250,000 perform final Friday Ramadan prayers at Al-Aqsa

Palestinians pray on the fourth Friday of the holy month of Ramadan on Al-Aqsa. (Reuters)

A massive Israeli security presence lined the streets of Jerusalem as up to 250,000 Palestinian Muslims performed the fourth and probably final Friday prayer of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

More than 3,200 police, border police and Shin Bet security agents were deployed on roads leading to the mosque.

Authorities allowed women of all ages, men over the age of 55 and children under 12 to enter Jerusalem from the West Bank without permits to perform Friday prayers.

Ramadan is a rare chance for many Palestinians to visit Jerusalem and pray at Al-Aqsa. For many, this was their first time in the city

Ahmed Khassib, 51, from Ramallah, told Arab News: “I am delighted to be able to perform the fourth Friday prayer of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

“I cannot obtain a permit to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque except on Fridays during Ramadan, so I wait for this opportunity throughout the year.”

Praying at the mosque, Khasib said, “carries a message that Al-Aqsa is for Muslims.”

During his Friday sermon, Sheikh Ekrimeh Sabri, the imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, told worshippers: “You who came to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque from all parts of holy Palestine, you who have crossed the unjust military checkpoints, your march to the blessed Aqsa for the evening prayer and Taraweeh prayers is to remind the 2 billion Muslims of the world of the captive Al-Aqsa.”

Abd Al-Salam Abu Askar, a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip who lives in Ramallah, told Arab News that inflammatory comments about Al-Aqsa by far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had made Palestinians more determined to challenge Israeli restrictions on worshipping there.

When they felt the mosque was in danger, he said, they flocked to it during Ramadan, especially on Fridays.

“If the military checkpoints surrounding the city of Jerusalem allowed all citizens of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to visit Al-Aqsa, the number of worshippers would exceed half a million today,” Abu Askar said.

The Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque turned into fortress since Thursday night and extra security forces were put into service for the peaceful Friday prayers of Ramzan. This Friday also coincides with Quds Day, observed by Shi’ite Muslims in Iran, Syria, Lebanon among other places.

There was tight security at checkpoints leading to Jerusalem. Israeli police placed Iron barriers in the streets and alleys of the Old City in Jerusalem, at most of the mosque’s gates, and Bab al-Amound area.

Israel police detained eight suspects for questioning after the Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa mosque. According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, the suspects, who had their faces covered with masks, waved flags and banners supporting terror organisations and shouted incitements to violence.

The report further mentioned military officials saying that “numerous attacks in the West Bank and the Jerusalem area were thwarted at the last minute by the IDF and Shin Bet.”

Clashes at Al-Aqsa mosque compound

On 5 April, clashes broke out at Al-Aqsa mosque compound after Israeli police attacked Palestinians, sparking a military exchange of rockets and air strikes. Two more rockets were fired late Wednesday from the Israel-blockaded Gaza Strip towards Israel leading to fresh altercations at Al-Aqsa mosque during the Jewish Passover and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Armed police in riot gear stormed the prayer hall of Al-Aqsa mosque before dawn last Wednesday, aiming to dislodge “law-breaking youths and masked agitators” they said had barricaded themselves inside.

A barrage of rocks and fireworks met the officers, police video showed, and more than 350 people were arrested.

Security forces are also on alert in the West Bank following warnings about possible terror attacks and are continuing the search for a terror cell that killed Lucy Dee and her daughters, Maia and Rina.

Al-Sudais: Grand Mosque Received More Than 22 Million Worshippers in First 20 days of Ramadan

General view of muslims performing evening prayers at the Grand Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, April 11, 2023. (SPA)

General President of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais announced that the total number of male and female worshipers who visited the Grand Mosque during the first 20 days of Ramadan reached more than 22 million people.

Dr. Al-Sudais stressed that the Presidency prepared the Grand Mosque through an operational plan and strategy that provided all means of convenience and facilitated all services for worshipers to perform their rituals with ease and tranquillity, and also ensured the availability of safety means inside the Grand Mosque and communication with the relevant authorities.

He hailed the Saudi leadership for supporting the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors and for creating the best conditions for worshippers to perform their rituals easily, SPA reported.

