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.

Beirut - "Jerusalem" dot com - The Palestinian Agency for International Cooperation concluded its first medical program in the field of corneal transplantation at Martyr Mahmoud Al Hamshari Hospital in Sidon, Lebanon, in cooperation with the Embassy of the State of Palestine, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the American Eversight Eye Bank.

The Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Lebanese Republic, Ashraf Dabbour, said that the mission of the Palestinian Agency for International Cooperation was successful on the Palestinian and Lebanese levels, and contributed to developing and strengthening communication links between the Palestinian people in their various places of residence, in implementation of the directives of President Mahmoud Abbas to provide all possible support to the Lebanese camps in various fields. Including those related to the medical field.

In his turn, the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Cooperation, Director General of PICA, Ambassador Imad Al-Zuhairi, affirmed that this first qualitative program comes to strengthen the ties of cooperation with our people from the Palestinian community in the Lebanese camps and to meet their medical needs within the available capabilities provided by the Palestinian Agency in cooperation with its partners and in a way that contributes to Alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian refugee in a way that achieves integration between the various components of the Palestinian people in Palestine, the countries of expatriation and the refugee camps.

He emphasized the directives of President Mahmoud Abbas and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad Al-Maliki to break barriers and geographical borders to implement a number of other programs during the next year in various medical fields to serve the Palestinians. They performed cornea transplants for patients at Martyr Mahmoud Al-Hamshari Hospital, which were successful.

Source: Wafa, the official news agency.

Paris - (AFP) - Several services of the Microsoft group, including the collaborative work tool "Teams" and the "Outlook" messaging service, were widely disrupted Wednesday morning around the world due to a problem with network settings, the American group announced on Monday. Twitter.

About three hours after the first signs were issued, Microsoft said on Twitter that it had "canceled" the last configuration update that caused the problem, according to the company.

"We are monitoring the return of all services to normal and some customers are reporting a decrease" in the disruptions, the group wrote just before 11:00 GMT (12:00 in Paris).

Many users around the world complained via Twitter about the inability to use the usual tools of the Microsoft group.

"I have an obligation to deliver it in half an hour via Thames and the servers are not working in India. Please fix the situation," one user wrote.

And through the specialized “Down Detector” website, incidents were reported in the United States and Europe that affected many other services belonging to the American giant, including the “Xbox Live” video game platform and the “LinkedIn” social network for professionals. However, the number of communications is declining.

On a dedicated information page, the computer giant acknowledged that some users were unable to access dozens of services including Teams, Exchange, Outlook, SharePoint or OneDrive for Business.

It seems that the problem is generally related to the connectivity issue.

The giant group in the field of informatics announced in the middle of this month its intention to dismiss about ten thousand employees by the end of March (about 5% of the total employees), attributing this step to the difficult economic situation and the change in the priorities of customers.

The group’s growth declined and its profits decreased during the last quarter of 2022, according to results it published on Tuesday, which indicates that the general economic framework affects even the giant groups in the sector.

Written by: Nabil Amr

Whoever follows what the Israeli leaders say about the Authority and what they demand from it, and what they incite others against, comes out with one conclusion, which is that Israel wants the Authority to be just a security agent, in exchange for a monthly salary that increases and decreases according to what Israel decides. performance quality.
The meaning of the proxy is for it to be an active and effective force in the Israeli security system, especially in the dangerous areas, the most famous of which is now the northern front, Nablus and Jenin.
The monthly salary is to give her the money she is owed, with varying deductions, which always amount to a percentage of the authority’s income, and the center of it is “clearance.”

