Nablus - "Jerusalem" dot com - Today, Tuesday, the police arrested a suspect who stole a donation box from a mosque in Nablus and assaulted a person who discovered it in the act.

The Public Relations and Information Department of the police stated that it had received a report from a citizen about a person attempting to steal a donation box located in a mosque in Nablus. A force from the city police station was able to arrest the suspect, who reported that he stole the donation box with his son.

And she confirmed that the arrested person was kept in custody until he was referred to the Public Prosecution to complete the legal requirements against him duly.

BEIRUT (Xinhua) -- Two local economists stressed that the 2022 general budget approved by the Lebanese parliament yesterday (Monday) does not rise to the level of reforms that would pave the way for an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

The budget came with a deficit of 11 trillion Lebanese pounds (297 million dollars), revenues amounting to 30 trillion pounds (about 810 million dollars), and expenditures estimated at 41 trillion Lebanese pounds (about 1.2 billion dollars).

"The 2022 budget should have included reforms to avoid the huge budget deficit, because printing more money is the only way to finance the deficit," Patrick Mardini, head of the Lebanese Institute for Market Studies, told Xinhua.

And he believed that "the budget is inflationary," noting that "printing more money will lead to more inflation and more depreciation of the local currency."

Mardini explained that the only way to finance Lebanon's budget deficit today is by increasing the money supply, because Lebanon defaulted on its "Eurobonds" and therefore lost its ability to access international financial markets at a time when the state cannot borrow from local banks in light of the crisis. current banking.

The economist and former editor-in-chief of the Kuwaiti newspaper ((Al-Qabas)), Mounir Yunis, confirmed that the International Monetary Fund would prefer if it adopted in the customs dollar the exchange rate of the dollar in the “Sarfa” platform affiliated with the Banque du Liban, amounting to 29,800 Lebanese pounds, in the hope that it would become the actual local and international standard for the exchange rate The US dollar against the lira.

"The International Monetary Fund had called for the unification of multiple exchange rates, but officials in Lebanon see that agreeing to a high exchange rate for the customs dollar on imports is a step that will be unpopular in Lebanon, which relies heavily on imports," Younis told Xinhua. big".

Yunus expressed his belief that the public budget should have approved a comprehensive reform of the tax system by imposing more taxes on high-income people while reducing the burden on low-income individuals, which did not happen in the 2022 budget.

The 2022 budget imposed a 10% tax on interest returns from bank accounts, certificates of deposit, and treasury bonds in Lebanese pounds. It also raised the fees for issuing a passport for a period of 5 years from 300,000 to 1 million Lebanese pounds, and from 500,000 to 2 million Lebanese pounds for a period of 10 years.

Yunus believed that among the advantages of approving the budget is that it will help organize public finances, set spending ceilings, and improve living conditions for workers in the public sector and the army, in addition to correcting the situation of state administrations while preparing for a more comprehensive budget for the year 2023.

He praised the increase in the salaries of all public sector employees in the budget to no less than 5 million Lebanese pounds and no more than 12 million Lebanese pounds per month, and said that this should encourage public sector employees to stop their strike that has been going on for more than two months and improve the performance of public administrations.

Lebanon is facing an unprecedented financial crisis due to the lack of US currency reserves, which led to the depreciation of the local currency by more than 90%. Meanwhile, the country uses at least 4 vastly different exchange rates through which the Lebanese pound is converted into the US dollar.

Parliament’s approval of the general budget is among the conditions for reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, an agreement that is seen as the first decisive step for Lebanon to start emerging from a financial crisis that has been going on for 3 years and has plunged 82% of the population into poverty, according to the United Nations.

A "principled" agreement was signed between Lebanon and the International Monetary Fund at the staff level last April. The Lebanese authorities must increase revenues to finance the public sector, allow more social spending through customs duties, and standardize the exchange rate of the local currency against the US dollar, but the budget approved by Parliament counts. The customs dollar is at a price of 15,000 pounds, compared to the previous rate of 1,500 pounds per dollar, while the exchange rate of the dollar in the parallel market is about 37,000 pounds.

The initial agreement between Lebanon and the IMF relates to $3 billion in financing, which will be spent over 4 years, according to a program that shows what Lebanon must do over the next four years with the aim of rebuilding the economy and restoring financial sustainability.

To sign the final agreement, the IMF requires taking a number of measures, including approving the 2022 budget and the “capital control” draft law (capital control), in addition to passing legislation related to restructuring the banking sector and amending the law related to banking secrecy.

نيويورك- “القدس”دوت كوم- (أ ف ب) – أجبرت طائرة شحن طراز بوينغ 737 يستقلها طاقم من شخصين، على القيام بهبوط اضطراري في البحر قبالة هونولولو في ساعة مبكرة، الجمعة، بعدما أفاد الطياران عن مشكلات في المحرك، حسبما أعلنت إدارة الطيران الفدرالي.

وقالت متحدثة باسم الهيئة في بيان، “إن الرحلة 810 لشركة ترانسير كانت تحاول العودة إلى هونولولو عندما أجبرت على الهبوط بالطائرة في المياه قرابة الساعة 2,30 بالتوقيت المحلي”.

وأضاف البيان، “بحسب المعلومات الأولية، فإن خفر السواحل الأميركيين أنقذوا الطاقم المؤلف من شخصين. ستقوم إدارة الطيران الفدرالي والمجلس الوطني لسلامة النقل بالتحقيق في الحادث”.