The General Presidency of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and Prophet’s Mosque said that total number of worshipers and Umrah performers from all around the world, in Masjid Al Haram reached 1.4 Million on Thursday.

Ramadan, which began on March 23, sees a huge influx of Umrah pilgrims and worshipers to holy sites in Saudi Arabia.

A detailed plan that aims to facilitate worshipers’ experience during the last days of Ramadan and to ensure high-quality services went into effect on Tuesday.

The plan includes washing the Grand Mosque 10 times a day by over 4,000 workers. More than 70 teams will also operate round the clock to sanitize all areas of the mosque.

Artificial intelligence technologies will also be used to carry out the disinfection operations at the Grand Mosque, Haidar explained, adding that 11 robots will perform this task for up to eight hours without any human intervention.

The plan also provides around 8,000 vehicles, including 3,000 that are electric, to transport worshipers from parking lots to prayer halls. Worshipers can book in advance through the Tanaqol app.

More than 160 staff members will be deployed at the doors of the Grand Mosque to facilitate worshipers’ entrance and exit and to help with any inquiries.

Regarding maintenance, the Presidency has provided more than 90 engineers and technicians at the Grand Mosque and its courtyards where there are more than 200 electric escalators and 14 elevators.

The Presidency urged worshipers and Umrah performers to adhere to all instructions at the Grand Mosque and noted that cooperation with security employees is necessary to maintain security and safety.

Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic — or Hijri — calendar. It is also believed to be the month the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed.

Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset every day of the month, which is typically either 29 or 30 days.

The department said that it had distributed more than 1,285,543 bottles of Zamzam water to visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque, and provided more than 1,299,510 packaged meals to the fasting people.

“The Presidency's keen to provide comfort for visitors and worshippers to contribute to the development of the system of services being provided to achieve the aspirations of the Kingdom's leadership”, the statement said.

The Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque had also been provided with translated copies of the meanings of the holy Quran

The step “confirms the civilizational message and global pioneering role of the two holy sites, directed by the country's wise leadership,” according to the state news agency.

A total of 82 multi-language digital screens have been installed inside the Grand Mosque and its halls to display directives, with globally approved symbols added to help with the visual delivery of information to worshippers.

People perform the Tarawih prayers at Masjid Al Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. SPA ع / عام / أجواء روحانية تحفّ قاصدي المسجد الحرام في صلاة التراويح في أول ليلة من ليالي الشهر الفضيل (واس) 01 رمضان 1443 هـ

The displays operate around the clock, presenting information about the most important sites inside the Grand Mosque, such as the tracks of tawaf (circumambulation around Kaaba) and Masaa (journey between the two mounts of Safa and Marwa).

It also displays Hadith (the Prophet Mohammed's sayings) and prayers that can be recited at the beginning and end of the circumambulation, in addition to educating visitors on health and security matters.

Ex-Pentagon Officer: Russia’s Robust Capabilities in Electronic Warfare Second to None

CC BY-SA 3.0/Vitaly V. Kuzmin/Krasukha-2

The Russian army’s state-of-the-art electronic warfare systems are capable of significantly hampering the planned counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces, David T. Pyne, an EMP Task Force scholar and former US Department of Defense officer, told Sputnik.

On April 15, the Russian Armed Forces commemorate the Day of the Electronic Warfare (EW) Specialist, which has been celebrated since 2006, in line with a decree issued by President Vladimir Putin.

The holiday dates back to April 15, 1904, when the enemy’s communication system was jammed during the siege of the Fortress of Port Arthur amid the Russian-Japanese war.

Since then, Russian EW troops have turned into a force to be reckoned with, something that was once again confirmed by recent Pentagon leaks that in particular contain sensitive information on the conflict in Ukraine, where Russia continues its special military operation.

According to one of the leaked documents recently cited by US media, American-made smart bombs, known as Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), "are falling victim to Russian electronic jamming in Ukraine, causing them to miss their targets."

"That is a very significant development, though not at all surprising, given Russia’s robust capabilities in electronic warfare particularly in long-range GPS jammers which are second to none and their military doctrine of establishing electronic superiority and supremacy at the beginning of any conflict," Pyne pointed out.

