CAIRO - 21 May 2021: Egyptian business tycoon Ahmed Bahjat, the owner of Dreamland Group and Dream Channels, passed away on Friday at the age of 70, after a long struggle with illness. When he was in the United States, Bahgat invented and manufactured an electronic device that guides Muslims wherever they are to know Qibla (the direction towards Saudi Mecca) for performing prayers. After he returned to Egypt, he established several factories of electronic goods to be available to Egyptians at affordable prices. Ahmed Bahgat established the first residential community in the 6th of October City, then established the largest amusement park in the Middle East (Dream Park), and the first private satellite channel in Egypt (Dream channels).

The ministry asserted the importance of continuing international efforts to solve the Palestinian issue as per the two-state solution and to establish comprehensive peace in the Middle East region. At this stage, international and regional efforts should focus on creating appropriate circumstances that would help resume direct political negotiations. "Pakistan welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire," Geo News quoted Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi as saying in a tweet Friday. As the EU has consistently reiterated, the situation in the Gaza Strip has long been unsustainable. “The Government of Japan strongly hopes that this agreement will lead to a lasting ceasefire in Gaza strip and long-term stability of the region including Gaza strip.

Cairo receives the first batch of raw materials required for Egypt to locally produce two million doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine - Health MinistryCAIRO – 21 May 2021: Cairo has received the first batch of raw materials required for Egypt to locally produce two million doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine, the health ministry said. The ministry said the country is expected to produce 40 million Sinovac doses in the first year, noting that Egypt is the first African country to produce coronavirus vaccine doses. The batch received in the Cairo International Airport also included 500,000 doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine. That’s why the country set plans to locally produce Sinovac and also the Russian Sputnik V through Egyptian companies. Also, Egypt plans to become a hub for exportation of coronavirus vaccine doses to African nations.

In a statement, Spokesman for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed said 61 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 14,559. As many as 677 patients were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving necessary medical care, taking the number of recovered cases to 184,373 so far, the spokesman said. On Wednesday, the Egyptian Cabinet announced extending coronavirus measures that has been applied throughout the past two weeks due to surge in cases and deaths until the end of May. Egypt has received millions of coronavirus vaccine doses, with the health minister affirming that millions more to come soon. So far, Egypt has vaccinated about 1.5 million citizens against coronavirus in vaccination centers nationwide.

CAIRO-21 May 2021: Zamalek head coach Patrice Carteron revealed that he is proud of his team following their 2-1 victory over El Gaish on Thursday night in the Egyptian Premier League. It was not our best game but all the players fought till the end to win the match." Zamalek came from 1-0 behind at half-time to win the game in the second half thanks to two goals from Seifeddine Jaziri and Osama Faisal. Tonight we saw great performance from Seifeddine Jaziri and Osama Faisal." Zamalek hope to maintain their amazing run in the league when they face El Masry on Monday in Alexandria.

However, football fans are worried from the performance of the referees in these games after the first leg matches witnessed several clear mistakes from the officials. In Cairo, Al Ahly defeated Mamelodi Sundowns 2-0 to earn a slight advantage ahead of the second leg in South Africa. Al Ahly fans believe that their teams had two clear penalties, which should be whistled but the referee denied them. Minutes before half-time, the referee denied another clear penalty when Sundowns goalkeeper kicked Sherif. Also in Algeria, where MC Alger hosted Wydad Casablanca, the game's referee denied a clear goal for the away team in the first half.

CAIRO-21 May 2021: Zamalek achieved a 2-1 win over El Gaish on Thursday night in the Egyptian Premier League, securing an important win in the dying minutes of the game. Zamalek's substitute Osama Faisal was the hero for Zamalek fans as he scored the winning goal in the first minute of the added time from a sensational header. The goal was disallowed but the referee needed to review the VAR, which confirmed that the goal was legal. In the dying minutes of the game, Osama Faisal scored the winning goal for Zamalek as he met Ahmed Sayed Zizo's fantastic cross to put the ball in the back of the net. This victory helped the White Knights extend their lead atop of the table with 51 points, 10 points ahead of Al Ahly, who still have four games in hand.

CAIRO – 20 May 2021: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi thanked Joe Biden, the US president, for his efforts to endorse the Egyptian ceasefire initiative in Palestine, which came into effect on 2 A.M. local time. Egypt has brokered a ceasefire agreement to end the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which have killed more than 200 Palestinians including women and children over the past 11 days. The ceasefire is mutual and unconditional and also requires Palestinian groups in Gaza, who have been firing rockets at Israel in response to the Israeli assaults, to abide by ceasefire. “I extend my sincere gratitude to president El-Sisi and the senior Egyptian officials who played such a critical role in this diplomacy”, Biden said. And I send my sincere condolences to all the families, Israeli and Palestinian who have lost loved ones and my hope for a full recovery for the wounded” Biden said.

