الحثيثة لتثبيت وقف إطلاق النار والعمل على استدامة التهدئة، كما رحب القادة بالإعلان المصري عن مبادرة إعادة إعمار غزة باعتبارها مبادرة مصرية تهدف لرفع المعاناة عن سكان قطاع غزة في إطار الجهود الدولية المبذولة في هذا الصدد، وثمّن القادة أيضا الدور المصري الفاعل في المصالحة الفلسطينية باعتبارها مسألة لا غنى عنها في سبيل إقامة الدولة الفلسطينية المستقلة.

وأعرب قادة العراق ومصر عن تقديرهم لجهود الأردن الحثيثة والمتواصلة لوقف الانتهاكات والاعتداءات الإسرائيلية في مدينة القدس وباقي الأراضي الفلسطينية، بما فيها جهود الأردن في وقف الاعتداءات الإسرائيلية الأخيرة ووقف إطلاق النار واستعادة التهدئة.

Governorates - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Israeli occupation forces arrested, at dawn and Sunday morning, 5 citizens from separate areas in the West Bank.

An Israeli military spokesman claimed that the detainees are among those wanted by his forces, and that one of them is from Tulkarm and is suspected of shooting at the Anif settlement a few days ago, and a Carlo weapon was seized in his possession.

Local sources said that an Israeli special force arrested the editor, Akram Bani Odeh, from Tammun, south of Tubas.

According to the same sources, this force stormed Bani Odeh's house, arrested him and took him to an unknown destination.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Today, Wednesday, President Mahmoud Abbas received, at the presidential residence in Ramallah, the new Board of Trustees of Al-Istiqlal University , which held its first meeting today, to elect the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, his deputy, and a secretary.

The President emphasized the great and important role played by Al-Istiqlal University, with its academic and security aspects, in providing the Palestinian security sector with scientifically and academically qualified expertise.

The President pointed out the importance of completing the university's distinguished march and developing it for the benefit of the academic sector, the Palestinian security establishment, and the Palestinian people.

The Board of Trustees of Al-Istiqlal University, assigned by the President, held a meeting for it, where Lieutenant General Haj Ismail Jabr was elected as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Ahmed Majdalani as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Major General Zakaria Musleh as Secretary.

After the elections were held, a number of issues related to the work of the Board of Trustees and the regularity of its meetings were discussed, in order to ensure the regularity of the work and programs of the university.

رام الله- “القدس” دوت كوم- دعت اللجنة المركزية لحركة فتح الجميع إلى ضمان صيانة وحماية المكتسبات الوطنية والسياسية وحماية منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية ومؤسساتها وتعزيز المناعة الوطنية ضد كل محاولات اختراق الوحدة الوطنية.

جاء ذلك بعد اجتماع طارئ عقدته اللجنة المركزية، اليوم الأحد، لمناقشة الأوضاع الراهنة على الساحة الفلسطينية على أثر ما حدث مع المواطن المرحوم نزار بنات، وتوجهت إلى عائلته بأحر التعازي وثمنت موقفها لتعاملها بحكمة ورفضها السماح لأحد باستثمار مأساتها التي تمت بطريقة مؤسفة، ورفض استغلالها بهدف حرف النضال الوطني الفلسطيني وضرب مكتسبات الثورة على مدار مسيرة النضال الفلسطينية منذ عام 1965.

ودعت الجهات ذات العلاقة إلى سرعة إنجاز التحقيق واتخاذ الإجراءات الموجبة قانونًا ورفض توظيفه سياسيًا.

وتابعت: فتح كانت وما زالت تؤمن أن الحوار الوطني هو السبيل الوحيد لحماية وصيانة مشروعنا التحرري القائم على تحديد الأولويات بالتناقض المركزي مع المحتل، وندعو الجميع إلى الاحتكام للقانون والنظام وحماية وحدتنا الوطنية.

ودعت​ اللجنة المركزية لحركة فتح الكل الفلسطيني لإعمال الحكمة والعقل والتوجه موحدين نحو مواجهة الاحتلال وقطعان المستوطنين في القدس وبيتا وكل مواقع ومناطق الاشتباك مع الاحتلال، وجماهير شعبنا الفلسطيني في جميع أماكن تواجده في الوطن والشتات لليقظة والحذر من المحاولات الخطيرة والمشبوهة التي تستهدف وحدة شعبنا وضربها في الصميم وعدم السماح لتسلل الفكر الانقلابي والتكفير بين صفوفنا.

