Day: June 25, 2024

Moscow, Four people were injured and dozens of buildings were damaged in attacks launched by Ukraine, Tuesday, on the Russian Belgorod region.

Governor of Belgorod Province, Vyacheslav Gladkov said that at least six drones launched by Ukraine over Yakovlevsky were destroyed, noting that two people were injured there by shrapnel. He added that another person was injured when a drone was shot down over the city of Belgorod, which is the administrative center of the region, in addition to a woman who was also injured in a village.

Damage was caused to dozens of buildings and cars throughout the area, Gladkov added.

Since the outbreak of the war between the two countries, both Moscow and Kyiv have been announcing losses inflicted by each side on the other, without being able to independently confirm the information, in light of the continuing confrontations for about three years.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Ramallah – Ma’an – Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa said on Tuesday that the government is working with full determination to prevent a decline in the level of services provided to citizens, and to fulfill its financial obligations to all parties.

He stressed that the government continues to fulfill its obligations towards employees in the Gaza Strip, despite the objection of the Israeli side and its punitive measures in deducting the value of what we pay to our people in Gaza from the clearance value, which doubles the cost to the government.

He also stressed in his speech at the beginning of government session No. 12 that the government will not allow the success of the extremist leadership in the occupying state to weaken its ability to provide basic services to citizens and fulfill its financial obligations towards employees, service suppliers, contractors and others, through the financial war waged by the occupation.

He said that the government is working on several paths in order to provide the necess
ary financial resources, by making continuous efforts with a group of sisterly Arab countries and a group of European countries, as well as the European Union and international financial institutions, to mobilize financial support for the public treasury at this critical stage, adding, ‘We have found a promising response.’ From many of these parties and an understanding of the sensitive situation and its economic, social and security repercussions.’

He added: “We also continue to work with a number of friendly parties in order to secure the release of our funds seized by the Israeli side in practices that violate international law and the signed agreements.”

He stressed, “Although we are confident that the financial situation will improve in the coming months, we are also still working to ensure that at least part of this money arrives within the next two weeks so that we can fulfill our obligations.”

The Prime Minister said: ‘This year, the situation was different in light of the inability of 39,000 of ou
r students in the Gaza Strip to sit for the high school exams, and this is very painful for us.’

He added: “However, we are happy and appreciative of our colleagues in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and all those who supported them for the exceptional effort they made to ensure that around 1,536 male and female students took the exam in 29 countries outside Palestine, the most important of which is the Arab Republic of Egypt. We thank the Arab Republic of Egypt and all those who contributed to enabling around 1,100 of our students to take the high school exam in Egypt.”

He pointed to the efforts undertaken by the Ministries of Social Development and Labor to provide assistance to social segments that were negatively affected by the war on Gaza and the aggression on the West Bank, as the Ministry of Social Development is working to expand the base of beneficiaries of its support from 130,000 families to 300,000 families in the Gaza Strip, and 15,000. A family in the West Bank, in addition to
the Ministry’s effort to support and provide social protection for people with disabilities, wounded children, the elderly, women, and the marginalized who are now in shelter centers, and to provide sponsorships for orphans, whose number has reached 22 thousand orphans due to the war in the Gaza Strip.

He touched on the efforts made by the Ministry of Labor to provide financial support and health insurance, and to provide job opportunities for a number of workers who lost their jobs as a result of the aggression, through the implementation of several projects, including wage support in various sectors such as agriculture, construction and services through the Palestinian Employment Fund, and other projects such as the “Cash for Work” project for working women, in addition to supporting agricultural projects and livestock through the Cooperative Labor Authority. It also provides zero-interest loans to establish small projects in cooperation with the Monetary Authority, as well as enhancing vocational training
programs in cooperation with training centers, in addition to the Ministry’s efforts in cooperation with the private sector and the General Union of Palestinian and Food Industries to provide job opportunities.

He pointed out that the government’s efforts are not limited to dealing with today’s challenges, as it plans to launch a group of initiatives that will be able to achieve the desired financial and economic stability, and the most important of these initiatives are:

-The Energy Security Initiative, specifically relying on alternative energy sources, reducing dependence on importing it from abroad, and reducing the cost of energy services.

-Health services localization initiative to improve the quality of health services and reduce the cost of purchasing the service.

