CNN — Fifty prison guards and seven police officers have been freed after being taken hostage by inmates held in six prisons across Ecuador, authorities said, part of a coordinated protest against security operations being conducted inside the country’s violence-plagued penitentiaries. The SNAI said on Saturday that all hostages had been freed following a “coordinated operation” and that prison was now running normally. The SNAI said in July that it had successfully executed an operation to free 106 prison guards taken hostage by inmates across five different prisons. A detainee uprising in the port city of Guayaquil left 31 people dead, according to the Ecuador Attorney General’s office. Ecuador’s prison system has long been dogged by violence and infighting between gangs powerful enough to overwhelm the guards meant to keep the facilities, many of which are overcrowded, safe.

Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, has issued a decision to amend certain provisions of the executive regulations of the Anti-Money Laundering Law, according to documents viewed by Daily News Egypt. The first amended article includes several definitions, such as the definition of the law itself, which states that it refers to the Anti-Money Laundering Law. Terrorist crimes: Any crime specified in the Anti-Terrorism Law issued by Law No. This includes persons who exercise effective control over the customer, whether the customer is a legal person or a legal arrangement. The National Post Authority is also included in this definition in terms of the financial services it provides.

Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, the former owner of Harrods department store and the father of Dodi Fayed, who died with Princess Diana in a car crash in 1997, died Friday in London. Mohamed Al-Fayed was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1929. He married Samira Khashoggi in 1954 and they had one son, Emad, known as Dodi. Al-Fayed is best known for his ownership of Harrods, which he bought in 1985 and sold to Qatar in 2010 for $2.4bn. In 2013, Al Fayed sold Fulham Football Club to US auto parts billionaire Shahid Khan for a reported $300m.

CAIRO – 2 September 2023: The Egyptian government allocated LE 3.3 million for seasonal workers’ wages in the Fiscal Year 2023/2024, compared to LE 2.83 million in previous year, an analytical statement of the 2023/2024 budget submitted by the Minister of Finance, Dr. Mohamed Maait, to the House of Representatives. The state’s general budget for the new fiscal year 2023/2024 is about LE 4.3 trillion, compared to LE 3.066 trillion in the current year 2022/2023. The government also has allocated LE 71.4 billion in investments in the FY2023/2024 for the development of the governorates of Upper Egypt. The projects include establishing and paving vital roads, road networks, besides completing the construction of the Holy Family Road. Additionally, the government aims to implement several development projects in the governorates of Central Upper Egypt during the fiscal year 2024/23.

CAIRO – 2 September 2023: The World Youth Forum (WYF) has praised the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution welcoming the contributions of the forum, which is held in Sharm El-Sheikh city. “This decision further proofs how the UN recognizes the effort of WYF and similar youth empowering entities,” the WYF said in a Facebook post on Saturday. The UNGA has adopted, by consensus, a resolution on United Nations simulation models and their role in empowering young people, enhancing their connection to the United Nations organization and fostering their familiarity with multilateral work. The resolution welcomed the contributions of youth forums and conferences, especially the World Youth Forum held in Sharm El-Sheikh in its four editions, and its role in empowering young people and providing them with an opportunity to develop their capabilities. Ambassador Osama Abdel Khaleq, Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, stated that the adoption of this resolution, and the joining of more than 115 countries to its list of sponsors, reflects the international appreciation enjoyed by the World Youth Forum.

The world’s water shortage crisis grows increasingly worrying, with many people suffering from a lack of clean water for consumption and agriculture. The world’s ground and surface water reserves are also constantly declining – statistics say that in recent years, about 1/4 of the world’s groundwater reserves have been depleted. The world’s water shortage crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, and requires urgent and sustainable solutions. The areas most affected by the water shortage crisis are those that suffer from recurrent drought, climate change or an increase in water demand brought on by population growth, economic development, or pollution. Sixty percent of the population of the Middle East suffers from severe “water stress.” In South Asia, eighty percent of its population faces deteriorating water quality.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Thursday issued a decision regulating the stay fees for foreigners in Egypt who have applied for a tourist or other kinds of visas at the General Administration of Passports, Immigration and Nationality. Under the regulations, foreigners who applied for visas are required to submit a receipt indicating that they have transferred the fees, including those for residency, late fines and costs of issuing the residence card, in dollar currency or its equivalent in other currencies. The premier’s decision, also, stipulates that illegal foreign residents should legalize their stay under a condition of having a host carrying the Egyptian nationality, within three months of enacting the aforementioned decision. The illegal residents are required as well to pay administrative fees of 1,000 US dollars.