وقال المتحدث باسم خفر السواحل ماثيو ويست لشبكة “سي ان ان”، “إن مروحية لخفر السواحل أنقذت أحد الطيارين، فيما أنقذت مروحية لخدمة الإطفاء الطيار الآخر،”.

وأرسلت سفينة تابعة لخفر السواحل إلى مكان الحادث، ونقل الطياران إلى مستشفى في هونولولو للعلاج، بحسب “ويست”، الذي قال، “إنه ليس لديه معلومات إضافية عن وضعهما”.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - Clashes broke out, on Tuesday evening, with the Israeli occupation forces, in Silwad town, northeast of Ramallah.

According to press sources, the occupation soldiers fired live and rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas and sound bombs at the citizens, without any injuries reported.

The occupation forces also closed the entrance to the village of Deir Abu Mishaal, west of Ramallah, and set up a military checkpoint at the northern entrance to the city of Al-Bireh, and in the vicinity of several villages and towns in the governorate, namely: Nabi Saleh, Aboud, Silwad, Yabroud, Ras Karkar, and Al-Taybeh, and checked the citizens’ identities. Their vehicles were searched.

The occupation forces also intensified their presence in the vicinity of "Halamish" settlement, which is located on citizens' lands, west of Ramallah and Al-Bireh.

WASHINGTON - (Xinhua) -- International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday noted that there has been a "fundamental shift" in the global economy , urging countries to lower inflation rates, institute responsible fiscal policy, as well as jointly support emerging market and developing economies. .

In a brief introductory speech ahead of the 2022 annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank scheduled for next week, she said the global economy is emerging "from a relatively predictable world - with a rules-based framework for international economic cooperation, low interest rates, low inflation ... Towards a more fragile world - witnessing more uncertainty, greater economic volatility, geopolitical conflicts and more devastating and frequent natural disasters.

Emphasizing the urgent need to achieve economic stability, Georgieva pointed out that the global outlook has worsened due to multiple shocks, including the war, stressing that inflation has become more stubborn.

She stated that the International Monetary Fund had already reduced its growth forecast 3 times since last October, to be only 3.2 percent for 2022 and 2.9 percent for 2023, and added that the global institution will reduce the growth rate for next year in its updated economic forecasts to be announced next week.

"We will note that recession risks are increasing," she added. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund estimates that countries that represent about a third of the global economy will contract for at least two consecutive quarters this year or next.
"Even if positive growth is achieved, it will appear to be stagnant due to lower real incomes and higher prices," she added.

All in all, the International Monetary Fund projects a global production loss of about $4 trillion between now and 2026. This is the size of the German economy, which is a major setback for the global economy.

The Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund also urged decision makers to stay on the path of reducing inflation and developing responsible fiscal policy that protects the vulnerable without raising the rate of inflation, while calling for joint efforts to support emerging market and developing economies.

"The stronger dollar, exorbitant borrowing costs, and capital outflows dealt a triple blow to many emerging markets and developing economies," she said, noting that the probability of investment inflows from emerging markets during the next three quarters rose by 40 percent, which could pose a "major challenge" to countries. with large external financial needs.

More than a quarter of emerging economies are defaulting or trading at distressed levels; More than 60 percent of low-income countries are experiencing, or are at risk of, a debt crisis.

In light of this, Georgieva urged countries to work together to address issues such as food security, which now affects a staggering 345 million people, and climate change, an existential threat to humanity.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the International Monetary Fund has provided 258 billion US dollars to 93 countries. Since the Russia-Ukraine war, it has supported 16 countries with nearly 90 billion US dollars. This is in addition to the historic allocation of SDRs of $650 billion last year.

Doha - (AFP) - The Qatari Minister of Labor announced to AFP that his country rejects calls for the establishment of a special fund to compensate migrant workers who died or were harmed on its lands during the construction of huge projects to host the World Cup, denouncing Doha's exposure to "racist" attacks.

Minister Ali bin Smaikh Al-Marri said in an exclusive interview with AFP, his first with an international media outlet, that Doha has for years had a fund to compensate migrant workers, through which it has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation and aid.

Geneva - (AFP) - The United Nations deplored Tuesday an "alarming" increase in the number of Rohingya refugees who died at sea or went missing while trying to flee from Burma or Bangladesh last year, expressing fears that this trend could accelerate in the absence of a comprehensive regional response.

In its report on the year 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees indicated that more than 3,500 desperate Rohingya attempted to cross the sea, compared to 700 the previous year.

UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Manto told a press conference in Geneva that the commission "has detected an alarming increase in the death toll. At least 348 individuals died or went missing in 2022," noting that the death toll is the largest since 2014.

Manto said that of the 3,040 Rohingya children who tried to escape by sea last year, most of them ended up in Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh, explaining that about 45 percent of them were women children.

"Most of the boats set sail from Burma and Bangladesh, which highlights the growing sense of desperation among the Rohingya in these two countries," Mantoo said.

"Those who made landfall in other areas reported that they undertook these dangerous sea voyages in an attempt to find protection and security, reunite with their families and find livelihoods in other countries," she added.

"They include victims of trafficking, unaccompanied and separated children, and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence," she noted.

A violent military crackdown targeting them in 2017 in Burma prompted hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh, and they recounted horrific accounts of the killing, rape and burning they were subjected to.

A spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner indicated that "the UNHCR's calls to the maritime authorities in the region to rescue and disembark the afflicted people have gone unheeded, with many boats stuck at sea for weeks."

