COP28 offers a chance to rethink, reboot and refocus

Mass displacement of civilians should not take place in southern Gaza, says US

• Israel has said it will continue its war on Hamas after an ongoing temporary truce expires.
• US has strongly backed ally Israel but it has increasingly warned that too many Palestinians are being killed.

Oman’s Producer Price Index down in Q3 2023

• Prices of oil and gas products decreased by 13.7 percent, under pressure from the decrease in the prices of crude oil and natural gas products by 16 percent
• Non-oil products also recorded a decrease of 8.2 percent due to a decrease in the prices of the manufacturing industries group by 10.2 percent

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity, says WHO

• Global warming must be limited to the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius "to avert catastrophic health impacts”, WHO said.
• Under current national carbon-cutting plans, the world is on track to warm up to 2.9C this century, the UN said.

For a diaspora soccer club in Chile, ‘Palestine exists’

• A banner reading "In memory of those who are no longer with us" was displayed in the stands, where a section of seats was left empty to represent the dead
• Chile is home to the largest Palestinian community outside the Arab world, with the first immigrants arriving from Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour

Israel, Hamas agree four-day truce, 50 hostages to be released

• Under the Qatar-brokered deal, Palestinian militants will release 50 women and children kidnapped during their October 7 raids
• A senior US official said three Americans, including three-year-old Abigail Mor Idan, were among the 50 earmarked for staggered release from Thursday

Earth to warm up to 2.9C even with current climate pledges, says UN

• The UN Environment Program's annual Emissions Gap report is released just ahead of crucial COP28 climate talks in Dubai .
• Taking into account countries' carbon-cutting plans, UNEP warned that the planet is on a path for disastrous heating of between 2.5C and 2.9C by 2100.

Foreign investors’ ownership in Saudi market surges 300%

• This exponential growth accounts for 14.2% of the total value of free float in the main market, compared to SAR 86.86 billion ($23.48 billion) in 2018
• Since allowing direct foreign investment in 2015, the Saudi Capital Market has evolved into a hub where foreign investors actively engage in daily trading

Tajikistan plans to link up with China’s telecom network

• Tajikistan has one of the slowest internet services in the world despite improvements in recent years, with all traffic going through a center controlled by a government monopoly
• The project will be carried out alongside the construction of a highway linking Dushanbe, the country's capital in the west, with a town on its border with China

DEWA Q3 revenue soars

• DEWA’s increase in revenue was mainly driven by an increase in demand for electricity, water, and cooling services
• The company net cash from operating activities at the end of Q3 increased by a robust $205 million to $2.66 billion