(Reuters) - Bayern Munich still have room for improvement and must up their game on Saturday at unbeaten league leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who have been playing close to their performance limit, said Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel on Friday. Champions Bayern, chasing a 12th consecutive league title, are in second place in the Bundesliga, two points behind Leverkusen, who are undefeated in all competitions this season for a 30-game unbeaten run. Bayern, who are on 50 points, 10 ahead of third-placed VfB Stuttgart, have lost twice in the league this season. Next week Bayern travel to Italy's Lazio for their Champions League round of 16 first leg. We have almost as many points but they are very close to their performance limit.

CAIRO – 9 February 2024: Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Qatar, and Jordan, besides Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hussein Al Sheikh, met in Riyadh to discuss the developments of the genocidal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. The meeting affirmed that putting an end to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip is a must, saying it is quite important to take irreversible steps to implement the two-state solution and recognize the State of Palestine on the lines of June 4, 1967, reported the Saudi News Agency (SPA). The Ministers stressed that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory, and expressed their categorical rejection of all forced displacement. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah called for an immediate and complete ceasefire, ensuring the protection of civilians under international humanitarian law, and lifting all restrictions that impede the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, SPA added. The Ministers voiced their support for The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and urged all its supporters to play their role in supporting humanitarian missions for Palestinian refugees.

File- Humanitarian aid reached the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in cooperation with the Red Crescent. CAIRO – 9 February 2024: Egypt rejects politicizing the file of humanitarian aid in the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and also rejects using of the humanitarian situation as a tool of war, said Egypt’s Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said in comments to Al Qahera News on Friday. He added that since the outbreak of the crisis in Gaza, Egypt has been conducting intensive contacts with all parties to exercise restraint, prevent escalation. The Presidential Spokesman continued that Egypt’s role was very clear in opening the Rafah border crossing around the clock. Fahmy’s comments came in response to US President Biden’s claims that Egypt refuses to open the Rafah border crossing.

Egypt Leading Gaza Humanitarian Efforts:The statement underlined Egypt’s unwavering commitment to providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Egypt’s Leadership in Humanitarian Response:The Presidency underscored Egypt’s leadership role in mobilizing and delivering aid, driven by a deep sense of humanitarian responsibility towards the Palestinian people. Ensuring 80% of aid reaching the Gaza Strip originates from Egypt, both through government and civil society initiatives. Call for Gaza Ceasefire, Two-State Solution:The statement reiterated Egypt’s unwavering commitment to achieving a swift ceasefire in Gaza to protect civilians facing immense hardships. It emphasized continued leadership in organizing and mobilizing humanitarian aid, urging all parties to collaborate and facilitate its delivery.

Biden specifically gave the green light for the first set of strikes in Iraq and Syria that was executed Friday in a Situation Room meeting with his top national security advisers on Monday. The US said the attack lasted 30 minutes, hitting 85 targets across seven locations in Iraq and Syria. More than 125 precision-guided munitions were fired, the White House said, adding that the strikes were “successful.”The US strikes killed at least 16 people in Iraq, including civilians, and injured 25 others, the Iraqi government said Friday. In 2016, the Iraqi parliament passed a bill recognizing the PMU as a government entity operating alongside the Iraqi military. The mayor of Al-Qaim, Turki Al-Mahalawi, said the strikes hit three houses used as weapon warehouses by the Iran-backed PMU.

Vote counting in Pakistan’s general election has been hit by unexpected delays after millions cast their ballot in an election in which old dynasties vied for power while the country’s widely popular former leader languishes behind bars. The chaos comes after Pakistani authorities suspended mobile internet services for more than 12 hours on the directives of the Interior Ministry. Voters cast their ballots at a polling station during the general election on February 8 in Bhasin. Military personnel and civil armed forces were deployed at “approximately 6,000 selected most sensitive polling stations,” according to the Pakistan Armed Forces. Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said Thursday it had decided to temporarily suspend mobile internet services nationwide as the elections were ongoing.

CNN — Anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin has been barred from standing in Russia’s presidential election next month, in a move that further clears the country’s political landscape of opponents to Vladimir Putin. The decision was made during a ruling on Thursday by the Central Election Committee (CEC) of Russia, the body tasked with registering and verifying potential candidates. According to the CEC, Nadezhdin only collected 95,587 legitimate signatures, 5,000 short of 100,000 benchmark. Boris Nadezhdin/TelegramThe Kremlin leader is running for a fifth term as Russia’s president in next month’s election. In his 24 years as the dominant figure in Russian politics, Putin has marginalized his political opponents and muzzled the country’s press.

The American Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs, stated in a new research memo, that it is currently not appropriate to implement any further devaluation of the Egyptian Pound against the US Dollar, especially given the insufficient foreign liquidity held by Egyptian banks. The bank pointed out the resilience of the Egyptian Pound against the Dollar in the parallel market in recent days, reinforcing market participants' expectations of an imminent official devaluation of the Pound. First, the demand for foreign currencies should be proportionate to the expected incoming flows, regardless of the chosen foreign exchange rate in the medium term. However, the bank still believes that the demand for foreign currencies is high and inconsistent with the official exchange rate, which significantly lags behind the parallel market level. The Egyptian economy is grappling with a decline in foreign exchange reserves, leading to the adverse impact on the revenues of the Suez Canal.