The security relations, which were termed coordination, were in the past, i.e. the time of the negotiating political horizon, one of the main pillars in the system of Palestinian-Israeli relations, whose foundations were laid and their paths defined by the Oslo agreements and understandings. Although these relations were not acceptable to a wide segment of the Palestinian people, they were understood and even justified, and it was possible to defend them with one sentence, "They are necessary as long as they are part of mutual arrangements that will lead to a Palestinian state."
Many years have passed since Oslo, and in our days there is nothing left of it except the security relationship that is called coordination, which, if it was not as effective as it was at the time of the political horizon and negotiations, is still, albeit as a term, a fig leaf. Which covers the nakedness of the supposedly political relationship between the PA and Israel
The Israeli government, through its words and actions, wants to rip this fig leaf to show power to its people and to the world that it has no chance of life or continuing in its minimum limits unless Israel grants it a certificate of security competence, i.e. that it is able to An absolute calm was imposed on the entire West Bank, in order for the saying that was popular at the beginning of the Oslo Accords to be realized, “Security means that if a needle falls in Ramallah, its ringing will be heard in Tel Aviv.”
The Israeli government practices a contradictory duality in this direction, as it wants the authority to be strong in the field of imposing calm and security, and it wants and even works to be weak in other areas, i. On the political level, the Israeli government is not satisfied with that, but rather works to mobilize the world to support it in this dual policy and to introduce Arab and non-Arab mediators to tame the authority and make it an effective security agent even without the fig leaf.
The PA, in its current reality, is pressed between the two sides of a very heavy and cruel world, the part of its financial needs that the Israelis control the main part of, and the other part is the absence of the political dimension in its relations with Israel, which it wants as a springboard, not a land that is cut off, nor a left back.
Israel realizes more than others that the PA cannot perform what it wants from it for two reasons. The first is its weakness in the field of control, and this is what Israel talks about a lot.
= And secondly, the loss of justification and purpose, for all that is required of it now is to work in exchange for mere survival, as there is no state on the horizon, not even a fig leaf, covering the nakedness of the fading political relationship.
Israel is either not paying attention to the counterproductive results that its dual and contradictory policies lead to, or it knows what it is doing and knows the goal it is seeking, and this should not be ruled out. It does not want to see a serious Palestinian Authority that leads to solid stability until Within the limits of the agreed autonomy, what you do will only achieve one thing: that the Palestinians remain in a state of permanent turmoil, constant need, and a permanent distance from the dream of national independence.
However, what Israel knows and ignores is that such a situation, and to the extent that it tires the Palestinians, it also tires them, by virtue of a principle that has guided all mankind throughout all ages, according to which the occupation is like a double-edged knife, one on the neck of the victim and the other on the neck The executioner, and this is not purely Palestinian talk, but it is the words and certainty of people of reason and some wisdom in Israel.

On Saturday, three civilians were killed while they were collecting truffles in northern Syria , as a result of an attack launched by gunmen affiliated with the Islamic State cells, during which at least 26 others were kidnapped, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Observatory reported that, "Gunmen likely affiliated with cells of the Islamic State targeted workers collecting truffles in the Khanaser desert in the southeastern countryside of Aleppo."

He explained that the attackers "killed three workers with knives, and kidnapped at least 26 others, including women, to an unknown destination."

The official media did not mention the attack.

Since the start of the truffle collection season in February, the organization has repeatedly launched attacks targeting workers in the vast Syrian desert, punctuated by shootings and kidnappings.

According to the Observatory, at least 139 people, the overwhelming majority of them civilians, have been killed since the beginning of February as a result of surprise attacks launched by the organization or the explosion of mines it planted during its control of large areas in Syria.

Despite the dangers, residents of the areas bordering the Syrian Badia continue to collect truffles, whose season lasts until April and are sold at a high price, which explains the demand for collecting them in light of difficult economic conditions with the war going on for 12 years.

The price per kilogram ranges between five and $25 dollars, depending on the quality and size of the fruits.

Frankfurt - (AFP) - European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said Monday that she would be "surprised" if inflation had actually peaked in the euro zone , indicating that the current monetary difficulties will continue.

The rise in prices peaked in October at 10.6 percent, and it was very high by about 5 percent if we exclude energy and food prices.

“I would like to see that inflation peaked in October but I think there is a lot of uncertainty,” said the European Central Bank President during a hearing before the European Parliament.

And she stressed that the state of uncertainty is related in particular to "the repercussions of the high cost of energy on retail prices."

In the face of soaring inflation in the wake of the war in Ukraine, the European Central Bank has raised interest rates by 2% since July, which it has never done in its history in such a sudden way.

Rates are due to be raised again in December at the last meeting of the year, but likely on a smaller scale than the 0.75% increases in September and October, observers say.

Lagarde believes that inflation will decline in the long term thanks to the adopted monetary policy and the gradual decline in supply bottlenecks.

She said that now "the best economists (within the ECB)" see a risk of "rising" inflation. In this context, she added, interest rates "are and will remain the main tool for combating inflation."

In the US the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates earlier and more aggressively and now believes that a slower pace of rate hikes may "soon be an appropriate move".

Governorates - "Al-Quds" dot com - Dozens of citizens were injured today, Friday, as a result of the Israeli occupation forces' suppression of the weekly marches in the West Bank .

The occupation forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at the citizens participating in the demonstrations, condemning the settlement and the continuous Judaization of their land.

Clashes erupted in the town of Beita, south of Nablus, Beit Dajan in the east, the Zawiya area in Hebron, and the town of Kafr Qaddum in Qalqilya.

In Qalqilya, two citizens were injured by rubber-coated metal bullets and dozens suffocated, during the Israeli occupation army's suppression of the weekly Kafr Qaddum anti-settlement march.

