During the African investment promotion agencies (IPAs) Forum, the Egyptian Junior Business Association (EJB) announced its African Junior Business Initiative. EJB Chairman Gamal Abou Ali made the announcement, stating that the initiative aims to create partnerships between companies, especially emerging ones, and small and medium enterprises in the countries of the continent. Abou Ali said during the forum that SMEs, startups, and African youth are key to increased inter-African investments and prosperity. According to Abou Ali, the forum sessions showed that there are many promising investment opportunities in the African continent for Egyptian and African investors alike. Ammar also met representatives of the association with more than 20 African investment authorities, who all welcomed the association’s initiative.

The men’s football tournament at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will start on Thursday, one day before the opening ceremony, which is scheduled for Friday. Both Egyptian and Saudi Olympic teams will represent the Arabs in the men’s football competitions at the Olympic Games. The Pharaohs are in the third iron group, which also includes Spain, the first candidate for the title, Argentina, and Australia, while the Saudi team will compete in the fourth group, against teams of Brazil, Germany and Côte d’Ivoire. The schedule of matches for Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the Tokyo Olympics will be as follows:Thursday July 22Egypt/Spain: 10:30 am (Mecca time)Saudi Arabia/Côte d’Ivoire: 11:30 amSunday July 25Egypt/Argentina: 10:30 amSaudi Arabia/ Germany: 2:30 pmWednesday July 28Saudi Arabia/Brazil: 11 amEgypt/Australia: 2 pmThe Saudi and Egyptian teams will qualify for the knockout stage if they occupy one of the first or second places in their groups.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received a phone call Tuesday evening from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during which the two addressed British-Egyptian relations as well as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis. The two leaders discussed trade, investment cooperation, health and security, and efforts to combat terrorism, while also exchanging views on the latest developments in the GERD crisis, official spokesperson for the Presidency Bassam Rady said. The discussion comes after the UN Security Council held in early July a hearing on the negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, who have failed to reach an agreement for years. Sisi affirmed Egypt’s firm stance on maintaining its historical rights to the Nile waters and to preserve Egypt’s water security in the meantime and in the future. Johnson made clear his support for efforts to resume the negotiation process in order to reach a just solution to the issue.

The US dollar to Egyptian pound exchange rate on Monday recorded LE15.62 for purchase and LE15.72 for sale in the National Bank of Egypt and Bank Misr. The dollar recorded LE15.64 for purchase and LE15.74 for sale in Commercial International Bank (CIB). And the dollar recorded LE15.64 for purchase and LE15.73 for sale in the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE). Egypt devalued its currency by 48 percent in 2016, allowing it to float freely in order to meet a key demand by the International Monetary Fund to secure a three-year US$12 billion loan.

An underwater excavation carried out by an Egyptian-French mission operating the sunken city of Heracleion in Abu Qir, led by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM), has revealed further lost treasures in the form of a military vessel and an ancient Greek funerary complex. The vessel was a sort of rowing ship with a large sail, evidenced from a mast base of considerable dimensions. Some typical Ancient Egyptian shipbuilding features, together with the evidence for wood reuse, indicate that the ship was built in Egypt. Those were destroyed simultaneously with the loss of the temple, and their remains were found mixed with those of the Egyptian temple in pristine preservation. The ancient city of Thônis-Heracleion was for centuries the largest port of Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea before the foundation of Alexandria by Alexander the Great in 331BC.

Ireland on Monday has removed Egypt from its red list of travelers to Ireland, which includes countries from which arrivals are subject to a mandatory quarantine in an Irish hotel for 12 days. The Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated said that based on the decision, a compulsory hotel quarantine is not imposed on those coming from Egypt to Ireland. This decision came following the Egyptian ambassador to Ireland Khaled Tharwat’s efforts by communicating with the relevant Irish authorities to explain the measures taken by the Egyptian government to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision is expected to help the greater return of travel and tourism between the two countries, and achieve bilateral cooperation in many diverse fields, especially in economy and investment.

Minister of Social Solidarity and Vice-President of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society Nevine al-Kabbaj on Tuesday announced the launch of a fourth urgent relief aid to Palestine, as a continuation of Egyptian efforts to provide Palestine with medical supplies and other aid. The Palestinian Red Crescent received relief support aid from the Egyptian Red Crescent in order to fill the shortage of supplies for people in need. Over 160 tons of aid was transported through a fleet of more than 20 heavy transport vehicles from Ismailia, accompanied by a delegation from the Relief Administration and volunteers from the Egyptian Red Crescent. The Executive Director of the Egyptian Red Crescent Society Ramy al-Nazer confirmed that al-Kabbaj continued to follow the implementation, loading and shipping process, which took more than 48 hours for preparation. Around 500 volunteers from the Egyptian Red Crescent participated in the mission.

The head of the Egyptian delegation participating in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Hesham Hatab on Monday picked Egyptian athletes Hedaya Malak, the Taekwondo champion who won bronze at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro last year and Alaa Abu al-Qasim, a weapon champion who won silver at the London Olympic Games in 2016, to carry the Egyptian flag at the opening of the Olympic Games. This choice is one packed with meaning, Hatab said, such as , motivating all players to perform their best and strive for achievements such as one day carrying their country’s flag and walking at the forefront of the Egyptian mission. Carrying the flag in the Olympic Games is a great responsibility, he said, and it was necessary to confirm that the Egyptian mission includes champions who have toured in the Olympic Games and became worthy to lead the rest of the players towards victory in Tokyo.