– The digital transformation initiative and the need to use technology more in providing our government services.

– An initiative to develop the social protection, social insurance and social security system, specifically social protect
ion for the poor, needy and unemployed.

– The Economic Empowerment Initiative and its importance in stimulating the economy and creating job opportunities in the next stage.

He added that all relevant ministries are working hard to implement government initiatives and develop other initiatives, in order to raise the ceiling of government services in a way that contributes to providing better services to our people.

Source: Maan News Agency

Geneva: The State of Qatar participated in the 20th meeting of the Governing Board of the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), held Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland.

HE Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Faisal bin Abdullah Al Hanzab chaired the Qatari delegation at the meeting.

In his address to the meeting, His Excellency highlighted that the State of Qatar is one of the largest donors to the fund since its inception, pointing to its diligent efforts and initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes that fuel violent extremism.

HE the Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs also pointed out the State of Qatar’s role in supporting fragile communities in partnership with the GCERF and member states, aiming to achieve security and stability in various conflict-affected areas.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Ramallah – Ma’an – President Mahmoud Abbas “Abu Mazen” received a delegation from the Arab American University that included both the founding Chairman of its Board of Directors, Dr. Youssef Asfour, and the Acting President of the University, Dr. Baraa Asfour, in the presence of a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Dr. Ziad Abu Amr. .

At the beginning of the meeting, the President welcomed his guests, congratulated Dr. Baraa Asfour on assuming the position of Acting President of the Arab American University, and stressed the provision of support and assistance to him, pointing to the importance of education in the State of Palestine and his permanent support for this sector.

In turn, Dr. Youssef Asfour, Founding Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab American University, thanked the President for his generous directives in supporting the educational and research process of Palestinian universities, and said, ‘The Arab American University is proceeding based o
n the directives of Your Excellency and is witnessing development in the provision of medical, health, academic, research, technological, and engineering services.’ For the children of the Palestinian people, in addition to the fact that the university opened, under your patronage, many medical, technological and scientific colleges that meet the needs of the times.’

For his part, Dr. Baraa Asfour, Acting President of the Arab American University, thanked the President for the reception, noting that this visit gives us strength and determination to continue and progress, stressing that His Excellency is the patron of the academic process in Palestine and the patron of youth.

Dr. Baraa stressed that the Arab American University provides all its academic and administrative capabilities and its staff to serve the nation, its institutions, and our people in Jenin, Ramallah, and even all of Palestine, pointing out that the university includes students and staff from all regions of historical Palestine, and deser
ves to be called the University of All Palestinians, because it brought together all The spectrum of the Palestinian people from north to south. You see the son of Nazareth meeting with the son of Nablus, the son of Jenin studying alongside Ibn Sakhnin, and the son of Jerusalem performing scientific research alongside the son of Haifa. We hope that we will meet the people of the Gaza Strip and they will join the Arab American University family soon.

He also stated that the university attracts many international competencies, including lecturers and researchers, to provide qualitative education in Palestine, stressing that the university today has reached global status, occupied an important part on the international map, and has obtained many international recognitions, and the university has also received many international awards. The most recent of which was that the university magazine won the best scientific research journal at the Arab level.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the delegation thanked th
e President for receiving them, wishing him success in protecting the national project in these difficult circumstances.

Source: Maan News Agency

Beijing, Chinese Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Dong Jun and Saudi counterpart Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them within the framework of the strategic defense partnership.

The discussion session also reviewed joint coordination efforts to maintain international peace and security.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Ramallah – Together – The Italian publishing house Klamos in Rome published the novel ‘Life as It Should’ by the novelist Ahmed Rafiq Awad, which was published in the year 2022 by Al-Ahlia Publishing and Distribution House in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

The Italian edition of the novel came in 160 medium-sized pages and was decorated with a painting by the expatriate Palestinian artist Imad al-Tayeb under the name ‘Tango in the Sumo Style,’ a painting in which the artist mixed two different worlds between Western tango and Japanese sumo, as the two dancers exchange desire in the two dances. In participation and the desire to exclude as well, which applies to the nature of relations between individuals, groups and countries.