CAIRO – 20 May 2021: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi affirmed to US President Joe Biden, during their first phone call on Thursday, the need for international efforts to contain the grave escalation in the Palestinian territories. Egypt has carried out diplomatic and political efforts to reach ceasefire in Palestine in cooperation with other partners. Sisi affirmed Egypt’s unwavering stance highlighting the need for a thorough and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian cause, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement. Biden voiced appreciation for Sisi’s tireless efforts along with other parties to achieve security and stability in the whole region, hailing these efforts as wise and balanced. Biden said the US administration relies on Egypt’s role in contributing to contain the current escalation and halt violence.

CAIRO-20 May 2021: Dejan Lovren, former Liverpool defender and current player of Russia's Zenit St Petersburg, believes that Liverpool Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah is totally focused with his team despite the rumours linking him with a move away from the Reds next summer. If he's focused he's focused there and he showed that with the goalscoring,” Lovren told Skysports. Salah has been sensational for Liverpool this season despite the fact that Liverpool struggled to show their usual performance this season. I wish him all the best, I hope he wins lots of trophies at Liverpool but football can be quite changeable so let's see." The Egyptian winger has a chance to boost his situation in the race when Liverpool host Crystal Palace on Sunday in the last week of the season.

On Thursday morning, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anani inspected the ongoing restoration work at the Mohammed Ali Mosque and clock tower at the Citadel of Saladin in Cairo. The restoration work also addressed the prayer house inside the mosque, which included cleaning, polishing, and re-installing the chandelier in the center of the prayer house. Director of the Technical Office of the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Atef al-Dabbah, said that the restoration work of the clock tower began in December 2020. The clock tower is a metal tower decorated with inscriptions and stained glass panels. The Mohammad Ali Mosque is located in the western corner of the southern part of the citadel, where it overlooks the city of Cairo.

The Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) predicted more hot weather across Egypt on Friday. The hottest areas will be South Sinai and Upper Egypt, with temperatures in Cairo and the Delta region being slightly cooler, and the north coast even cooler. Temperatures will cool across the country at night. EMA official Mahmoud Shaheen added that active winds will blow in Cairo, the Detla, South Sinai, and northern Upper Egypt. High temperatures for the following cities are:Cairo: 34CAlexandria: 27CQena: 40CSohag: 38CAswan: 41C

CAIRO – 20 May 2021: The Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE) and EFG Hermes Holding S.A.E (EFG Hermes) signed agreements to acquire 76 percent of the capital of Arab Investment Bank (AIB or the Bank). The National Investment Bank, which is currently the majority shareholder of the Bank, will hold the remaining 24% after purchasing stakes currently held by minority shareholders (prior to the execution of the capital increase). “Completing the AIB partnership transaction underscores TSFE’s pivotal role in unlocking and maximizing the value of state-owned assets. It will be better poised to comply with the Central Bank of Egypt’s regulatory requirements, drawing on the technical expertise available in TSFE and EFG Hermes, AIB’s new partners. Karim Awad, CEO of EFG Hermes, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with TSFE on one of their first investments.

CAIRO – 20 May 2021: A total of 645 prisoners were released on Thursday, as per a presidential pardon and parole issued earlier on the occasion of Eid El-Fitr (Breaking fast celebration), announced the Egyptian Ministry of Interior in a statement on Thursday. On May 7, 2021, the Ministry decided to grant an exceptional visit to all inmates in Egyptian prisons on the occasion of the Muslim’s holy feast of Eid Al-Fitr. Healthcare has also been developed in prisons with more medical beds and cells prepared for those with special needs. Many prisoners are granted a presidential pardon on occasion of Sinai Liberation this year. According to the constitution, the president has the right to issue pardons for convicted prisoners after consulting with the Cabinet.

CAIRO – 20 May 2021: Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a meeting Wednesday to follow up on the executive stance of the national project for the development of Egyptian villages that is part of the initiative “Haya Karima,” which is soon to be launched. This national project will be official launched soon by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, according to Madbouly. About Haya KarimaIn 2020, Haya Karima or “Decent Life” was announced as a non-profit organization to implement the objectives of the initiative. A study by the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies has revealed how the social initiative “Haya Karima” has changed the livelihoods in the Egyptian villages. The second phase of the Haya Karima initiative will target 4,670 villages in the coming two years.