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Tunisians intensify protests against Saied and demand return to democracy
On Saturday, thousands of Tunisians marched through the capital in protest of "injustice" and "repression". They accused President Kais Said of consolidating his one-man regime by using the judiciary. This protest is part of a wave which has been sweeping Tunisia, affecting journalists, doctors and banks, as well as public transport systems. The closure of an environmental-friendly chemical plant was also demanded by thousands. They wore black to show their anger and sorrow over the transformation of Tunisia into "an open-air prison". The protesters held banners that read "Enough of repression", and "No terror, no fear, the streets are the people's". The rally united activists, NGOs, and fragmented political parties across the spectrum to show a rare unity against Saied. This shows the serious political and economic problems in Tunisia and is a challenge for Saied who took power by decree in 2021. The protesters shouted slogans like "We're suffocating!" The protesters chanted slogans such as "Enough with the tyranny! The people want to see the regime fall! ". Ezzedine hazgui, the father of Jawhar Ben Mbark (a politician who is currently in jail), said: "Saied turned the country into 'an open prison. We will never give up." Saied is accused by opposition parties, civil societies and journalists of using the police and judiciary to suppress criticism. Three prominent civil rights organizations announced last month that authorities had suspended their operations due to alleged foreign funding. Amnesty International said that the crackdown against rights groups had reached a critical level with 14 NGOs being targeted for arbitrary arrests and detentions as well as asset freezing, banking restrictions, and suspensions. Saied is accused by his opponents of destroying the independence and integrity of the judiciary. In 2022, he disbanded the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) and fired dozens of judges - a move that rights groups and opposition groups condemned as a coup. The majority of opposition leaders, as well as dozens critics, are currently in prison. Saied says he has not become a dictator and is not using the judiciary to punish opponents. He claims he is purging Tunisia of all "traitors". (Reporting and editing by Kevin Liffey; Tarek Amara)
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Nine people are killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes, doctors say
Local health officials said that Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed nine people, and injured several others. This is a test of the fragile ceasefire agreement between Hamas, a militant Palestinian group, and Israel. The first attack, according to witnesses and medics, was on a car that was set alight in the densely-populated Rimal neighborhood. It wasn't immediately clear if the five victims were all passengers in the car, or if they included bystanders. Dozens rushed in to put out the fire and save the victims. Israeli air strikes on two houses near Deir Al-Balah and Nuseirat camps in central Gaza Strip occurred shortly after the attack on a car. At least four people were killed and several more injured. Israeli military claimed that a gunman crossed into Israeli territory in Gaza, exploiting "the humanitarian route in the area where humanitarian aid enters south Gaza", describing it as a "blatant breach of the ceasefire accord". In response, the military announced that it had struck targets in Gaza. Hamas officials in Gaza have rejected Israeli military allegations that the group is committed to the ceasefire. They said the claims were baseless, and an "excuse for killing". Israel and Hamas accuse each other repeatedly of violating a truce that was concluded over six weeks ago. Hamas stated in a press release earlier that day that Israel’s “escalating violations” put the responsibility on mediators, and the U.S., to confront Israel and maintain the ceasefire. The ceasefire of October 10, which ended the two-year Gaza War, has helped to ease the conflict and allowed hundreds of thousands to return to Gaza. Israel has withdrawn troops from city positions and increased aid flow. Violence has not stopped completely. Hamas is trying to assert itself, and many are worried about the de facto division of the territory where conditions are terrible. Palestinian health officials say Israeli forces killed 316 civilians in Gaza in attacks since the ceasefire. Israel claims that three soldiers were killed since the ceasefire was declared and that it has also attacked a number of fighters. Hamas militants attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people - most of whom were civilians - and taking 251 hostages. Gaza's health officials say that Israel's retaliatory attack has killed over 69,700 Palestinians. Most of them are civilians. Hamas agreed to release all 20 hostages still alive in Gaza, in exchange for Israel's nearly 2,000 Palestinian wartime prisoners and detainees. Hamas has also agreed to exchange the bodies of 360 Palestinian militants who were killed during the war for the remains of 28 hostages. So far, the remains of 25 hostages has been handed over. According to the health ministry of the territory, Israel has returned 330 Palestinian bodies. (Reporting Nidal al-Mughrabi. Emily Rose contributed additional reporting from Jerusalem. Editing was done by Emelia Sithole Matarise and Topra Chopra.