When asked how Ukraine's planned spring offensive can be affected by Russian EW systems, the scholar suggested that they could be used "to jam Ukrainian satellite guidance and positioning signals, making Ukrainian military forces unable to use precision guided munitions."

"This likely helps to account for why the leaked top-secret documents indicate that the US does not believe the upcoming Ukrainian spring counteroffensive in the Zaporozhye region will make more than modest gains," Pyne added.

Touching upon the Russian EW systems on the whole, he explained that "what makes them unique is their ability to jam not just enemy communications and radars but also satellite guidance and positioning signal ranges far longer than Western EW jamming systems, reportedly up to ranges of as much as 200-500 kilometers."

Pyne recalled that these systems can also "engage in cyberattacks against the enemy by transmitting malicious codes which can infect enemy internet and communications networks," and in addition, they are capable of transmitting "false or demoralizing texts to enemy troops and civilians."

According to him, Russia "has not really showcased its full cyber and electronic warfare capabilities, which many national security analysts assess to be the best in the world." The scholar added that these capabilities help Russian "blind early warning systems and severely disrupt or degrade military command and control systems [of potential enemies] making it difficult [for them] to conduct offensive or even defensive operations."

Russia’s Electronic Warfare Troops Catch NATO Spying on Russian Cellphones, Create Countermeasures

The use of civilian telephony for military and intelligence purposes has long been a major concern for counterintelligence services. The Russian military has implemented a special system aimed at preventing unauthorised access to the information of Russia-based cellular subscribers.

NATO intelligence services have deployed a capability allowing them to listen in on or block the communications of Russian cellular subscribers, forcing Moscow to create countermeasures, Russian Electronic Warfare Troops chief Yuri Lastochkin has revealed.

“The widespread use of cellular communications systems to support the activities of the Russian Defence Ministry and various organs of executive power have contributed to the formation of a new area of activity for foreign intelligence.

Already today, the special services of NATO countries are actively using false base stations to forcibly connect cellular subscribers. By doing so, specialists of foreign intelligence services receive the opportunity to not only listen to cell phones and view text messages, but also selectively block subscribers and deceive them by sending false messages,” the officer said in an interview with the military’s official newspaper, Krasnaya Zvezda, on Friday.

To counter this threat, specialists from the Electronic Warfare Troops’ Research Center have developed technology to counter such unauthorized access, Lastochkin said.

“The system detects the false base station, determines its location, blocks the technical channel through which information is leaked and restores communication with a legitimate base station of a cellular operator of the 2G, 3G or 4G standard,” the commander said. A similar system is said to be being developed for 5G, he noted.

The system’s use is expected to significantly increase the security of critical MoD facilities from foreign snooping, Lastochkin said.

The extent to which cellular and internet communications can be compromised by intelligence services was first detailed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden in 2013. The whistleblower revealed that in addition to targeted snooping of potential adversaries and security threats, the NSA had developed the capability to engage in the bulk collection of cellphone data of ordinary Americans, and even the ability to track cellphone locations worldwide.

Last year, media reported that Pegasus, an Israeli-made military-grade spyware capable of taking control of phones without users knowing it, was used extensively to target over 50,000 people worldwide, including multiple heads of state, opposition leaders, journalists and activists. The scandal once again brought to the forefront the theme of information security in an increasingly interconnected, digital world.

Russia expects conflicting sides in Sudan to start negotiations soon – ambassador

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the Rapid Support Forces, greets his supporters as he arrives at a meeting in Aprag, Sudan, June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

Clashes are ongoing between Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Army in the capital Khartoum, but Moscow expects that the conflicting sides will launch negotiations soon, Russian Ambassador to Sudan Andrey Chernovol told TASS on Saturday.

"Clashes are ongoing between the Rapid Support Forces and the Army... We hope that the conflicting sides will move from conflict to negotiations in the next few hours," he said.

The embassy in Sudan has advised Russian nationals to stay at home and keep away from the windows amid the clashes, the envoy added. No injuries among Russians have been reported.

The RSF command said on Saturday that army units had attacked its headquarters in Khartoum, using all types of heavy and light weapons, Al-Hadath television reported earlier.