Heliopolis Company for Housing and Development (HHD) plans to invest between EGP 3-4bn over the next five years to develop New Heliopolis City. He also said that the company aims to enhance the existing neighbourhoods in the city. He said that the company is pursuing both self-development and partnership with the private sector, which is its new strategic priority. HHD said in a statement to the stock exchange two days ago that it may expand the deal to include another 1070 feddan in the northern part of New Heliopolis City, which would increase the value of the down payment and the guarantee letter accordingly. HHD has also decided to offer residential units in New Heliopolis City and the Sheraton area in New Cairo for sale through public bidding and to start selling 84 residential units.

CAIRO –7 February 2024: Egypt condemns Pakistan’s two terrorist attacks that occurred shortly before the Pakistani general elections expected on Thursday, February 8, which resulted in the killing and wounding of a number of victims. In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday it was said that “Egypt, both the government and the people, expressed sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the government and people of Pakistan after this painful incident, extending wishes for the speedy recovery of all the injured”Egypt reiterated in the statement its steadfast rejection of all forms of terrorism, calling on all countries to cut off the funding sources for terrorism and not provide safe havens for terrorist organizations. “Egypt affirms its full solidarity with Pakistan in confronting such events,” the statement added.

Media Avenue will organize the eighth edition of the annual Capital Markets Summit on 26 February at the InterContinental Semiramis Cairo Hotel. The summit will focus on the theme of “Structural Reforms for Sustainable Development” and explore the various measures taken by the Egyptian government to enhance the performance of all economic sectors and achieve sustainable growth. The summit will feature multiple sessions covering different topics, such as:· The role of the private sector in implementing the structural reforms and finding sustainable solutions for the current challenges. · The cooperation with the International Monetary Fund to launch a new reform program that includes financial and structural reforms, such as changing the fiscal policies, adopting inflation targeting, and offering state-owned enterprises to the public. The Capital Markets Summit is a leading event that brings together experts, policymakers, investors, and business leaders to discuss the latest developments and trends in the Egyptian economy and the capital markets.

Egypt’s Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs, Hamdy Loza, affirmed on Monday Egypt’s full support for the reconciliation between Libyan factions without any foreign interference. Loza made his remarks while leading the Egyptian delegation at the meeting of the African Union High-Level Committee on Libya in Brazzaville, Congo. The foreign ministry’s statement said that Loza stressed Egypt’s steadfast stance on the Libyan crisis, highlighting Cairo’s keenness to help achieve national reconciliation in Libya. He also reiterated Egypt’s firm position calling for the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces, mercenaries, and fighters from Libya, in accordance with relevant international resolutions. The meeting concluded with a joint statement supporting the Libyan national reconciliation process.

This agreement follows GAFI’s successful 2023 mission with HSBC to Singapore and China which underscored how highly investors regard the opportunities that exist for them in Egypt. Heibah stressed that GAFI is keen to cooperate with HSBC to attract investors through its strong international network across the world and connects Asia, Europe and the Middle East. HSBC will introduce and connect more international investors to the growing business opportunities in Egypt through even closer cooperation with the Authority. According to the pact, GAFI will work to provide HSBC Egypt with information regarding investment opportunities in Egypt which include the targeted, priority sectors in line with the government’s plan. This agreement demonstrates HSBC is committed to working with GAFI on this progressive strategy to attract foreign investment and to transform Egypt into a strategic international trade hub.”

(MENAFN- Daily News Egypt) Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his accompanying delegation on Tuesday, in the presence of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and General Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel. Al-Sisi stressed the need to take serious steps towards a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue, to ensure sustainable stability in the region. Blinken expressed his country's keenness to continue coordination and joint efforts with Egypt to reach calm and prevent the expansion of the conflict, praising Egypt's role in supporting security and stability in the region. The spokesperson for the presidency, Ahmed Fahmy, said that Blinken stressed the continuation of the US in strengthening the strategic partnership with Egypt, in support of efforts to maintain stability, peace and development in the region. Al-Sisi also stressed the need to implement international and UN resolutions on the crisis and take serious steps towards a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue, to ensure sustainable stability in the region.

The Russian Embassy in Egypt and RT Arabic held a gala event on February 6, 2024, at the Cairo Opera House to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Russian-Egyptian diplomatic relations. The event featured the premiere of the documentary film “Departure and Return,” which tells the captivating story of Viktor Yakushev, a Soviet military translator who served in Egypt in the early 1970s. After half a century, he returned to Egypt and revisited familiar places. Maya Manna, Director of RT Arabic, thanked the Egyptian audience for their great interest in the channel and its objective coverage of world events. Following the film’s premiere, which received very positive feedback from the audience, guests had the opportunity to explore an interesting exhibition prepared by the Russian Foreign Ministry, showcasing the different stages of interaction with Egypt.