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has described the current crisis in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea as a "crisis of solidarity".

It called for a full regional response to human trafficking, search and rescue efforts and support to the countries where they are disembarked.

"The region and the international community need to support efforts to address the root causes of displacement in Burma," Mantoux said.

And she warned that without such a response, "refugees will continue to undertake perilous journeys in search of safety".

LONDON (AFP) - British clothing company Joules is preparing to file for bankruptcy after running out of cash, as the economic crisis pushes consumers to cut spending in the face of inflation.

Jules said in a statement on Monday that she was unable to raise funds from investors, nor to obtain a short-term bridging loan.

A company spokesman told AFP that the group currently employs 1,600 people whose jobs are under threat and has 132 stores.

Trading in its shares on the London Stock Exchange was suspended.

"Jules is the latest victim of the crisis that UK retailers are facing, in the context of a purchasing power crisis," commented Victoria Scholar, analyst at Interactive Investors.

The inflation rate reached 10% in the country, while rising costs weighed on business activity and indicators of confidence in the economy.

Jenin - exclusive to "Al Quds" dot com - Statistical data showed the death toll, injuries and wounded, during the Israeli occupation forces' incursion into several areas of Jenin Governorate, since the beginning of the new year, until now.

Statistical data confirmed that the number of martyrs in Jenin governorate, since the beginning of the new year until now, has reached 7 out of 12 martyrs in the various governorates of the country.

For his part, the Director of Ambulance and Emergency at the Palestinian Red Crescent in Jenin, Mahmoud Al-Saadi, confirmed to Jerusalem that the number of what the Red Crescent crews dealt with in seven different areas of Jenin governorate that were stormed by the occupation and confrontations broke out, since the beginning of the new year, until now, has reached about twenty injuries. with bullets and dozens of cases of suffocation with tear gas.

In turn, the director of the Palestinian Prisoners Club in Jenin, Muntasir Samour, confirmed to Jerusalem that the number of arrest cases carried out by the occupation in Jenin governorate since the beginning of the new year amounted to about twenty detainees, as the arrests varied between storming homes or at military checkpoints.

According to data from the Palestinian Prisoners Club, the number of detainees in the West Bank since the beginning of the new year until now has reached about two hundred cases.

Jeddah - "Al-Quds" dot com - Al-Quds Fund and Endowment concluded its meetings in Jeddah , the most prominent of which was the meeting held by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al-Quds Fund and Endowment, Munib Rashid Al-Masri, with His Excellency Dr. Muhammad Suleiman Al-Jasser, Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank Group, in the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Humanitarian Funds of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Qudsna Humanitarian Endowment, and His Excellency Dr. Heba Ahmed, Director General of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development, and Mr. Adel Al-Sharif, Advisor to the President of the Islamic Bank Group For development, and during the meeting, they consulted on ways to enhance efforts to support the city of Jerusalem.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al-Quds Fund and Endowment, Munib Al-Masri, honored His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Tamkeen Fund, during a meeting at the home of His Highness Prince Turki, in the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Humanitarian Funds and Dr. Majid Al-Azmi, Director General of the Zakat House in the State of Kuwait, so that the meeting focused on ways to support the city of Jerusalem.

Participating in these meetings were Ambassador Mahmoud Al-Asadi, Consul General of the State of Palestine in Jeddah, Tayseer Barakat, member of the Board of Trustees of the Al-Quds Endowment Fund, Omar Munib Al-Masri on behalf of the Munib Foundation, Angela Al-Masry, and Taher Al-Disi, Executive Director of the Al-Quds Endowment Fund.

Cairo - "Al-Quds" dot com - The Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, Ziyad Al-Nakhala , arrived last night in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

With the arrival of Al-Nakhala, the arrival of the Islamic Jihad delegation to Cairo, to meet with Egyptian officials, is complete. According to the statement of the movement.

Egypt had sent an official invitation to the Islamic Jihad and Hamas movements to visit Cairo, where a delegation headed by Ismail Haniyeh is expected to arrive in Cairo in the coming days.

This comes within the framework of the Egyptian role to try to calm the situation in the Palestinian territories.

BEIJING (Xinhua) -- The assets under management of IPO funds in China reached 26.79 trillion yuan (about 3.97 trillion US dollars) by the end of June, the latest data from the China Asset Management Association showed.

As of the end of June, a total of 10,010 IPO funds had been operated by 139 fund management companies, according to the association, an industry body supervised by the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

The data showed that the volume of closed funds amounted to nearly 3.27 trillion yuan, while the volume of open funds amounted to about 23.52 trillion yuan.

The association said that among the 139 fund management companies, 45 are foreign-funded and 94 are local.

Hebron - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Public Prosecution Office and the police initiated their legal procedures regarding the death of a 32-year-old citizen inside his home in Hebron.

The media spokesman for the police, Colonel Louay Irziqat, stated that the police had received a report regarding the presence of a gas leak inside a residential apartment in the Al-Jamaa neighborhood in Hebron.

Erziqat added that the citizen's body was found inside the house, and the Public Prosecution Office was immediately informed and an investigation into the incident was initiated. The Public Prosecution ordered the body to be kept until the necessary legal procedures were completed.

According to local sources, the deceased (H.Z.) died of suffocation due to a gas leak from the heater.

DOHA - (Xinhua) - The Qatar Fund for Development announced today (Monday) the signing of an agreement with the Electricity Interconnection Authority of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf to develop the Gulf electrical interconnection system and the connection to the southern Iraq grid.

