MADRID: Zinedine Zidane said on Monday he had stepped down as Real Madrid coach as the club's hierarchy did not have enough faith in him to rebuild an ageing squad. Zidane, who returned to Real for a second spell in charge in March 2019, won two La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns during his two stints as coach. "I’m leaving because I feel the club no longer has the faith in me I need, nor the support to build something in the medium or long term." Zidane also suggested that his relationship with the club president had changed in recent weeks, and hit out at the series of leaks and stories about his future coming from within Real. "It hurt me and the whole team because these deliberately leaked messages to the media negatively influenced the squad, they created doubts and misunderstandings."

CAIRO – 31 May 2021: Egyptian police arrested Sunday a Brazilian tourist who verbally harassed a saleswoman while going live on Instagram. The tourist is a physician who is also a popular influencer in his homeland. While the saleswoman was presenting the different types of papyrus in a bazaar, the tourist seized the opportunity she does not understand Portuguese and kept saying sexual expressions. The page posted about what happened, and the post went viral triggering Egyptian police to take action, particularly in light of demands to arrest the tourist. The Brazilian man will be interrogated by the Public Prosecution, which will also listen to the testimony of the victim.

Egypt’s Health and Population Ministry on Friday confirmed 733 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s total up to 271,780. The total number of COVID-19-related deaths has now reached 15,547 nationwide, after the ministry announced 37 deaths. And 555 patients were discharged from quarantine at isolation hospitals, raising Egypt’s total number of fully-recovered cases to 199,840. Egypt is currently using China’s Sinopharm vaccine and the UK’s AstraOxford vaccine. The Ministry of Health announced that it will soon begin producing Russia’s Sputnik V and China’s Sinovac vaccines at Vacsera.

The Faisal Islamic Bank’s financing for micro enterprises recorded about EGP 17.046m in March 2021, compared to EGP 18.165m in 2020. The total portfolio of shares, profits, and speculations covered by Faisal Islamic Bank amounted to EGP 10.820bn at the end of March 2021, compared to EGP 10.020bn in 2020. The rate of the gross profit to revenue was about 49% in March 2021, compared to 44.3% in March 2020. Total revenues at Faisal Islamic Bank increased to record EGP 2.563bn in March 2021, compared to EGP 2.147bn in March 2020, reflecting a growth rate of 19.4%. Source dailynewsegypt.com The bank’s total equity was about EGP 14.588bn in March 2021, compared to EGP 14.387bn in 2020.

Five years after an exile from the France national team, Karim Benzema said he is looking to put the past behind him. In 2016, Benzema had also said that Deschamps had "bowed to the pressure of a racist part of France" when leaving him out of the Euro squad that year. There are always regrets, we cannot turn back, we can just change from the past," Benzema, who has 27 goals in 81 games for France, told reporters on Sunday. Benzema will team up with 22-year-old Kylian Mbappe, who led France to the World Cup title in 2018, and the striker praised his younger teammate. France, which finished runner-up in 2016, is in Group F along with title holder Portugal, Hungary, and Germany.

China will transfer its hosting of the remaining Asia group A soccer World Cup qualifying matches to Dubai due to COVID-19 controls, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said on Monday. China was set to host matches between Maldives, Syria, Guam, Philippines and China in Suzhou, where organisers had created a so-called sport bubble that would have allowed overseas players and officials into the eastern city without undergoing quarantine. However, the CFA said the city could no longer host the matches due to recent COVID-19 infections within the national soccer teams of Maldives and Syria. China is currently second in Group A and has three remaining games against Maldives, Philippines and Syria. In his debut match in charge of China's national team, former Everton player Li Tie led Team Dragon to a 7-0 win against Guam on Sunday.

CAIRO, 31 May 2021: Before the international break and the rest of the players, Zamalek tied with El Gouna 0-0, to waste two points in the league top race with Al-Ahly. Zamalek tied with their host El Gouna at "Khaled Beshara" stadium, in the 25th round of the Egyptian League matches. The draw brought Zamalek to 55 points at the top of the league standings from 25 games, and 14 points over Al-Ahly, who is second with 19 games. On the other hand, El Gouna's score rose to 31 points in 12th place. The international break include matches for the Egyptian national team.

ASUNCION (Reuters) -The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said on Sunday that Argentina would no longer host the Copa America, throwing the troubled tournament into doubt just 13 days before it was due to kick off. CONMEBOL did not disclose the nature of the circumstances that led to the decision but Argentina is currently experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases. "CONMEBOL is analysing offers from other countries that have shown interest in hosting the continental tournament," it said in a short statement. The last Copa America, held in Brazil in 2019, brought in $118 million and was the second biggest annual source of revenue after the Copa Libertadores, the equivalent of Europe's Champions League. This year each competing nation is to receive a minimum of $4 million, with the winner receiving an additional $10 million, CONMEBOL said.

