CAIRO – 4 May 2023: Director of the Office of the UN regional coordinator, Max Schott, thanked Egypt for its efforts in helping all displaced from Sudan. "I would like also to thank Egypt for keeping the Arqin border crossing open for urgent assistance to those fleeing violence and clashes in Sudan." In that context, he urged an immediate ceasefire to preserve the wealth of the Sudanese people, and serve the high national interest. Minister Shokry equally stressed that Egypt would not spare any effort to support Sudan through that precarious and unprecedented predicament. He further highlighted that the Egyptian people is agonizing because of the suffering of its Sudanese counterpart as a consequence of the ongoing fighting.

The National Dialogue will discuss key political, economic, and social issues. Diaa Rashwan, General Coordinator of the NationalDialogue,said that all sessions would be open to the media but discussions around the constitution, foreign policy and strategic national security issues would be off limits. Egypt's Former Foreign Minister Amre Moussa, said that the National dialogue is an opportunity to discuss what concerns public opinion in Egypt, especially at this critical stage. He reflected on the questions of the Egyptian people, regarding the country's direction.“In reality, Egyptians are now anxious and have questions regarding the country's fate.”“People are asking, where is the transparency? He also indicated that the armed forces and security forces should be confined to preserving national security, and should not interfere with the civilian and democratic nature of the state, he added.

Seventeen passengers were killed and 29 others were injured in an accident on Thursday between a bus and a truck on the Kharga-Assiut road, Assiut Governorate, the Ministry of Health and Population announced. Twenty-six ambulances were dispatched to scene and transferred the injured to al-Kharga General Hospital, Assiut University Hospital, and al-Eman Hospital in Assiut. According to the ministry, Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar instructed raising the state of readiness in Assiut hospitals and neighboring governorates, and to provide the best possible treatment for the injured.

CAIRO – 4 May 2023: 17 people have been killed and 29 others were injured as a bus crashed into a truck on Kharga-Assiut Road in southern Egypt Thursday morning, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. A total of 26 ambulances rushed to the scene and the injured were moved to El Kharga General Hospital, Assiut University Hospitals, and El-Eman General Hospital is Assiut, the ministry said. Minister of Health Khaled Abdel Ghaffar is following up on the provision of the required medical care to the injured in the crash. Egypt saw a decline in injuries due to road accidents by 9.3 percent in 2021 compared to 2020. However, the number of deaths due to the road accidents in the country rose by 15.2 percent to 7,101, according to the official statistical agency (CAPMAS).

The“Afroplast” exhibition, the African international exhibition for the technology of plastics, rubber and non-woven industries, will be launched from 18 to 21 May 2023 at the Cairo International Exhibition and Convention Center, Nasr City. The“Afroplast” exhibition presents the latest technologies, applications and industrial solutions that serve the business sectors in the field of plastics, rubber and non-woven industries. The previous work of Business Plus and Vision Fairs includes the organization of more than 100 sessions for about 28 specialized international exhibitions to serve many business sectors. Ahmed Mostafa, director of the Afroplast exhibition, indicated that the exhibition is held at the Cairo International Exhibition and Convention Center. Khaled Abul-Makarem, head of the Export Council for Chemical Industries and Fertilizers, affirmed that the Egyptian industry is capable of reaching $100bn in annual exports.

This step is in line with Khazenly's keenness on making Egyptian products available outside the local market, which can enhance their competitiveness and contribute to the growth of the Egyptian economy. “We always aim to enable local merchants and manufacturers in Egypt to develop their business and commercial activities. Their success is our success, so we constantly strive to provide a range of innovative solutions that provide them with unprecedented growth opportunities. The company also offers a range of services that help merchants develop their business, including shipping and storing cross-border goods, securing them and protecting them from any damage or loss, receiving and packing. This is what drives the company to expand in the Middle East and Africa and enhance its role in advancing economic development.

CAIRO – 4 May 2023: Egypt expressed its sincere condolences to the Republic of Rwanda for the victims of flood and landslides caused by the heavy rains, said Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement on Thursday. Foreign Ministry Spokesman conveyed condolences to the families of the victims and wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured, stressing Egypt's full solidarity with the government and people of Rwanda in this painful incident. At least 129 people were killed in the floodings and landslides so far, Reuters reported, noting that the floods also killed six others in Uganda. In March 2022, Rwandan President Paul Kagame paid Egypt an official visit, during which he met with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. The cooperation agreements between both sides included memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in information technology and posting, diplomatic training, sports support, and in other fields, Rady added.

Egypt’s launched its National Dialogue on Wednesday, gathering several political parties, civil groups, syndicates, intellectuals, and public figures. The National Dialogue will discuss key political, economic, and social issues. Diaa Rashwan, General Coordinator of the National Dialogue, said that all sessions would be open to the media but discussions around the constitution, foreign policy and strategic national security issues would be off limits. Egypt’s Former Foreign Minister Amre Moussa, said that the National dialogue is an opportunity to discuss what concerns public opinion in Egypt, especially at this critical stage. He also indicated that the armed forces and security forces should be confined to preserving national security, and should not interfere with the civilian and democratic nature of the state, he added.

