Egypt’s Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir held a meeting with Australian Ambassador to Egypt Axel Wabenhorst on Sunday to discuss ways to strengthen economic relations between the two countries. They discussed developments in the global economic situation and issues of common interest. The minister said that Egypt and Australia have distinguished trade and investment relations that contribute to the development of the Egyptian and Australian economies alike. Samir pointed out that the meeting dealt with ways to enhance Egyptian exports of agricultural products, namely fresh fruits and vegetables to the Australian market. For his part, Wabenhorst confirmed his country’s keenness to enhance joint trade and investment cooperation with Egypt, as it is one of the most important markets in the Middle East and Africa.

A team of restorers from the Supreme Council of Antiquities succeeded in revealing, for the first time, a zodiac signs on the roof of the hall located at the southern side of the Esna Temple, in addition to scenes of deities and animals that appear for the first time. This discovery took place during the project of recording, documenting and restoring the Esna temple and showing its original colors, which is being carried out by the Egyptian-German archaeological mission. Dr. Mostafa Waziry, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stressed that these zodiac inscriptions were not present in the previous and only scientific publication of the Temple of Esna which was made by the French Egyptologist Serge Sauneron the matter that added a new important aspect to this temple and its unique inscriptions.

CAIRO - 19 March 2023: Head of the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) Ramy El Dokani announced the launch of the first center to support innovative financial technology solutions for non-banking activities under the name “CORBEH”. El Dokani explained that technology has always been the basis on which the modernization of financial markets and the enhancement of their growth were built. Therefore, the Stock Exchange decided to establish this center within its headquarters in the Smart Village and to provide all the necessary data and resources for its work. Head of the EGX added that the center will work to qualify and guide companies that provide innovative financial technology solutions and support their growth by providing an integrated package of services and technical, administrative and financial support for them, including setting growth strategies and then following up on implementation as well as training cadres and raising their efficiency with assistance in financial structuring and needed fundraising for expansion. He explained that the stock exchange management places financial technology and its applications at the center of its interests as an effective means to reach financial inclusion and increase the number of traders, as well as to simplify and accelerate all steps and procedures related to the investment process, whether coding, selling, buying, settlements, financing, as well as supervision.

The Queen of Belgium, Princess Elisabeth Duchess of Brabant, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and the Belgian Ambassador to Cairo inaugurated a photo exhibition at Baron Palace. The event was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium's visit to Egypt in 1923. Queen Mathilde of Belgium and her daughter Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant visited also King Tutankhamun’s tomb and other historical monuments in Luxor. In the iconic Valley of the Kings, the Queen and Princess visit the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century: the tomb of Tutankhamun. On the sidelines of her current visit to Egypt, the Queen of Belgium and her daughter Duchess of Brabant, visited as well as sites currently excavated by Belgian archaeological missions and landmarks in Luxor.

Finance Minister Mohamed Maait on Friday discussed in a meeting with his South African counterpart Enoch Godongwana ways of enhancing joint coordination at continental and international forums on various global economic issues, especially in light of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war and the impacts of climate change. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the two ministers’ participation in the second edition of the Financial Sector Conference (FSC 2023) in the Saudi capital Riyadh, according to a statement released by the Finance Ministry. The pair probed the repercussions of the global economic crisis on the African and emerging economies, as they called for joining the efforts of African states to counter the negative impacts of this crisis. The two sides highlighted the key role of international financial institutions in offering low-cost and concessional finance to emerging economies, which assists them with adapting to the negative consequences of climate change and achieving the gradual transition to green economy that is based on the use of clean energy resources, such as green hydrogen.

I love exploring new cultures, new perspectives on life, and learning new musical styles on my violin. I feel honored beyond words to have performed with many great musicians around the world, connecting in love, creativity and understanding. I love the music and I am good friends with legendary bluegrass fiddler Mark O’Connor—he is a great inspiration to me. With my violin voice of love, I am planning concerts in iconic venues around the world. I’ve also fallen completely in love with Egypt, and I would love to take our pyramids show to different venues around Egypt, and other countries in the surrounding area.

