Two days after Hamas and other Palestinian factions launched an unprecedented surprise attack from Gaza, killing more than 700 Israelis and taking more than 100 hostages, Israeli forces continue to battle for control of several towns in southern Israel. Year after year, observers have been warning that the status quo in Gaza could not last, and yet year after year it stubbornly did. It was a testament to how sustainable an unsustainable situation can be—until the moment, which often comes as a surprise, when it no longer is. Saturday’s attack marked that moment in Israel’s standoff with Hamas. It also represented a shocking military and intelligence failure, as Israeli forces were taken by surprise by an operation that undoubtedly required months of planning.

In early September, Tunisian authorities arrested Mondher Ounissi, the interim head of the Ennahda opposition party, and Abdel Karim Harouni, the head of the party’s Shura Council. As the latest in a wave of arrests targeting Tunisian opposition figures, the detentions had a repetitive feel that reinforced the status quo, rather than signaling an escalation of the country’s democratic erosion under President Kais Saied. Nevertheless, coverage of the arrests in local media temporarily drowned out some of the more immediate challenges Tunisians have been dealing with in recent months, including inflation, scarcity of essential food staples like bread and sugar, and a state moving closer toward financial default. In fact, the two stories are inseparable, marking the two constants of Saied’s Tunisia: Dissidents and opposition politicians continue to be put behind bars, and the economy continues to worsen. And if the government is silencing more and more opposition voices, it is in part because it lacks palatable solutions or a long-term plan for the economic crisis.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman speaks during the opening Ceremony of the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri Acquire Licensing RightsRIYADH, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will launch a greenhouse gas credits scheme early next year that will allow companies to offset their emissions by buying credits from projects that voluntarily cut or remove greenhouse gas emissions, the scheme's website said on Monday. Participation in the scheme, which aligns with Article 6 of the Paris climate agreement, is voluntary and project-based, covers greenhouse gas and non-greenhouse gas "metrics across all sectors" and is open to the public and private sectors as well as subsidiaries of foreign firms. A year ago, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, said it would set up the Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company (RVCMC) with Saudi's Tadawul Group, operator of the Riyadh-based Saudi Exchange. Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi and Pesha Magid; Writing by Yousef Saba and Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

|Pic: Shutterstock.comThe cotton yarn markets in Delhi and Ludhiana, north India, experienced a ₹2 per kg decline in prices due to poor demand from the weaving sector. Additional downward pressure comes from limited domestic demand for high-value garments and low global demand affecting the textile industry. Panipat also reports a ₹2 per kg decrease in recycled yarn prices.

Okaz/Saudi GazetteRIYADH — Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Saudi Climate Envoy Adel Al-Jubeir said that more than $186 billion has been allocated to implement the Saudi Green Initiative. Al-Jubeir said that the initiatives also include converting waste into energy, as well as planting trees of various types, including mangroves. He called for a pragmatic and practical approach to address climate change issues. Al-Jubeir pointed to Saudi Arabia’s initiatives in the agricultural sector, which include reusing water to water plants, in addition to the launch of the Saudi Green Initiative, which includes 77 initiatives. Those who attended the panel discussion also included UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment Mariam Almheiri; Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology of Maldives Shauna Aminath; and the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia Rola Dashti.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank are gathering in Morocco, weeks after a powerful earthquake killed nearly 3,000 people and threatened to derail the event. “A prosperous world economy in the 21st century requires a prosperous Africa,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a speech in Abidjan last week. In a symbolic move, the IMF and World Bank are poised to give Africa a third seat on their executive boards, which Georgieva said would give the continent a “stronger voice”. The World Bank, however, is expected to confirm plans to boost lending by $50bn over the next decade through balance sheet changes. World Bank President Ajay Banga wants to go even further and raise capacity by $100bn or as much as $125bn through contributions from advanced economies.

A US electric vehicle manufacturer has partnered with petrol stations across Nigeria to roll out charging stations. The company also stressed the positives of electric vehicles (EVs) over internal combustion engines (ICE). During a recent launch to speak about the advantages of electric vehicles (EVs) in Lagos, SAGLEV CEO and Chairman Dr Sam Faleye confirmed the partnership with Ardova and Enyo petrol stations. The two companies have more than 500 petrol stations across Nigeria between them, and these would be equipped with charging stations. Misconceptions about electric vehiclesFaleye said that EVs are affordable, needs less maintenance and does not require frequent charging.

Ecentric Payment Systems, a retail payment processor across South Africa has announced its acquisition of innovative technology payment solutions company Thumbzup. This move benefits both companies’ customers and advances Ecentric’s goal of dominating omnichannel retail on a national scale. He emphasizes the need for a physical in-store capability, enabling the integration of point-of-sale devices and technology, especially for national retailers. This strategic move also positions Ecentric to actively engage in best-of-breed Android payment capabilities, expanding beyond traditional payment services. This aligns with Ecentric’s strategy to become a leading retail service provider, supporting consumers’ payment needs in various settings.

