FinPol Digest

 Most private flour mills in Egypt, the world's largest importer of wheat, have been forced to shut down due to a supply crisis, the Africa Intelligence website revealed on Monday. Wheat stocks blocked in Egyptian ports are apparently only being released in small amounts amid a shortage of US dollars to pay suppliers. Between 600,000 and 650,000 tonnes are still stuck in the ports. The crisis began six months ago when the prices of unsubsidized bread in Egypt spiked and importers struggled to pay for the wheat stocks that are blocked in the system. The major disruption of Egypt's wheat processing sector continues, said the website, as Egypt, awaits an IMF loan due next month. Only a handful of major players are managing to get wheat supplies in the country. Many smaller flour mills may not survive the crisis, added Africa Intelligence.

 The leader of the Ennahda movement in Tunisia, Rached Ghannouchi, has faced further investigation before the judge of the regional Anti-Terrorism Unit in the case involving allegations that Tunisian citizens were encouraged to go to areas known to be "hotbeds of tension". The session was supposed to have been held two months ago, but the judge postponed it and released the veteran politician on bail. The investigations, in this case, started after former MP Fatima Al-Masdi of the Nidaa Tounes party filed a complaint in December 2021 to the military judiciary. It was then referred to the Counter-Terrorism Judicial Pole due to the presence of civilians among the defendants. Ghannouchi also faces money laundering charges. His assets were frozen by a judge, as were the assets of a number of other figures, including former Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali. Ennahda's leader has denounced the charges brought against him as fabricated by the "dictatorship" in Tunisia whic...

  Rioting broke out in Brussels on Sunday following Morocco 's victory over Belgium in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Belgian police have reported. Morocco won 2-0 in the group match. Even before the game ended, said the police, "Dozens of people, some wearing headscarves, sought to confront officers in the city center, which disturbed public security. The rioters used projectiles and sticks, and started fires on the public highway." A journalist was injured in the face by fireworks, an incident which led police to take the decision to intervene with water cannons and tear gas. About 100 police officers were involved, some of whom were also injured. The police told residents and fans to avoid certain areas of Brussels city center and closed metro stations and streets to reduce congestion. The Mayor of Belgium's capital city, Philippe Close took to Twitter to condemn "in the strongest terms the events that took place." Police officers intervened decisively, he ...

 The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Friday denounced the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)'s decision to open an international investigation into the crackdown on country-wide protests erupted by the death of Mahsa Amini. In a statement, Iran's Foreign Ministry said it rejected the UNHRC's meeting and considered that the decision "does not officially recognize the mission" to carry out the probe. The UNHRC voted on Thursday to condemn the "bloody" crackdown on protests in Iran and create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses, particularly those committed against women and children. A resolution put forward by Germany and Iceland was backed by 25 countries, opposed by six, and 16 abstained. The council had appealed to Iran's government to halt the crackdown against protesters, but Tehran's envoy at a special Human Rights Council on the country's "deteriorating" rights situation was defiant and unbo...

 Secretary-General of the Middle Easterner Association, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, cautioned Thursday, that the Israeli infringement in the Involved Palestinian Domain is raising in a way that could lead what is happening to detonate just before the worldwide local area's sight, which appears to have deserted its liability to accomplish the vision of a two-state arrangement through talks. Aboul Gheit pushed, during his introductory statements at the Association for the Mediterranean gathering held Thursday, that "the arising worldwide emergencies shouldn't eclipse the issues and emergencies distressing the Bedouin district, on top of which is the Palestinian reason, which can't be overlooked or underestimated, as the Palestinian public experience the ill effects of a system of Occupation that must be portrayed as politically-sanctioned racial segregation." He approached European nations to perceive the Palestinian State on the boundaries of 4 June 1967, with East Jerusa...