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The EU objectors to the proposed deal prolong the COP30 discussions
Brazil's COP30 summit was forced to face a crucial day on Saturday after all-night discussions to break an impasse. The European Union had blocked a deal that it felt would not advance efforts to curb greenhouse gases, which are driving global climate changes. The two-week climate conference, billed as an opportunity to demonstrate that nations could still unite to combat climate change in the absence of the United States, was supposed to end on Friday. However the standoff forced the negotiators to work overtime. The Brazilian presidency tried to reach a compromise over a deal which most of the 200 countries attending the summit would accept but the EU deemed unbalanced. A deal must be approved by a majority. It was unlikely that any agreement would be reached to provide more details on the way and when nations will fulfill their commitments to move away from fossil fuels. The Arab Group countries had led the opposition. The only option left was to agree on a voluntary “Global Implementation Accelerator” in which countries can discuss how they could advance their efforts to reduce emissions. On Saturday, a draft of a part of the final agreement, as seen by, called for the global effort to triple the funding available to assist developing nations in adapting to climate change by the year 2035. The EU said it would "move past its comfort zone" in terms of finance for developing countries - but that only if the clauses on actions to reduce planet-warming emission were strengthened. Sources said the COP30 presidency was preparing a text addressing fossil-fuels. However, it was unclear if Brazil was going to issue the declaration or if it had been endorsed by other countries. The deal was not expected as part of a larger consensus after Brazil's earlier attempts to get all the countries to agree on a text regarding fossil fuels failed. Reporting by William James; Editing and editing by Kevin Liffey and Katy Daigle.
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The EU objectors to the proposed deal prolong the COP30 discussions
Brazil's COP30 Climate Summit faced a crunch-day on Saturday, after all night talks to overcome an impass after the European Union had blocked a deal it claimed would not advance efforts to curb greenhouse gases that are driving global climate changes. The two-week climate conference, billed as an opportunity to demonstrate that nations could still unite to combat climate change in the absence of the United States, was supposed to end on Friday. However the standoff forced the negotiators to work overtime. The Brazilian presidency tried to reach a compromise over a deal which most of the 200 countries attending the summit would accept but the EU deemed unbalanced. A deal must be approved by a majority. It was unlikely that any agreement would be reached to provide more details on the way and when nations will fulfill their commitments to move away from fossil fuels. The Arab Group countries had led the opposition. The only option left was to agree on a voluntary “Global Implementation Accelerator” in which countries can discuss how they could advance their efforts to reduce emissions. On Saturday, a draft of the final agreement, which was part of a draft, called on the world to triple the amount of funding available to assist developing nations in adapting to climate change. The EU said it would "move past its comfort zone" in terms of finance for developing countries - but that only if the clauses to reduce planet-warming emission were strengthened. (Reporting and editing by William James, Katy Daigle, and Kevin Liffey).
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G20 leaders gather in South Africa to seek agreement despite US boycott
The leaders of the Group of 20 largest economies gathered in South Africa for a summit boycotted by the United States on Saturday. They were seeking a deal over a draft statement drafted without U.S. involvement in a surprising move described by a senior White House Official as "shameful". G20 envoys agreed on a draft declaration of leaders ahead of the weekend's summit in Johannesburg. Several of the main agenda items will be about climate change. Four sources with knowledge of the matter told us on Friday that this draft was drafted without U.S. consent. One of these sources confirmed late Friday that the draft contained references to climate changes, despite objections by the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump who questions the scientific consensus on the warming being caused by human activity. Trump has announced that it will not attend the summit due to allegations that have been widely discredited that the government of the country hosting the summit persecutes the white minority. The U.S. President has also rejected the agenda of the host nation, which included promoting solidarity, helping developing countries adapt to natural disasters and transitioning to clean energy as well as reducing their excessive debt costs. Analysts suggest that the boycott could be beneficial if other countries embrace the agenda of this summit and make progress on a substantive statement. There was no clear indication of what language concessions were needed to bring everyone on board. The United States objected to the mention of renewable energy or climate change in the discussion. Other members were also reticent. Climate change is a major concern for three out of four South Africa's top agenda items. These include preparing for weather-related disasters caused by climate change, financing the switch to green energy and ensuring that the rush for vital minerals benefits the producers. The fourth concern is a system of lending that is more equitable for countries in poverty. Ramaphosa stated that the United States would host the G20 2026. He said he'd have to give the rotating presidency over to a "empty chair". The South African president has refused the White House offer to send a U.S. charge-d'affaires during the G20 handover.
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Barrick Mining and Mali reach agreement on principle to settle dispute over gold mine
Two sources familiar with this situation said that Barrick Mining has reached a verbal understanding in principle regarding their dispute concerning the Loulo-Gounkoto Gold Mining Complex. Sources claim that no agreement has been signed yet. Barrick Mining's spokesperson did not respond immediately to a comment request. A spokesperson from Mali's Mines Ministry said that negotiations are progressing well, but gave no further details. Since 2023, the two sides are in dispute over the implementation a new Mali Mining Code that increases taxes and gives the Government a larger share of the gold mines. One of the sources stated that they met on Friday for talks, a week following Barrick's interim CEO Mark Hill's letter to Mali administration asking to resume negotiations. One of the sources said that they discussed a 10-year extension to Barrick's mine licence, which expires on February 20, 2026. Source: They also discussed the release four Barrick employees who were arrested in Mali. The source added that they also discussed the return of three metric tons gold that was seized by Mali authorities, as well as the dropping of arbitration proceedings Barrick initiated against Mali. Barrick halted operations at the Loulo-Gounkoto Complex in January. In June, a Malian court appointed a temporary administrator to restart the operations. However, blasting didn't begin until October. (Reporting from Divyarajagopal and PortiaCrowe in Toronto; Additional reporting from Pranav Mathur in Bengaluru, Editing by Edmund Klamann.)
