CAIRO – 27 October 2022: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will travel to Algiers on Friday to take part in meetings of the Arab League (AL) council ahead of the upcoming Arab summit. The ministerial meetings come as part of preparations for holding the 31st Arab League summit on November 1-2 in Algeria, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said Thursday. Shoukry is scheduled to take part in the Arab foreign ministers’ meetings, to be held on October 29-30. The meetings are expected to review the summit agenda and decisions to be introduced during the summit activities. Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit arrived on Thursday in Algeria, ahead of the Summit.

ÕThe Egyptian Economic Conference 2022 – which was attended by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi – announced on Tuesday 25/10/2022 reaching several key recommendations and proposals which were reached in light of opinions of participating experts and specialists. The conference’s recommendations called for promoting the role of the non-banking financial sector and activating a program for expanding the ownership base of state-owned companies through the stock market. The ministry was also asked to continue preparing a legislation for facilitating measures for establishing financial companies with the aim to invest in emerging firms. Within the framework of promoting the private sector’s participation, the recommendations included governance of state-owned assets. Also they urged for launching an investment promotion campaign and expanding logistic and economic zones, especially in Upper Egypt.

The ambassador added that there is a gap of finance as the African countries receive only 2 percent of the international investments in renewable energy while 600 million Africans no access to electricity. “If we looked at the climate finance pledges, they are minimal comparing to what was mobilized for COVID-19. The Challenge is not for providing or mobilizing or making available climate finance, sometimes the challenge is the political will and commitments to go beyond the cop to deliver on the ground what has been accomplished for the COPs,” he continued. As for the participation of UK King Charles III, Ambassador Nasr said that Egypt is still inviting him to attend the conference as the king is known with his advocacy for climate change. The ambassador invited new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to the conference, hoping that the UK doesn’t make “backsliding” on its financial pledges despite its economic crisis.

Germany provides the World Food Programme in Egypt, within the framework of “One World Free of Hunger” initiative, an additional €20m, bringing the volume of its contribution to the programme to a total amount of €110m, thus Germany becomes the largest contributor to the World Food Programme in Egypt at the bilateral level . Allocating this amount aims to provide food security for the most vulnerable segments of population and enhance their ability to resist the current crises, according to a press release on Tuesday. German ambassador to Egypt Frank Hartmann stated: “We are all witnessing not only the effects of climate change, but also the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. This is where short-term food aid and sustainable food security improvement programmes come in. The German contribution to the World Food Programme in Egypt consists of several different components, the German multi-year strategy towards some countries focuses on strengthening national capacities to address the causes of food insecurity and at the same time meet humanitarian needs.

The Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek el-Mulla, held talks, on Tuesday, with the Qatari Minister of Energy, Saad bin Sherida Al-Kaabi. This was also with his accompanying delegation, on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Forum of Natural Gas Exporting Countries, whose activities are being held in Cairo. The two sides discussed joint cooperation projects and Egyptian-Qatari investments in the field of oil and gas. The meeting reviewed the current situation of the projects in which the Qatari side participates in Egypt, whether in the field of gas and oil exploration and exploration in the Red and Mediterranean seas, or in the field of oil refining. The meeting also witnessed a discussion of coordination and cooperation between the two countries within the framework of the Natural Gas Exporting Countries Forum.

CAIRO - 25 October 2022: The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population confirmed the keenness of the political leadership to pay attention to the family planning issue, through specific strategies and standards. Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Population, said, “We aim to contribute to solving the problem of the high rates of caesarean sections, and to qualify midwives to follow up with pregnant women until they reach a safe delivery through doctors.”'We aim to provide the necessary medical devices and means of family planning and distribute them equitably to the places of service provision," he added. He went on explaining that the ministry is working to expand the number of rural women pioneers, who raise awareness among beneficiaries of reproductive health, and encourage women to give birth naturally for the positive impact of this type of delivery on the health of the mother and fetus. These awareness campaigns contribute in reducing caesarean section rates, and expanding the service of mobile clinics concerned with providing family medicine services. The ministry's campaign adopted door-to-door concept across governorates, to reach beneficiaries in all remote regions and places, and ensure their access to medical services, which contributes to achieving sustainable development goals in accordance with Egypt’s Vision 2030.

According to the country's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, several environment-related activities will be organised as a result of the new plan, including the aforementioned tourism programmes dedicated to the event’s participants. The Minister’s goal is to link economy to climate targets, as environmental emergencies need to be addressed from all directions. The tourism programmes will be hosted by Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor, Aswan and many more. Issa also mentioned that Egypt offers a wide range of tourism and archaeological attractions, such as spectacular scenery, warm weather, astonishing beaches, as well as a multitude of rich and prestigious cultural heritage sites. Egypt is the ideal destination for recreational, cultural, family and adventure tourism, offering a wide diversity of tourism products to the country’s international guests.

Source: today.rtl.luGermany: Wholesaler Metro sees double-digit growth in sales in fourth quarterWholesale giant Metro AG has reported a 11.8% increase in sales in the fourth quarter of its financial year, or 12.1% growth in euro-denominated terms. The group said that growth was driven by all segments of its business, including store-based, delivery and Metro markets, and that sales growth for the period was 'in line with expectations'. Retail sales amounted to SEK14bln (€1.3bln), up 15.5% year-on-year, while operating profit amounted to SEK975mln (€88.4mln). Source: stuff.co.nzDeliveroo expects lower sales growth amid ‘ongoing economic uncertainty’Deliveroo has reduced its full-year sales expectations and is “adapting financially” amid “ongoing economic uncertainty”. Sales growth also rose by 11% in this market to £944mln as Deliveroo’s orders grew by 5% to 37.7mln.