The Fund said in a statement that this agreement comes with the aim of contributing to meeting part of the demand for electrical energy and filling the need for it, in addition to improving the performance and stability of the electrical network in the southern region of Iraq.

The statement indicated that this will be done through the establishment of a new transmission station with a capacity of 400 kilovolts from the Wafra station of the Interconnection Authority to the Al-Faw electricity transfer station in southern Iraq, which will enable the transmission of electricity from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to Iraq.

He pointed out that the implementation work is scheduled to start during this August, and that the connection will be operational in the summer of 2024.

The statement quoted the Director General of the Fund, Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Kuwari, as saying, "We seek together, in partnership with the Electricity Interconnection Authority of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, to extend electricity to our brothers in the Republic of Iraq."

Al-Kuwari added that the extension of electricity plays an essential and pivotal role in strengthening the vital basic sectors and supporting them to complete their work.

For his part, Ahmed bin Ali Al-Ibrahim, CEO of the Gulf Electrical Interconnection Authority , said that the electrical connection has achieved economic savings for the GCC countries of nearly $3 billion since the full operation of the project, while avoiding any major interruptions in the Gulf networks since the start of operation in 2009.

The project is being implemented by the Electricity Interconnection Authority of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, which was established in 2001 and owns and operates the Gulf electrical interconnection network. It is one of the most important infrastructure interconnection projects approved by the Cooperation Council.

The Gulf Electrical Interconnection Project has achieved its most important strategic goals represented in enhancing energy security, raising the level of reliability and safety of Gulf electrical systems, and its success in avoiding 100 percent of the GCC electricity networks for any partial or total outage by providing instantaneous support by transferring the required energy through the interconnection network. directly, according to the statement.

Rome - (AFP) - Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Rome on Saturday for peace in Ukraine and to demand that the Italian government stop sending weapons to counter the Russian invasion.

The demonstrators carried a large banner reading "No to war... No to sending arms," while the voices of the demonstrators, who were estimated by the police to number about 30,000, chanted, "Give peace a chance."

Italy, one of the founding members of NATO, has been supporting Ukraine since the start of the conflict at the end of February, by supplying it with weapons in particular.

Far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that this will not change and that the government plans to send additional military equipment soon.

But others, including former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, argue that Italy should intensify negotiations instead.

"The weapons were sent in the beginning under the pretext that they would prevent escalation," one of the demonstrators, Roberto Zanotto, told AFP. "After nine months, it seems to me that there is an escalation. Look at the facts: sending arms did not help stop the war. Weapons contribute to fueling the conflict." ".

And the student, Sarah Gianpietro, considered that the conflict would prolong the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, and this would lead to "economic consequences for our country, and for respect for human rights as well."

On Friday, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries, including Italy, pledged to continue supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Ramallah - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs revealed in its report, issued today, Monday, after the visit of its lawyer, Fadi Obeidat, about a number of sick cases of prisoners languishing in the Negev prison.

Among these cases, the prisoner Khaled Badha (16 years) from the town of Deir Ammar / Ramallah, who suffers from severe dental pain, as all the teeth and mills were extracted by the doctor three months ago, and a hoop was made for the upper and lower jaw, but it did not It is suitable for him, and the prisoner is scheduled to undergo three surgeries (hernias) during the current month.

While the prisoner Ahmed Khader (38 years), from Qalandia camp / Jerusalem, complains of a migraine that causes him severe headaches, which he suffered after his arrest in 2007, and he only receives painkillers, and he also suffers from tooth decay and gum infections, and he was not provided with any treatment, which led to To the extraction of most of his teeth and mills, his condition worsened until he lost most of them, and he needed to follow up on dental treatment.

While the prisoner Khaled Hamida (45 years old), from the western town of Laban / Ramallah, suffers from a nerve disease that causes him a nervous state, but the prison administration does not care about his matter.

The Commission held the Israeli prison administration fully responsible for the continuation of the series of medical negligence against Palestinian detainees, and called on international institutions, human rights institutions and the Red Cross to play their necessary role towards the issue of detainees to the fullest.

Washington - (AFP) - Very weak indications of slowing inflation in the United States , and prices may have recorded a new high in September, which may displease Joe Biden, who recently admitted the possibility of a recession in the near future.

Analysts at MarketWatch report that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), for which figures for September will be published Thursday, may have continued to slow year-on-year, falling to 8.1 percent from 8.3 percent in August. .

However, this indicator is expected to have increased during the month by 0.3 percent, compared to 0.1 percent in August.

In August, the numbers were disappointing. Inflation slowed less than expected on a year-on-year basis, mainly due to lower petrol prices at gas stations.

But apart from fuel prices, the price hike was general and affected, especially rents and food products.
Over the course of a month, prices began to rise again after stabilizing between June and July.

This rise in the cost of living for American families constitutes a strong argument for opponents of Democratic President Joe Biden, one month before the mid-term elections, during which part of the Congress is renewed.

Joe Biden admitted Tuesday that the United States "could" suffer a "very slight recession".

The US Federal Reserve is trying to slow economic activity to relieve pressure on prices. But the longer inflation persists, the stronger it becomes, leading to a recession.

Even Federal Reserve officials believe that a period of weak growth and a slowdown in the labor market will be necessary to overcome this inflation, which they consider "unacceptable," as stated in the report of the September 20-21 meeting published Wednesday.

