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WEF 2023
WEF 2023

Strong Arab presence at Davos reflects ‘importance of Middle East in energy transition,’ says WEF chief

Strong Arab presence at Davos reflects ‘importance of Middle East in energy transition,’ says WEF chief
The WEF announced the full agenda of its 53rd annual meeting. (AFP/File)
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Updated 10 January 2023
Arab News

Strong Arab presence at Davos reflects ‘importance of Middle East in energy transition,’ says WEF chief

Strong Arab presence at Davos reflects ‘importance of Middle East in energy transition,’ says WEF chief
  • Call to ‘address people's immediate needs’ ahead of Jan. 16-20 summit
  • More than 2,700 leaders to take part, with highest-ever business participation
Updated 10 January 2023
Arab News

GENEVA: Record participation from the Middle East and North Africa at the upcoming World Economic Forum annual meeting at Davos reflects the importance of the region in energy transition, WEF President Borge Brende told a virtual press briefing on Tuesday.

“We have six heads of states and governments, and very strong delegations,” he said, adding that the “Middle East is also important when it comes to investments, with sovereign wealth funds that are investing all over the world.”

The WEF annual meeting from Jan. 16-20 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, will take place as multiple crises deepen and fragment the geopolitical landscape.

In a statement on Tuesday, the WEF urged world leaders to address people’s immediate, critical needs, while also creating the foundation for a more sustainable, resilient world by 2030.

“We see the manifold political, economic and social forces creating increased fragmentation on a global and national level. To address the root causes of this erosion of trust, we need to reinforce cooperation between the government and business sectors, creating the conditions for a strong and durable recovery. At the same time there must be the recognition that economic development needs to be made more resilient, more sustainable and nobody should be left behind,” said Klaus Schwab, WEF founder and executive chairman.

In the statement, the WEF announced the full agenda of its 53rd annual meeting, highlighting that it aims to explore solutions to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges through encouraging world leaders to cooperate on the interconnected issues of energy, climate and nature; investment, trade and infrastructure; frontier technologies and industry resilience; jobs, skills, social mobility and health; and geopolitical cooperation in a multipolar world.

Special emphasis will be placed on gender and geographical diversity across all sessions.

Over 2,700 leaders will take part in this year’s meeting, with a strong representation from all key regions of the world.

In addition, the Davos meeting will feature the highest-ever business participation, with more than 1,500 leaders registered across 700 organizations, including over 600 of the world’s top CEOs from the WEF Partners.

More than 125 experts and heads of the world’s leading universities, research institutions, and think tanks will also join the meeting.

The WEF also said that the meeting will be climate-neutral for the sixth consecutive year.

Topics: WEF 2023 World Economic Forum annual meeting

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UN rights investigator says EU aided and abetted abuse of migrants in Libya

UN rights investigator says EU aided and abetted abuse of migrants in Libya
Updated 27 March 2023
Reuters

UN rights investigator says EU aided and abetted abuse of migrants in Libya

UN rights investigator says EU aided and abetted abuse of migrants in Libya
Updated 27 March 2023
Reuters

GENEVA: A member of the UN fact-finding mission to Libya investigating rights abuses said on Monday that European Union support for Libyan authorities that stop and detain migrants had “aided and abetted” the commission of rights violations against migrants.
“We’re not saying that the EU and its member states have committed these crimes. The point is that the support given has aided and abetted the commission of the crimes,” Chaloka Beyani said in a news conference while unveiling the mission’s report.

If Tunisia is not helped, Muslim Brotherhood may ‘create instability’: Italian FM

If Tunisia is not helped, Muslim Brotherhood may ‘create instability’: Italian FM
Updated 27 March 2023
Francesco Bongarra 

If Tunisia is not helped, Muslim Brotherhood may ‘create instability’: Italian FM

If Tunisia is not helped, Muslim Brotherhood may ‘create instability’: Italian FM
  • ‘We can’t afford the radicalization of the Mediterranean,’ Antonio Tajani tells conference attended by Arab News
  • Rome striving to ensure Tunisia ‘doesn’t become a failed state,’ pushing for IMF loan
Updated 27 March 2023
Francesco Bongarra 

ROME: The international community runs the risk of “having the Muslim Brotherhood create instability” in Tunisia if the country is not promptly granted “substantial financial help,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said at a conference attended by Arab News.