وحيت الأطر التنظيمية في الأقاليم والمناطق التنظيمية والمواقع والمكاتب الحركية على مواقفهم الشجاعة في الدفاع عن حركتهم العملاقة وثورته، ودعتهم إلى استمرار التلاحم مع الجماهير وحماية الحريات العامة التي نشأت وتربت عليها أجيال فتح المتعاقبة.

كما حيت اللجنة المركزية قيام أجهزة الأمن الفلسطينية بدورها في حماية الوطن والمواطن في إطار القانون.

وقالت: “إن حركة فتح إذ تعزي أبناء شعبنا بشهدائنا الذين يرتقون كل يوم في مواقع التصدي للاحتلال، لتؤكد على ثباتها في مسيرة النضال وحماية المشروع الوطني”.

Taipei, - (AFP) - Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Tuesday that the Taiwanese people are committed to defending the island in the wake of China's massive military maneuvers.

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait have risen to their highest level in years since Beijing staged unprecedented military exercises in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei earlier this month.

Tsai's remarks came while receiving a US delegation on the 64th anniversary of the Chinese bombing campaign on the small island of Kinmen, known as the "823 bombing."

"This fight to protect our homeland has shown the world that no threat of any kind can shake the Taiwanese people's determination to defend their nation, neither in the past, nor now nor in the future," Tsai said.

The Chinese army fired 470,000 shells at Kinmen and nearby islets in 1958, killing 618 people in an attack that lasted 44 days.

Autonomous Beijing fears military action from China, which considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to re-annex it one day, by force if necessary.

Beijing rejects any diplomatic action that would legitimize Taiwan and has reacted with growing anger at visits by Western officials and politicians to the island.

Over the course of a week after Pelosi's visit, Beijing sent warships, launched ballistic missiles and fighter jets into the waters and airspace around Taiwan.

Taiwan has accused China of using the visit as a pretext to launch exercises that could amount to rehearsals for an invasion.

Swiss President Alain Berset stressed in an interview published Sunday that Switzerland's neutrality is now more important than ever, defending the controversial ban on sending Swiss-made weapons to Ukraine .

"Swiss weapons should not be used in wars," he told the weekly NZZ am Sonntag.

The long tradition of Swiss neutrality has been the subject of heated debate since the launch of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Although Switzerland, a non-EU member, has followed the bloc's lead in sanctions targeting Moscow, it has so far shown less flexibility on its military neutrality.

Under pressure from Kiev and its allies, Switzerland has continued to prevent countries that possess Swiss-made weapons from re-exporting them to Ukraine.

So far, requests from Germany, Spain and Denmark have been rejected under the Ordnance Act, which prohibits re-exports entirely if the recipient country is in an international armed conflict.

Bersier told NZZ am Sonntag newspaper that the policy was based on "a commitment to peace, humanitarian law and mediation where possible".

He pointed out that the role of Switzerland, as the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Geneva Conventions as well as the European headquarters of the United Nations, "is reflected in our laws, including those related to the export of arms."

He added that safeguarding humanitarian law, human rights law and the Geneva Conventions "may seem outdated to some, but it is more important than ever," warning that "it would be very dangerous to do away with these fundamental principles now."

He pointed out that "with regard to Switzerland, war is not part of the DNA of this country," stressing that his country aims to "be present wherever it can contribute to mediation and peace."

He said he believes negotiations with Russia are necessary to end the war in Ukraine "very soon".

He denounced the "war madness in certain circles" in Switzerland, amid calls to abandon neutrality.

He explained that "this does not mean indifference," referring to the "unprecedented sanctions" imposed by Switzerland on Russia.

There are several initiatives under way in Parliament in order to relax re-export rules to enable third countries to transfer weapons made in Switzerland to Ukraine.

But Berset reiterated that "the government's position is clear," adding, "It is in line with my personal position. Swiss weapons should not be used in wars."

