In a statement, the New Valley governorate said that the planning minister is scheduled to open new projects, including "Bashayer El Kheir" village in the New Valley that will include 220 houses in the first Phase. The minister started her visit by inspecting the eco-friendly rural house project, which has been set up in cooperation with October University for Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA). The project won first place in the National Initiative for Smart Green Projects in the category of small local projects. A complete prototype of the eco-friendly rural house has been constructed in the city of Kharga as a precursor to the project's expansion. The project provides smart technological solutions in the production of eco-friendly bricks through computer automation and the development of automated shading systems responsive to weather conditions.

CAIRO - 30 January 2024: The Egyptian government succeeded in attracting billions worth of investments in 2023, and they are mostly concentrated in the sectors of green energy, logistics, and IT, capitalizing on the unique location of Egypt in the world. AugustOcior Energy signed an initial contract with the Egyptian government to set up a $4 billion green hydrogen plant in SCZone. Its annual handling capacity is 120,000 containers, 2.5 million tons of dry cargo, and 4.2 million tons of general cargo. The green hydrogen produced will be used to generate 1.2 million tons of green ammonia per annum. Also, the SCzone and China's United Energy signed an agreement to establish an $8-billion a potassium chloride production facility whose capacity will be 4.1 million tons per annum.

The Egyptian House of Representatives has approved a new law granting the armed forces a greater role in securing and protecting public and vital facilities in the country. The bill also subjects all crimes that occur against public and vital facilities and all types of services to military law. 1 of 2013 on the Participation of the Armed Forces in the Tasks of Preserving and Protecting Vital Facilities in the State, and Law No. 136 of 2014 on Securing and Protecting Public and Vital Facilities are hereby repealed. This law shall be stamped with the seal of the State and shall be enforced as one of its laws.

The government of Egypt is trying to increase its foreign currency reserves and collect the highest amount possible in hard currency to meet its obligations. This was evident in the recent offer of lands that required paying their value in dollars. This was the first time since the ACUD was established in 2016 to offer lands in dollars. Thus, the ACUD followed the example of the New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA), which recently offered lands whose value and installments were paid in dollars to attract hard currency income for the authority. He noted that this new offer was different from the recent NUCA’s offers that conditioned paying the full value of lands in dollars.

YAMOUSSOUKRO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Moussa Niakhate missed his penalty in the shoot-out as holders Senegal tumbled out of the Africa Cup of Nations after a drama-filled 5-4 loss to hosts Ivory Coast following a 1-1 draw at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium in their last-16 clash on Monday. Ivory Coast will now face the winner of Tuesday’s last-16 tie between Mali and Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals on Saturday. "It's very emotional, the last few days were tough for us," Ivory Coast striker Sebastien Haller said. We can forget now about what happened in the group stages." The game went to penalties and the unfortunate Niakhate missed his side’s third kick as he struck the post and the Ivorians held their nerve to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

Most Chinese exports to Europe are shipped through the Red Sea, while tens of millions of tons of oil and minerals transit the waterway to reach Chinese ports. Chinese officials repeatedly stressed that the Red Sea crisis is a “spillover” from the conflict in Gaza, citing an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as the top priority. Beijing’s reluctance to wade into the Red Sea crisis reflects these geopolitical calculations. The Chinese government readout of the meeting between Wang and Sullivan did not mention the Red Sea. Egypt is losing millions of dollars per day from the reduced traffic at the Suez Canal at the northern end of the Red Sea.

AL KHOR, Qatar, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Defending champions Qatar survived a scare to beat Palestine 2-1 and advance to the Asian Cup quarter-finals thanks to goals from Hassan Al-Haydos and Akram Afif at Al Bayt Stadium on Monday. Qatar notched up their 11th straight victory in the Asian Cup and will return to Al Bayt for their quarter-final where Marquez Lopez's side will play the winners of Tuesday's last-16 tie between Uzbekistan and Thailand. Although they conceded the first goal against the run of play, Qatar were composed and clinical when they created their best chances to punish Palestine, who were making their debut in the Asian Cup knockouts. A moment's silence for victims of the Israel-Hamas conflict was held before the game, with a handful of fans screaming "Free Palestine". Palestine had a few chances to equalise but lacked the finishing touch and did not really test keeper Meshaal Barsham again as Qatar held on to advance.

CAIRO – 29 January 2024: Egyptian Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority Ossama Rabie has met today, via video conference, with Mr. This meeting comes as a continuation of the SCA’s efforts to open direct communication channels with the international maritime community through holding periodical meetings with senior executives of various international maritime organization and shipping lines. He has also expressed his hopes for the end of the crisis to come as soon as possible due to the challenges it imposes on the sustainability of global supply chains. He has also stressed that for matters to go back to normal, there needs to be a de-escalation of the situation and a recovery of the international maritime community's confidence. On her part, Ms. Kiran Khosla has emphasized that maritime insurance prices are flexible and susceptible to change, and they are calculated according to the contextual conditions.