They noted that inflation "has not yet responded" to the interest rate hike aimed at curbing it. That is why they made another sharp increase in the key interest rate, by three-quarters of a percentage point.

A number of these officials at the Federal Reserve confirmed that "acting too shy will cost more than the cost of moving decisively" on interest rates, stressing the need to continue tightening monetary policy "despite the slowdown in the labor market."

Brussels - (AFP) - The inflation rate in the eurozone fell to 10% in November, compared to 10.6% in October, in the first decline since June 2021, the Eurostat Institute announced Wednesday.

Every month since November 2021, inflation has been at an all-time high, and the situation has worsened since spring with market turmoil due to the war in Ukraine.

CAIRO - (Xinhua) - The Egyptian government is intensifying the opening of exhibitions and commodity outlets that offer products to citizens at significant discounts in order to help them cope with inflation, which is accelerating due to the dollar shortage crisis and the devaluation of the local currency.

The Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade opened “Welcome Ramadan” exhibitions early this year to provide goods to citizens at reduced prices of up to 30%, while the Ministry of Interior announced the launch of group car convoys to sell goods at reduced prices by up to 60% in the areas most in need as part of its “We are all” initiative. One".

While the Ministry of Defense announced the preparation of 3 million food packages to be distributed to citizens at half the price to help in facing the economic repercussions, in addition to increasing the number of fixed and mobile sales outlets throughout the Republic, and offering products and goods at reduced prices.

In conjunction with government efforts, the National Alliance for Civil Development Action, which includes more than 30 associations and civil institutions, launched the largest feeding initiative in Egypt under the title “Your Good is Previous” with the aim of providing food support to 5 million families throughout the year, in implementation of the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, in collaboration. Efforts to support the most vulnerable groups.

Dr. Alaa Ezz, Secretary-General of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, said that Egypt suffers from a high inflation rate, and there had to be mechanisms to support the citizen, so the Welcome Ramadan exhibitions opened early this year.

The annual inflation rate in Egypt during December 2022 reached about 21.9 percent, continuing its upward trajectory from 6.5 percent in December 2021, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics.

This rise in the inflation rate came due to the significant decline in the value of the Egyptian pound, as Egypt devalued its local currency twice in the year 2022, specifically in the months of March and October, and later in early January 2023 after obtaining the first tranche of the International Monetary Fund loan.

The Egyptian pound has lost 88 percent of its value against the US dollar since the beginning of January 2022, as the dollar recorded about 15.75 Egyptian pounds on January 1, 2022, while it is currently registered with the Central Bank of Egypt at 29.61 pounds.

Ezz added to Xinhua that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi directed the early opening of the Welcome Ramadan exhibitions, in which we offer discounts from 25% to 30% on basic commodities of interest to citizens through outlets in all governorates, and this is in order to help the citizen not only In the month of Ramadan, but in the transitional phase that we are currently going through.

He pointed out that the "Welcome Ramadan" exhibitions did not start in Cairo yet, as we started with the remote governorates first, such as Aswan, Luxor, the Red Sea, and some delta regions, in order to experiment with supply chains.

And the Secretary-General of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce continued that, as of January 15, the “Welcome Ramadan” exhibitions will be held in all governorates, and each governorate will have more than one outlet, and we aim to open 200 outlets nationwide.

He stressed that the goods are available in the exhibitions at prices lower than their counterparts in the market and of the same quality, and we agreed with manufacturers and importers that the goods be sold at discounts of up to 30%.

Ezz explained that these exhibitions are implemented in partnership between the government and the private sector for the sake of the citizen and alleviating the burden on him.
A few days ago, the Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, Ali Al-Moselhi, inaugurated the "Welcome Ramadan" exhibition in Shubra, Qalyubia Governorate, north of Cairo.

Madiha Metwally, a housewife in her fifties, was walking around the fair to buy her family's needs.

The Egyptian woman told Xinhua that prices have risen insanely in recent months due to the Ukrainian war and the dollar crisis in Egypt, in addition to the great greed of merchants.

She added that the high prices affected her family's food needs, as she had to reduce the purchase of some commodities such as meat and poultry.

She believed that the holding of commodity exhibitions is a good thing that helps citizens to face the high prices, noting that she bought the household needs of basic commodities at a lower price than market prices, such as sugar, rice, oil, and others.

Reham Ahmed, who is in her thirties and works in a clothing factory, shared her opinion, saying that commodity exhibitions help citizens to face high prices, especially as they offer great offers and discounts.

However, Reham called on the government to intervene more in order to control commodity prices.

She told Xinhua that the high prices have a negative impact on my family, and we have become difficult to secure our basic needs, and we no longer go out for walks or save any money as before.

As for Imad Abdel-Fattah, 48, an accountant in a private company, he said that the “Welcome Ramadan” exhibitions are very important at this time because of the very high prices in the traditional markets.

طوكيو - (أ ف ب) -أعلن رئيس الوزراء الياباني فوميو كيشيدا تخصيص حزمة إنفاق لتحفيز الاقتصاد بقيمة 260 مليار دولار الجمعة لمواجهة التضخم، بعدما أقرّت الحكومة موازنة إضافية لتمويل جزء من الإجراءات الرامية لتخفيف حدة الأزمة.

وقال كيشيدا للصحافيين إن الحكومة تأمل بأن الإنفاق خلال العام المالي البالغ 29 تريليون ين سيرتفع إلى 72 تريليونا عند أخذ استثمارات القطاع الخاص بعين الاعتبار.