The process towards a final decision, with discussions between parliament and the government followed by a possible referendum under Switzerland's system of direct democracy, is likely to take months.

AMMAN - (Xinhua) - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned that millions of children in Syria and Turkey need urgent humanitarian support due to the devastating earthquakes.

UNICEF said in a statement distributed by the organization's office in Amman today (Tuesday) that 4.6 million children live in the affected areas in Turkey, in addition to 2.5 million other children affected, seven days after two devastating earthquakes and more than 1,600 aftershocks occurred in southeastern Turkey and in Syria. This caused widespread destruction and the loss of thousands of lives.

"Children and families in Turkey and Syria are facing unimaginable hardship in the aftermath of these devastating earthquakes," said UNICEF Executive Director Kathryn Russell.

She added that we must do everything in our power to ensure that all survivors of this disaster have access to life-saving support, including safe water, sanitation, nutrition and critical medical supplies, and mental health support for children, not only during this period but also Long term too.

She said the number of children killed and injured during the earthquakes and their aftermath has not yet been confirmed, but the number is likely to reach several thousand and the official death toll has exceeded 35,000 dead so far.

She pointed out that the impact of the earthquakes on children and families in the region was catastrophic, as it left hundreds of thousands of people in miserable conditions, and many families lost their homes and are now living in temporary shelters, often in conditions of extreme cold / where snow and rain add to their suffering.

She said the earthquakes also caused widespread damage to schools and other vital infrastructure, increasing the risk to the well-being of children and families.

In Syria, she said, UNICEF is working to provide much-needed aid to the earthquake-affected population, and the organization has prepared supplies in northwestern Syria and begun distributing them to as many people as possible.

And in Turkey, UNICEF's immediate priority is ensuring affected children and families get the support they desperately need, said Director Russell.

ترجمة خاصة بـ”القدس” دوت كوم- قرر المستويان الأمني والسياسي في إسرائيل، مساء الأحد، إدخال الوقود الخاص بمحطة كهرباء غزة الوحيدة والممول من المنحة القطرية.

وبحسب قناة “ريشت كان” العبرية، فإن القرار جاء بعد تقييم أمني، وبموافقة المستوى السياسي.

وقال مصدر أمني إسرائيلي إنه طالما استمر الهدوء فسيكون هناك مزيد من التسهيلات.

ونقلت القناة عن قنوات عربية أن هناك اتفاقاً على عودة الأوضاع إلى ما كانت عليه قبل الجولة الأخيرة من التصعيد بغزة، على أن تبدأ جولة حوارات غير مباشرة بالقاهرة بين حماس وإسرائيل بشأن الإعمار وصفقة أسرى، إلا أن المصدر الأمني الإسرائيلي قال إن التسهيلات ستبقى في الإطار الإنساني ومرتبطة بالهدوء، وإن ملف إعادة الإعمار وتحسين الوضع الاقتصادي مرتبط فقط بعودة الأسرى والمفقودين.

Stockholm (AFP) - The US Army Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley, affirmed on Saturday on board the USS Kearsarge in Stockholm port, the United States' determination to support Sweden and Finland before they join NATO.

The US military official spoke during a press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersen on the occasion of the "Paltops 22" maneuvers.

"It is important for us, the United States, as well as the rest of the alliance, to show our solidarity with Finland and Sweden through these exercises," General Milley said, referring to NATO's annual naval exercises in the Baltic Sea.

The exercises are scheduled to take place between 5 and 17 June, with the participation of 14 NATO member states, plus Sweden and Finland.

These maneuvers are particularly important this year with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which prompted Sweden and Finland to reconsider decades of non-alignment and apply for membership in NATO.

General Milley added that the presence in Stockholm of the USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship designed to station ground forces on enemy shores, "demonstrates the United States' commitment to the common cause, the international order and the idea that big nations cannot invade small countries unchecked."

As for Andersen, the imposing presence of the 250-meter-long helicopter carrier and its 1,200 marines in the center of the Swedish capital, "is both a tangible expression of US support and also a powerful political sign at a critical time."

"This shows that the security guarantees that President (US Joe) Biden spoke of when President (Sauli) Niinisto and I visited him at the White House were followed up with concrete measures," she added, referring to her recent visit to Washington with the Finnish president. "We are very grateful," she added.