By Ruben Huber 09/10/2023Greetings from the Moroccan desert, for what has been a personal excursion following an exciting week in the North African powerhouse. Marrakech was buzzing the other day, with delegates from IMF and World Bank flocking to the city for their upcoming meetings here this week. The Aerospace Meetings in Casablanca passed just last week and the important Fruit Attraction in Madrid – where most of the Moroccan fruit and vegetable exporters headed over to close the deals ... Subscription required for Premium stories In order to view the entire article please login with a valid subscription below or register an account and subscribe to PremiumOr buy full access to this story only for £13.00 Please login to activate the purchase link or sign up here to register an accountPremium subscriber LOGIN New Premium subscriber REGISTERPlease Login Please either REGISTER or login below to continue Forgotten your password? Please click here Email *Password * LOGIN

In the phylogenetic analyses, I. ricinus and I. inopinatus sequences from this study together with sequences from the GenBank database form two well-supported sister clades (Fig. 2 Phylogenetic tree of ticks based on the TROSPA gene samples from this study are indicated in bold font. All I. inopinatus sequences (as assigned based on the TROSPA analyses or by their name in GenBank) form a separate, highly supported subclade, although with very short branch length. All I. ricinus and I. inopinatus sequences (directly sequenced and cloned in this study as well as from GenBank) form a single, highly supported clade. 5 Phylogenetic tree of ticks based on the ITS2 gene Samples from this study are indicated in bold font.

The seventh edition of the international exhibition of technology and machinery for agriculture ended yesterday evening in Bari – with a record number of visitors. Businesspeople from 60 countries, more than 50 conferences, 1,200 business meetings reserved to foreign delegations of the ICE Agency. Agrilevante closes its 2023 edition with a record number of attendees, confirming its position as the reference exhibition for agriculture in the entire Mediterranean area. The number of foreign visitors from over 60 countries was also up, reaching 4,050, a 14% increase over the previous edition. ‘Agrilevante’, Rapastella concludes, “is the place where the agriculture of the future is known and where it is planned”.

A top UAE official said the global stocktake to take place at Cop28 should be seen as a “moment of hope”. “The global stocktake has to have that moment of hope,” said Mr Al Suwaidi, who was the UAE's lead negotiator at Paris in 2015. “I think that makes it really powerful because since Paris we haven’t had a moment like that where we address all the issues simultaneously in one negotiation and I think that gives us a really, really powerful moment," he said. John Dennehy / The NationalHis comments came during a high-level panel discussion at Mena Climate Week dedicated to the global stocktake. Message must be strong“The global stocktake needs to send a very strong message as a global community that we are not on track.

Over 150 community members in and around Mahikeng Local Municipality have been empowered through the Departmental Farmer Development programme as the North-West Provincial Government’s (NWPG) Accelerated Service Delivery programme, Thuntsha Lerole, gains momentum. These much-needed inputs havebeen delivered at Reteng Disability Centre in Uitkyk village, Mahole and Mokoena vegetable garden in Gelukspan as well as households in Ramatlabama, Gelukspan and Bapong villages. Speaking during the handover of a food garden for the youth dominated Mahole and Mokoena Vegetable Garden project, MEC Mohono said it was time for the government to have a meaningful impact on the communities it serves. MEC Mohono and HoD Mokhatla further encouraged all beneficiaries to use inputs they received well so that they can have sustainable production. With the tagline #Beke le Beke, The North-West Provincial Government’s Accelerated Service Delivery programme, Thuntsha Lerole continues weekly and is meant to impact positively on rural communities around the province.

Flat6Labs and North Star collaborate to bring the brightest startups from Flat6Labs’ Ignite Program to Expand 2023 in Dubai Harbor. Flat6Labs has announced a partnership with North Star to hold a Demo Day — showcasing startups from the latest edition of the Flat6Labs Ignite Program — at this year’s edition of Expand, the increasingly popular startup event taking place at Dubai Harbour from 15 to 18 October 2023. The seven startups presenting pitches at the Expand North Star 2023 Demo Day have already raised seed funding anywhere between US$500,000 and US$1.5 million, and this platform will give them the opportunity to gain further follow-on funding. “The MENA VC ecosystem surpassed US$3 billion in 2022,” said Trixie LohMirmand at Expand North Star. “And as it outgrows colocation at GITEX, Expand North Star is the best venue in the world right now to connect investors to the latest rising stars.

The precision farming market is in the introductory growth phase and is expected to grow further due to the growing adoption of global positioning system (GPS), guidance, and remote sensing technologies by farmers/growers. The precision farming market is expected to grow from USD 8.5 billion in 2022 to USD 15.6 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 7.9%. Precision farming has the potential to transform the agriculture industry by making traditional farming activities more efficient and predictable. The major technologies used for precision farming are smart sensors, GPS, GNSS, auto-steering and guidance technology, and variable rate technology (VRT), among others. In the next 10 years, advanced technologies in precision farming are expected to gain momentum and reduce the need for and costs associated with manual labor.