At least 32 commuters lost their lives and 63 others were injured early Saturday in a multiple-vehicle crash in northern Egypt, authorities said. The Ministry of Health provided 20 ambulances to transport the injured to hospitals, the Ministry said in a separate statement. The Ministry also promised support for the injured and their families based on the extent of injury and disability resulting from the crash. There were 7,762 deaths from Egyptian road crashes in 2022, up six percent from 7,326 deaths in 2021, Egypt’s leading newspaper, Al-Ahram, reported. A total of 55,991 Egyptian road users were reportedly injured in 2022, compared to 51,511 in 2021, per the outlet.

(MENAFN- Daily News Egypt) According to its monthly bulletin, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) paid $17 in interest and installments of external debts during the first three quarters of the fiscal year 2023/2022, which ended in March 2023. The CBE said that the external debt service was distributed as follows: $4 in the first quarter, $7 in the second quarter, and $5 in the third quarter. The CBE also reported that the installments of external debts amounted to $3 in the first quarter, $5 in the second quarter, and $3 in the third quarter. The interest payments on external debts reached $1 in the first quarter, $1 in the second quarter, and $2 in the third quarter. The CBE added that the external debt to GDP ratio was about 38.5% at the end of March 2023.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Abu Zeid, emphasised that Egypt has done and will do everything possible to ensure the swift delivery of humanitarian and relief aid to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and that the Israeli side is the one that hinders the delivery of aid. He said this in response to questions from reporters of some Western newspapers and news agencies about the reasons for the delay in the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, despite the desperate humanitarian situation there and the pile-up of aid convoys on the Egyptian side. The Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson expressed his regret that the process of transporting aid to the Strip is facing major logistical problems imposed by the Israeli side, which requires inspecting buses at the Israeli Netzana border crossing opposite the Egyptian Awja border crossing, and then traveling 100 km to the Rafah border crossing before entering the Strip through it. This creates bureaucratic burdens and obstacles that significantly slow down the delivery of such assistance. He urged everyone to be aware of who is responsible for the delay in the entry of aid to the Gaza Strip, and called on the Israeli side to stop these obstructive measures; so that aid can reach as quickly as possible to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the people of the Strip.

He said, “We are keen to meet the needs of the Egyptian market for everything and all products, not only in the industry, so the local component must be constantly increased in products.”He also announced that the state will establish industrial facilities to support the industry, on condition that the factory bears the cost of machinery. He clarified that the goal of establishing these industrial clusters is not to share the investor’s profit but to provide all the requirements for him to start his project immediately and create new job opportunities. He said that the reclaimed land, which was encroached upon, and whose size is estimated at millions of meters, can be coordinated by the government to re-allocate it to investors who wish to expand with small and medium-sized factories. The president called on the Federation of Egyptian Industries to be a bridge between companies, investors, and those who wish to enter into that system, so that time and effort are saved for the investor. He stressed that what the state will do in this framework will be different.

Banks’ obligations towards each other locally were EGP 575.767bn, while their obligations towards banks abroad were EGP 450.686bn. The CBE said that government deposits in banks were EGP 2.157trn in June 2023, while non-governmental deposits were EGP 7.315trn. It added that government deposits in local currency were EGP 1.855trn, while deposits in foreign currencies were nearly EGP 301.6bn. The private sector banks’ investments reached EGP 491.98nb, compared to EGP 458.313bn. This was due to a decline in CBE’s net foreign assets by EGP 310.5bn and a decrease in the net foreign assets of the banks by EGP 152.1bn.

CAIRO – 28 October 2023: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi affirmed in a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday the need to find an urgent diplomatic solution that includes the enforcement of an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza. This truce would preserve the lives of civilians and allow the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in line with the UN General Assembly’s resolution approved on Friday, Sisi said. Sisi also warned against the grave repercussions at the humanitarian and security levels of the Israeli ground attack in the strip. Egypt has also worked to deliver the humanitarian aid coming from world countries and local and international organizations through the Rafah border crossing to Gaza. Since last Saturday, the Gaza Strip has received a total of 84 humanitarian aid trucks, while the UN says at least 100 humanitarian aid trucks are needed in the enclave per day.

CAIRO – 28 October 2023: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres discussed over phone cooperation with regard to protecting civilians in Gaza and ensuring access to aid. Sisi and Guterres discussed developments of the ongoing diplomatic efforts to halt escalation in Gaza, including the recent UN General Assembly’s resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce in the enclave. Such truce would preserve the lives of civilians and allow the immediate entry of relief aid to the strip in sufficient quantities, they affirmed. Egypt has also worked to deliver the humanitarian aid coming from world countries and local and international organizations through the Rafah border crossing to Gaza. Since last Saturday, the Gaza Strip has received a total of 84 humanitarian aid trucks, while the UN says at least 100 humanitarian aid trucks are needed in the enclave per day.