“We can’t afford the radicalization of the Mediterranean,” he added, saying Tunisia is on the verge of “economic collapse,” and negotiations for a loan of nearly $1.9 billion from the International Monetary Fund have “stalled” over President Kais Saied’s recent policies.

Elected in 2019, Kais dissolved Parliament in July 2021, reformed the country’s constitution to increase his presidential powers, and then held a referendum followed by parliamentary elections with a very low turnout.

At the beginning of this year he cracked down on dissent, arresting politicians, labor union members, judges and members of civil society.

The economic situation in Tunisia is dire, leading more and more people to try to reach Italy on small boats.

Tajani said Italy is “the most interested” in ensuring that “Tunisia solves its problems and doesn’t become a failed state.”

He added that the Italian government has been working hard to ensure that the IMF and the World Bank help Tunisia.

“But there’s a problem: The IMF, with the support of the US, says, ‘You first carry out reforms, and then we’ll give the money.’ On the other hand, the Tunisians say, ‘First the money and then the reforms’,” he said.

“This is why we propose that the IMF gives immediately a first tranche of money; the rest of the loan can be paid in line with the progress of reforms.”

Tajani said the international community “can’t afford to make the mistake of leaving Tunisia to the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Stefania Craxi, president of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Italian Senate, told Arab News: “The Muslim Brotherhood will prosper if the grant doesn’t come and the economy keeps going down.”

She added: “It’s right for the IMF to ask for reforms, but they must grant the loan before the worst happens. That money must come now.”

Topics: Tunisia Italy Antonio Tajani

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Iraq changes electoral law, sparking opposition anger

Iraq changes electoral law, sparking opposition anger
Updated 27 March 2023
AFP

Iraq changes electoral law, sparking opposition anger

Iraq changes electoral law, sparking opposition anger
  • The law revives the electoral law of 2018 and sweeps away one of the gains of the mass protest movement which shook Iraq
Updated 27 March 2023
AFP

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s parliament voted Monday to restore electoral laws that were scrapped after 2019 anti-government demonstrations, sparking anger from independent lawmakers who see it benefiting larger parties.
The law, which parliament said in a statement was “adopted” without detailing the votes, revives the electoral law of 2018 and sweeps away one of the gains of the mass protest movement which shook Iraq.
After the protests, a new system favored the emergence of independent candidates, with some 70 independents winning seats in the 329-member parliament in the last legislative elections in 2021.
Parliament is dominated by the Coordination Framework, an alliance of powerful pro-Iran Shiite factions, from whose ranks Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani emerged.
The new law removes 83 electoral districts and creates 18 seats, one for each of Iraq’s provinces.
This “makes it easier for top party politicians to win seats,” analyst Sajad Jiyad said on Twitter.
Conversely, it will make it “harder for candidates in smaller parties and independents to compete” because they will be running at a provincial rather than a local level, he added.
During the debate, which ran from Sunday into the early hours of Monday, several angry independent lawmakers were expelled from the debating chamber, according to videos they filmed themselves.
The law also replaces a first past the post system with proportional representation.
Overall, the changes will benefit the larger parties and make it possible “for their candidates who didn’t get enough votes initially to win seats,” Jiyad added.
“Independent candidates will no longer have any hope of obtaining representation in parliament,” said Alaa Al-Rikabi, an independent lawmaker. “They will be crushed.”
But Coordination Framework lawmaker Bahaa Al-Dine Nouri welcomed the change, arguing that it will “distribute the seats according to the size of the parties.”
Nouri said this will “lead to the formation of a government within the time limits set by the constitution” to avoid the endless standoffs that followed the 2021 election.
The new law will apply to the next legislative elections, the date of which has not yet been set.
It will also apply to provincial elections slated for November 6, to be held in 15 of the 18 Iraqi provinces, excluding the three provinces in the autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.
In Iraqi Kurdistan, regional elections will take place on November 18 under a separate electoral system.