In Jerusalem, the Israeli occupation forces assaulted, today, Friday, the citizens who were in the support tent in Al-Bustan neighborhood in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Occupation police forces stormed the sit-in tent in the Al-Bustan neighborhood in the town of Silwan, assaulted the worshipers, and forcibly removed them from the place.

Dozens of citizens had performed Friday prayers in the al-Isnad tent in al-Bustan neighborhood, rejecting the occupation's decisions to try to displace its residents, in favor of settlement associations, and to demolish citizens' homes there.

In Bethlehem, clashes broke out with the Israeli occupation forces in the town of Tuqu', during which the occupation forces fired bullets, tear gas and sound bombs at the citizens, without any injuries reported.

In Hebron, a group of settlers assaulted shepherds in the village of Zanouta, east of Al-Dhahiriya, and forced them to leave the area.

It is noteworthy that the Zanouta area suffers from continuous attacks by the Israeli occupation and settlers, with the aim of displacing citizens in order to expand the settlements.

In Jericho, settlers attacked citizens' vehicles with stones on the Al-Maarajat road linking the governorates of Jericho and Ramallah.

Local sources reported that a group of settlers is still present on the Al-Maarajat road, and is attacking citizens' vehicles with stones on the Al-Maarajat road.

The "Unified Teachers' Movement " confirmed this evening, Saturday, the continuation of the strike and protest activities, stressing that the crisis related to teachers has not ended, but rather has become more complicated, and that matters are heading towards an escalation.

Al-Hirak said in a press statement, "The crisis never ended. Rather, it became more complicated, resulting in an escalation that we do not know the end of until now, as the crisis will not end unless our just demands are met immediately, which we raised through school principals in the administrative hierarchy, all the way to the Minister of Education."

And the movement continued, "We must call upon parents not to send their children to schools, and students not to go to schools, and principals not to announce this until the movement announces what indicates a satisfactory solution and agreement for all parties."

The Unified Teachers Movement confirmed that the day after tomorrow, Monday, there will be a central sit-in in front of the Council of Ministers in Ramallah. To emphasize the rejection of penalties in all its forms, especially the method of deduction from their salaries, while the “movement” stressed the continuation of the open strike (with going to schools) and leaving after proof of attendance, and the “teachers’ movement” refused to monitor the recruitment exam in all governorates, and to boycott the high school exam and all its procedures.

Al-Hirak affirmed that re-discounting or canceling penalties is not considered a demand, and that it is an axiom presented by the government before the demands are implemented.

For his part, teacher Faisal Jadallah from the Nablus Education Directorate, and one of the observers of the agreement concluded with teachers last year, said in an interview with "Al-Quds" .com, "The one who brought us into the current crisis is the government and the General Union of Teachers, by not implementing the provisions of last year's agreement, About 9 months after the conclusion of the agreement, which took place with the guarantees of institutions and general secretaries of the factions.

Jadallah continued, "The current crisis was expected, in light of the non-implementation of the agreement, which deepened the crisis of confidence, especially since teachers suffered from long promises that reached about twenty years, before the current crises, in conjunction with the increase in the teacher's suffering."

Regarding the Prime Minister Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh's conference, last Thursday, in which he affirmed the government's commitment to the agreements signed with unions, including the Teachers' Union, Jadallah said: "The Prime Minister's speech is positive, but it comes in the context of previous promises, and he needs clarifications and implementation."

Jadallah stressed that what some fear about the student's right to education is guaranteed and guaranteed, and teachers are ready to compensate when the crisis ends, while Jadallah stressed that returning discounts to teachers is an important matter in order to enhance confidence between teachers and the government.

Jadallah said: "The deductions that were implemented on last month's salary, and after its disbursement last Thursday, it became clear that there were deductions that amounted to more than a thousand shekels for some teachers, came in the context of the aggravation of the crisis."

Jadallah added, "Teachers want to implement the agreement, which was concluded last year, and it is the minimum of teachers' demands and aspirations, and the government is supposed to abide by it, since everyone signed it." .

For about a month, teachers carried out sit-ins in front of the headquarters of the education directorates in the West Bank in response to the "teachers' movement", amid the teachers' insistence on demanding their rights until the implementation of an agreement concluded, in May 2022, between the Palestinian government, the General Union of Palestinian Teachers and the "mobility". Teachers”, sponsored by many institutions and personalities, and the strike stopped after that.

The agreement included 5 items, namely: returning discounts to teachers, professionalizing education, issuing a teacher protection law, working to “democratize the union”, and depositing a 15% bonus for the nature of work on the salary slip, starting from the first month of the new year 2023.

Paris (AFP) - Trade unions have called for a large-scale strike on Thursday that could paralyze Paris' public transport sector , in the latest move to demand that the French government ease the burden of soaring fares.