Gen. Mark Milley met with sailors, airmen, and Marines from the USS Kearsarge, which is equipped with ten Osprey transport aircraft capable of taking off and landing vertically like a helicopter and flying like an airplane, six Harrier attack helicopters, and three MH-60 MH-60s. The marine version of the Black Hawk helicopters, and five landing craft.

In response to a question about the message sent by the presence of the American ship in the Baltic Sea, the Chief of Staff of the US Army indicated that the "Baltops 22" maneuvers aim specifically at "training in amphibious attacks and scenarios that may include attacking land invaded by a competitor or an enemy country."

He also indicated that the United States also intends to enhance its participation in other military exercises scheduled in the coming months.

Stockholm and Helsinki's candidacy for NATO membership is opposed by Turkey, which accuses the two countries of harboring "terrorists" from the PKK and its allies.

Both countries are seeking security guarantees before formal membership that would guarantee them unconditional support from allies under Article 5 of NATO's founding treaty, a process that could take months and could be prolonged by Ankara's opposition.
In the absence of a formal security guarantee, the two countries requested an increase in the US military presence in the Baltic Sea and northern Europe.

رام الله- “وفا”- أجرى الرئيس محمود عباس، مساء الأحد، اتصالاً هاتفياً بوزير العدل محمد الشلالدة، بصفته رئيس لجنة التحقيق الرسمية بوفاة المرحوم المواطن نزار بنات، للاطمئنان على سير التحقيق في القضية.

ووجه بالإسراع في إنجاز اللجنة لمهمتها حتى يصار إلى اتخاذ المقتضى القانوني في هذه القضية.

وشدد الرئيس على ضرورة أن تعمل اللجنة بحيادية تامة لتبيان الحقيقة كاملة واحترام حكم القانون.

ومن المتوقع أن تنهي اللجنة عملها خلال يومين.

Tomorrow, Thursday, about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners will start a strike in rejection of the illegal and inhuman practices of the occupation. They have also taken other steps to express their unified positions, their challenge to the prison administration, and their readiness for confrontation, as they did when they wore what the prison administration calls “Shabas.” Many of these steadfast and patient people have entered new years. Like the prisoner Iyad Yasser Masalmeh, who entered his twenty-first year in captivity and is sentenced to life imprisonment four times, as well as Shuaa Jalal Nayef Kamji, who has been detained since 2003 and is sentenced to 25 years in prison, and Yahya Muhammad Suleiman Al-Rifai, who is sentenced to 50 months in prison, and many others, including brothers.
The worst thing about these Israeli practices is the administrative detention, whereby citizens are imprisoned without any charge being brought against them or the term of their imprisonment being determined. The strike of the prisoners, which begins tomorrow, is a unified and strong stance against the practices of the occupation, and it is expected that this strike will expand and the circle of participants in it will expand. Perhaps this occupation will listen. Closed walls and inhuman or legal treatment..!!
Millions of profits.. and what next?!
The Palestine Exchange announced that it had received the interim financial statements for the first half of this year for 47 companies. These data confirmed that the profits of these companies amounted to $200 million. The profits of banks for the same period amounted to approximately 69 million dollars, and other institutions also achieved profits in the millions, although the numbers were certainly lower, and these profits are distributed to shareholders, including a large number of citizens.
These facts confirm, according to Nihad Kamal, the general manager of the Palestine Exchange, the normal stability and the expected performance of these companies.
And the whole people are with stability and economic progress, but everyone wonders where these millions of profits go and why the bulk of them are not invested in serving society, people and the national economy in its various forms, knowing that everyone knows that there are those who invest and provide community services and for economic and political development, but what is required It is more and broader because the vast majority of citizens suffer from difficult economic conditions and harsh living conditions.
We are with these companies and institutions and the services they provide, but we demand something more and broader and commensurate with our circumstances and aspirations for the future and the challenges we face..!!

رام الله- “القدس”دوت كوم- دعت نقابة الصحفيين مساء الأحد، كافة الصحفيين ووسائل الإعلام الفلسطينية والعربية العاملة في فلسطين إلى مقاطعة أخبار الرئاسة والحكومة الفلسطينيتين حتى تحقيق مطالبها.