Topics: Iraq

Israel awaits PM amid protest, strike against justice reforms

Israel awaits PM amid protest, strike against justice reforms
Updated 46 min 41 sec ago
AFP

Israel awaits PM amid protest, strike against justice reforms

Israel awaits PM amid protest, strike against justice reforms
  • Reports of Benjamin Netanyahu’s nationalist-religious coalition risked breaking apart
  • Head of Israel’s top trade union calls for an immediate ‘general strike’
Updated 46 min 41 sec ago
AFP

JERUSALEM: Israelis awaited a decision Monday from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a controversial judicial overhaul, as a general strike and mass protest spell the country’s most severe domestic crisis in years.
Tens of thousands rallied near parliament in Jerusalem after the strike was declared, following Netanyahu’s decision on Sunday evening to sack his defense minister for dissenting over the reform package.
Facing escalating disputes within his hard-right coalition and mounting pressure from opponents to halt the reform, Netanyahu is expected to address the nation later on Monday.
Some 80,000 demonstrators joined the Jerusalem rally against the reform package, Israeli media estimated, while right-wing backers of the overhaul called on supporters to protest later on Monday.
“I call on all protesters in Jerusalem, from the left or the right, to act in a responsible manner and not act with violence,” Netanyahu tweeted.
Israel’s top trade union chief called a general strike over the proposed reforms, which would weaken the powers of the judiciary. Demonstrators have for months decried the plans as a threat to Israel’s democracy.
“I am calling a general strike,” Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David said Monday in a televised address.
“We have a mission to stop this legislative process and we will do it,” he added, vowing to “continue to fight.”
The Israel Medical Association quickly followed suit, announcing “a full strike in the health system” that will impact all public hospitals.
The stoppage was also affecting flights at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, where an AFP journalist saw multiple delayed departures.
Diplomatic staff were among those walking out, with Washington embassy spokesman Elad Strohmayer tweeting the Israeli mission “will be closed... until further notice.”
Following mass demonstrations in Tel Aviv overnight, President Isaac Herzog pressed for an immediate halt to the judicial program.
“For the sake of the unity of the people of Israel... I call on you to halt the legislative process immediately,” Herzog said in a statement.
The government plans have sparked concern from Israel’s top allies including the United States.
The White House noted that President Joe Biden had told Netanyahu that “democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the US-Israel relationship.”
Netanyahu’s government, a coalition between his Likud party and extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies, argues the changes are needed to rebalance powers between lawmakers and the judiciary.
Yoav Gallant, the outgoing defense minister who had been a staunch ally of Netanyahu, called Saturday for a halt to the reforms, citing “a clear, immediate and tangible threat to Israel’s security.”
“The growing social rift has made its way into the (army) and security agencies,” he said.
Moments after Netanyahu fired Gallant, demonstrators waving national flags blocked a central highway in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
Israelis rallied outside parliament in Jerusalem on Monday, where demonstrator Keren Mimran said “everyone should strike today.”
“We are calling on the government to stop this mad reform,” the 57-year-old high-tech worker told AFP.
Despite the upheaval, Israel’s national security minister called Monday on right-wing supporters to join a counter-protest in Jerusalem backing the judicial shake-up.
“Today we stop being silent. Today the right wakes up,” Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote on Twitter.
Israeli media reported the extreme-right minister held talks with the premier on Monday afternoon and was threatening to quit the government if the overhaul is put on ice.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said the government “has undergone a hostile takeover by a messianic, nationalist and anti-democratic group.”
The architect of the overhaul, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, said he will “accept any decision that Prime Minister Netanyahu makes” on the legislation.
Lawmakers are scheduled to vote this week on a central part of the proposals, which would change the way judges are appointed.
A parliamentary committee has amended the draft law to make it more acceptable to opponents, but the opposition has ruled out backing any part of the reform package until all legislative steps are halted.
Netanyahu last week vowed to “responsibly advance” the reforms and “end the rift” they have caused.
In response, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Friday accused Netanyahu of “illegal” public intervention on the process of adopting the judicial reforms, citing potential conflict of interests due to his ongoing trial.
The premier faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust which he denies.

