The FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy is pictured during an event at Summit at One Vanderbilt observatory in Manhattan in New York City, U.S., April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar(Reuters) - This year's Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is on track to become the most attended standalone women's sporting event ever with over one million tickets sold, FIFA said on Thursday. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said the ninth edition of the Women's World Cup, which starts on July 20, has sold 1,032,884 tickets, surpassing the previous tournament in France in 2019. "The future is women, thanks to the fans for supporting what will be the greatest FIFA Women's World Cup ever!," Infantino said in a statement. FIFA had already announced that Australia's opening match against Ireland will change venue to the 83,500-capacity Stadium Australia, the tournament's largest stadium, due to high public demand for tickets.

Authorities in the Red Sea Governorate on Friday will implement the decision of Red Sea Governor, Amr Hanafy to shut down several beaches following a deadly shark attack on Thursday. Beaches will be closed from Gouna, northern Red Sea, to Abu Souma Bay in the south, until safety inspections are completed. According to a statement the decision includes a ban on all fishing activities along the coast of the Red Sea Governorate during the fishing ban period specified by an order from the head of the Fish Wealth Authority. A sudden shark attack in Hurghada on Thursday caused the death of a foreign tourist, authorities at the Red Sea Governorate announced. The tourist was transferred to the Hurghada General Hospital, where urgent health follow-up took place confirming his death.

A sudden shark attack in Hurghada on Thursday caused the death of a foreign tourist, authorities at the Red Sea Governorate announced. The tourist was transferred to the Hurghada General Hospital, where urgent health follow-up took place confirming his death. Usually, sharks do not attack humans, but follow the same type of food (dead cattle) and collide with humans. The Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh international airports recorded the highest operating rate in Egyptian tourist airports for the first half of 2023. The Hurghada International Airport received nearly 3.2 million passengers on board a total of 22,000 flights, an increase of 30.5 percent compared to the corresponding period in 2022.

CAIRO - 9 June 2023: After a wave of unstable weather accompanied by dusty winds witnessed across the country, the official weather forecast revealed the weather conditions will improve Friday as wind speeds decrease, and temperature will drop. Dr. Manar Ghanem, a member of the Media Center of the Meteorological Authority, said that the weather conditions will improve on Friday compared to Thursday, while wind speeds will decrease in the southern regions, but will continue in the northern regions, and the maximum temperature is expected to drop to 36 degrees Celsius. She said, during a phone call on “CBC” TV channel, “The peak of weather conditions has passed, and the clouds are present in some areas in the southeastern, coastal, and western regions, and the chances of rain will decrease significantly. She pointed out that Friday will witness thunderstorms in the Gulf of Suez, the cities of the Canal and some areas in Sinai, but light and intermittent rain in a number of regions of the Republic.

CAIRO - 9 June 2023: The Egyptian government aims to provide 800,000 new job opportunities, according to the report of the Financial, Economic and Investment Affairs Committee on a draft law approving the economic and social development plan for the new fiscal year 2023/24. According to the parliamentary report, the government aims to reduce the unemployment rate among young people in the age group (15-18 years) out of the total number of unemployed, as well as reduce the unemployment rate among holders of university qualifications and narrow the gap in urban unemployment rates compared to rural areas (26.6% compared to 13.1%). The parliamentary report confirmed that the plan includes a number of initiatives supporting medium, small and micro enterprises, as they provide real and quick job opportunities. The parliamentary report indicates that the plan showed the structural imbalances of the unemployed and the market’s failure to absorb all groups wishing to work, and thus the noticeable rise in unemployment rates between urban and rural areas and between the regions and the spread of employment in the informal sector. The Minister of Planning, Dr. Hala Al-Saeed, had delivered a statement on the draft development plan for the new fiscal year, explaining the most important pillars on which the 2024/23 plan was based, foremost of which is full commitment to the objectives of the axes of the National Human Rights Strategy.

Through this meeting, it seemed clear that the BRICS alliance will witness important developments that will certainly be decided by this upcoming summit. The importance and uniqueness of the BRICS group lie in the strategic goals that these countries seek to achieve. These strategic goals have made the BRICS group a target for all developing countries and emerging economies. It can be said that many developing countries view the BRICS group as a lifeline from the desperate attempts of Western countries, led by the United States of America, to control developing economies. What confirms this is the fact that, although the Bank was founded by the BRICS group, it is open to all members of the United Nations.

Omar Bassiouny, the founding partner and head of the corporate sector, mergers and acquisitions at the office, said that the office is working on a large number of deals this year, and it is expected that the number of them will exceed the deals that were implemented during the past year. Bassiouny added, in an interview with Daily News Egypt, that the office consulted on more than 5 merger and acquisition deals in the health sector, including two exit deals, and three minority stake sale deals, in addition to two merger and acquisition deals in the banking sector, one for a government bank, and the other private sector bank. It is likely that the option of offering shares to strategic investors is the alternative and quick solution at the present time. The government intends to offer 32 companies distributed in 18 sectors until March 2024 through offering them on the stock exchange or selling shares to strategic investors, or both. From the current offering plan, the government aims to exit from seven sectors, including the pharmaceutical industries, chemical industries, and construction, and reduce its investments in 7 sectors, including power plants, and provide an opportunity for the private sector to invest in 4 sectors, according to Cabinet data.

