In total, the UN agency supplies healthcare, education, and other vital services to some 5.6 million Palestinian refugees. In war-ravaged Gaza, where Palestinians are facing “catastrophic hunger” according to multiple UN agencies, UNRWA is the primary aid distributor. European funding cuts will only worsen domestic instability in these countries in a way that risks driving further escalation between Israel and Iran-aligned groups linked to the Gaza war. Israel’s anti-UNRWA campaignIsrael has consistently opposed the internationally recognised right of return of Palestinian refugees whose families were driven out of modern-day Israel in 1948. Since the start of the war, 152 UNRWA personnel have been killed and 145 installations damaged.

FILE PHOTO: The administrative entrance at the Whirlpool plant in Clyde Ohio(Reuters) - Whirlpool Corp said on Tuesday its European business would start feeling the impact of the Red Sea crisis, as vessels sailing through one of the world's most important shipping routes come under attacks from the Iran-backed Houthi militia. "That brings uncertainty more in European supply chain," CEO Marc Bitzer said on a post-earnings call with analysts, without giving details about the timeline. Whirlpool, however, sees a small impact on some of the East Coast shipments in North America, not so much in costs but more in terms of time. Data from S&P Global showed the Suez Canal route accounts for 14.8% of all Europe and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) imports. Whirlpool on Monday forecast full-year sales and profit below analysts' estimates as the home appliance maker struggles to keep costs in check.

Even before the Gaza war sent Middle Eastern economies reeling, Egypt was facing an economic crisis that risked fuelling unrest and destabilising the region. Now the shock waves generated by the conflict in Gaza have augmented those already emanating from Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Gaza war poses other challenges for Egypt. A makeshift tent camp housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah near the border between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip. Amid Israel’s military operations, as well as talk by politicians including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “voluntary emigration” of the Palestinian population from Gaza, Egyptian authorities struggle to conceal their powerlessness.

Senegalese startup ProXalys, which specialises in digital transformation in B2B commerce, has raised a US$500,000 funding round to help it scale. The startup, which has expanded its operations to Tunisia, has raised a US$500,000 funding round, led by 216 Capital, a Tunisia-based seed fund. ProXalys will utilise the funding to accelerate the go-to-market of its new product, ProBoutik, and strengthen its data and AI teams in Tunisia and Senegal. “The collaboration reflects a shared belief in the necessity of financial inclusion and digital transformation to drive sustainable economic development in the region,” he said. ProXalys raised a US$150,000 pre-seed round of funding back in 2022.

Instead of standing together in the face of these moves, European countries have presented a fragmented response. France was traditionally the leader on European Maghreb policy, but tensions with Morocco and Algeria have limited its influence in the region. The four most influential European countries all have a stake in promoting stability, opportunity, and energy transitions across the region. European countries are already working together on this, as with the German, Italian, and Austrian cooperation on a planned green hydrogen pipeline. Among other subjects, Dworkin has conducted research and written on European and US frameworks for counterterrorism, European policy towards North Africa, and international cooperation in an era of geopolitical competition.

Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, Niger’s Premier, welcomed Monday January 29 a delegation of the BRICS, few days after his international tour that took him to Russia and Iran, two-member countries of the intergovernmental organization. The visit comes as Niger seeks to diversify its partners after it scaled down ties with former colonial power France. BRICS initially made of Brazil, Russia, China, and South Africa has expanded to include since last year United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Zeine embarked earlier this month on an international tour that took him to Russia, Iran, and Turkey. Niger is currently led by a junta that seized power on July 26 2023 after deposing President Mohamed Bazoum.

A female North Atlantic right whale was found dead on Sunday with a rope wrapped around it off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., a rare event that had scientists worrying about the future of the critically endangered species with about 360 remaining animals. The whale, thought to be a juvenile because of its size, had washed ashore Joseph Sylvia State Beach on the island’s northeastern coast with a rope tangled around its peduncle, the part that connects the tail fluke to the body, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a statement. “It’s devastating to hear about another loss to North Atlantic right whales,” said Gib Brogan, a campaign director at Oceana, an international conservation group based in Washington. “This death is even more troubling when it is a female calf that could have gone on to have many calves of her own for decades to come.”The death came during the four-month period that such whales give birth. So far, 16 calves have been born during the current season, Oceana said.

As the US top diplomat wrapped up his visit to Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Angola (21-26 January), experts have hailed what they call the United States finally “making serious efforts to strengthen its relations with Africa”. But experts and observers have also pointed out that Blinken’s visit has also highlighted that the United States is playing catch-up with China and Russia in Africa. This was most notable in the case of the oil-rich Angola that long turned to China for infrastructure and to Russia for tanks and missiles, but it’s foreign relations now appear to be undergoing a major realignment. The Central African country has rejected China and embraced the US and European countries to help it build Angola’s vast $250 million Lobito Corridor that will eventually link Angola with mineral-rich parts of Zambia and the DR of Congo. This major railway project will channel cobalt, copper and other critical minerals out, diversifying US supplies of raw materials critical to the green revolution.