وطالبت النقابة رئيس الوزراء د. محمد اشتية، وبوصفه وزيراً للداخلية أيضاً، بإقالة قائد الشرطة على خلفية تقاعس الشرطة عن تأمين الحماية للصحفيين الذين تم الاعتداء عليهم ومنعهم من التغطية وتهديدهم من قبل عناصر بالزي المدني، على مرأى من عناصر الشرطة، وذلك أثناء محاولتهم تغطية احتجاجات واشتباكات بالأيدي وقعت مساء اليوم في مدينة رام الله.

وطالبت النقابة كذلك بملاحقة المعتدين على الصحفيين وتقديمهم للقضاء، وتقديم اعتذار واضح للصحفيين، وتعهد باحترام فعلي لحرية العمل الصحفي والتغطية، أيّاً كانت الأحداث وطبيعتها.

وأشارت النقابة إلى أنه حال تواصل هذه الاعتداءات على الصحفيين، فإن لدى النقابة خطوات أخرى ستعلنها في حينه.

ودعت النقابة الأطراف التي تنزل إلى الشارع إلى تحييد الصحفيين، وعدم المس بهم وبعملهم، باعتبارهم ناقلين للحدث وليسوا جزءاً منه، وأكدت أنها ستشرع بالملاحقة الجنائية لكل من يثبت تورطه بالاعتداءات على الصحفيين بأي طريقة كانت.

Washington - (AFP) US President Joe Biden will receive Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersen and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Thursday at the White House, his spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre announced in a statement Tuesday.

The spokeswoman said, "They will discuss the nominations of Finland and Sweden to join NATO, European security, as well as support for Ukraine" in light of the Russian attack on it.

The White House announcement comes as the Finnish parliament has just voted in favor of joining NATO, by an overwhelming majority of more than 95%, allowing the official nomination to be sent to the alliance.

Sweden officially announced its candidacy on Monday, and the Prime Minister spoke on this occasion of a "new era" for this Scandinavian country.

By taking the time to receive the Swedish prime minister and the Finnish president, before departing on a long-scheduled diplomatic tour to Asia, Joe Biden wanted to forcefully express his support for the two countries' accession to NATO.

At this time, Turkey, a member of the alliance in which it has veto power to stop any expansion of the bloc, is threatening to obstruct this process.

Sweden and Finland, which were historically non-aligned, have made a historic turn since Russia invaded Ukraine, which led to a major change in public opinion in the two countries.

With the exception of Ankara, other NATO member states received the news of the two nominations with enthusiasm.

The United States has previously hinted that it will provide security guarantees to the two countries throughout the accession process.

Gaza - "Quds" dot com - Quds Bank provided support to the Right to Live Association in Gaza, and the Rahim Association for Friends of Down Syndrome in Ramallah, in order to support the activities of the associations in serving children with Down syndrome.

The Bank recently donated to sponsor two children from the Rahim Friends of Down Syndrome Association in Ramallah, in order to help them receive occupational and speech therapy for a full year.

The Bank also provided support to the Right to Live Association for the third time in a row, with the aim of ensuring the continuity of providing all services for the benefit of people with Down syndrome in the governorates of Gaza.

Salah Hadmi, CEO of Quds Bank, said: “Quds Bank is always keen to support all segments of society, as people with Down syndrome are an integral part of it, and everyone has the right to live a decent life, and we believe that nothing is impossible and that everything is possible, and we hope Through this support, we can contribute to helping them live a better life and be productive members of society.”

It is noteworthy that the Right to Live Association was founded in 1992 and provides services to people with Down syndrome in the governorates of Gaza, and the Rahim Friends of Down Syndrome Association rehabilitates injured children by integrating them with their peers, in addition to providing them with speech therapy and occupational therapy sessions. ‏

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The head of the Prisoners' Club, Qaddoura Fares , said, "The approval of the legislative ministerial committee of the occupation government on a draft law that requires the execution of prisoners who carry out resistance operations against the occupation, represents the height of extremism and fascism that the occupation has reached."

