Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated on Monday the second edition of Egypt Defense Expo – EDEX 2021. “The attendance is huge and reflects our ability to organize, as well as the size and strength of the participating companies,” Sisi said. The exhibition kicked off on Monday and continues until December 2 at the “Egypt International Exhibition Center” in New Cairo. This exhibition comes to open new horizons of cooperation between Egypt and various countries of the world in the field of military industries, he said, as EDEX has become an effective international umbrella to review the latest systems of military, defense and technological industries globally. The Minister of State for Military Production, Mohamed Ahmed Morsi, explained that more than 40 defense ministers or military production and military commanders from around the world are participating in EDEX 2021, explaining that there is an entire system behind the organization of the largest exhibition in the Middle East.

Meeting of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli and UN Executive Director Sima Bahous in Cairo, Egypt on November 29, 2021. Press PhotoCAIRO – 29 November 2021: In his meeting with UN Executive Director Sima Bahous Sunday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli stated that Egypt will launch in December the "Egyptian Family Development Initiative." Madbouli elaborated that the initiative is targeted at rural and urban women to expand their participation in the labor market and improve their empowerment. The meeting was also attended by Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala al-Said highlighted ongoing work aimed at creating one million jobs for women through small enterprises, and training opportunities. That is in addition to increasing the number of nurseries and day care centers to reinforce women participation in the labor market.

Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population on Sunday reported 951 new coronavirus cases, 42 deaths, and 733 recoveries. A total of 356,718 cases have been reported in Egypt, with 20,347 deaths and 296,167 recoveries. The Health Ministry has stated that official figures likely only represent 10 percent of actual cases. The government announced last week that all university students will be required to be vaccinated in order to attend exams at the end of the current academic year’s first semester. Egypt’s vaccination campaign began in January with priority groups and later expanded to university students.

CAIRO - 28 November 2021: The Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) Sunday unveiled a comprehensive strategy to improve the investment climate in Egypt. A report by the IDSC said that many investment opportunities are up for grabs by foreign investors, who will also benefit from incentives offered by Egypt. The report pointed that the net value of foreign investments in Egypt made up 1.3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product in 2020-2021. Foreign direct investments (FDIs) amounted to some $5.2 billion, according to statistics of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE). The IDSC report also touched upon positive expectations by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which expected further improvement in terms of FDIs to be pumped into Egypt in the coming years.

The House of Representatives approved during Sunday’s plenary session the Presidential Decree No. 558 of 2021 to amend some categories of customs tariffs, including introducing a 10 percent tax on mobile phone devices after they were exempt from the tax, as well as five percent on photovoltaic cells. The Chairman of the Planning and Budget Committee Fakhri al-Feki presented the committee’s report on customs tariff amendments. Accordingly, the Technical Secretariat of the Supreme Council for the Customs Tariff completed studying the proposals of these companies with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, where it was agreed on the following:– Imposing a customs tax of 10 percent on Egypt’s imports of mobile phones. – Imposing a customs tax of five percent on imports of photovoltaic cells, even if they are assembled in the form of units or prepared in the form of panels.

CAIRO – 28 November 2021: Egypt was elected vice-chair of ANIMA Investment Network, specialized in promoting the economies of the Mediterranean countries, for the period 2022/2024. Egypt is being represented by the General Authority for Free Zones and Investments (GAFI) at the entity comprising 76 members benefiting from programs funded by the European Union (EU) among other international organizations since 2006. GAFI Chairman Mohamed Abdel Wahab commented on the win saying that Egypt has been vying for reinforcing its presence on the international and regional scales in order to facilitate exchange of experience over investment promotion.

CAIRO – 28 November 2021: Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shokry headed to Spain's Barcelona on Sunday to take part in the 6th Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfC) scheduled for Monday. The minister will also attend the third European Union-Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting taking place later on the same day. In the former, "Minister Shokry will stress the significance of the 'Union for the Mediterranean' as an institutional framework for regional cooperation…in various fields, mainly environment and climate change, economic and social development, digital transformation, and technical experience exchange," the ministry's press statement indicates. As for the EU meeting, the minister of foreign affairs will present Egypt's priorities in cooperating with the European side in different fields. He will also assert the importance of increasing European investments in Egypt and southern neighboring countries as well as boosting the penetration of those countries' exports into European markets, which reinforces developmental efforts.

Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population on Saturday reported 931 new coronavirus cases, 68 deaths, and 531 recoveries. A total of 355,767 cases have been reported in Egypt, with 20,305 deaths and 295,434 recoveries. The Health Ministry has stated that official figures likely only represent 10 percent of actual cases. The government announced last week that all university students will be required to be vaccinated in order to attend exams at the end of the current academic year’s first semester. Egypt’s vaccination campaign began in January with priority groups and later expanded to university students.