ترتفع الأسعار في اليابان بأسرع وتيرة منذ ثماني سنوات، رغم أن معدل التضخم البالغ 3% ما زال أقل بكثير من المستويات المرتفعة للغاية التي تشهدها الولايات المتحدة وغيرها.

كما خسر الين أكثر من خُمس قيمته أمام الدولار هذه السنة، ما دفع السلطات للتدخل من أجل دعم العملة المحلية.
وضخّت اليابان التي تسجّل إحدى أعلى معدلات الديون بالنسبة لإجمالي ناتجها الداخلي، مئات مليارات الدولارات في اقتصادها على مدى العامين الماضيين لدعم التعافي من وباء كوفيد.

WASHINGTON (Xinhua) -- Rising inflation cost average American households 445 US dollars more than last year, according to a recent analysis by Moody's Analytics.

And statistics made by Ryan Sweet, a senior economist at the company, showed that the number, after inflation, reached 8.2 percent in September.

The US Labor Department reported last week that the US consumer price index rose 0.4 percent in September, up 8.2 percent from a year ago, with core inflation rising to its highest level in four decades.

As part of its statistics, Moody's compared average US household spending in September with the average in 2018 and 2019, when the inflation level was in the 2.1 percent range.

Spreading inflation affected all sectors of the US economy, as grocery prices rose 13 percent in September.

Moreover, 24 percent of shoppers said they purchased less food items than usual in September, according to Morning Consult. And 72 percent of American adults indicated that they were very concerned about rapidly rising food prices.

Meanwhile, Jacob Channel, a major economics channel on the online platform LendingTree, reported, citing the New York Post, that many Americans are no longer able to afford daily necessities. , due to the huge increase in their prices.

"For many families, spending hundreds of extra dollars each month on the same basic needs that they used to buy will likely not be possible. As a result, some, if they don't already, will resort to downsizing and lowering their living standards," the channel stated.

According to the Beige Book released by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, prices in the US are still increasing, although some declines have been observed in several regions.

A survey showed that a significant increase in input prices was recorded in various industries, despite the recorded decline in the prices of commodities, fuel and freight.

He pointed out that the increase in selling prices is mixed, with a large increase in some areas and moderation in others, adding that, looking forward, expectations of an increase in prices indicated moderation in general.

Since March, the US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates 5 times, including rate hikes of 75 basis points 3 consecutive times in June, July and September, to raise the benchmark interest rate to a range of 3-3.25 percent.

As it intensifies its fight against rising inflation, the Fed has signaled a more hawkish path, acknowledging that controlling inflation is likely to lead to increased unemployment and suffering for households and businesses.

Economists have warned that Americans should prepare for more pain as recession risks rise. According to the latest model forecast by Bloomberg Economics, a US recession is effectively certain within the next 12 months.

غزة –يتجدد الصراع بين ناديي شباب رفح- حامل اللقب، واتحاد الشجاعية على صدارة الدوريّ العام الممتاز مع دخول الجولة الـ20، اليوم السبت، عندما يواجه رفح المتصدر برصيد 36 نقطة المتذيل خدمات الشاطئ في المركز الـ12 برصيد 13 نقطة على ملعب رفح البلديّ، وفوز رفح يقربه بقوة من لقبه، وخسارة الشاطئ تمثل مسمار الهبوط في نعشه، فيما يلاقي الشجاعية في المركز الثاني برصيد 35 نقطة، غزة الرياضيّ في المركز السابع برصيد 24 على ملعب اليرموك، ويسعى الأول للصدارة واللقب، والرياضيّ لتجاوز الهبوط.

ويلتقي شباب جباليا في القاع شباب خانيونس على ملعب بيت حانون، وخدمات رفح الهلال على ملعب رفح، ويلتقي الأحد اتحاد بيت حانون والصداقة على ملعب بيت حانون والأهلي واتحاد خانيونس على ملعب فلسطين. ويلتقي الاثنين في الدرجة الأوّلى، التفاح وخدمات النصيرات على اليرموك، والمجمع الإسلاميّ ونماء على ملعب فلسطين، وخدمات خانيونس شباب الزوايدة على ملعب خانيونس، ويتنافس النصيرات والزوايدة على لقب البطولة، ويدخل المجمع في صراع حجز بطاقتي الصعود إلى الدرجة الممتازة، ويلاقي أهليّ النصيرات وخدمات البريج على ملعب الشهيد محمد.

Jerusalem - "Al-Quds" dot com - The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories, Chairman of the Supreme Ifta Council, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, announced that today, Saturday, December 24, is the completion of the month of Jumada al-Awwal for the year 1444 AH, and that Sunday, December 25, is the first of the month of Jumada. Hereafter for the year 1444 AH.

Sheikh Hussein said: "We ask God Almighty to make it a month of goodness, Yemen and blessings for the Arab and Islamic nations."

Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - The European Central Bank announced Thursday that it will raise interest rates to fight inflation, despite mounting concerns about a bleak economic outlook.

As expected, the bank again raised the three main interest rates by 75 basis points, to range between 1.5 and 2.25 percent.

The bank has raised rates three times since July, following the example of other central banks around the world. The central bank also tightened the conditions for low-interest bank loans.

The European Central warned the governments of the euro area against increasing the burden of its public debt at a time when the authorities seek to relieve pressure on households and commercial activities as a result of the huge rise in energy prices.

"Governments should pursue fiscal policies that show their commitment to gradually reducing high public debt," said European Central President Christine Lagarde at a press conference, adding that policy makers should choose "temporary" measures targeting the most vulnerable.