Fares added in a statement: "In practice, the occupation is working today to transform everything it implements on the ground into racist laws that legitimize and perpetuate crime in a more systematic manner, which comes in the context of profound transformations that we have not witnessed before, under a government that is the most extreme on earth." launch".

He continued, "The occupation never stopped practicing this crime, as the field executions, which have doubled since the beginning of last year, in an organized manner, reflected the level of executions that we witnessed in the first and second years of the Intifada."

Fares added, "The Palestinians will continue their struggle, despite the criminal machinery they face, and perhaps the reality is the answer to that. For decades, the occupation has legislated dozens of racist laws and issued hundreds of military orders, which did not discourage the Palestinians from continuing their struggle against the occupation."

He stressed that all the current facts should prompt us, as Palestinians, to re-evaluate our performance in the face of this level of criminality, given the continued absence of a clear national and political plan to confront it.

Fares said, "The dangers of these draft laws affect not only the Palestinians, but all of humanity, and the world that stood with its international legal and human rights system against the death penalty must stop broadcasting more positions that no longer have any value for the Palestinians, without There should be a real deterrent to the occupation.

A few days ago, the (Israeli Knesset) also approved a preliminary reading of a draft law that deprives prisoners of medical treatment and surgical operations.

This draft law comes in light of a major attack launched by the prison administration against the prisoners, and with the recommendations of the extremist (Ben Ghafir).

نابلس – “القدس” دوت كوم- عماد سعاده – القت الشرطة القبض على شخص مشتبه بانتحال شخصية الغير عبر موقع الـ”فيسبوك” والتشهير بأحد المواطنين في نابلس.

وذكرت إدارة العلاقات العامة والإعلام بالشرطة أنه وبناء على شكوى تقدم بها أحد المواطنين للشرطة مفادها قيام مجهول بالتشهير به الإساءة له عبر موقع الـ”فيس بوك”، باشرت المباحث العامة على الفور إجراءات البحث والتحري وجمع المعلومات والأدلة، وقد تمكنت دائرة الجرائم الإلكترونية من تحديد هوية المشتبه به والقبض عليه، وبسماع أقواله اقر بالتهمة المنسوبة له، وقد تم إتخاد كافة الإجراءات القانونية بحقه أصولا.

Jerusalem - (Xinhua) - The Israeli Bureau of Statistics reported (Sunday) that the inflation rate in Israel on an annual basis reached 4 percent last April, the highest rate in nearly 11 years.

The Statistics Department said in a statement that this figure is the highest annual inflation rate recorded in Israel since June 2011, when the inflation rate reached 4.2 percent.
As a result, the inflation rate has moved away from the government target, which ranges from 1 to 3 percent.

The data also showed that since the beginning of 2022, the inflation rate in Israel has increased by 2.2 percent.

The department said that the Israeli consumer price index, a key indicator of inflation, rose by 0.8 percent in April on a month-on-month basis, after recording a 0.6 percent increase in March.

She added that the increase in April was mainly due to an increase in the prices of fresh vegetables by 5.5 percent, in addition to an increase in the prices of clothing by 2.8 percent.
House prices in Israel also recorded a year-on-year increase of 16.3 percent from February to March 2022, which constitutes the highest year-on-year increase in real estate transaction prices in Israel in nearly 12 years, according to the statement.

KUALA LUMPUR (Xinhua) -- Severe floods in parts of Malaysia have left 56,159 people homeless in five states, government data showed Tuesday.

According to the official news agency Bernama, the affected areas are along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, where 17,326 people from Kelantan state and 37,792 people from Terengganu state have been evacuated to flood relief centres.

The authorities confirmed five deaths from the floods, including a 15-year-old boy.

River waters exceeded the danger level in many areas of the affected states.

Ahmed Azzam Othman, Director of the Fire Safety Division at the Fire and Rescue Department, said that his team is conducting air monitoring to obtain an accurate picture of the flood situation in Terengganu state, as well as conducting similar air monitoring in Kelantan state.

The states of Pahang, Johor and Perak were also affected, with several hundred residents evacuated.