RATB, the company operating the transport sector in the French capital, warned of major disruptions to metro and subway services, as well as bus and tramway services, as a result of the demonstration that will be organized to demand higher wages.

The operating company indicated that seven of the metro lines will be completely closed, while work on the remaining seven lines will be limited to peak hours.

It said that Lines 1 and 14, which operate automatically without drivers, will operate as usual, but warned that they may witness overcrowding beyond their capacity.

In recent weeks, unions have carried out strikes in several sectors to demand higher wages or more employment, after rising energy prices led to widespread inflation.

Union leaders hope to increase pressure on French President Emmanuel Macron, who is preparing to revive his plan to amend the pension system, according to which the retirement age will be raised from the current 62 to 64 or 65 years.

The plan sparked protests two years ago, until the government abandoned it during the COVID-19 outbreak.

But the call to strike in the Parisian transport sector did not extend to other sectors, as only the General Confederation of Labor called for a general strike.

Celine Versiletti, an official in this union, expected that between 150 and 200 demonstrations would be organized, in a repeat of what happened on October 18.

The announcement of the strike comes at a time when transportation users in the French capital are mounting discontent with the public transport sector, as services are still reduced since the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the return of traffic to the level it was before the pandemic.

Ramallah - "Quds" dot com - Quds Bank launched the "Najah" initiative with the aim of financially supporting Palestinian women entrepreneurs to develop their projects and empower them economically, in partnership with the Ministry of Women's Affairs, and in conjunction with the National Palestinian Women's Day, which falls on the 26th of October. every year.

This came during a ceremony that was held recently in the city of Ramallah and through visual communication technology from Gaza, in the presence of the Minister of Women's Affairs, Dr. Amal Hamad, CEO of Quds Bank, Salah Hadmi, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Child Home, Mahera Dajani, and a number of women beneficiaries from the various governorates of the country.

The ceremony included an introductory speech for each woman separately, who talked about her project and her success story, which impressed the attendees. The beneficiaries of the initiative thanked Quds Bank for choosing them as part of the Najah initiative and benefiting from it in order to develop their own projects.

Salah Hadmi, CEO of Quds Bank, said in his speech: "Success came as a good initiative from Quds Bank and a message of appreciation and honor for successful women in various governorates of the country in order to empower them, within the framework of social responsibility that we present at the Bank with the aim of achieving sustainable development."

Hadmi explained that the initiative helps entrepreneurs open a bank account and receive and issue money transfers, stressing Quds Bank's readiness to provide advice and advice to them in order to market their products and businesses.

Dr.. Amal Hamad, Minister of Women's Affairs, said: "The "Najah" initiative is a serious imprint for the economic empowerment of Palestinian women, who are considered pioneers in all stages, in which we celebrate the National Day of Palestinian Women on October 26 of each year."

The Minister of Women's Affairs thanked Quds Bank for the Najah initiative and expressed her pride in the success stories of the women participating in the Najah initiative.

The ceremony culminated in a special honor as the successful woman figure of the year 2022 for Jerusalemite Maherah Dajani, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Child Home Foundation in Jerusalem, in appreciation of her giving over thirty years and in celebration of her national and societal distinction.

Dajani thanked Quds Bank for its various initiatives aimed at empowering women, expressing her happiness at being chosen and honored as a successful woman figure.

Quds Bank's social responsibility is an essential part of its mission to advance economic development.

Frankfurt - (AFP) - The head of the European Central Bank's economics department said Friday that wage increases will continue to fuel inflation in the eurozone even after the effects of the Covid-19 epidemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have passed.

And Philip Lane wrote in a blog posted on the European Central Bank's website that "even after the energy and pandemic-related factors that cause the inflationary trend dissipate," wage increases will be the main driver of price increases in the coming years.

With inflation crossing the 10% threshold during the fall in the region, the European Central Bank fears entering into a spiral of interconnected visitation in wages and prices that may fail its expectations of a gradual return of inflation to the target it set at 2%.

However, Lane stressed that this phenomenon is not currently in the process of being verified, as the recent negotiations generally led to an increase in wages by an average of 3.8% for the year 2022 and 3.5% for the year 2023.

In Germany, about four million employees in the industrial sector, in electronics and mining, received a wage increase of 8.5 percent over two years on Friday.

Of course, these increases are considered “above the normal level,” but they reflect “in large part the compensation mechanism following the decline in real wages recorded since mid-2021,” when the increase in energy and raw materials prices led to a sharp rise in inflation in the world and a decline in purchasing power.

Lane believed that prices will continue to rise in the future, but this should not be interpreted as a "permanent change in the dynamic of basic wages."

He concluded that after passing the stage of compensating for the decline in wages, "we can expect basic wages to grow at a pace equal to the sum of labor productivity growth and the inflation target of 2%."