 A French magazine has revealed that seventeen Members of the European Parliament are demanding a review of the EU association agreement with Algeria over the North African state's links with Russia. Algeria is alleged to have provided financial and logistical support to Moscow in its war against Ukraine. According to Jeune Afrique, the MEPs submitted a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last Wednesday requesting a review of the EU-Algeria Association Agreement signed in 2002 and in force since 2005. The group of parliamentarians is led by Andrius Kubilius, former Prime Minister of Lithuania and head of the European People's Party (EPP, Christian Democrats). The signatories are Lithuania, France, Denmark, Estonia, Sweden, Bulgaria, Finland, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. They pointed out some examples of incidents that "prove" Algeria's support for Russia against Ukraine. On 2 March, for example, Algeria abstained from voting on the UN r...

  Saudi Arabia denounced the Houthis on Tuesday for consistently focusing on regular citizen objects and monetary offices in Yemen. The Realm's unfamiliar service said the state army's activities affirm its long-lasting dismissal of every worldwide exertion and drive while it keeps on focusing on nonmilitary personnel and monetary offices, supplies of worldwide energy passageways, and the wellbeing of the route and global exchange. The service affirmed the Realm's help for and fortitude with Yemen . It additionally required a finish to the progression of weapons to the Houthis. The service additionally emphasized the Realm's uncompromising stance on the side of the Yemeni public and the significance of offering vital help to Yemen's Official Administration Board to accomplish harmony in Yemen.

 The head of Sudan's Democratic Unionist Party, Muhammad Othman Al-Mirghani, returned to the country on Monday after spending ten years in exile living in Cairo. Thousands of his supporters welcomed him at Khartoum Airport. A spokesman for the party, Omar Khalafallah, said that Al-Mirghani's return compliments a number of files and tasks, including the Sudanese initiative launched in March to resolve the political crisis. He added that the party's vision is based on making amendments to the constitutional document signed in 2019 and producing a new constitution to restore the transitional period. The spokesman noted that Al-Mirghani has worked with the Federal Parties Unit to bridge the gaps between the federal parties and unite them. Al-Mirghani left Sudan in 2010, following disagreements within his party, and went to London, where he stayed for a short while before leaving for Cairo and settling there. He managed his party's affairs from the Egyptian capital and enter...

 Palestine wasn't forgotten by football fans at the opening of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar yesterday, Al-Resalah has reported. Fans chanted their support for Palestine and called for the protection of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Arab and international football fans chanted together "With souls and blood, we sacrifice for Palestine." They also raised Palestine and Qatar flags together. Even though the Palestine national team didn't qualify for the tournament, Palestinian football supporters and pro-Palestine activists are using the World Cup to spread awareness about the Palestinian cause and expose Israeli crimes. The government of Qatar is one of the biggest supporters of the Palestinians and has provided a large space in the fan zone for the Palestinians and their supporters to raise the issue of the occupation of their land. The Palestine flag was projected onto the sides of Qatari buildings. According to Al-Resalah reporter Alaa Shamali, the sizable Palestinian pre...

 The International Association of Football Federation (FIFA) on Friday announced the ban on selling alcoholic drinks in World Cup stadiums and their vicinity, stressing that the decision was made with the host country Qatar. According to FIFA's statement on its website: "Following discussions between host country authorities and FIFA , a decision has been made to focus the sale of alcoholic beverages on the FIFA Fan Festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues, removing sales points of beer from Qatar's FIFA World Cup 2022 stadium perimeters. There is no impact to the sale of Bud Zero, which will remain available at all Qatar's World Cup stadiums." The statement added: "Host country authorities and FIFA will continue to ensure that the stadiums and surrounding areas provide an enjoyable, respectful, and pleasant experience for all fans." "The tournament organizers appreciate AB InBev's understanding and continued support to our joint com...