Fighting rocks Sudan capital as regular army battles paramilitaries

Sudan’s main paramilitary group said it had taken control of the presidential palace, the residence of the army chief and Khartoum international airport on Saturday in an apparent coup attempt as clashes erupted with the military.

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which accused the army of attacking them first, also said they had seized the airports in the northern city of Merowe and in El-Obeid in the west.

The Sudanese air force is conducting operations against the RSF, the army said. Footage from broadcasters showed a military aircraft in the sky above Khartoum, but Reuters could not independently confirm the material.

Gunfire could be heard in several parts of Khartoum and eyewitnesses reporting shooting in adjoining cities.

A Reuters journalist saw cannon and armored vehicles deployed in the streets of the capital, and heard heavy weapons fire near the headquarters of both the army and RSF.

Doctors said clashes had occurred in residential neighborhoods and civilians had been injured.

Clashes were also taking place at the headquarters of Sudan’s state TV, an anchor who appeared on screen briefly said.

Egypt, one of the most influential Arab states, expressed grave concern over the clashes and called on all parties to exercise restraint, the foreign ministry said.

The US Ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey, said the escalation of tensions to direct fighting was “extremely dangerous” and called urgently on the senior leadership to stop the clashes. Godfrey said he and embassy staff were sheltering in place.

The army said the RSF had tried to attack its troops in several positions after witnesses reported heavy gunfire in multiple parts of the country, raising fears of a full-blown conflict.

The RSF, which analysts say is 100,000 strong, said its forces were attacked first by the army.

Earlier, the RSF, headed by former militia leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, said the army had surrounded one of its bases and opened fire with heavy weapons.

Hemedti’s RSF was formed from militias accused of war crimes in the Darfur conflict. In June 2019, security forces led by the RSF raided a Khartoum pro-democracy camp and nearly 130 people died, according to a tally by activist doctors.

A prolonged confrontation between the RSF and the army could significantly worsen the security situation across a vast country already dealing with economic breakdown and flare-ups of tribal violence.

Hemedti has been deputy leader of the ruling Sovereign Council headed by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan since 2019.

Civilian political parties that had signed an initial power-sharing deal with the army and the RSF called on them to cease hostilities. The Russian embassy also called for an end to the violence.

The hostilities followed days of tension between the army and the RSF, which could undermine long-running efforts to return Sudan to civilian rule after power struggles and military coups.

Hemedti, once one of the most feared and ruthless militia leaders in Darfur, had put himself at the forefront of a planned transition toward democracy, unsettling fellow military rulers and triggering a mobilization of troops in the capital Khartoum.

The rift between the forces came to the surface on Thursday, when the army said that recent movements, particularly in Merowe, by the RSF were illegal.

On Saturday there was a heavy exchange of gunfire in Merowe, eyewitnesses told Reuters.

The RSF called the army’s actions a “brute assault” which should be condemned. It said the paramilitary group had informed local and international mediators of developments.

The RSF, which together with the army overthrew long-ruling autocrat Omar Al-Bashir in 2019, began redeploying units in Khartoum and elsewhere amid talks last month on its integration into the military under a transition plan that would lead to new elections.

Nvidia enhances mid-range video gaming chip with AI technology

Attendees play the game Destiny 2 on Nvidia graphic cards at the E3 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 13, 2017. REUTERS/ Mike Blake

Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) said on Wednesday it is packing one of its mid-range chips for gamers with more artificial intelligence features to improve graphics, underscoring the importance of gaming for the company despite the segment's slowing revenue.

The new RTX 4070 chip, which Nvidia will start shipping on Thursday, will cost $599, putting it near the middle of the company's range of graphics processing units (GPUs), which list for up to $1,600.

The chip that it updates, the RTX 3060, is the fourth most popular gaming chip on the market, according to survey data in March from game distribution platform Steam.

While Nvidia's data center chips for training artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT have powered the company's revenue growth in recent years, the company still got about a third of its $26.9 billion in fiscal 2023 revenue from gaming chips, though gaming revenue was down by 27%, dragged down by a sagging overall PC market.

Nvidia's chips help PC video games render images on to high-resolution screens more quickly to make games look more realistic. The 4070 chips will be the cheapest available that use Nvidia's newest AI technology to do so.

