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.

Rome CNN — will have surgery on his abdomen and remain in a Rome hospital for several days, the Vatican said Wednesday, Pope Francis will have surgery on his abdomen and remain in a Rome hospital for several days, the Vatican said Wednesday, sparking renewed fears over the 86-year-old’s fragile health. The pope was forced to cancel several work commitments in late May after he was debilitated by a fever. According to medical sources, the intervention is likely related to the surgery Francis experienced in 2021 to remove half of his colon. Should Francis be incapacitated for any length of time, the Vatican could find itself facing something of a constitutional crisis. Francis said he wrote the letter several years ago and gave it to then-Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who resigned in 2013.

Famed actress Saad to embody three different roles in the upcoming period the most important is her role inthe second season of "Rivo" which is scheduled to be released in June, while the new series The Butcher of Giza and Al Rawabi School for Girls are expected to be released soon. In Rivo, Rakeen plays the role of Maryam who continues her journey of struggle to direct her deceased father’s script about Rivo band, one of the most famous bands in the 1990s. Rivo stars Rakeen Saad, Amir Eid, Sedky Sakhr, Tamer Hashem, Hassan Abu Al-Rous, Sarah Abdel Rahman, Mina El Naggar, and Mohsen Mohi Eldin. Rakeen Saad is back to high school with the character of Noaf in Al Rawabi School for Girls. Alongside Rakeen Saad, Al Rawabi School for Girls stars Andria Tayeh, Noor Taher, Joanna Arida, Salsabiela A, Yara Mustafa, alongside stars Nadera Emran and Reem Saadeh.

Acclaimed Egyptian soprano Amira Selim to perform at National Museum of Egyptian Civilization on June 21. Celebrating the new year and the Egyptian Orthodox Christmas, Selim previously released her latest music video entitled Merut Ek (“Your Love”) which is an ancient Egyptian love song. Selim improvised "Merut Ek" on Prelude by JS Bach. English and Arabic subtitles were added to the music video of Merut EK to help people to understand the song lyrics. Merut EK video clip was shot in France by the director of photography, Medhat Soody, edited by Kamal Abou Hashem and directed by Hisham Abdel Khalek.

CAIRO - 6 June 2023: Egypt's Waste Management Regulation Law punishes all those licensed to engage in waste management activity and fail to provide the necessary training and protection for workers. The law stipulates that the punishment is a fine of not less than twenty thousand pounds and not more than two hundred thousand pounds for anyone who violates the provisions of Articles (18,19) of this law, and the court may rule to suspend the license for a period of not less than one month and not more than six months, and it may order the cancellation of the license, and in the case of repetition, the minimum and maximum limits of the fine shall be doubled. Article 18 states that:The licensee to engage in one or more integrated waste management activities shall undertake this activity in a healthy and environmentally sound manner in the sites and facilities designated for that, in accordance with the provisions of this law, provided that the executive regulations of this law shall determine the criteria for practicing these activities in a healthy and environmentally sound manner. Whereas, Article 19 states the following:When practicing one or more integrated waste management activities, the licensee shall provide training and qualification for all workers whose work is related to the practice of any of these activities. He shall also provide the necessary means of protection for them in implementation of the rules of occupational safety and health stipulated in the law regulating labor affairs.

The Saudi Al-Ameriah company, which operates in the field of real estate and tourism investment, submitted an official request to acquire a majority stake in Heliopolis Company for Housing and Development, affiliated to the Egyptian public business sector. The Saudi company requested to acquire 70 percent of the entire shares of Heliopolis Company for Housing and Development for US$400 million, equivalent to LE13 billion. The estimate of the price of one share will be around LE13, as the Heliopolis Company for Housing and Development share price is currently trading at around LE10.46. Therefore, the offer submitted by the Al-Ameriah company raises the price of the share by up to 30 percent from the official price currently announced on the Egyptian Stock Exchange. The Heliopolis Company for Housing and Development enjoys a vast portfolio of lands, which includes about 5,500 acres, including lands in the New Heliopolis area, 655 acres in partnership with SODIC, 1,695 acres for housing with integrated services and local and regional services at the HelioPark area, and about 4,000 meters of residential land in the Heliopolis area.

Sources in the mobile market revealed that the Qatar Investment Authority aims to acquire the entire stake of Telecom Egypt in Vodafone Egypt. According to the expected scenarios disclosed by the sources to Daily News Egypt, the deal may be implemented in two phases. According to the sources, the market value of Vodafone Egypt currently reaches $3bn, compared to $5bn before the previous flotation. Telecom Egypt’s stake in Vodafone Egypt currently ranges between $1.2bn and $1.3bn. It is noteworthy that there were advanced talks conducted by the Qatar Investment Authority last October to seize a 20% stake in Vodafone Egypt, from the share of Telecom Egypt, and Telecom Egypt revealed at the time that it had not received any official offer from any party regarding Qatar’s investment for about $2.5bn.

The annual Capital Markets Summit, organized by Media Avenue, will kick off on 20 June under the title “Egypt’s IPOs in Motion”, which focuses on the government’s initial public offering programme and enhancing private sector participation in the economy. It will also discuss the impact of the program on the activity of the main parties to the capital market, including traders, brokers, investment banks, and financial and legal advisory providers. The summit will also shed light on the new tools that will enter the Egyptian capital market during the coming period, such as the futures exchange, with the aim of diversifying financial instruments and investment mechanisms. The Capital Markets Summit this year will discuss different forms of financing and business models suitable for current changes. Leaders of the non-banking financial sector, especially lending companies, will talk about the expected growth opportunities and the increasing role of financial technology in expanding the sector, increasing financial inclusion rates and generating profits.

CAIRO - 6 June 2023: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi received on Tuesday a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy. The two sides discussed the shooting incident that took place on the Egyptian-Israeli borders on June 3, causing the death of a number of border security guards, said the spokesmanSisi and Netanyahu asserted the importance of full coordination between the two sides to find the clues behind the incident. The two sides also voiced resolve over continuing coordination as part of bilateral ties and working on achieving just, comprehensive peace and maintain stability in the region.