Egypt’s Health Ministry on Monday confirmed 59 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s total number of confirmed cases up to 283,762. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths has now reached 16,452 nationwide, after the ministry announced six deaths. And 654 patients were discharged from quarantine at isolation hospitals, raising Egypt’s total number of fully-recovered cases to 224,299. Madbouly announced at the beginning of June that 2.5 million citizens have received a vaccine against COVID-19, out of Egypt’s population of 102 million. Egypt’s Prime Minister added that Egypt has also produced one million doses of coronavirus vaccines thus far.

The African Finance Corporation (AFC) seeks to cement its presence in the country’s major development projects. Infrastructure investment is a silver bullet for industrial development in Africa, which is one of the key elements to economic prosperity, trade facilitation, and job creation for youth. In which of Egypt’s major infrastructure projects are the AFC aiming to invest in the near future? That’s why the AFC is leaping at the opportunity to bolster Egypt’s renewable energy plan with its experience and expertise. More importantly, the renewable energy projects will not produce carbon dioxide emissions, creating a pollution-free environment.

Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport on Monday received its first direct Russian flight from Moscow after more than six years since the crash of a Russian plane in 2015. Sources at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport revealed that the Russian flight was carrying about 522 Russian tourists, and the flight was sprayed as an international custom when a flight arrives at airports for the first time. The tourists were received by Governor of South Sinai General Khaled Fouda, and Russian Ambassador to Egypt Georgiy Borisenko. Over the past few years, Egypt has dramatically improved its system of checks for passengers and luggage, and tremendously improved its airport infrastructure. On July 8, Putin struck down the order signed in 2015 which banned flights to Egypt’s resorts operated by Russian airlines.

CAIRO – 19 July 2021: Egypt’s Ministry of Interior began its security preparations to secure the celebrations and maintain a safe atmosphere for citizens during the days of Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice). Police forces were deployed in the streets to secure all parts of the country, especially in the main streets and axes. The Ministry of Interior emphasized the continuation of efforts to provide a safe environment, in which citizens enjoy the atmosphere of the blessed Eid al-Adha, filled with security, safety, prosperity and stability. Egypt announced that the national holidays of Eid Al-Adha and the 23rd of July Revolution will span eight days rather than six days to start on July 17 to 24. Egypt announced that the national holidays of Eid Al-Adha and the 23rd of July Revolution will span eight days rather than six days to start on July 17 to 24.

Egyptian Minister of Endowments Mohammad Mokhtar Gomaa on Sunday announced the Eid al-Adha prayer restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. Gomaa said that Eid al-Adha prayer will be held in mosques for Friday prayer, and all attending must wear a face mask. Seven minutes have been allocated for takbeers, and sermons have been limited to 10 minutes. Gomaa added, “fasting on Day of Arafa expiates [the sins] for the past and the coming year, according to the hadith of the Prophet [Mohammed].”He continued: “We need to meet our morals, master our work, preserve our country, and undertake a lot of remembrance and rejoicing,” noting that “good deeds are dearer to Allah in these days.”Gomaa hoped that the pilgrimage would return to normal within the coming year after the pandemic, stating that Saudi Arabia’s limits on pilgrimage numbers this year hope to maintain anti-COVID precautionary measures. Gomaa praised Egypt’s “Decent Life” initiative, calling it “a legitimate and patriotic act.”Gomaa called on the Egyptian people to participate in the initiative, saying, “the rich today may be the poor of tomorrow, and the poor today may be the rich of tomorrow.”He stressed that “it is permissible to allocate zakat [charity] and al-Sadaqa [alms] funds for the benefit of the ititiative, as the project targets the people of first care and low-income people.”

CAIRO - 19 July 2021: Egypt's Health Ministry announced Sunday that 67 new coronavirus cases were detected, upping the total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country to 283,703. In a statement, Spokesman for the Health Ministry Dr Khaled Megahed said seven patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 16,446. As many as 432 patients were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving necessary medical care, taking the number of recovered cases to 223,645 so far, the spokesman said. Egypt successfully is past a third wave of the pandemic, reporting daily coronavirus counts that are less than 100 for the first time since October last year. Egypt has produced a million Sinovac vaccine doses locally and has imported millions of jabs to vaccinate 40 percent of its 100 million population by the end of the year, a step that the World Health Organization has hailed.

Egypt’s Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed 67 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s total up to 283,703. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths has now reached 16,446 nationwide, after the ministry announced seven deaths. And 432 patients were discharged from quarantine at isolation hospitals, raising Egypt’s total number of fully-recovered cases to 223,645. Egypt is currently using China’s Sinopharm vaccine and the UK’s AstraOxford vaccine. The Egyptian government announced at the beginning of June that 2.5 million citizens have received a vaccine against COVID-19, out of Egypt’s population of 102 million.