Rather than calculate precisely what the value of each pixel on a screen should be, which can take extra time, the newest Nvidia gaming chips use artificial intelligence to predict what about seven out of every eight pixels should be, including generating entire frames using AI.

A game "is not like a movie where everything's been pre-recorded. It's dynamic, it's moving, and there's user input. I can't just put a frame halfway between two frames. I have to really understand the motion between the two frames," Justin Walker, senior director of Nvidia's GeForce products, said in an interview.

Pentagon leaks won’t hurt Ukraine – Wagner boss

FILE PHOTO: Servicemen of Russia's private military company Wagner Group inspect a destroyed infantry fighting vehicle in Artyomovsk, Donetsk People's Republic © Sputnik / Evgeny Biyatov

The leaked Pentagon documents contain no strategic revelations that could harm Kiev, and the media attention they received must be an attempt by the West to delay the Ukrainian military’s much-announced “spring offensive,” Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Friday.

“The documents by themselves do not pose any strategic danger,” Prigozhin said in a statement posted on social media, describing their published contents as mostly being based on open sources. “However, the leak was widely publicized and immediately after it, statements from sources close to the Pentagon began about the need to delay the offensive announced for April 15 until the summer.”

Commenting on the arrest of the alleged leaker, a 21-year-old Air National Guard member, Prigozhin said he may have been a fool or a dupe, but “if this leak had not happened, it would certainly have been invented.” The documents themselves, he emphasized, contain nothing that would add to the risks for the Ukrainian military should it launch its long-anticipated attack.

“It is clear that the military operations on Ukraine’s side are tactically directed by Ukrainian soldiers, but strategically by the so-called Western coalition, run by the UK and the US,” said Prigozhin.

He accused the West of “holding back” the Ukrainian military in a “dramatic pause,” after it had been assembled for attack, delaying the offensive that might actually inflict reputational harm on Russia with even a symbolic advance on any front ahead of May 9, the anniversary of the great WWII victory over Nazi Germany.

“The Ukrainians are ready to attack. We are ready to repel the blow,” Prigozhin summarized. “No negotiations. Only an honorable battle. And the sooner it starts, the better.”

Founded as the businessman's side project, Wagner has been involved in heavy fighting in the Donbass, most recently in the storming of Soledar and the battles in and around Artyomovsk, called Bakhmut by the Ukrainians.

As of Friday, Wagner and other Russian troops hold most of Artyomovsk, with an estimated 6,000 battered Ukrainian troops attempting to retreat westward to Chasov Yar. Prigozhin has suggested that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky had thrown his best troops and foreign mercenaries into the battle for the Donbass town after receiving a personal challenge from Wagner in December, losing thousands in the “meat grinder” with nothing to show for it.

Saudi crown prince receives the Sultan of Brunei

Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah was received in Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah. (SPA)

Riyadh - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam.

They reviewed bilateral relation between the Kingdom and the sultanate and prospects for joint cooperation.

Attending the meeting were Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, state minister; Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, sports minister; Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, National Guard minister; Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, state minister; Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, commerce minister; Faisal bin Fadel Alibrahim, minister of economy and planning; Imad Al-Muhanna, Saudi Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam.

From Brunei, Prince Abdul Malik, Prince Abdul Mateen, and Prince Abdul Wakeel were present at the meeting along with other ministers and senior officials from the sultanate.

His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received today Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam.

An official reception ceremony was held for Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.

At the beginning of a meeting at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince welcomed the Sultan of Brunei, who expressed happiness for visiting the Kingdom and meeting with the Crown Prince.

Bilateral relations and ways to enhance them in various fields as well as prospects of joint cooperation were also discussed during the meeting.

Attending the meeting were Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Minister of State and Cabinet Member; Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports; Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Minister of the National Guard; Minister of State, Cabinet Member and National Security Advisor, Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban; Minister of Commerce, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi (the accompanying minister); Minister of Economy and Planning, Faisal bin Fadel Alibrahim; and Saudi Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Imad Al-Muhanna.

From Brunei, Price Abdul Malik, Prince Abdul Mateen, and Prince Abdul Wakeel were present at the meeting along with other ministers and senior officials from the Sultanate.