CAIRO - 1 September 2023: Busi Mabuza, Chairperson of the Business Council of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), stated at the 15th BRICS summit held in South Africa between August 22-24, that South Africa was among the most enthusiastic supporters of the expansion of BRICS. According to Mabuza, South Africa has particularly encouraged new members since it was the first beneficiary of BRICS expansion. "The move will boost the infrastructure that connects African countries, including the Cairo-Cape Town route that spans many countries, all of which can benefit from this infrastructure," she added. Emphasis on the growth in trade between South Africa and its BRICS partners reflects the importance of regional and international cooperation for boosting the economy. This enhances the importance of diversifying trade and investment partners for South Africa.

CAIRO - 1 September 2023: Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa asserted that Egypt welcomes all its guests from various world countries. This came during the minister's meeting with a group of tourists from various world countries during their tour of the Religions Complex on the fringe of inaugurating a number of historical sites in Old Cairo after renovation works. The minister was keen on taking a photo-op with the tourists, wishing them an enjoyable stay in Egypt. It is often considered one of the oldest civilizations in the world, with a history dating back thousands of years. Tourism is a significant part of the Egyptian economy, and the government has taken steps to ensure the safety and comfort of tourists.

Enter the langur – or at least, cardboard cutouts of langurs – and men trained to sound like the bigger primates. “Monkeys cannot be displaced, harmed or hit.”Men walk past monkeys on a street in New Delhi on August 30 ahead of the G20 Summit. Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty ImagesUpadhyay added they have also deployed between 30 and 40 men who can mimic the sounds of langurs to trick the rhesus monkeys into thinking they are nearby. The council has also left food for the monkeys in forested areas to encourage them to remain there, he added. Much of central New Delhi will come to a halt for the G20 with a huge operation to keep global leaders moving freely between the hotels and meeting venues.

Wednesday’s military takeover in Gabon came on the heels of Niger last month, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Chad, Guinea, Sudan and Mali in the years prior to that. The Gabonese military takeover was announced not long after the electoral authorities declared that President Ali Bongo had secured another term, even though there were allegations of electoral irregularities. The UN chief appealed to nations to act promptly in setting up trustworthy democratic systems and maintaining the rule of law. “Development is a central objective if we want to create conditions for peace and stability in Africa,” Guterres responded when asked by a reporter. “Diplomacy is more important than ever to navigate the tensions of our emerging multipolar world,” Guterres noted.

The military takeover happened hours after election results were announced that gave Ali Bongo Ondimba a third term. Finally, the result, which gave Ali Bongo Ondimba the victory with over 64% of votes cast, was announced while people were asleep. Except for its first president, Leon M’ba Minko (1960-1967), the Bongo family has governed the country for 56 years – (Omar Bongo Ondimba from 1967 to 2009 and Ali Bongo Ondimba from then on until 30 August 2023). The last two coups have been under Ali Bongo Ondimba. Ali Bongo Ondimba was the heir of a political system built by his father since the 1960s.

CAIRO - 31 August 2023: Engineer Mohamed Amer, head of the Railway Authority, confirmed that the development work witnessed by the railway increased the number of trains entering Ramses station. Amer further explained that the new station of Bashteel in Upper Egypt is a smart station, and it was necessary to accomodate the number of trains. The head of the railway authority added, during his tour of the Upper Egypt train station, that the station was established with self-financing from the railway authority, and is implemented by one of the investment companies affiliated with the railway, noting that the station completely changed the facade of the region. He added that the cost of establishing the station is 3.5 billion pounds from the railway budget, and it will be opened within days, serving passengers from Upper Egypt and the Manashy line, noting that trains extending from Lower Egypt to Upper Egypt and vice versa will pass through Cairo Station - Ramses Station. The station includes 6 berths to serve the passengers of Upper Egypt, on the side of Sudan Street, and (4) berths for the Manashi line.

CAIRO – 31 August 2023: CEO of the Egyptian Sugar and Integrated Industries Co. Essam al-Bedewy stated Thursday that negotiations are underway to establish, in partnership with a German company, a factory that would produce paper made of sugarcane waste. The factory will span over 60 feddans (one feddan equals 4,500 square meters) in Qena's Nagaa Hamadi, costing LE4-5 billion. The duration of the construction is 1.5 to 2 years. Bedewy added that the construction of a bioethanol factory would begin in December in collaboration with a foreign company, and last for 18-24 months. It will lie in Aswan's Kom Ombo on 50,000 feddans, cost LE3.5 billion, and produce 62 million liters per annum.

With the bloc growing in numbers following its 2023 summit, the BRICS expansion and de-dollarization will bring aid to some of the alliance’s struggling economies. However, for the developing economies of the global south, expansion could prove to be a haven. BRICS Expansion Should Help Economies in the Global SouthSource: dailynewsegypt.comAlso Read: BRICS Now Responsible for 43% of Global Oil ProductionAll eyes were on the ongoing BRICS summit last week, where the bloc had been expected to grow its numbers. Specifically, the BRICS expansion should bring aid to the alliance’s struggling economies. Moreover, with Saudi Arabia infusing the BRICS bank with funds, the bloc could see uniform prosperity forming on the horizon.