 According to court records, the US administration proposed on Thursday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman be exempt from prosecution for the 2018 murder of a dissident journalist. In late September, Prince Mohammed was appointed prime minister by royal proclamation, prompting speculation that he was attempting to avoid scrutiny in cases brought before foreign courts, including a civil lawsuit brought in the US by Hatice Cengiz, the fiancée of murdered columnist Jamal Khashoggi. A Saudi insider-turned-critic named Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate four years ago, briefly making Prince Mohammed, sometimes known as MBS, a pariah in the West. His attorneys have in the past claimed that because he "sits at the top of Saudi Arabia 's government," he is entitled to the same level of immunity that US courts grant foreign heads of state and other high-ranking officials. If the US administration decided to express an opinion at all, it had...

A senior Palestinian police officer has accused the Israeli occupation authorities of intentionally facilitating the entry of drugs in the besieged Gaza Strip, Al-Resalah has reported. According to Colonel Anwar Zo'rob on Wednesday, the drugs not only destroy addicts but also the social fabric of the Palestinians in the enclave. Zo'rob pointed out that the Israeli authorities prevent the Palestinians from having access to the technology which helps in the fight against drug smuggling. At the moment, he explained, the Palestinian police use specially-trained dogs to sniff out drugs being brought into Gaza. Last month, the police seized 580 bags of hashish and thousands of pills. Most of the criminals who have also started to grow cannabis plants in Gaza, said Zo'rob, have been caught and punished. Drug dealers in occupied Palestine face lengthy prison terms when caught and put on trial.

 The Gaza-based Anti-Normalisation Campaign yesterday welcomed Lebanese tennis player Mohamed Ataya's decision to withdraw from the Cyprus International Championship so as not to face an Israeli opponent. The organization said the athlete's withdrawal reflects the rejection of the great Lebanese people, and all Arab peoples, to normalize with the Israeli occupation and standing up against the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the defenseless Palestinian people. It commended the player, saying he joined a long list of honorable heroes who refuse normalization in response to the call to boycott the Israeli occupation. It called on all Arab and Islamic bodies and institutions to boycott the Israeli occupation in all arenas, with the aim of isolating it, until it respects the rights and demands of the Palestinian people for liberation.

 Ayala Ben-Gvir, the wife of far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir, brought her handgun to a meeting held yesterday with the wives of other ministers who are expected to be appointed to senior posts in the new coalition. The event was hosted by Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, Anadolu news agency reported. Ayala appeared with a handgun in the waistband of her skirt in a photo shared by Netanyahu 's Likud party of the "team building" event held by Sara at Jerusalem's Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Responding to criticism on social media, Ayala defended herself saying: "Yes I carry a gun. Deal with it." "I live in Hebron, I am a mother to six sweet children, and I travel through terror-infested roads," she wrote on Twitter. "I am married to my husband who is the most threatened man in the country, and yes, I carry a gun. Deal with it." Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of the Kahanist Otzma Yehudit far-right party, is notorious...

  Libya will not open any additional border crossings with Tunisia, Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah announced yesterday. "The region is going through real security problems and terrorist risks," Dbeibah told Mosaique FM, adding that his country's border crossings would only be opened "if necessary." Dbeibah pointed out that his country was facing "problems at the border crossings with Tunisia, including logistics, as well as the media's failure to record the entry and exit of travelers." The head of the Government of National Unity noted that the Ras Jedir crossing required "further improvements due to the large transit movement it has been witnessing recently."

 US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Friday discussed the situation in Palestine and stressed the importance of maintaining calm between Palestinians and the Israeli occupation. Bassam Rady, Al-Sisi's spokesperson, said that Biden and Al-Sisi discussed several issues during their meeting, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The US president valued Egypt's "tireless and significant efforts" in this context, including pacifying the situation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, Egypt Today reported. Al-Sisi affirmed Egypt's unwavering position on reaching a just and comprehensive solution that ensures the rights of the Palestinian people based on international resolutions. Meanwhile, Al-Sisi discussed strengthening coordination and consultation with the US on various political, security, and regional issues, as well as continuing to promote and strengthen partnerships across various fields of cooperation within the fr...