Topics: Israel Isaac Herzog

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Lebanon: Clocks will turn one hour forward on Wednesday night

Lebanon: Clocks will turn one hour forward on Wednesday night
Updated 27 March 2023
AP

Lebanon: Clocks will turn one hour forward on Wednesday night

Lebanon: Clocks will turn one hour forward on Wednesday night
  • Government issued last-minute decision to delay the start of daylight saving time by a month
  • Some institutions implemented the change while others refused, causing confusion
Updated 27 March 2023
AP

BEIRUT: Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati reverses a decision to delay daylight's saving move, clocks will turn one hour forward on Wednesday night.

The Lebanese government’s last-minute decision to delay the start of daylight saving time by a month until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan resulted in mass confusion Sunday.
With some institutions implementing the change while others refused, many Lebanese have found themselves in the position of juggling work and school schedules in different time zones — in a country that is just 88 kilometers (55 miles) at its widest point.
In some cases, the debate took on a sectarian nature, with many Christian politicians and institutions, including the small nation’s largest church, the Maronite Church, rejecting the move.
The small Mediterranean country normally sets its clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in March, which aligns with most European countries.
However, on Thursday, the government announced a decision by the prime minister to push the start of daylight saving to April 21.
No reason was given for the decision, but a video of a meeting between Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri leaked to local media showed Berri asking Mikati to postpone the implementation of daylight saving time to allow Muslims to break their Ramadan fast an hour earlier.
Mikati responds that he had made a similar proposal but goes on to say that implementing the change would be difficult as it would cause problems in airline flight schedules, to which Berri interjects, “What flights?”
After the postponement of daylight saving was announced, Lebanon’s state airline, Middle East Airlines, said the departure times of all flights scheduled to leave from the Beirut airport between Sunday and April 21 would be advanced by an hour.
The country’s two cellular telephone networks messaged people asking them to change the settings of their clocks to manual instead of automatic so the time would not change at midnight, although in many cases the time advanced anyway.
While public institutions, in theory, are bound by the government’s decision, many private institutions, including TV stations, schools and businesses, announced that they would ignore the decision and move to daylight saving on Sunday as previously scheduled.
Even some public agencies refused to comply. Education Minister Abbas Halabi said in a statement Sunday evening that the decision was not legally valid because it had not been taken in a meeting of the Cabinet. If the government meets and approves the decision, he wrote, “we will be the first to implement it” but until then, “daylight saving time remains approved and applied in the educational sector.”
Soha Yazbek, a professor at the American University of Beirut, is among many parents who have found themselves and their children now bound to different schedules.
“So now I drop my kids to school at 8 am but arrive to my work 42 km away at 7:30 am and then I leave work at 5 p.m. but I arrive home an hour later at 7 pm!!” Yazbek wrote on Twitter, adding for the benefit of her non-Lebanese friends, “I have not gone mad, I just live in Wonderland.”
Haruka Naito, a Japanese non-governmental organization worker living in Beirut, discovered she has to be in two places at the same time on Monday morning.
“I had an 8 a.m. appointment and a 9 a.m. class, which will now happen at the same time,” she said. The 8 a.m. appointment for her residency paperwork is with a government agency following the official time, while her 9 a.m. Arabic class is with an institute that is expected to make the switch to daylight saving.
The schism has led to jokes about “Muslim time” and “Christian time,” while different Internet search engines came up with different results early Sunday morning when queried about the current time in Lebanon.
While in many cases, the schism broke down along sectarian lines, some Muslims also objected to the change and pointed out that fasting is supposed to begin at dawn and end at sunset regardless of time zone.
Many saw the issue as a distraction from the country’s larger economic and political problems.
Lebanon is in the midst of the worst financial crisis in its modern history. Three quarters of the population lives in poverty and IMF officials recently warned the country could be headed for hyperinflation if no action is taken. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of President Michel Aoun ended in late October as the parliament has failed to elect a replacement since.

Topics: Lebanon

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