ST GALLEN, Switzerland, May 30 (Reuters) - Switzerland rode their luck to beat the United States 2-1 in a friendly international on Sunday and make a winning start to their European Championship preparations. Substitute Steven Zuber claimed a 63rd-minute winner as the Swiss overcame a sloppy first-half showing, and profited from some poor American finishing, to keep up their unbeaten run this year. Sebastian Lietget had the visitors ahead after five minutes, expertly tucking home a shot from just inside the penalty area after Switzerland had failed to clear Giovanni Reyna’s cross. Lietget, Dest and Joshua Sargent all had first-half chances for the visitors, keeping the experienced Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer busy. Switzerland next meet tiny neighbours Liechtenstein in St Gallen on Thursday before they open their Euro 2020 campaign against Wales in Baku on June 12.

This figure should increase by 50 percent during the year of the plan, Saeid said, adding this is an unprecedented growth rate. Saeid expected that an increase in the investment rate to 17.6 percent would lead to a rise in economic growth to 5.4 percent. Saeid was speaking during a Senate session earlier Sunday and she put the value of government investment during 2021-2022 at about 358.1 billion pounds (i.e. 25% of the overall investments expected during 2021-2022), Saeid told lawmakers. The 2021-2022 plan pays big attention to the environment and sustainable development sector, giving bigger focus on the green economy and initiatives to improve the environment, the planning minister noted.

The equally weighted index EGX 50 hiked 1.54 percent, or 33.36 points, to end at 2,195.77 points. The small and mid-cap index EGX 70 rose 1.85 percent, or 41.24 points, to close at 2,266.83 points, and the broader index EGX 100 jumped 1.57 percent, or 49.59 points, to close at 3,199.72 points. Market capitalization gained around LE 3.47 billion, recording LE 655.94 billion, compared to LE 652.47 billion in Thursday’s session. Egyptian, Arab, and foreign individuals were net buyers at LE 69.66 million, LE 10.66 million and LE 804,716, respectively. Egyptian, Arab and foreign organizations sold at LE 45.03 million, LE 5.17 million, and LE 30.92 million, respectively.

An employee shows the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at Northwell Health's Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital in New York, U.S., December 21, 2020. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File PhotoCAIRO - 30 May 2020: The Health Ministry said Saturday night that 1,119 new coronavirus cases were detected, upping the total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak in the country began to 260,659. In a statement, Spokesman for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed said 51 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 15,009. This fungal infection appears to have different types as reported in India: Black Fungus, Yellow Fungus, and White Fungus, with yellow reported as the most fatal one. The Ministry of Health has not officially reported any cases with Black Fungus; however, a 62-year old lady in Fayoum, who recently recovered from COVID-19, was diagnosed with the fungal infection.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam al-Sadiq met with Senegalese President Macky Sall in Senegal’s capital of Dakar to discuss the current situation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue and Sudan’s position on it. Sall added that he would raise this matter at the meeting of the African Union bureau, and he would communicate with the President of the African Union to reach a solution satisfactory for all parties. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned against imposing a de facto situation in GERD crisis. Sisi further rejected unilateral measures that do not take into account the interests and rights of the two downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt. Egypt and Sudan say they want a legally binding agreement on filling and operating the GERD, while Ethiopia is trying to evade a binding agreement.

This came during the Annual Meeting of the Steering Committee of the UN Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF)- the strategic cooperation framework between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United Nations for 2018-2022, held between Minister of International Cooperation, Rania A. Al-Mashat, and Elena Panova, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt. The Steering Committee of the UN Partnership Development Framework focuses on four main pillars: Inclusive Economic Development, Social Justice, Environmental Sustainability and Natural Resources Management, and Women’s Empowerment. The Ministry of International Cooperation is the National Coordinator of the United Nations Partnership Development Framework (UNPDF) and co-chairs the UNPDF Steering Committee with the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Egypt. Egypt is one of the 50 founding Member States of the United Nations in 1945, and it has a long history of relations with the United Nations, its programs, agencies, and funds. The Office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations coordinates the work of United Nations organizations operating in Egypt and the Government of Egypt and its institutions in hopes of streamlining the efforts exerted in executing the joint development framework.

UMS chairman Hassan Abdullah (middle) and Sam Barnett (second from the left), executive director of MBC - Press photoCAIRO – 30 May 2021: Two memoranda of understanding were signed by Egypt’s United Media Services (UMS) and Saudi Arabia’s MBC on Sunday. The first MoU aims to develop outdoor advertising and updating its infrastructure, while the second tackles countering hacking, partnering in the production of major projects, and giving MBC copy rights of UMS’s works to distribute them outside of Egypt. On Saturday, UMS announced major overhaul and developments. Businessman Hassan Abdullah became the chair of the board, annual awards for drama were announced, a regional news channel would be established, and the company’s shares will be offered in the Egyptian Stock Exchange.