“Our bilateral trade was approximately $6bn during fiscal year (FY) 2022/23, thereby making India Egypt’s sixth largest trading partner,” according to the Ambassador. The Ambassador added that the bilateral trade has grown more than 5 times in the last ten years. The bilateral trade expanded by 75% to record an all-time high of $7.26bn in FY 2021/22. This was the first time ever that the President of Egypt was visiting India as Chief Guest for Republic Day. All these Ministerial visits laid the foundation for the unprecedented momentum in India-Egypt bilateral relations witnessed in 2023,” he continued.

CNN —Three US Army soldiers were killed and more than 30 service members were injured in a drone attack overnight on a small US outpost in Jordan, US officials told CNN, marking the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war. US Central Command confirmed in a statement Sunday that three service members were killed and at least 34 injured in a one-way drone attack that “impacted at a base in northeast Jordan.” Eight injured service members were medically evacuated to receive higher-level care, CENTCOM said. The number of wounded is expected to rise as service members seek treatment for symptoms consistent with traumatic brain injury, two US officials said. The statement, posted to the Islamic Resistance’s Telegram channel, came before the US announced the death of the three service members. Wider conflictSpeaking at a church in South Carolina later Sunday, Biden asked for a moment of silence to honor the service members.

The Egyptian government is exploring the issuance of bonds denominated in Emirati dirhams, Indian rupees, and Hong Kong dollars, in a bid to broaden its financing options and attract global investors. Egyptian Finance Minister Mohamed Maait announced the potential move on the sidelines of the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong. He told UAE’s government-owned news agency WAM that the ongoing discussions with Hong Kong’s financial chief, Christopher Hui, regarding the possibility of issuing bonds in Hong Kong dollars. “These issuances will contribute to diversifying our debt portfolio and attracting investors worldwide at competitive rates,” Maait stated, citing recent successful offerings of green bonds worth $750m and sovereign sukuk (Islamic bonds) worth $1.5bn. The Minister also emphasized Egypt’s desire to strengthen cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, particularly in taxation, economic, financial, and investment spheres across all sectors.

The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), in collaboration with the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA), has finalized the technical settings for the draft law that regulates alternative financing activities and fintech services related to banking. According to the economic magazine recently released by the CBE, the law aims to provide legislative coverage for regulating alternative financing activities and fintech services linked to banking. It seeks to establish regulatory and supervisory boundaries for both the CBE and the FRA, defining the scope of their jurisdiction. The law also aims to establish general rules for the activities and services outlined in the law to ensure the protection of the interests of all participants. Furthermore, the law aims to tighten control over fintech activities to ensure compliance with the state’s financial and monetary policies, enhancing financial and monetary stability.

Cairo – January 29, 2024: Subject to an exchange rate adjustment, Standard & Poor believes that the IMF could release the postponed tranches of its $3 billion loan to Egypt, projecting that a future devaluation of the Egyptian pound could place the LE more in line with the unofficial black market rate. According to its report, S&P expects that the LE, which currently has an official exchange rate of LE 30.96 per USD, will be adjusted closer to the black market rate of LE 60. The report notes that the Egyptian pound is pressured by a sustained foreign currency shortage. “We think more clarity on exchange rate policy would benefit trade and economic growth and trigger an increase in remittance inflows,” S&P wrote in its report. As of 11 am on January 29, Egypt Today confirmed that the Egyptian pound was trading at 69-73 against the USD in the black market.

CAIRO – 29 January 2024: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi received on Monday a phone call from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz who praised Egypt's constructive role in the region. The official spokesperson for the presidency Counselor Ahmed Fahmy stated that the call addressed the regional situation and the circle of tension in the region. They also discussed ways to enhance the distinguished bilateral relations between Egypt and Germany at various levels, the spokesperson said. The Egyptian president also asserted the necessity for the international community to move towards implementing relevant United Nations resolutions, the spokesperson noted. Both sides agreed on the importance of the two-state solution as a basis for restoring peace, security, and stability in the region, Fahmy added.

The main UN agency in Gaza is in turmoil after Israel accused some of its staff members of involvement in Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) fired several employees in the wake of the allegations, which have not been made public. At least 152 UNRWA staffers have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began, according to the agency. Neither Israel nor UNRWA have specified the nature of the alleged involvement of UNRWA employees in the events of October 7. Several Western countries announced the suspension of funding for UNRWA in the wake of the allegations.