The introduction to the Italian edition was written by the poet and translator, Dr. Odeh Amarneh, and from what was stated in his introduction, we choose these paragraphs:

Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad is one of the distinguished writers on the occupied land, and many critics, researchers, sch
olars, students of science, and lovers of books agree on this statement. He wrote about politics, thought, media, and strategic analysis. He wrote novels, short stories, and theater, in addition to literary criticism and essays. This novel, ‘Life as It Should Be,’ is his ninth novel.

The novel ‘Life as It Should Be’ is his fourth work, which was translated into Italian and published by Klamos Publishing House in Rome. He previously translated the play ‘King Churchill’ by ‘Kaminia’ and the play ‘The Happy Settlement’ by ‘Città del Sole’ and the novel ‘Country of the Sea’ by ‘Editsione’. “Ko”.

He received several prestigious local and international awards. He also received the award of the Italian Academy of Arts in Naples in cooperation with the Center for Cultural and Historical Studies in Eboli in 2017, and the writer Awad was then appointed an honorary member of the institution.

When I read the novel ‘Life as It Should Be’ and since I have been living in Rome for a long time, I immediately remembered the
famous Italian writer Italo Calvino (Cuba, October 15, 1923 – Siena, Italy, September 19, 1985), who participated in the struggle and resistance in the remote areas of the province of Liguria. With the nom de guerre Santiago, who in 1958 wrote a famous poem entitled ‘Behind the Bridge.’ This poem fully conveys the meaning of resistance and liberation from the oppression of fascism and Nazism. It is dedicated or directed to young people. Calvino said at the time, ‘Few know what happened in our country in those difficult and distant years.’ “Now”

part of the poem says: “Listen, peach-cheeked boy, dawn-cheeked boy, I wish I could tell you about my life when I was your age now…German forces are on a curfew, they’re taking over the city, but we’re ready, we’re fighting back, who doesn’t?” He wants to bow his head, so let him come and take the road with us towards the mountains!’

The poet or singer adds: ‘Behind the bridge, we were twenty years old. All the good in the world was behind the bridge. There we face
d evil and all the good was in our hearts. Behind the fire begins love. We walked silently in the mountains, between the trees, barefoot, walking on pine needles.’ On the thorns of chestnuts, in the dark morning, we went down and up the mountains, hope was our companion, barefoot and torn but happy, we were twenty years old.’

He added: “It was not mentioned that we were saints. Heroism is not beyond human capacity. Run, descend, advance… advance! Every step you take will not be wasted. I see within reach, behind the trunks of trees and reeds, the future of a more humane, more just, freer, and happier day.” Now everyone has family and children… Now I walk with you among the trees of lemon trees, I wish you could live those thoughts again, my dawn-cheeked boy… We were twenty years old.’

After about a year, the text was composed by Sergio Liberovici and recorded in 1961 for the first time in the album called ‘Singing History 1’. In 2005, the well-known Italian music group ‘Modena City Rambles’ sang the t
ext again and the song spread so widely that you cannot You will not meet a single Italian who does not know this song that glorifies the period of struggle, liberation from the slavery of foreign occupation, and whoever remembers the song ‘Beyond the Bridge’ will surely also remember Bella Ciao’s famous song: ‘One morning I woke up and found the invaders, oh beautiful, bye, bye, bye, guerrilla, take me.’ With you to the mountains, I feel like I will die, and if I die, bury me in the mountains under the shade of a rose. They will say that this is the rose of the guerrilla, beautiful one. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye!

This song has become the slogan of resistance to all kinds of injustice in all parts of the world, and we are not exaggerating if we say that it is the true national anthem for Italy in certain moments and circumstances. This is a simple image of contemporary Italian literature, and it is also to preserve the individual and collective memory of a country that defended its land with its nails and te
eth and in loyalty to the memory of those who… They sacrificed, struggled and fell on the land of Italy, the beautiful country.

What does the novel have to do with Calvinism and Bella Ciao? Perhaps, to make a simple comparison between two peoples on the shore of the Mediterranean and to say that the things, values ??and experiences that we share and believe in are much more than those that divide us, and simply because this novel belongs to the art of ‘resistance literature,’ and because the novel, like poetry and singing, is considered a form of resistance.

