Shoukry made the remarks during his meeting on Monday with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. During the meeting, which was held during Shoukry's visit to Geneva, the two sides discussed the humanitarian situation in the war-torn Gaza Strip, as the result of the war waged by Israel, which left about 30,000 people killed, said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid. Shoukry, meanwhile, underlined the need for contacting the Western countries to defend human rights in order to compel Israel to respect the international law and put an end to the forced displacement practices outside the Gaza Strip and liquidate the Palestinian cause. For is part, the UN official lauded Egypt's crucial role in resolving the situation in Gaza Strip and dealing with the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave.

CAIRO - 26 February 2024: The Eighth Annual Summit of Capital Markets discussed on Monday the Ras El Hikma city development deal during its first session. The CEO of Al Ahly Financial Services, Ahmed Salem, described the Ras El Hikma city development deal as "very important," emphasizing that its significance extends beyond its financial value. "This deal marks the beginning of a new period for upcoming opportunities and investment inflow,” Salem added. The eighth annual summit of Capital Markets took place on Monday under the title "Structural Reforms - Sustaining Development." The summit is held under the auspices of the Ministries of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, to discuss the structural reforms conducted by the Egyptian state across all economic sectors with the aim of creating sustainable development.

CAIRO – 26 February 2024: The specialized closed session held by the National Dialogue to discuss high prices, high inflation rates, and loss of control over the markets, has kicked off Monday, as part of the Inflation and High Prices Committee, in the Economic National Dialogue sessions, at the headquarters of the National Training Academy. The first economic dialogue held Monday, comes with the participation of the government, experts and specialists to discuss urgent economic issues and reach quick and implementable solutions for the economic crises. The Board of Trustees of the National Dialogue has thanked Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, for the warm reception, and the government’s interest in the National Dialogue sessions’ results and recommendations, along with its constant directives to the ministers on the necessity of interacting with the National Dialogue sessions. PM Madbouly, met Sunday with members of the Board of Trustees of the National Dialogue, in the presence of Diaa Rashwan, General Coordinator of the National Dialogue, Ahmed Galal, General Rapporteur of the Economic Axis, Counselor Mahmoud Fawzi, Head of the Technical Secretariat of the National Dialogue, and members of the Council. Egypt's National Dialogue, an initiative aimed at advancing key political, economic, and social issues, enters its second phase today with closed sessions focused on finding swift and practical solutions to the nation's economic hurdles.

Monday 26 February 2024 05:00 PMPayTabs Egypt, MEASA’s award-winning payments powerhouse, announced Monday a strategic partnership with Souhoola, a popular BNPL platform in Egypt. This collaboration aims to offer a new BNPL payment method for PayTabs Egypt merchants, increasing the range of payment options offered online. By adding Souhoola’s BNPL solution to the multiple payment solutions available for customers on e-commerce merchant’s payment pages, PayTabs Egypt aims to meet the growing demand to deliver more convenient payment choices. Together with PayTabs Egypt, we look forward to contributing to a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience for all.”This partnership is the latest in a string of strategic collaborations forged by PayTabs Egypt with leading local and regional brands, such as Paymes and mnGm. Through these collaborations, PayTabs Egypt has delivered a smooth and trusted payment journey for merchants and customers across segments.

CAIRO – 26 February 2024: Egyptian Ambassador to Djibouti Khaled al-Shazly delivered earlier this week 1,400 tablets to the Ministry of Economy and Finance in order to carry out the third population census in the country, which will take place in 2024. The tablets are produced by the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI), and the initiative is implemented in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and the ESCWA. Ambassador Shazly highlighted that the census would contribute to accomplishing economic and social development in Djibouti. On his side, Minister Elias Moussa said that his country looked forward to further cooperation with Egypt.

The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has released the core set of financial inclusion indicators for 2023, showing a remarkable increase in the financial inclusion rates in Egypt. This means that the financial inclusion rate has risen to 70.7% in 2023, compared to 64.8% in 2022, and 25.8% in 2016. Egypt’s financial inclusion growth rate has been one of the best among peer countries in the past years. The financial inclusion rate of youth (aged 16 to 35), who make up 36.6 million citizens, reached 51.5%, with a growth rate of 48.5% from 2020 to 2023. Releasing the core set of financial inclusion indicators by the CBE is of great importance, as they help to track the progress of financial inclusion rates and enable the development of policies that support the economic empowerment of citizens.

Monday 26 February 2024 12:00 PMMODAD Group, formerly known as Mohammed El Haddad Group of Companies, is a leading real estate developer that has announced its new identity and strategic plans for 2024. The group aims to shape new horizons in the Egyptian real estate sector by offering innovative designs and exceptional experiences for its clients. As part of its overall strategy, the group provides an integrated business model for all engineering services and solutions for the real estate sector. Mohamed El Haddad, Chairperson and Group CEO of MODAD Group, said that the group has boosted its investments to EGP 7bn so far, and plans to expand and inject new investments through MODAD Properties for Real Estate Developments. MODAD Group offers a wide range of integrated services that support the Egyptian real estate market and engineering sector, based on its extensive experience and expertise in the field.