The Egyptian cinema and drama industry is experiencing a major crisis as many filmmakers tend to shoot their works outside Egypt, such as producer Mohamed Hefzy, who is currently shooting his films abroad. We have a state of lack of love for cinema, and officials’ lack of belief in the importance and role of cinema in stimulating tourism. This is because these fees are very high and exorbitant and limit the use of high-end tourist places in Egypt and their appearance in our films. This is why the exported image of Egyptian cinema is limited to slums and small neighborhoods. This type of films that served Egyptian tourism cannot be made now because of this exaggeration.

FILE - Citrus farmer holds fruit on his farm near Griffith, north of Melbourne, Australia, August 22, 2007 – Reuters/Tim WimborneCAIRO – 8 June 2023: Egypt will start exporting onions and citrus to the Philippines and Uzbekistan on June 15, 2023, said Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Sayed Al Qusseir in a statement on Thursday. Egyptian agriculture exports from January to 24 August this year have amounted to around 4,491,099 tons, Minister of Agriculture El Sayed El-Qusseir has said on August 26, 2022. A report by Ahmed El-Attar, head of the ministry’s Egyptian Agricultural Quarantine, has affirmed that the most prominent Egyptian agricultural exports this year are citrus fruits, potatoes, onions, grapes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, strawberries, beans, guavas, mangoes, garlic, and watermelons. The total agricultural exports of citrus reached around 1.6 million tons, ranking first among Egyptian agricultural exports, followed by potatoes at 831,696 tons.

CAIRO – 8 June 2023: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced on Thursday Egypt’s candidacy to the African Peace and Security Council for the term 2024-2026. The summit kicked off in Lusaka today with the participation of the COMESA 21 member states and saw Zambia taking over the chairmanship of COMESA from Egypt. The aimed to enhance the level of well-being of African peoples and promote the capabilities of peace and security in our countries, Sisi stressed. Achievements, challengesSisi detailed Egypt’s achievements during its COMESA chairmanship with regard to economic development, regional industrial integration, infrastructure and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The president also highlighted the deep challenges that African countries face to sustain peace and security.

CAIRO – 8 June 2023: Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Arab Affairs Ambassador Alaa Mousa co-chaired Monday a meeting of senior officials from the foreign ministries in Egypt and Gulf Cooperation Council's member states. The statement issued by the ministry on Wednesday revealed that the convention covered a number of regional and international affairs of joint interest. That is in addition to the proposed work plan for cooperation between Egypt and the council in many fields, with a focus on food security and investment. Minister Sameh Shokry participated in April in a consultative meeting comprising counterparts from Jordan, Iraq, and member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The meeting hosted in Jeddah preceded the Arab League Summit that took place later in the same month in Riyadh.

The Prime Minister may, after the approval of the cabinet, extend the aforementioned period for a similar period. The Prime Minister shall also issue the executive regulations for this law within six months from the date of its enforcement. The committee will be the dominant body in all refugee affairs, including information and statistical data on the number of refugees. The committee shall have a technical secretariat. The prime minister shall specify the secretariat’s terms of reference, work system, and the appointment of its president.

Egypt has received 200,000 Sudanese refugees since the beginning of the conflict, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced during a joint press conference with Angolan President Joao Lourenco in the Angolan capital, Luanda. Sisi added that he discussed with the Angolan president a solution to the conflict in Sudan, and stressed that all African countries desire to reach a cease-fire in Sudan. Sisi agreed with Lourenco to make the greatest possible effort for stability and reach a cease-fire to start negotiations. The conflict in Sudan affects Egypt as well as the conflict in Libya, and stressed that these conflicts must end and dialogue must begin to improve the lives of civilians in need. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees expects that the total arrivals to Egypt will reach 350,000 people within the next six months,” it added.

CAIRO - 8 June 2023: Wooden dolls have been a sincere part of the Egyptian heritage for a long time, with the craft is struggling to survive. Egypt Today paid a visit to Egypt's Delta governorate of Sharqia, to explore the art of making the wooden dolls in different shapes and designs. The artist, Mohamed Saeed Gharib, 77 years old, is one of five artists who still preserve this craft. And he points out by saying that he is keen to embody Egyptian characters in his wooden dolls such as: the peasant woman carrying the plaster on her head, the camel, as well as carts of koshari, beans, watermelon and potatoes. He noted that there is there are training courses provided to teach young people about this craft to revive it.

CAIRO – 7 June 2023: Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine al-Qabaj suggested Tuesday that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) can play a role in reinforcing food security among member states by bolstering trade exchange of agricultural goods given that many of them are rich in fertile lands. The minister said, during the Egypt-chaired second session of the Ministerial Meeting for Social Development of the OIC, that the entire world is experiencing tough economic, political, social, and cultural circumstances that are causing instability. She added that many countries are still grappling with the fallout of the COVID-19. Qabaj added that such challenges should encourage the OIC's member states to boost cooperation among them, achieve the governance of social care, protection, and development, and learn from the best practices of some members on that front. The minister stressed that accomplishing comprehensive social justice in Muslim-majority countries requires securing basic services such as education, healthcare, water supply, access to wastewater network, energy, housing, transportation, gender equality, formalization of the informal sector, curbing overpopulation, reducing socio-economic gaps, and lowering unemployment among youth and females.