EMM caters to a large base of public and private sector customers, in the areas of water, sanitation and customer relations. The acquisition of EMM aligns with BUTEC Group’s growth strategy in Africa and the Middle East by combining businesses that are essential for the preservation of the environment through the rationalizing of water and energy resources. It follows the most recent acquisition by BUTEC Group of “Energy Services” businesses of ENGIE Group in Africa, which is also the operator of a proactive energy leak detection and repair project in Lebanon on a network serving nearly 2 million consumers. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of BUTEC Group. Press contact:BUTEC: +961 1 512 333E-mail: rjamous@butec.comAbout BUTEC Group:Based in Beirut and Dubai, BUTEC Group is a privately held group active in Construction and Services, with an entrepreneurial shareholding base complemented by IFC (World Bank Group) and the management.

The total investable wealth currently held in the BRICS bloc amounts to USD 45 trillion and its millionaire population is expected to rise by 85% over the next 10 years, according to the inaugural BRICS Wealth Report, published today by international investment migration advisory firm Henley & Partners in partnership with global wealth intelligence firm New World Wealth. The past decade has also seen robust private wealth growth in Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia, with their millionaire populations rising by 35% and 30%, respectively. Commenting in the BRICS Wealth Report, leading personal finance and investment expert Jeff D. Opdyke says “nations once considered ‘developing’ or ‘emerging’ or the pejorative ‘third world’ are now dynamic economies that are changing the global order. China (85%), Ethiopia (75%), South Africa (60%), and Egypt (55%) are all forecast to enjoy wealth growth of over 50% in the next decade. BRICS wealth hubs of the futureAccording to exclusive data in the BRICS Wealth Report, there are five cities that didn’t make it into the BRICS Top 10 Wealthiest Cities list for 2024 but are expected to experience particularly strong (80%+) wealth growth over the coming decade.

Last week, 17 judges from the International Court of Justice issued a preliminary ruling in the case of South Africa v. Israel on the question of whether Israel may be committing genocide against the Palestinian people in waging its war against Hamas in Gaza, as well as on whether to uphold South Africa’s request for an injunction against further hostilities. The court’s provisional finding was that it would hear the case and that, while it did so, Israel could continue the war, but should report back in a month to demonstrate that it was not in fact committing genocide. The court noted in paragraph 14 of its ruling how this legal approach limited what it could consider, despite a series of United Nations resolutions drawing attention to other legal dimensions of the case. As law scholar Oona Hathaway explains, there was never any chance that the ICJ would return an immediate genocide ruling. This made it unlikely that the ICJ would issue a one-sided order that Israel stop its attacks on Hamas, as South Africa had asked, when the court—which only has jurisdiction over states—could not order Hamas to do the same.

North African LNG exports in January declined slightly from December despite forecasts of strong gas development in the near term. Analysts at S&P Global see a bullish gas production outlook for Africa. There is available infrastructure in place for drilling activity, particularly for gas, S&P Global analysts said. Egypt and Algeria's gas production outlook is set to continue its upward trend set in 2022 through to 2030, according to data from S&P Global analysts. Platts, part of S&P Global, assessed the LNG Mediterranean marker at $8.367/MMBtu on Jan. 29, up 3.1 cents/MMBtu on the day.

The Red Sea crisis and the mounting geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are forcing vessels into longer and more costly journeys around Africa. If the conflict in Gaza drags on, the trade disruption in the Red Sea could surge inflation. Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping are becoming a big problem especially for Egypt. With many vessels now avoiding Red Sea routes and Egypt’s Suez Canal, Egypt’s government has seen considerable revenue disappear. While in fiscal year 2022-23, the Suez Canal brought Egypt $9.4 billion in transit fees, the escalating crisis means that the income is now down 40% compared to last year, according to Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority.

Mauritania has received the finance to implement two energy projects that encompass solar power generation, transnational electricity interconnection and rural electrification. It also covers the project to strengthen productive and energy investments for the sustainable development of rural areas (RIMDIR). Mauritania: Clean energy ambitions could be fuelled by green hydrogenThe programme will develop solar power plants and establish a 1,373-kilometer high-voltage power line, with a transit capacity of 600MW between the two countries. The medium- and long-term objectives are to boost solar energy production and provide universal access to electricity in both countries. “Mauritania has significant opportunities to tap its renewable energy resources and accelerate its sustainable development journey in line with the government’s policy priorities,” said IEA Africa Programme Officer Rita Madeira.

Politicians and experts in Germany have called on the European country to continue its involvement in Africa’s Sahel region even after the 2020s did not turn out as expected for Berlin. According to Deutsche Welle, Africa’s Sahel is considered a strategic location for Germany, which has long been a significant player in stabilization and development efforts in the largely francophone region. But after military takeovers in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, it became obvious that “Europe’s initial security strategy in the Sahel has failed,” says Malte Lierl, a research fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg. However, as Lierl also points out, the current situation is not one of total withdrawal but rather a new orientation of Europe’s engagement in the region. But this recalibration of Germany’s policies in the Sahel region also requires Berlin to take a wider perspective on the entire region, Bergmann added.