The novel talks about the conflict and the psychological and existential crisis of the occupation system by talking about the intelligence officer Abu Al-Saeed, the Eastern Israeli ‘Sephardic’, who complains of the oppression and superiority of the Western Ashkenazi Israeli through his damaged relationship with his wife and son, Zalman or Salman, and in the text there is a comparison or confrontation between the Palestinian’s novel and the novel. The
Israeli, between truth and lies, truth and falsehood, the authentic narrative and the delusional narrative, the power of truth, and the right of power, this narrative wants to say that there is no life for the Palestinian without freedom and dignity, and that a life ruled by the occupier is not life.

The events of the novel are fast-paced and resemble the events of an attractive and suspenseful thriller film, containing amazing images, colours, smells and sounds of the Palestinian rural agricultural environment with its simplicity and strength, with its smooth and calm professional artistic language that does not make you feel bored. The element of suspense is strong from the beginning until the open ending that prompts you to contemplate, or perhaps to wait for a second part of the story. Rashid’s story.

Publishing this novel at this difficult historical moment, a moment in which freedoms are suppressed and the voices that rise around the world in support of the Palestinian cause are silenced, this gives i
t an important political, literary and aesthetic value, and because translating Palestinian literature (individual efforts) into the languages ??of the world is a duty and a clear choice that emphasizes commitment. The necessity of increasing awareness of the history and struggle of the Palestinian people, especially since the literary text provides a useful and peaceful tool to develop the level of debate taking place and to provide the international and humanitarian solidarity movement with effective elements and tools such as novels, poetry, film, theatre, drawing and other forms of art, to understand the nature of the conflict and search for just solutions. Achieving a better world.

Source: Maan News Agency

Doha: Qatar Foundation has held a ceremony to celebrate the participants and coaches of its Ability Friendly Program an initiative that offers inclusive sporting opportunities for individuals with different abilities.

The event aimed to raise awareness of the Qatar Foundation (QF) program, which, this year, included 182 registered participants.

In this context, Executive Director of Special Schools and SEN Services at Qatar Foundation Mark Hughes said, “The Ability Friendly Program is essential to QF’s Pre-University Education. This program not only provides valuable opportunities for individuals with different abilities but also strives to create an inclusive environment that embraces all participants, enhancing their deep sense of appreciation and community belonging.” Hughes added, “The program also allows individuals to showcase their talents, boosting their confidence and self-esteem while developing social skills and helping participants form lasting relationships. Through various activities, it promo
tes independence and personal growth. By engaging participants in sports, it also fosters enthusiasm for an active and healthy lifestyle.” The Executive Director of Special Schools and SEN Services at Qatar Foundation expressed his pride, saying, “I am incredibly proud of our students’ achievements and their ability to overcome challenges. Their determination and resilience are truly inspiring, and they remind us all of the incredible potential within each of us.” The event also featured “Colorful Dreams,” a collection of drawings by twelve young artists from the Ability Friendly Program printed on bags and books. These products are available at the Education City Gift Shop, with all proceeds going to the Ability Friendly Program.

Source: Qatar News Agency

Ramallah – Ma’an – The Commission for the Affairs of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners said that sick prisoners in the occupation prisons are subjected to a systematic medical crime aimed at killing them slowly, and its severity has increased since the seventh of last October. In addition to their physical and psychological suffering from the disease, they are besieged by hunger, thirst, and deprivation of treatment. In addition to being subjected to deliberate abuse and torture without regard to their health status and injuries, they became the focus and targeting in particular.

This was confirmed by the Commission’s lawyer after his recent visit to the so-called Ramla Hospital, specifically when he was unable to see the sick prisoner Moatasem Raddad (42 years old) from the city of Tulkarm. Raddad apologized for not meeting with the lawyer due to his inability to move and leave the bed due to the difficulty of his health condition.

The lawyer says: ‘The last time I met the prisoner was on 02/25/2024, while during
this period the prison administration transferred the prisoner from Ofer Prison to Ramla Hospital, and from Ramla Hospital to a civilian hospital, then he was returned to Ramla Hospital again.’ And every time the visit was obstructed without giving a reason, I accordingly filed a complaint with the director of Ramla Prison, after which I was allowed to visit the prisoner, but unfortunately I was not able to see him.’

Regarding the prisoner’s health condition, he is one of the most difficult medical cases in the Israeli occupation prisons, as he suffers from serious intestinal infections, and constant bleeding that causes him to have a severe drop in blood, and he is exposed to continuous fainting cases, in addition to high blood pressure and shortness of breath. Irregular heartbeat, in addition to severe back and joint pain.