This amount constitutes 23 percent of the bank's total loan portfolio, Kamel told MENA on Saturday. He added that out of the $2.7 billion worth of direct financing the bank has approved for Egyptian companies this year, $1.6 billion has been disbursed, while the rest is expected to be disbursed within the next few days. In addition to these direct funds, the bank has also offered indirect funding to Egyptian companies to embark on many projects in African nations, taking total funds to $5-6 billion during 2021, Kamel said. He further noted Egypt had signed $4.8 billion worth of agreements during the first four days of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF), hosted by South Africa from November 15 to 21.

CAIRO – 28 November 2021: The Ministry of Health and Population announced Sunday the reception of 3.89 million doses of Pfizer vaccine through Covax and Gavi. Cairo International Airport received on Wednesday 3,688,500 doses of the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, Acting Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said. The shipment, delivered through COVAX and in cooperation with the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), comprises 2,388,500 AstraZeneca shots and 1.3 million Johnson & Johnson shots provided by the United States, Abdel Ghaffar noted. The country has received all types of vaccines worldwide, the latest of which was Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. A total of 4.1 million Egyptian citizens are eligible for a third booster coronavirus vaccine shot six months or more after taking the second vaccine dose, Saad said.

The World Bank representative in Egypt and Senior Health Specialist Amr el-Shalakani said that the health sector receives the most support from the World Bank, pointing out that the World Bank participated in drafting the idea of the comprehensive health insurance law; passing through its preparation of the law, and then starting its implementation in Port Said. Shalakani’s remarks came during his speech to the second annual forum of the Health Care Authority, on Saturday in Ismailia, on the occasion of the two-year anniversary of the launch of the system. He added that the comprehensive health insurance system in Egypt is the first health insurance in line with environmental standards, as all hospitals operate in an environmentally friendly manner, and this is an important matter for the World Bank; noting that the system in general is a great achievement to be proud of and the World Bank will continue to support this new system. Shalakani said that he did not see a similar experience in the world of universal health coverage, which received all the support that the new system of universal health insurance enjoys, whether it was political, financial, parliamentary or even popular political support. He stressed the keenness of the leaders of the World Bank, that Egypt should remain a priority in its programs, especially the health sector.

The Chairman of Al-Ahly’s board of directors Mahmoud al-Khatib won a second term in office after securing the majority of votes in the elections held on Friday. Khatib won the president’s seat in the club’s elections for a second term for the next 4 years. Khatib received a total of 19,362 votes, while his rival Khaled Soliman received only 2,320 votes, in addition to 445 invalid votes. Mortagy received 14,201 votes, while Darandaly received 7,482 votes, and 585 invalid votes. Khatib led Ahly’s board of directors for four years, starting from December 2017 until the end of the current term in 2021.

CAIRO – 27 November 2021: Flag carrier EgyptAir announced suspending flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, after the World Health Organization classed the new coronavirus variant that emerged in southern Africa as “of concern”. EgyptAir’s suspension of flights to South Africa came in light of a decision by Egypt’s Supreme Committee for the Management of the Coronavirus Crisis chaired by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli. Those countries are South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, and Eswatini. Dozens of cases that contracted the new variant were found in South Africa, Bostwana, Hong Kong and Belgium. Egypt’s measures against OmicronA set of measures has been approved in light of reports related to the new coronavirus variant, the health ministry has revealed.

Among this crew is Ahmad Al Morsy, who is the DOP and director of the whole epic event. Throughout his career, Al Morsy won 22 national and international awards for his work. Moreover, his film Aswar Al Amar (Walls of the Moon) is the second film in the world to be shot using an ARRI D21 camera in 2009, where Al Morsy mixed between using digital cameras and 35 mm films. Furthermore, Al Morsy was the DOP behind Vodafone’s commercial for Ramadan 2021 ‘Together we can’, marking artist Sharihan’s comeback to the screen after a 27-year hiatus. Through using uncommon visuals, Al Morsy could convey the pain the great artist went through in her life.

CAIRO - 27 November 2021: The National Committee to Eradicate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), co-chaired by the National Council for Women (NCW) and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM), launched a door-knocking campaign in ten governorates covered by the Decent Life presidential initiative. The campaign was launched in Gharbia, Damietta, Kafr el Sheikh, Alexandria, Qalyubia, Menoufia, Giza, Behira, Ismailia and the New Valley. The three-day campaign is aimed at raising awareness about the FGM elimination issue in a way that creates community’s rejection for such outdated practices, said Isis Mahmoud, the director-general of the NCW’s department of planning programs and awareness campaigns. It also aims to inform people about the health and mental risks posed by this crime, she added. This campaign comes in conjunction with the Global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence which focuses on raising awareness about violence against women, she said.