Saudi Arabia has announced providing an e-visa service for Egyptians. The Saudi Foreign Ministry launched a new initiative to cancel the visa sticker on the holder’s passport, switching to e-visa. The Saudi Foreign Ministry launched the service in January, which allows for issuing a transit visa for tourists coming by air electronically. It aims to encourage travel to Saudi Arabia for any purposes and facilitate the procedures for obtaining an entry visa. The transit visa allows individuals to pass through Saudi Arabia and is applicable for short stays of over 12 hours.

The “Afroplast” exhibition presents the latest technologies, applications and industrial solutions that serve the business sectors in the field of plastics, rubber and non-woven industries. Ahmed Mostafa, director of the Afroplast exhibition, indicated that the exhibition is held at the Cairo International Exhibition and Convention Center. The company organizing the “Afroplast” exhibition will organize a promotional campaign aimed at attracting specialized visitors from Egypt and neighboring countries. The exhibition is held under the auspices of the Chamber of Chemical Industries, the Plastics Industry Division, the Export Council for Chemical and Fertilizer Industries, the Egyptian Exporters Association and the Industry Modernization Center. Khaled Abul-Makarem, head of the Export Council for Chemical Industries and Fertilizers, affirmed that the Egyptian industry is capable of reaching $100bn in annual exports.

According to the report, an improvement was observed in the average number of areas affected by the quality of voice services by 7% in the first quarter of 2023, to reach 41 affected areas, compared to 44 affected areas in the first quarter of 2022. An improvement in the average number of areas affected by the quality of data transmission services was observed by 31% in the first quarter of 2023, to reach 18 affected areas, compared to 26 affected areas in the first quarter of 2022. The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has approved 823 new stations since the beginning of 2023, an increase of 5% compared to the same period in 2022. The NTRA has also implemented small coverage stations above the lighting poles in Greater Cairo to overcome coverage obstacles in places where it is not possible to establish stations, which contributes to improving the standards of quality of communication services and the ability to absorb the increasing volume of traffic in the Egyptian market. This came according to the results of the report of the National Center for Monitoring the Quality of Telecommunications Services of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority for the first quarter of 2023, from January to March 2023.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino and World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said that they are looking to expand their partnership and help the economic empowerment of women. “It is true that the FIFA Women’s World Cup represents the pinnacle of excellence in women’s football, but it is equally true that in the past, the women’s form of the game has not received the attention and prominence that it deserves,” Dr Okonjo-Iweala said. “Women in sport, as in every sphere of life, are entitled to the same rewards enjoyed by their male counterparts. Sadly, this has not been the case, and we’re really delighted at the effort that FIFA, under President Infantino, is making to change this narrative. “Imagine the potential that there is still outside of Europe, and the ‘Cotton Four’ initiative is part of unleashing that potential,” he said.

The National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has fined mobile service providers EGP 32m for exceeding mobile service quality standards during the first quarter of 2023, according to the service quality measurements report for the first quarter of this year. According to the report, an improvement was observed in the average number of areas affected by the quality of voice services by 7% in the first quarter of 2023, to reach 41 affected areas, compared to 44 affected areas in the first quarter of 2022. An improvement in the average number of areas affected by the quality of data transmission services was observed by 31% in the first quarter of 2023, to reach 18 affected areas, compared to 26 affected areas in the first quarter of 2022. The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has approved 823 new stations since the beginning of 2023, an increase of 5% compared to the same period in 2022. This came according to the results of the report of the National Center for Monitoring the Quality of Telecommunications Services of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority for the first quarter of 2023, from January to March 2023.

Shokry said that the global real estate assets reached $4trn, of which 60% are owned and managed by real estate funds, noting that“whoever wants to create a strong real estate in Egypt must have funds, and unfortunately we do not have real estate funds in Egypt.”He added that MIPM exhibition in France, the largest real estate conference and exhibition in the world, is considered the first stop for those who want to put themselves on real estate export map because it represents the largest gathering of real estate funds in the world, as there is no strong real estate industry in a country without presence of property funds. Head of the Real Estate Export Council highlighted that the most important problems are property funds, and stressed the need to amend executive regulations. He disclosed,“There are 860 real estate funds worldwide, and we in Egypt do not own any fund, and therefore it is not possible to claim export property because real estate funds always deal with projects with fixed periodic returns, and there are specialised real estate funds at the global level in the last ten years in terms of health and education. The existence of real estate funds must be activated, the executive regulations must be amended and problems related to them must be overcome, and large financial institutions must be encouraged, in cooperation with banks in Egypt, to establish real estate funds as a first step to attract foreign real estate funds. There are real estate funds in more than 40 countries in the world, including African countries in Nigeria and South Africa.

CAIRO - 3 May 2023: Egypt is serious about implementing a flexible exchange rate system, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Jihad Azour, said Wednesday. “There is strong cooperation between the Fund's team and the Egyptian authorities, and the government is serious about this,” Azour added in his statements. Egypt has halved the value of the pound against the dollar since March 2022, and analysts expect another devaluation this year. Egypt recently established a "pre-IPO" fund, which aims to restructure some state-owned assets and prepare them for offering in the market. The Egyptian economy has been able to face major shocks,” according to Jihad Azour.