 The Lebanese parliament yesterday failed, for the fifth time, to elect a new president for the country. Independent lawmaker, Michel Moawad, was the frontrunner with 44 votes in yesterday's session, however, he fell short of the two-thirds majority or 86 votes needed to win. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has set next Thursday as the date for a new session to elect a president. The parliament's failure to elect a president may further complicate the situation in a country mired in a stifling economic crisis, and where constitutional deadlines are rarely respected. "Each party is accusing the other of obstruction," said MP Elias Bou Saab, deputy parliament speaker of the Free Patriotic Movement bloc, in an interview with AFP. "The crisis is that each party wants its own candidate. They should think in a different way and reach an understanding regarding a name that is accepted by at least two-thirds of the council," he added. Aoun, himself, was elected afte...

The Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad's Jerusalem Committee yesterday condemned the distorted Israeli curriculum imposed on Palestinian students in occupied Jerusalem, Quds Press reported. This came following the distribution of books that include false information about Palestine and Israel at Al Eman Schools. In a written statement, the committee said that the distribution of these books means the school "is taking part in the process of Israelis Palestinian education and is contravening on the culture of the Palestinian students who are having their civilization wiped out." "This measure is considered a stab in the back of the Palestinians who fought for Jerusalem, the Palestinian resistance and resilience." The parents of students at the school had previously agreed with the administration of Al Eman Schools that Israeli books would not be accepted, but the schools retreated from the deal following pressure from Israeli occupation authorities. In J...

 In many ways, the COP27 climate conference being held in Egypt is a cruel but necessary irony. The tyranny of the host government — the sweeping arrests, arbitrary checking of citizens' mobile phones at road checkpoints, and a further crackdown on freedom of expression — makes it look even more like it was a poor choice to hold the summit in Sharm El Sheikh. Greta Thunberg thinks so, too, and why shouldn't we heed the valued opinion of the climate change icon? However, the choice of Egypt was, in fact, the correct call to make. It is the most fitting host for the summit and many of the policies which might be imposed as a result. Both are or will be authoritarian and depend on coercion to achieve their goals. Such pressure on climate change will be political, financial, and social; some is already happening and has been for years. We can expect to see a global carbon tax standard, or pricing on carbon emissions, called for by the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ...

 Journalists and activists at COP27 are increasingly afraid they are being subject to surveillance at the UN climate summit being held in Sharm El-Sheikh. Attendees are being warned not to download a mobile app created by the government with the floorplan and conference program. Experts have warned that the app gives intelligence services access to their location, photos, and emails. There are concerns that authorities will use it to gather information about civil society. Civil society has been heavily repressed in Egypt where there are some 60,000 political prisoners in jail who are systematically tortured and denied appropriate medical care. In the lead-up to the conference, human rights groups campaigned to allow the meaningful participation of activists and journalists, who are essential for bringing about climate change. To download the conference app, participants must give their mobile number, nationality, and passport details and enable location tracking. "Our applicati...

Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is set to arrive in Egypt's Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday to participate in the 2nd Green Middle East Summit. The Summit is held in tandem with UN climate conference COP27 , which opened in Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday. A statement by the Saudi Royal Court said bin Salman had left for Sharm El-Sheikh to take part in the Summit, which will be attended by Egyptian President, Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, along with a host of world leaders. The Summit is intended to lay out a roadmap for regional climate action, assessing the consequences of climate change and presenting solutions. The first edition of the Green Middle East Summit was held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in October 2021. Notably, these initiatives aim to plant 50 billion trees in the region and reduce carbon emissions by more than 10 percent.

 The Group of Seven (G7) countries have agreed to create a coordination mechanism to help war-torn Ukraine with critical energy and water infrastructure amid Russian grid attacks that have caused widespread blackouts, news agency ANI reported. The G7 foreign ministers said in an official statement: “Today, we are launching a G7 coordination mechanism to help Ukraine repair, restore and defend its critical energy and water infrastructure.” Germany held a two-day meeting in the West German city of Muenster to discuss Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Iran's deepening military ties with Moscow over the war, as well as China's growing assertiveness. While discussing Ukraine, the G7 member called on Russia to immediately stop its war of aggression against Ukraine and withdraw all its forces and military equipment. During the meeting, the G7 foreign ministers condemned Russia's recent escalation, including its attack against civilians and civilian infrastructure, esp...