Egypt - The banking sector always supports community and development initiatives launched by the state, says Lamise Negm, Advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and Head of sustainability committee at the Federation of Egyptian Banks. During the meeting, Negm presented the efforts of the banking sector and its societal and development initiatives to support the neediest groups and achieve Egypt’s Vision 2030. Negm expected an increase in banks’ CSR contributions in the coming months, given the banking sector’s role in supporting the initiatives related to the upcoming climate summit “COP27” next November. The initiative aims to develop a map at the governorate level for green projects, link them to funding agencies, and attract the necessary investments. It also focuses on projects that achieve environmental sustainability standards that enhance energy and resource efficiency, biodiversity, and ecosystem services that help adapt to climate changes.

CAIRO - 23 October 2022: Egyptian economic expert Mohamed El Eryan said Sunday that most of concentration in the economic conference currently in sessions in Cairo will focus on the future economic outlook, chances and Egypt's huge potentials. In a recorded message to the economic gathering, Eryan said world countries are facing major challenges topped by economic problems pointing out that such challenges come from advanced countries. He said instability in advanced countries complicates conditions in developing countries. Eryan warned that the worst has not come yet as the slow growth in world economies causes high inflation and that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis would worsen the situation worldwide.

Prime Minister Moustafa Madouly asserted that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has continuously been directing the government to support the industrial sector and its development as well as working on upping exports’ volume through extending incentives and facilities to Egyptian exporters. This came during Madbouli’s meeting late Monday with Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali al-Mosehli, Minister of International Cooperation Rania al-Mashat, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala al-Saeed, Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait, Minister of Agriculture al-Sayyed al-Quseir, Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir and Minister of Public Enterprises Sector Mahmoud Essmat. Madbouli cited the development of El Nasr Export and Import Company, which now called “Gosoor”, saying the government is working to maximize the benefit from the agreements signed by Egypt. “Through this meeting, we aim to explore your vision in promoting the industrial sector and increasing exports, as we will complete this matter during the economic conference, set to be held this month, to come up with a roadmap and an integrated implementation plan and reach clear recommendations in this regard, the premier added. For his part, the chairman of the Agricultural Export Council said that the previous season witnessed an increase in the value of agricultural exports that reached nearly dlrs 300 million.

CAIRO – 23 October 2022: The archaeological area in Abu Simbel witnessed the start of operation of a number of environmentally friendly electric cars to transport Egyptian visitors and tourists inside the archaeological area. Tourist flocked to the Abu Simbel Temples to enjoy the Solar Alignment Phenomenon - Min. of Tourism & AntiquitiesTourist flocked to the Abu Simbel Temples to enjoy the Solar Alignment Phenomenon - Min. of Tourism & AntiquitiesTourist flocked to the Abu Simbel Temples to enjoy the Solar Alignment Phenomenon - Min. of Tourism & AntiquitiesThe newly operated electric vehicles - Min.

CAIRO – 23 October 2022: Ancient Egyptians believed that everyone regardless of their social status needed protection in the afterlife, even a king. Tutankhamun's Guardian Statue - photo via Min. of Tourism & AntiquitiesThis is one of two life-size guardian statues placed at the entrance of Tutankhamun’s Burial Chamber. The statue depicts Tutankhamun striding, holding a scepter in his right hand and a stick of papyrus in his left hand. Although the statue is made of wood, the skin was painted black indicating the color of the Egyptian soil soaked by the Nile floodwaters, symbolizing fertility, with spectacular details in gold.

The Petroleum Products Automatic Pricing Committee on Saturday chose to keep the selling price of petroleum products in the local market unchanged for the upcoming three months. The current prices are:LE 8.00 per liter for Octane 80LE 9.25 for Octane 92LE 10.75 per liter of Octane 95LE 7.25 per liter for dieselThe selling price of a ton of diesel for non-electricity and bakery uses is LE 5,000 per ton. The committee’s recent decision is based on its commitment to a cabinet decision in July 2019 to apply the automatic pricing mechanism to some petroleum products, as is the case in many other countries. The mechanism aims to adjust the selling prices of some petroleum products in the local market every quarter, according to the development that occurs for the most important determinants regarding the cost of petroleum products in the local market. Two major determinants are the international price of a barrel of Brent crude, and the change in the price of the dollar against the Egyptian pound – in addition to other fixed costs and burdens.

Deputy Communication Minister Ghada Labib asserted that the Ministry was seeking to create a model of digital work inside the governmental institutions in Matrouh governorate as part of the state’s policy to opt for digital transition. In statements, Labib said the plan of institutional digital transition embraced by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in Matroh aimed at staging the scene for digital transition projects and its sustainability along with honing the digital skills of the employees at the state’s administrative devices. In this regard, Labib said the Ministry launched a number of programs and projects to achieve an interactive digital society through building the capabilities of the employees through the experts of digital transition experts and non-experts. The training program was held during the period from August 22 till October 17. Meanwhile, Matrouh Governor praised the efforts of the Communication Ministry and its effective role in accelerating the coping up with the latest technological innovations in all fields especially the digital transition and institutional development along with honing the human skills through a package of training programs.