Day: June 27, 2024

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated Wednesday that insecurity and active hostilities in the southern Gaza Strip are still a major impediment to humanitarian operations. In a report issued today, the UN humanitarian agency pointed out that a number of attacks have hit the periphery of Al Mawasi, where many displaced people have sought shelter, last week. "One of the major and ongoing constraints is picking up supplies from the Kerem Shalom crossing. To do that, humanitarian organizations are exposed to criminal activity along the single road they have been forced to use, amid Israeli military operations nearby," OCHA argued. It accused that the Israeli occupation authorities of restricting the use of alternative roads. "Meanwhile, partners working to support health care in Gaza warn that power blackouts due to fuel shortages continue to put the lives of critically ill patients at risk. This includes newborns, patients receiving dialysis and those in intensiv e care units," added the UN organization. It warned that the lack of fuel is also hampering efforts to respond to the water, sanitation and hygiene crisis across Gaza. It noted that partners working on the response say water production from groundwater wells - which is the main source of Gaza's water supply - has shrunk by more than 50 per cent - from 35,000 cubic metres per day to just 15,000. In the occupied West Bank, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, led a field visit to witness how settlement expansion and restrictions on access and movement are fueling humanitarian needs, in the occupied West Bank. The mission, which was organized by OCHA and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, included a visit to Tulkarm city and its two adjacent camps - Tulkarm and Nur Shams. Hadi met with communities there, who spoke of the impact of recurrent operations by Israeli forces in the camps. Across the West Bank, including East Jerus alem, OCHA says that as of Monday, 536 Palestinians - nearly a quarter of them children - have been killed since 7 October. The vast majority were killed by Israeli forces, and at least 10 by settlers. Nearly 5,400 Palestinians were injured in these incidents. In the week between 18 and 24 June, OCHA also documented 18 attacks by Israeli settlers across the West Bank, resulting in injuries and damage to Palestinian-owned property and trees. Source: Kuwait News Agency

Rabat - His Majesty King Mohammed VI sent a message of congratulations to the President of the Republic of Djibouti, Ismaël Omar Guelleh, on his country's Independence Day. In this message, the Sovereign expresses His warm congratulations and His best wishes for health and happiness to Guelleh and progress and prosperity to the Djiboutian people. On this occasion, His Majesty the King reaffirms His pride in the bonds of brotherhood between the two Heads of State and the two countries, stressing His firm determination to continue working with the Djiboutian President to promote bilateral cooperation and raise it to the highest level for the two brotherly peoples and in the service of the African continent. Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse

Manama, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received a cable of thanks from His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Amir of Kuwait, in response to HM's cable of condolences following the fire that broke out in Al Mangaf in Kuwait's southern Ahmadi Governorate, which claimed numerous casualties and caused injuries. Source: Bahrain News Agency

Amman, The Jordanian Armed Forces, in cooperation with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation, dispatched a new humanitarian convoy consisting of 50 trucks to the Gaza Strip. The Jordan News Agency "Petra" reported that the convoy was coordinated in partnership with the World Food Programme and included contributions from public campaigns and various Jordanian institutions. The trucks transported essential food parcels and rice, intended for distribution to the population in Gaza through partner associations and local organisations. Hussein Al-Shibli, Secretary-General of the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation, affirmed Jordan's readiness to increase the number of convoys and trucks sent to Gaza, stressing that Jordan's primary focus since the conflict began has been to ramp up humanitarian aid to Gaza. Al Shibli explained that the total number of ground trucks that have entered Gaza as of Thursday has risen to 2,270 trucks, in addition to 53 aircraft via El Arish. On another note, the number of ai r drops conducted by the Jordanian Armed Forces in the sector reached 107 drops, along with 261 aerial drops in cooperation with other countries. Israel has been waging a war on Gaza since last October, resulting in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis due to shortages of food, medicine, and water. Source: Bahrain News Agency

Washington, The Ministry of Industry and Commerce signed an agreement of understanding and cooperation with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, to apply the fast-track system for technical examination of patents (PPH). The agreement was signed by Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, and Kathy Vidal, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office. The minister emphasised that this agreement will further enhance the Kingdom's patents and intellectual property sector. He highlighted Bahrain's position in preserving and protecting all types of intellectual property and patent rights, which contributes to increasing the flow of investments. The agreement comes as part of the plan to develop the regulatory and procedural framework related to the registration of intellectual property and patents in cooperation with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The agreement will enable accelerating technical examinat ion procedures of patent applications, enhancing cooperation with the US Patent Office, exchanging the latest findings on patent applications filed with the Bahrain Patent Office, exchanging expertise in managing patent offices and procedures for examination and grants, raising the quality of the reports of the Bahraini National Office, and preventing conflicts in technical results with major international patent offices. This also includes increasing revenues related to filing patent applications and examining them technically. The fast-track system, which supports the applicant approved by international patent offices, including the US Patent Office, will accelerate the procedures for granting patents in the Kingdom based on the examination reports issued by the five major international government offices proposed to be contracted bilaterally, and through this agreement. The system also aims to provide an attractive environment for regional and international investments, in addition to enabling the examin ation of patent applications filed with the Bahrain Patent Office, especially in cases where a specialised patent examiner is not available. Source: Bahrain News Agency