 The winners of 2022's Palestine Book Awards (PBA) were announced on Friday evening at an event in London to recognize authors and their contributions to the literature on the subject of Palestine. Seven books were handpicked by the panel of judges and saw their authors presented with awards in five categories. The 11th PBA was held in person for the first time since 2019 after COVID forced MEMO to host the event online. The awards ceremony followed an informal event held yesterday at London's P21 Gallery, in which authors of the nine shortlisted books discussed their work with the audience and participated in a lively debate. The 2022 Palestine Book Awards ceremony was opened by British journalist, author, and former associate foreign editor of The Guardian, Victoria Brittain. Brittain thanked MEMO's Director Dr. Daud Abdullah, the organization's staff, the judges, and the shortlisted authors in her speech. She mentioned the ongoing Israeli occupation and the thousand...

 A new electoral law introduced by Tunisian President Kais Saied in September eliminated the principle of gender parity in elected assemblies, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report said earlier this week. According to the report, a majority of Tunisians voted in favor of a new Constitution this summer, which gave the president far more powers. "The new law strips gender parity provisions from a previous electoral law that strove to ensure equal representation between men and women in Tunisia's elected assemblies, although Tunisia's new Constitution explicitly upholds this principle," the report said. "The new electoral law, however, replaces the previous proportional representation system by a single-member constituency system without providing provisions aimed at equal gender representation," HRW added.

  Jordan and Russia have agreed to step up coordination in tackling instability in southern Syria, which Amman blames on Iran-linked militias and multi-billion dollar drug smuggling across its border, Jordan's Foreign Minister said on Thursday, Reuters reports. Ayman Al Safadi was speaking after talks with Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, that centered on south Syria to "neutralize the potential dangers of instability" in the area. "There is a need for coordination and this is the focus of expansive discussions. The danger of drug smuggling to Jordan and across its territory by hostile militias," Safadi told a news conference. Russia, whose military intervention helped Syrian President, Bashar Al Assad, regain most of the country from insurgents during an over-decade-long civil war backed a political solution to end the conflict, Lavrov said. The growing influence of Iranian-backed militias, including Lebanon's Hezbollah group in southern Syria in re...

 Several human rights organizations in Egypt have condemned the arbitrary arrests of people apparently in connection with the calls for protests on 11 November, during the COP27 conference in Sharm El Sheikh. According to El-Shehab Centre for Human Rights, 42 people in Alexandria Governorate have been arrested. In Suez, the Egyptian Network for Human Rights said that for the past two weeks the streets of the governorate have been witnessing an ongoing security campaign, in which hundreds of citizens have been arrested, some of them former detainees. A number of families of political activists were also arrested. "Over 200 people as of Tuesday appeared before the prosecutors in Suez," explained the network, "and many are still waiting to appear inside the headquarters of the Security Forces Camp in Al-Salam, the Central Security Camp on Nasser Street, and the National Security Building next to the Courts Complex." Meanwhile, the director of the Egyptian Initiative ...

 Egyptian authorities arrested Indian climate activist Ajit Rajagopal who walked from Cairo to Sharm El-Sheikh as part of the March for our Planet global campaign and then released him 24 hours later. Rajagopal came to Egypt to participate in the COP27 UN summit hosted this year in Egypt's Red Sea resort town but was arrested at a security checkpoint. Human rights lawyer Makarios Lahzy received a call from him at 1pm and after going to help him, was arrested and detained at El-Obour city police station in Cairo and then later released. On 7 November, heads of state, ministers, journalists and NGOs will gather to discuss issues urgent to tackling the climate emergency. As the conference nears, dozens of arbitrary arrests have taken place across Egypt following calls for protests on 11 November and pressure on the government by rights organisations to stop committing violations ahead of COP27. At the end of October prominent human rights lawyer Khaled Ali announced that every day t...