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Trump and Mamdani both say that Con Edison, the NY utility, needs to lower rates
On Friday, U.S. president Donald Trump and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mahmdani both agreed that New York utility Con Edison must lower its rates. The Republican President and the new democratic socialist mayor met at the White House to discuss concerns about cost of living. Trump said, "We're going to have talk with them (Con Edison)." We have to convince Con Edison to lower their rates. Mamdani replied, "Absolutely." Both men were successful in their recent election campaigns when it came to the issue of affordability and inflation. The company responded to a question by saying: "We are excited about the chance to work with the new Mayor on affordable solutions for New York." Con Edison acknowledged that affordability is a major issue. Mamdani was given a warm reception at the White House during their first ever meeting. Both men have had a history of criticism and disagreements on issues such as immigration, public security and the U.S.'s support of Israel's attack on Gaza. (Reporting and editing by Diane Craft, Cynthia Osterman and Kanishka Sing in Washington)
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Four people are seriously injured after a grizzly attack on a school group in British Columbia
On Thursday, a grizzly attacked a group of schoolchildren and an adult on a British Columbia walking trail. Three children were seriously injured. On Friday, officers were still looking for the animal. The attack took place in Bella Coola, a town on the central coast of Canada’s westernmost province. Residents have been asked to stay indoors until further notice. B.C. Conservation Officer Service posted a Facebook statement saying that despite overnight efforts, the bear had not been captured. According to a statement, the students and teachers were stopped on a trail near a river when the grizzly emerged from the woods and attacked. It said that multiple teachers intervened using bear spray and bear bangers to drive away the bear. Provincial Health Services Authority informed by email that paramedics treated four patients who were in critical and serious conditions and transported them to hospital. Seven other people were treated at the scene, but they did not need to be transported to hospital. B.C. At a Friday press conference, Premier David Eby thanked teachers for their heroism. I want to express my deepest sympathies to all the injured people, including parents, children and family members. I wish them a speedy recovery. The group came from the Acwsalcta School run by the Indigenous Nuxalk Nation. It was closed on Friday. In a Friday statement, the Nuxalk Nation Council and Chief said that children and loved ones had been affected by this bear attack. The statement stated that "we remain in close communication with the families and we understand those who were hurt are receiving the best level of care." Reporting by Maiya Kiedan; Editing by Caroline Stauffer, Ni Williams and Caroline Stauffer
Sources say that two more east Texas refineries have returned to normal operation.
People familiar with the plant's operations said that Motiva Enterprises’ 640,500 barrels per day (bpd), Port Arthur, Texas refinery, along with two other refineries in the east Texas Gulf Coast, were now operating normally following repairs.
Sources at both plants say that the Motiva refinery in Louisiana and Valero Energy’s Port Arthur refinery with a capacity of 380,000 bpd suffered multiple malfunctions due to a loss of nitrogen gas.
Sources familiar with the operations of the plant said that the TotalEnergies Port Arthur refinery, which produces 238,000 bpd, suffered a boiler failure on October 26. This caused the refinery's steam supply to be cut off. Steam is needed both for the production of electrical power and the refining of crude.
Marie Maitre, spokesperson for TotalEnergies, declined to comment on the operations of the refinery.
No comment was received from Motiva or Valero's spokespersons.
Sources claim that the Motiva refinery restarted its units on October 27, after the nitrogen supply was interrupted.
Sources claim that Valero's refinery units restarted Tuesday.
Sources said that TotalEnergies units were operating again by mid-week.
Sources said that TotalEnergies' disruption occurred just days after the refinery completed a two-month planned overhaul.
TotalEnergies started the overhaul of the 35,000 bpd Continuous Catalytic Reformer (CCR) in mid-August. The CCR, three diesel hydrotreaters that have a combined throughput capacity of 84,000 bpd and a naphtha hydratreater with a throughput rate 42,000 bpd along with an sulfur block and the 40,000 bpd ACU-2 CDU with its 51,000 bpd Vacuum Distillation Unit-1 (VDU-1 (VDU),
ACU-2 was closed, but ACU-1 CDU continued to operate at 150,000 bpd.
CDUs work at atmospheric pressure to break crude oil down into feedstock for other refinery units.
The VDUs are also capable of converting crude oil to feedstocks but they operate under vacuum pressure.
Reformers add octane boosting components to unfinished gas by converting refining waste.
Hydrotreaters are used to remove sulfur from motor oils and feedstocks in order to comply with U.S. Environmental rules. Reporting by Erwin Seba, Editing by Muralikumar Aantharaman and Himani Skar
(source: Reuters)