Egypt and Qatar held, on Saturday, their first meeting of the Joint Military Committee in Cairo - press photoCAIRO – 18 March 2023: Egypt and Qatar held, on Saturday, their first meeting of the Joint Military Committee in Cairo after the relations between both countries resumed n January 5, 2021, following the signing of Al-Ula Declaration, which ended a four-year bitter estrangement against Qatar. The meeting was attended by Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Osama Askar and his Qatari counterpart Lieutenant General Salem bin Hamad bin Mohammed bin Aqeel Al Nabit, and his accompanying delegation, who is currently visiting Egypt. At the end of the meeting, both Chiefs signed the minutes of the committee in the presence of a number of commanders of the armed forces of both countries. In late February, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Mabouly visited Qatar where a number of agreements in various fields were signed to enhance bilateral cooperation. The visit is the culmination of recent intensive mutual discussions between the two countries, with the aim of strengthening joint bilateral cooperation at all levels, Rady added.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) revealed the top countries that bought weapons from Russia during the last five years, from 2018-2022, with Egypt in the top three. The report indicated that the main importers of Russian weapons in the past five years were India (31 percent), China (23 percent) and Egypt (9.3 percent). Russia reduced its exports to eight out of ten major buyer countries, according to the report, and since 2018 Russia has sold 37 percent less weapons to India, the largest buyer of Russian weapons. In total over the past five years, SIPRI estimates, Russia has sold weapons to 47 countries. The SIPRI experts expect that the number of buyers of Russian weapons and equipment, as well as the volume of sales, will decrease in the coming years, and the ranking of the three largest importers will also change.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping will visit Russia next week at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. “At the invitation of President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Russia from March 20 to 22,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement on the ministry’s website Friday. It will be Xi’s first visit to Russia since Putin invaded Ukraine last year. “An exchange of views is also planned in the context of deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation in the international arena,” the Kremlin added. Western officials have also raised concerns that China may be considering providing Russia with lethal military assistance, an accusation denied by Beijing.

Three of the top ten countries that imported weapons in the Middle East from 2018-2022 included Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt, CNN Arabic reported. The top five countries for arms importers included India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia and China, which accounted for 36 percent of the total global arms imports. The report included 167 countries classified as major arms importers between 2018 and 2022. Under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt has purchased weapons from both France and the United States, despite a temporary block on arms exports from the US. Egypt has also made weapons deals with Russia and Germany, part of an overall policy of diversifying the sources of military and security support.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt decided to open the catacombs of Dendera Temple in Qena Governorate, for visit, after the completion of many restorations. Entry fees of LE 100 for foreigners and LE 50 for Egyptian visitors and students will apply. The catacombs of the Dendera Temple is the place designated for celebrations in ancient Egyptian times and these golden statues of deities and ritual tools are what was used to facilitate certain religious rites. It was built for the worship of the goddess “Hathor”, the goddess of love, beauty and family for the ancient Egyptians. The ceilings of the temple are among the most prominent architectural masterpieces in the history of ancient Egypt.

The spokesman for the Egyptian Cabinet Nader Saad announced consensus among the government members to start the procedures for offering the “Wataniya” and “Safi” companies through the offering advisor on Wednesday as part of the IPOs program. In the details of the ministerial agreement, the offering advisor will soon communicate with the investors and make available the data of the two companies. The offering process aims to maximize the value of the two companies and attract investors from the local or foreign private sector. This comes after completing the preparation process for offering the two companies, which is supervised by the Sovereign Fund of Egypt. Saad also indicated that it was also agreed, through the committee concerned with following up the IPOs program, to offer four other major companies through international investment banks.

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CAIRO - 7 March 2023: The Board of Directors of Emaar Misr Development Company decided to establish a new company. Emaar Misr said in a filing to the stock exchange, Tuesday, that the new company will manage the facilities in the company's projects. Emaar Misr for Development recorded a net profit of LE 6.56 billion in 2022, compared to profits of LE 4.11 billion in 2021. The company's revenues increased during the past year to LE 14.73 billion, compared to LE LE 11.08 billion in 2021.

CAIRO – 7 March 2023: Two people died,16 others were injured in a train collision in Qalyub City, Qalyubia Governorate according to Egypt’s Ministry of health, Tuesday. Egypt’s public Prosecutor, Counselor Hamada El-Sawy, ordered forming an investigation team to determine the reasons of the collision and issuing a final report on the incident. The Ministry of Health announced dispatching up to 20 ambulances to the train accident location. The Egyptian National Railways announced in a statement that at exactly 19:20 pm, as train number 557/3027 passengers was entering Qalyub station, the driver passed the closed ‘semaphore’ and continued walking, which led to colliding at the end of the rail.