In view of the above, Fardad receives a monthly injection, which requires his continuous transfer from Ofer Prison to Ramla Hospital, but the prisoner now prefers to stop treatment due
to the double pain he suffers during his transfer to the post, and the very bad treatment he is subjected to by the Nahshun forces. .

Also, the transfer of the prisoner after the war from Ramla Hospital to Ofer Prison led to a serious deterioration in his health. He was detained in a cell that lacked the minimum necessities of human life, and many of the medications he was receiving in Ramla Clinic were stopped, in addition to poor food and scarcity of clothes and blankets. Which made the matter more difficult, at the same time the Ofer prison administration refused to return him directly to the Ramla clinic, and waited for him to reach the stage of extreme danger to do so.

Note that Moatasem has been detained since 2006 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. During his arrest, he was injured by dozens of shrapnel, and his health condition worsened while he was in prison, as he spent most of the detention period in the Ramla prison clinic.

Source: Maan News Agency

Geneva: The State of Qatar has reiterated its commitment to continuing its full support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), stemming from its steadfast and supportive stance of the legitimate rights of the fraternal Palestinian people, foremost among them their right to establish the independent State on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. And lauded the unwavering efforts of all UNRWA staffers that spanned over 75 years, in pursuit of protecting and helping the Palestinian people.

This came in the statement delivered by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the UN Office in Geneva Dr. Hind Abdulrahman Al Muftah during the regular meeting of the UNRWA Advisory Commission (AdCom), within the framework of the 56th session of the Human Rights Council.

Her Excellency affirmed that since its establishment in 1949, as an organization with humanitarian and development mandate to provide assistance and protection to the Pale
stinian refugees, pending accomplishment of just and enduring solution for their plight, UNRWA has been coming under numerous and gratuitous attacks and polemics that primarily aim to undermine the agency and end its operations in the pursuit of liquidating the issue of the Palestinian rights and their right to return back to their regions and homes under international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly the resolutions of the UN General Assembly 194 and 237.

HE Dr. Al Muftah pointed out that the temptations of targeting UNRWA and limiting its abilities of undertaking its mandate and functions in the Gaza Strip are unprecedented, given the ongoing war being launched by the Israeli occupation army since Oct. 7, 2023. She stressed that these temptations come under flimsy justifications.

Her Excellency highlighted that the number of Palestinian casualties in the Gaza enclave surpassed 120,000 people, with the number of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) reaching over 2 million, due to the
genocidal crimes, policies of starvation and forced displacement being practiced by Israel as the de facto occupier, along with the intentional targeting of civilians, humanitarian aid workers and civic facilities, primarily the hospitals, as well as UNRWA’s schools and facilities that harbor tens of thousands of IDPs, mostly women and children, in addition to killing 193 of UNRWA’s personnel, with many of them being exposed to threats, arrest and torture.

HE Dr. Al Muftah underlined that the State of Qatar underscores the importance of discriminating between UNRWA as a UN agency with deep-rooted values and traditions and the claims that targeted many of its staffers who are being interrogated, denouncing the practices of punishing an entire humanitarian agency due to accusations against some of its staffers.

Her Excellency pointed out that the State of Qatar welcomes the contents of the Independent Review Group assigned by the United Nations, vindicating UNRWA following the allegations that targeted its op
erations in the Gaza enclave. She reiterated that the need for maintaining UNRWA to continue to discharge its functions, as a core pillar for regional stability, is still in place, stressing that originally the UNRWA was not an option, but rather operating due to the international community’s failure to end the Israeli occupation and find a just, durable and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian question and Palestinian refugees, in accordance with the international legitimacys resolutions.

HE Dr. Hind Abdulrahman Al Muftah emphasized the importance of constantly providing support to UNRWA, affirming that the State of Qatar welcomes the declaration of some donors to resume their support for UNRWA, adding that the State of Qatar has called on all states and donors to resume their support and funding for UNRWA. And stressed the importance of establishing a mechanism to ensure sufficient and continuous support, such as direct funding of UNRWA from the United Nations budget so as to enable UNRWA to carry ou
t its noble humanitarian mission in providing assistance and protection to roughly 6 million Palestinian refugees.

Source: Qatar News Agency