In addition, Lagarde indicated that the prospects for economic growth in the short term in the euro area tend to decline, while inflation tends to rise, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, which affects economic activity.

Lagarde said that a "prolonged war in Ukraine remains a major threat" to growth in the euro zone, pointing out that "the possibility of inflation is taking shape more on the horizon."

CHICAGO - (Xinhua) -- The average person in Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States, is expected to spend 1,700 U.S. dollars during the holiday shopping season this year, up 22 percent from last year despite inflation, according to a survey of retailing during the year. Holidays.

A survey released by Deloitte Chicago earlier this month showed that shoppers plan to buy fewer gifts.

And Deloitte's 2022 holiday retail survey revealed that 37 percent of American households said their financial situation is worse than it was last year.

In the midst of inflation, consumers are looking forward to retailers offering deals and plans to spend 50 percent of their holiday shopping budgets during Black Friday.

Meanwhile, data from business management consulting firm Accenture shows that Chicagoans are expected to spend $719 on travel, food and shopping during the November-December holiday season this year, an estimated increase of 19.3 percent from 2021. , during which the per capita expenditure was estimated at 580 US dollars.

Nationally, retail sales during the November-December holidays of 2022 are expected to increase 6-8 percent from the $889.3 billion in 2021 sales, hitting a new record of between $942.6 billion and $960.4 billion. US, according to data from the National Retail Federation.

The data also showed that Americans plan to spend nearly 832 U.S. dollars per person on gifts, food and decorations in 2022, in line with the 10-year average spending of 826 dollars and below the 2021 average spending of 879 dollars.

LONDON (AFP) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged Wednesday to cut inflation in half this year, tackle a health system crisis and tackle illegal immigration, laying out his priorities as the United Kingdom undergoes serious social crises.

In his first speech of the year, the conservative prime minister, who came to power at the end of October, mentioned "five promises" and "five pillars on which to build a better future for our children and grandchildren," but he did not offer any new measures regarding these files.

Two years at the latest, before the next legislative elections, the workers' opposition dominates in opinion polls, in a country that has witnessed a series of historic strikes, especially in the health and railway sectors. The crisis of the health system, which is on the verge of collapse, worries the British.

"We will cut inflation in half this year" to ease the cost of living, "and grow the economy by creating better wage jobs and opportunities across the country," Sunak said.

The prime minister also promised to reduce debt, which has increased since mid-2021 under the influence of inflation, which is close to 11%.
His pledge to halve inflation is in line with current central bank expectations.

Sunak also promised to reduce long queues in the NHS public health system, which can no longer cope after more than a decade of austerity and the pandemic.

As previously announced, he pledged to adopt "new laws to stop small boats" and implement swift expulsions for those arriving in the country illegally.

More than 45,000 migrants crossed the canal in small boats in 2022, a record number in a year in which four people died in a drowning accident. In 2021, 27 migrants died when their rubber boat sank.

"These are the priorities of the people" and "the priorities of the government," Sunak said, promising to "rebuild confidence in politics or no confidence" in case of failure. "I ask you to judge us by the efforts we make and the results we achieve," he added.

Washington - (AFP) - Christmas decorations occupied store shelves in the United States after spending a full year in warehouses, as their launch in the market in 2021 was delayed due to difficulties in supply operations, and retailers, who are in a hurry to get rid of them, hope to be able to sell them. This year, despite inflation , which reduces the purchasing power of Americans.

"It was very difficult last year to get enough (Christmas) trees and decorations to meet our customers' requests and send them to them," said Chris Butler, CEO of the National Tree website, which specializes in selling artificial Christmas decorations and trees.

"As for this year, the matter is somewhat different, as we have large quantities of them in the stores," he continued in an interview with Agence France-Presse, noting that the stores of retailers or manufacturers of decorations are filled with a very large number of Christmas trees and colored ribbons, because these Goods arrived too late last year.”

As for games, the situation is similar to that of holiday decorations. "We have gone from not having enough products to a situation where we have too many of them," says James Zane, editor-in-chief of the specialized "The Toy Book" website.

A year ago, shipping dates were extended further because there were not enough containers to transport products made in Asia across oceans.

Once near the American coast, ships would wait outside ports due to a shortage of labor to unload their cargo and a shortage of drivers to deliver goods to retailers.

This resulted in Christmas trees arriving in stores during January or February.
The Coles supermarket chain preferred to keep the late-arrived decorations rather than sell them at discounted prices at the beginning of spring.

At a conference organized by the "Goldman Sachs" financial group in September, its director, Gil Tim, said that "Santa Claus, snowmen and Christmas trees are not witnessing major changes."

And since the quantities stored represent amounts of money, it is certain that the merchants will keep the holiday decorations for an additional year.

However, inflation has been recorded since Christmas 2021.

In a September statement, Costco's chief financial officer noted that the prices of trees purchased last year remain "slightly lower" than those arriving this year, even when accounting for storage costs and benefits.

American consumers are facing a rise in prices at the fastest rate in forty years, as inflation reached 8.2% on an annual basis, and the solution does not bear any positive results because it requires slowing down economic activity, which carries the risk of causing an economic recession.

With the situation they're in, "consumers may not be spending as much" on holiday decorations, says Chris Butler.

Lynn Franco of the Conference Board Institute for Economic Research notes that inflation will continue to "severely (...) affect sales, which could make the holiday season difficult for retailers."