نابلس- “القدس” دوت كوم- رقية سماحنة- الوصول إلى الأماكن التاريخية والتراثية في أزقة بلدة نابلس القديمة وحاراتها ربما يحتاج إلى خارطة أو رموز يتتبعها الزائرون، خاصة لمن يزورونها للمرة الأولى في حياتهم. ومن هذا المنطلق، جاءت فكرة بناء مجسم للبلدة من الحجر والطين والخشب يشتمل على أهم المعالم التاريخية والحضارية فيها، يستطيع الزوار مشاهدته والاطلاع على تفاصيله، وبالتالي اختيار المعلم الذي يودون زيارته والطرق المؤدية إليه.

فكرة المجسم هذه أطلقتها ونفذتها المهندسة نور جردانة (28 عاماً)، وهي خريجة من جامعة النجاح فرع “تصميم داخلي” وموظفة في مركز تنمية موارد المجتمع التابع لبلدية نابلس.

وقد تجسدت الفكرة إلى واقع، وأنجزت جردانة مجسمها الضخم للبلدة القديمة الذي يضم قصوراً ومساجد وكنائس وأزقة وأحواشاً تجسد الواقع الحالي.

وتقول جردانة، التي تبدو فخورة جداً بمشروعها الذي استغرق إنجازه خمس سنوات: إن نابلس مدينة غنية بموروثها المعماري التاريخي، وتحتوي بلدها القديمة على مبان متعددة، تعود إلى حقب زمانية مختلفة، وإنها قد وظفت كل جهودها ضمن محاولة لتوثيق تاريخ هذه المدينة العريقة في فلسطين، وقامت بعمل مجسمات من الحجر للمدينة، التي تزخر بالمواقع التاريخية، لتسهل على الزوار التجول داخلها والتمتع بجمالها.

وتشير إلى أن تنفيذ مشروعها جاء ضمن مشروع التطوير الحضري والترويج للموروث الثقافي بالتعاون ما بين بلدية نابلس وجمعية “ليل” الفرنسية.

موهبة وبحث
وتقول إنه بدلاً من خارطة يتجول بها السياح، قامت بانجاز المجسم، مشيرة إلى أن امتلاكها الموهبة مع قيامها بعمليات البحث والاطلاع عن كثب، ووثائق البعثات الأثرية، والقيام ببعض الدراسات، قد مكنتها من إعادة تخيل البلدة القديمة.

وقد تم اختيار أحد القصور التاريخية داخل البلدة القديمة، وهو”قصر عبد الهادي”، ليكون مقراً لأعمال جردانة، فبات القصر مقصداً للزوار والسياح الراغبين بالاطلاع على التاريخ العريق للمدينة.

وتقول جردانة: إن العمل على تجسيد البلدة القديمة الموجودة حالياً سهل إذا تمت مقارنته بالعمل على تجسيد المدينة في الفترات الضاربة بعمق في التاريخ، فكلما عدنا إلى الوراء كان العمل أصعب بكثير.

وتتابع: “كان المطلوب صنع المجسمات لحقب زمانية مختلفة كالكنعانية والرومانية، وكان تجسيد الحقبة الرومانية هو الأصعب كون نظام العمارة يختلف كلياً عن نظام العمارة الكنعانية.

مفهوم قابل للتطوير
وترى جردانة أن مفهوم السياحة يجب أن يتطور باستمرار، وفي زمن كورونا باتت الحاجة ملحة لتنشيط الاقتصاد والحركة السياحية بطرق جديدة ومختلفة، ومع انعدام وجود السياح في المدينة، هناك طرق لشرح أهمية المدينة وتاريخها عبر”الإنترنت”، وبوجود هذه المجسمات التي تلامس الحقيقة أستطيع الشرح لأي شخص في العالم عن المواقع التاريخية والأثرية للمدينة.

وتضيف: تم أيضاً عمل تطبيق للهواتف النقالة يمكن السياح من التجول افتراضياً في تلك المواقع التي يرغبون بزيارتها في فلسطين.

ونتيجة لحالة الطوارئ التي تعيشها فلسطين بسبب وباء كورونا والالتزام بإجراءات الوقاية، عملت جردانة على ابتكار ألعاب للأطفال على شكل رسومات وبطاقات “بازل” وغيرها، تمكنهم من معرفة معالم مدينتهم أو أي مدينة فلسطينية أُخرى.