Ahmed Abu Zeid, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the media is crucial for crisis management and conflict resolution, in a speech he delivered on Sunday. Abu Zeid cited the crisis in the Gaza Strip, where 132 journalists were killed by indiscriminate and inhumane shelling, as the best evidence of the risks surrounding journalists and media workers in conflict zones. He said that the four-day training course focuses on the role of media in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and sometimes conflict prevention. Canada’s acting ambassador to Cairo, councilor Matt Friesen, said that the training course is an integral part of the efforts to achieve sustainable development and peace. The training course is attended by several diplomatic, media, academic, and expert editors from major media institutions.

Monday 26 February 2024 01:00 AMRasha Abdel Aal, the head of the Egyptian Tax Authority, has announced that the Tax Authority is working hard to follow the instructions of the Minister of Finance and resolve all tax disputes by June 2024. Abdel Aal spoke at a seminar with the Egyptian Businessmen’s Association and the Tax Authority today. The Tax Authority also emphasized its commitment to continuous and constructive communication with the tax community. The goal of digitizing the tax system is to achieve tax justice and increase revenue by expanding the tax base and including the informal economy in the official system. Sayed Saqr, the Deputy Head of the Egyptian Tax Authority, answered some questions about tax amendments and industry support.

File- Destructions caused by Israeli shelling on the Gaza Strip after the end of the 7-day truce- the photo by Photojournlist Hani El Shaer from GazaCAIRO – 25 February 2024: Cairo is making tremendous efforts to pressure the Israeli occupation government to implement a humanitarian ceasefire, said Mohammed Abu Samra, the head of the Palestinian Independence Movement, on Sunday. During an interview on the Al Hayat Al Youm talk show on Al Hayat channel, he highlighted that they currently possess the initial Paris draft and modifications in the second draft. Additionally, they are negotiating the release of prisoners in exchange for the release of Palestinians and a 45-day ceasefire. Representatives from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Israel who met in Paris have agreed on the “basic contour” of a prisoner swap deal, said Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor in a comment to CNN on Sunday. Following the meeting in Doha, the negotiators will proceed to hold discussions in Cairo, with expectations of Hamas delegation participation in both meetings.

Sunday 25 February 2024 10:00 AMAhmed El-Wakil and Rafat Hissar, the presidents of the Egyptian and African Chamber of Commerce and the Turkish Chamber of Commerce, respectively, have proposed a project to study the feasibility and benefits of Arab-Turkish-European integration. The project aims to link European and Turkish companies with their counterparts in Egypt, Tunisia, and Palestine, and foster trilateral cooperation in various sectors. The proposal was presented at the fifth meeting of Arab-Turkish chambers on Saturday, 24 February 2024. El-Wakil stressed the importance of this project, which is inspired by the EU Global Bridges initiative, as a way to enhance the economic and social development of the participating countries. He mentioned some examples of successful Egyptian companies, such as Orascom, Hassan Allam, Petrojet, Eni, Ezz Steel, and Arab Contractors.

Khaled El-Attar, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Administrative Development and Digital Transformation, said that the Ministry of Communications is working on regulating and developing a supportive environment for artificial intelligence while ensuring the protection of stakeholders and achieving governance. She said that IBM launched the IBM WatsonX platform last May, representing the company’s technological expertise to maximize the benefits of artificial intelligence. He said that it consists of three platforms: WatsonX.ai, WatsonX.data, and WatsonX.governance, all geared towards commercial use and empowering innovators in the field of artificial intelligence. He noted that the current challenge lies in developing artificial intelligence languages to minimize errors and achieve reliable applications. According to a study conducted by IBM with its clients, approximately 42% of the surveyed institutions effectively utilize artificial intelligence in their operations.

CAIRO – 25 February 2024: Egyptian Ambassador to Malabo Hadad al-Gohary met with President of Equatorial Guinea Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to follow up on bilateral cooperation. President Obiang commended the current collaboration in the medical sector as Egyptian doctors have begun flowing into the hospitals of Equatorial Guinea. The two sides also conferred over prospective agreements that would be signed by both countries in various sectors. The president valued the winning of Egyptian researchers in one of the categories of the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences in 2023 and 2024.

Egypt is poised to announce two additional large-scale projects, mirroring the recently unveiled $35bn Ras El-Hekma development deal with the UAE, sources close to the matter told Daily News Egypt. Details remain scarce, but they are expected to be similar in scope and ambition to the Ras El-Hekma project. The Ras El-Hekma development will be done through a private consortium led by Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company ADQ. The sources explained that the Ras El-Hekma Development Company has been established, and support work will commence within two months. The Egyptian government will retain a 35% stake in the Ras El-Hekma development.

Minister of Trade and Industry Ahmed Samir called on the business community in Arab and Turkish countries to use their strong political ties to boost economic cooperation in various sectors, such as joint manufacturing, integration of inputs, bilateral trade, transportation and logistics, agriculture and food production, and energy networks. Samir made these remarks at the opening session of the Fifth Joint Meeting of Arab and Turkish Chambers, hosted by the General Union of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce in Cairo under the theme “Together for Joint Manufacturing and Tripartite Cooperation.” The meeting aimed to discuss ways to promote development for the peoples of Arab and Turkish nations in this critical stage of the global economy. Samir praised the growth of economic relations between Egypt and Türkiye, despite the diplomatic estrangement that lasted for a decade. Samir urged the Arab and Turkish chambers of commerce to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the New Suez Canal Axis, the Golden License, and the state property policy. He noted that Türkiye is one of the world’s leading countries in contracting, and Arab countries have many giant companies in this field.