Brazil’s federal government plans to expand internet access throughout the country. National Communications Agency (Anatel) will be responsible for developing tools, projects and actions to ensure continuous improvement, as reported by TV CULTURA, a partner of TV BRICS. The federal government has established ConectaBR, a national programme that aims to increase coverage and access to the Internet throughout Brazil. In the Official Gazette (DOU), the Department of Communications specifies that the initiative aims to “reduce regional disparities by providing a similar experience to users of telecoms services throughout the country”. The National Communications Agency (Anatel), which will be in charge of developing tools, projects and actions to foster this improvement, will introduce a “Mobile Broadband Quality Mark” to assess the performance of service providers.

Cairo, October 28: Egypt's health ministry said at least 32 people were killed in a multi-car pileup Saturday on a highway linking Cairo and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. At least 63 others were injured in the crash which involved a passenger bus and other vehicles, the statement said, adding that fire erupted in some vehicles. Ambulances rushed to the scene to transfer the injured to hospital. Superfog Causes Multiple Accidents in US; Seven Killed, 25 Injured After 158-Vehicle Pileup in Louisiana Due to Poor Visibility (Watch Video). Egypt Road Accident

CAIRO – 27 October: Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah al Sisi welcomed on Friday the United Nations General Assembly adopting of Arab Resolution calling for ending violence in Gaza. “I welcome the Arab resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly today to immediately halt violence in Gaza, shared by stability and peace-loving nations.” Sisi wrote on his account on Facebook. He added: “We look forward to stopping violence in Gaza and protecting civilian lives.”Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Abul Gheit said the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza with a majority of 120 votes reflects the true international. The UNGA adopted the Arab resolution after a total of 120 countries voted in favor of the decision, while only 14 countries voted against it and 45 other countries abstained. The countries that voted against the resolution are Israel, the United States, Austria, Fiji, Guatemala, Croatia, Czechia, Nauru, Paraguay, Marshall Islands, Hungary, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Micronesia.

CAIRO – 27 October 2023: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted on Friday an Arab non-binding resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip. A total of 120 countries voted in favor of the decision, while only 14 countries voted against it and 45 other countries abstained during an emergency session for the UNGA. The countries that voted against the resolution include Israel, the United States, Guatemala, Croatia, Czechia, Paraguay, Marshall Islands, Hungary, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Micronesia.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Ryabkov and Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Egypt R. Etreby, H. Fahmy and I. Badawi held a meeting in Cairo. The main topic of discussion was cooperation within the BRICS framework, due to the upcoming accession of Egypt to the association. This was reported by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thus, the visit of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to Cairo confirmed the readiness of Russia and Egypt to strengthen cooperation within the BRICS framework and work together to ensure international security. Russia: Strong supporter of BRICS expansionBRICS has become increasingly influential in recent years, as its members have emerged as major players in the global economy.

CAIRO - 27 October 2023: France announced that it will send a special flight on Saturday for Egypt to transport 54 tons of emergency humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, media outlets reported. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the shipment, which will be handed over to the Egyptian Red Crescent, includes emergency medical kits, medicines, hospital equipment, emergency ventilators, solar lamps, generators and tents.

CAIRO – 27 October 2023: During Egyptian-Qatari mediation negotiates, Israel has agreed to a one-day truce on the condition that it should be under international supervision, sources said, Friday. The well-informed sources said that Egypt and Qatar mediated negotiations regarding Israeli captives held by Hamas. Hamas also was reported to request a truce for 5 days in exchange for less than 100 captives held by it along with other factions. As noticeable progress in negotiations on a humanitarian truce in Gaza that may last for hours or days is taking place, Hamas demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners and a long-term truce. According to Al Qahera news channel there is high-level Egyptian-Qatari coordination with all parties, trying to reach a long-term truce in Gaza.

The Egyptian Federation for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Funding, led by Mona Zulficar, announced that the banking sector provided EGP 36.1bn in financing to 810,000 micro-projects until June 2023. The financing companies provided financing services to about 1.8 million customers worth EGP 26.3bn. The banking system pumped financing of about EGP 36.1bn to 810,000 customers. Zulficar also said that six new members obtained a license from FRA to provide financing services for SMEs. They are Tasahil Finance Company, Aman, Tamweeli, AUR Microfinance, Waseela Microfinance, Kredit Microfinance, and El Mobadara Microfinance.