وتقول: في هذه الأيام ممنوع علينا اصطحاب الأطفال في جولات سياحية وفقاً للبرتوكول الصحي المعمول به من قبل منظمة الصحة العالمية، لذلك قمنا بعمل الألعاب التي تتحدث عن الآثار والتاريخ بطرق مبسطة وتفاعلية، حيث نرسلها إلى الأطفال في منازلهم ليقوموا بحلها أو تلوينها مع عائلاتهم من باب التسلية والمعرفة، وتشجيع السياحة الداخلية أيضاً، حيث سيتشوق الأطفال لرؤية تلك المعالم والآثار التي قاموا بجمعها أو تلوينها عبر اللعبة”.

وتضيف: إن سر نجاح عملها وديمومته ردود الأفعال الإيجابية عما يتم تصميمه حتى بات المركز مقصداً للعديد من السياح، والرحلات المدرسية للتعرف على مدينة نابلس.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - An avid Marilyn Monroe fan Wednesday criticized a private museum that owns a famous dress of the late actress for allowing reality TV star Kim Kardashian to wear it during the "Met Gala 2022" party organized by the Metropolitan Museum in New York last May. This caused "irreparable" damage to it, he said.

Scott Fortner, a collector who runs a website entirely dedicated to Marilyn Monroe, sought proof of his accusations by publishing this week photos of the sparkly beige, crystal-embellished gown Monroe wore when she sang "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to late US President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

The first set of photos shows Marilyn's famous dress as it was before the Met Gala, according to Fortner, while the second set of photos was taken Sunday by a friend of Fortner's at the front of the private "Ripple's" museum in Hollywood, a month after Kardashian appeared in it.
From the comparison of the photos, it appeared that small tears appeared in the fabric of the dress on the back, while on the other side a number of crystal beads were missing or seemed unstable.

The footage and subsequent damage, according to Fortner, to the dress, which was bought by the Ripleys Museum at auction for $ 4.8 million, has sparked widespread criticism on social networks in recent days.

Fortner said on his Instagram account on Wednesday that his blame "is directed at Ripley's, who allowed the dress to be worn."

He added, "If any star had been offered to wear this dress, she would not have missed the opportunity (...). And Kim K. was simply the one who had the opportunity to do so."

"It was Ripley's duty to protect and preserve this historic piece, but he did not. The dress is now damaged beyond repair and would probably have been damaged if" any woman had worn it, Fortner said.

Agence France-Presse on Wednesday did not get any comment from Ripley's on the uproar over the dress.

And the museum had expressed in early May that it was satisfied that Kardashian would wear the "Met Gala" dress that no one had worn since Marilyn Monroe.

On that day, the museum issued a statement confirming that "great care has been taken to preserve this historical piece." He added, "With the help of experts in fashion preservation, archivists, and insurance companies (...) no alterations were made to the dress, and Kim Kardashian wore an exact copy of the dress before participating in the party."

Likewise, Kim Kardashian, who followed a harsh diet in order to be able to wear the historical dress, had no comment on the controversy through her accounts on social networks.

Tokyo - (AFP) - Shinzo Abe served as the longest-serving prime minister in Japan's history, spearheading ambitious economic reforms, building key diplomatic ties and tackling scandals.

Nearly two years after he had to relinquish power for health reasons, it is feared that Abe, 67, may have died after being shot during an election rally on Friday.

Abe was 52 years old when he became prime minister for the first time in 2006, making him the youngest prime minister in the country's history.

He was seen as a symbol of change and youth, but he also represented the third generation of politicians belonging to an elite conservative family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

His handling of the crisis was seen as slow and confusing, which led to a decline in his support to the lowest levels during his rule.
He was scheduled to remain in the position until September 2020, which would allow him to attend an important occasion in his historic mandate, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which was postponed in 2021, but it seems that his health problems managed him again, and in 2020 he announced his resignation due to illness.

On the international stage, he took a firm stance on North Korea, but sought to be a peacemaker between the United States and Iran.
And he made it a priority to build a close personal relationship with Donald Trump, in an effort to preserve Japan's most important alliances, despite the slogan "America First" that the former US president used to raise, and he tried to repair relations with Russia and China.

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

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

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

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