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    Lebanon's President Michel Aoun said he was due to receive the final version from US energy envoy Amos Hochstein on Sunday evening and would study it “carefully” before taking an “appropriate decision”. Israel and Lebanon are technically in a state of war and have no diplomatic relations  Israel insists that Karish is not part of the maritime border negotiations and that production will begin regardless of any deal. Under the terms of the agreement, all of Karish would fall under Israeli control, while Qana, another potential gasfield, would be under Lebanon's control. French company Total would be licensed to search for gas in the Qana field, and Israel would receive a share of future revenue. Lebanese officials have insisted that such an arrangement would not constitute a working relationship with Israel.

  A man was killed after an explosive device attached to his car detonated in  Erbil , in north-east Iraq, an official from the Kurdistan Regional Government told  Four others, two women and two children, were also injured but are said to be in good condition. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is one of the Kurdish region's two main ruling parties, the other being the Kurdistan Democratic Party. The former is dominant in Sulaimaniyah, while the latter heads the government in Erbil and is also dominant in Duhok province. Several areas of Erbil province and neighbouring Sulaimaniyah — both in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region — have been the target of Iranian shelling in recent weeks amid protests in neighbouring Iran.

  After years of indirect negotiations over competing offshore gas field claims, a deal mediated by US energy envoy Amos Hochstein was delivered to Lebanese and Israeli officials at the weekend. Israel and Lebanon are technically in a state of war and have no diplomatic relations. Both had offered cautious praise for   the proposed deal,   with Lebanon's prime minister-designate Najib Mikati saying it was “on the right track to assert Lebanon's rights over all its waters”.    After years of indirect negotiations over competing offshore gas field claims, a deal mediated by US energy envoy Amos Hochstein was delivered to Lebanese and Israeli officials at the weekend.

    In Morocco the National Agency for the Legalisation of Activities Related to Cannabis (Anrac) has issued the permits for farmers in the three northern mountainous cities of Al Houceima, Taounat and Chefchaouen, which are known for cannabis farming, the Moroccan news agency (Map) reported, quoting a statement issued by the state agency.  The statement said the licensed farmers would be allowed to establish c o-operatives to be registered with Anrac to legally cultivate and produce cannabis.  “Permits will be granted to farmers gradually, based on the needs expressed by the licensed industrial operators,” the agency said. “The National Agency for the Legalisation of Activities Related to Cannabis continues to explore the opportunities offered by the cannabis market in order to develop this sector and promote the transformation of farmers from illegal activity towards legal, sustainable and income -generating cultivation.”

    The Blom Lebanon Purchasing Managers' Index reading dropped to 48.8 last month, from 50.1 in August, which was its highest since June 2013. A reading above the neutral level of 50 indicates growth while one below it points to a contraction. “As the summer season has come to an end, Lebanon is evidently witnessing a decrease in tourist arrivals and spending, in addition to the strike of banks,” said Stephanie Aoun, a research analyst at Blominvest Bank. “Therefore, the business activity in Lebanon's private sector is continuously shrinking amid rising inflation, political instability and weakening of the Lebanese pound.” New orders fell at a quicker pace, reflecting weaker sales performances both domestically and abroad, the survey showed. Output also declined at a stronger rate, although backlogs of work fell for the first time in three months as private businesses made inroads in fulfilling outstanding orders. The Lebanese pound's unfavourable exchange rate against th...

    ZenHR offers products covering automated payroll calculations, onboarding and offboarding of employees, attendance and time-tracking, performance management, employee self-service and an applicant-tracking system. The company is “rapidly approaching” 1,000 customers and 100,000 users across the Middle East and North Africa region, having reached this scale “with little to no funding”, said co-founder and chief executive Yousef Shamoun.  More than $12 billion in venture capital funding was invested globally in the HR technology space in 2021, with the rate of activity more than tripling, according to a report from the Boston Consulting Group. There was also a high volume of mega deals, those whose value is $100m and above, with 40 of these signed last year, BCG said.

  On Monday the depositor entered the Blom Bank branch in Haret Hreik, a southern suburb of Beirut, with three accomplices. Lebanon’s reported that four people “stormed” the bank. The Association of Depositors in Lebanon said the group was able to escape before the army arrived at the scene.  The closures came “after the repeated attacks on banks and the physical assaults on bank employees and their dignity”, the Association of Banks in Lebanon said. Banks imposed informal capital controls in 2019, severely restricting access to hard currency and compounding the  economic difficulties faced by people in Lebanon.

  Mr Hochstein has been attempting to seal a deal that would allow offshore energy exploration and defuse one potential source of conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. In a tweet, the US embassy in Beirut said ambassador Dorothy Shea had met President Michel Aoun, Mr Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati “to provide the US proposal for a final agreement on the maritime boundary line”. On Saturday, the  Lebanese  presidency said Beirut had received a  letter from US mediatorAmos Hochstein  on proposals for demarcation of the boundary. Ambassador Shea met today with President of the Republic Michel Aoun, President of the Chamber of Deputies Nabih Berri, and President of the Council of Ministers Najib Mikati to provide the U.S proposal for a final agreement on the maritime boundary line. — U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) October 1, 2022

  The head of UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators continues the sustainability legacy started by her grandfather, Sheikh Khalifa  Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan, chief executive and founder of the Alliances for Global Sustainability and co-founder of Aurora50, received the Young Leaders in the Field of Climate Change award from Trends Research & Advisory, continuing the sustainability legacy started by her grandfather. She received the award while participating in the Trends–Atlantic Council's second annual conference, under the theme of Sustainable Security of the Middle East: Climate Change Challenges and Prospects, in the US capital.

    Wael Aboul Magd said the host country was "putting a lot of effort" into ensuring that the question of how to compensate countries that have suffered economically due to climate catastrophes was prioritised.  We need to find a practical solution that accommodates the various concerns and it's up to us as the incoming presidency to sort of navigate and finesse this process," Mr Aboulmagd said.  Mr Aboulmagd said Egypt had appointed two ministers to plan for how to include "loss and damage" on Cop27 ’s formal agenda. They are Germany's special envoy for international climate action, Jennifer Morgan, and Chile's environment minister, Maisa Rojas.