And with stocked decorations, "limited demand could lead to sharp price cuts that would squeeze their profit margins."

Retailers and logistics service providers usually prepare at this time of the year to launch the holiday season.

However, due to the "weakness recorded in consumer demand" and "stocked goods" in stores, "the volumes of shipped goods decreased and the cost of shipping decreased," according to Oren Klashkin, an economist at Oxford Economics.

And with inflation, the prices of games increased by “about 15%” compared to those recorded during the 2021 season, according to James Zane. He says, "Families who are already facing difficulties as a result of the high prices of food and fuel will be affected by the high prices of games."

Consequently, toy manufacturers, including Hasbro (one of its most prominent products are Monopoly, Nerf guns and dolls that embody the characters of the Transformers films), must adapt to the low purchasing power of parents.

"We noticed that the middle-class consumer became more and more price sensitive during the year," says Hasbro CEO Chris Cox, noting that the importance of promotions "has grown even more."

Mattel, which manufactures Barbie dolls and Fisher-Price toys, confirms that it will provide more discounts as the holiday season approaches.

Paris (AFP) - French growth slowed sharply in the third quarter, as gross domestic product advanced just 0.2 percent after a 0.5 percent jump in the spring, according to data released by National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) Fri.

This comes as inflation, which rose sharply to 6.2 percent year-on-year after slowing in August and September, began to affect the purchasing power of the French.

In line with the forecasts of the National Institute of Statistics and slightly less than that of the Bank of France (+0.25 percent), growth benefited from a slight increase in the production of services (+0.5 percent), although in this area it slowed down from the increase achieved in the spring. (1 percent).

The last three months of the year will be more difficult, with zero growth projected in the fourth quarter by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, which projects a rate of 2.6 percent for the full year 2022 (0.1 point lower than the government estimate).

With prices rising at an unprecedented rate since the mid-1980s, "(households) feel acutely the decline in their purchasing power," said Maxime Darmy, an economist on French affairs at Allianz Trade.

Data for the third quarter is not yet available, but the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies has already recorded a decline in purchasing power in the first half.

Thus, the indicator summarizing the loss of per capita purchasing power (“total disposable income per unit of consumption”) declined by 1.8 percent in the first quarter and by 1.2 percent in the second quarter.

The foregoing pushes families into the economy, as the National Institute of Statistics expects an improvement in the savings rate by the end of the year (17 percent, compared to 15.5 percent in the first half).

Household consumption spending on hotel and restaurant services has already begun to contract this summer, falling from 12.7 percent in the second quarter to just 0.6 percent in the July-September period.

Moscow - (AFP) - The Kremlin-appointed authorities of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine announced Thursday that electricity was fully restored to its largest city, after blaming Kiev for attacks that disrupted power and water supplies.

Kherson was the first urban center captured by Russian forces after Moscow announced the start of a "special military operation" in Ukraine in February and suffered power outages after Sunday's strikes, for which Moscow and Kiev blame each other.

"The electricity is available, despite the vandalism and attacks," the Kremlin-appointed deputy head of the Kherson region, Yarel Strimosov, said on social media Tuesday.

Ukrainian forces have been advancing towards the city for months, and Kiev's control over it would be a major defeat for Moscow.

Sunday's news of the power outage followed reports from Russian officials that the Khakova dam in Kherson had been damaged in a Ukrainian strike.

The dam supplies water to Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014 and used to launch the military campaign in Ukraine.

Separately, the Russian security services (FSB) announced the arrest of nine members of an "intelligence and sabotage group" of the Ukrainian forces.

The FSB accused the group of planning attacks against high-ranking Russian-appointed officials operating in Kherson.

It reported the confiscation of explosives, bombs and ammunition during the arrests, announcing the opening of an investigation related to "international terrorism".

As Ukraine presses forward with its counteroffensive in the south, Moscow's forces have declared that they will turn Kherson into a "fortress".

For weeks, it organized withdrawals of civilians from the Kherson region in light of the advance of Ukrainian soldiers, which Kiev described as "deportations".

Washington - (AFP) - Inflation slowed in the United States , with its decline in October to its lowest level since January 2022, proving that the measures taken by the Central Bank are beginning to bear fruit, although the rate is still at a level very high.

Consumer prices increased by 7.7% in October compared to October 2021, according to the reference consumer price index published by the Ministry of Labor on Thursday.

This increase is less than that recorded in September on an annual basis, when it amounted to 8.2% at the time. It is also lower than the 7.9% expected by analysts, according to Market Watch.

Compared to the previous month, prices increased by only 0.4 percent. This is the same increase recorded between August and September, which is a good surprise, since analysts were expecting a new acceleration of inflation by 0.6%.

Rising prices was one of the main themes of the campaign for Tuesday's midterm elections.

This slowdown may be an indication that the measures taken by the US Federal Reserve to curb inflation are beginning to bear fruit. The central bank seeks to fabricate a voluntary slowdown in US economic activity, by raising interest rates, which would discourage household consumption and relieve pressure on prices.

As a result, the New York Stock Exchange opened Thursday's sessions higher. The Dow Jones rose by 2.40% and the Nasdaq jumped by 4.84%.

And due to the results of the Senate elections that were not settled on Wednesday, the Dow Jones recorded a decline of 1.95% to 32513.94 points, while the Nasdaq lost 2.48%, down to 10353.17 points, as well as the S&P 500 (S&P 500) by 2. 08% at 3748.57 points.