ABIDJAN, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Mohamed Salah will return to Liverpool for treatment on his hamstring injury but only after watching Egypt complete their group fixtures at the Africa Cup of Nations finals when they meet Cape Verde Islands in Abidjan on Monday. "We are hoping to catch him in the semi-finals of the Africa Nations Cup in case of qualification,” the EFA said in a statement. On whether Salah could feature again for Egypt during the tournament at the Ivory Coast, Klopp said: “I’m not a doctor. Salah also spoke about the fact he has yet to win a trophy with Egypt, having twice been a runner-up at the Cup of Nations. “Everybody knows what it means to any player to win an Africa Cup.

In his speech, Minister Sameh Shokry affirmed the depth of Egyptian-EU relations and that extend to the political, economic, cultural, and security realms, lauding the current momentum in ties. Minister Shokry presented a detailed explanation of the economic situation in Egypt in light of the economic reform programme that began in 2016. He clarified the challenges ensued from the economic and security conditions on both regional and international levels. Apart from the economic aspect, the talks covered the current cooperation between Egypt and the EU in combating illegal migration and terrorism. That is in addition to conferring on regional crises of mutual concern, mainly those in Gaza Strip, Sudan, Libya, and the Red Sea.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi affirmed on Sunday that Egypt will not allow any threat to Somalia and its security, rejecting an agreement recently signed between Somaliland and Ethiopia regarding the acquisition of a port in the Red Sea. He stressed Egypt’s support for Somalia in its fight against terrorism, and will continue to develop relations. My message now is not to Egypt or Somalia, but to the Ethiopians: You obtain facilities with brothers in Somalia or in Djibouti or Eritrea, something available through traditional means. “No one tries to test Egypt or threaten its brothers, especially if they ask us to stand with them,” he added. President Sisi assured that Egypt only aims for construction, development and reconstruction, reassuring the Somali President that Egypt stands alongside Somalia.

The toll of the Israeli aggression on Gaza has now surpassed 25,000 killed and 62,681 injured, marking a grim milestone. The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs highlighted a series of disturbing incidents involving religious sites. Since October 7, Israeli forces have restricted Palestinian citizens from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers. In Gaza, the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs announced that the Israeli occupation army destroyed 1,000 mosques out of 1,200 in the Strip. Hamas called for an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.

Cairo – January 21, 2024: Egypt’s commodities exchange seeks to increase the number of products trading on the platform sometime this year, with potential additions including petrochemicals and additional agricultural produce. CEO of the Egyptian Commodities Exchange (EGYCOMEX), Hossam El Garrahi, recently disclosed that the exchange is looking to introduce petrochemicals, iron, cotton, and additional agricultural produce to the platform. Regulations for membership are being finalized and expected to be approved at the first board meeting to be held soon, he added. The EGYCOMEX is currently focused on its transition from auctions to actual trading, and is concentrating on preparing trading operation regulations, he added. Ashmawy, also chairman of the Egyptian Mercantile Exchange (EME), highlighted the state’s strategic reserve of commodities, noting that it has secured enough reserves for six months.

CAIRO – 21 January 2024: The Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) has issued a weather report indicating the onset of unstable weather conditions across the western part of the country starting Monday, extending to the rest of the regions from Tuesday onwards. As a consequence, varying intensities of rain are expected to fall over northern regions of the country. Additionally, temperatures will experience a decrease throughout the country, ranging from 5 to 4 degrees Celsius. Windy conditions are also anticipated in certain areas, intensifying the perception of cold weather. These rainy conditions are expected to persist throughout Tuesday.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi affirmed on Sunday that Egypt stands with Somalia against any threat to its security and stability, expressing his rejection of the recent agreement signed between Somaliland and Ethiopia over a port in the Red Sea. In a joint press conference with Somali President Hassan Sheik Mohamud in Cairo, Al-Sisi said: “Egypt supports Somalia and respects its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” adding that the agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia is unacceptable to Egypt and Somalia. Al-Sisi also stressed that the agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland is unacceptable to both Egypt and Somalia. We confirm Egypt’s respect for Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Al-Sisi said, noting that this issue was one of the topics discussed with the Somali president. The Somali president said that he emphasized during his talks with President Al-Sisi his strong desire to work with Egypt to enhance security, stability and economic and political ties between the two countries.

CAIRO – 21 January 2024: Senior US President Joe Biden’s adviser for the Middle East Brett McGurk is expected to visit both Egypt and Qatar this week for a possible prisoner swap deal between the Palestinians and Israelis, Axios reported on Sunday. McGurk was appointed Biden’s adviser after the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli war on October 7 and travelled to the Middle East previously to discuss the war. Egypt and Qatar have negotiated several proposals of prisoner swap deals between Palestinian prisoners and Israelis captives by Hamas. However, no final agreements have been reached except for only one-week truce, during which a prisoner exchange deal was executed. The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and aggression on the other Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Jerusalem claimed lives of 24,927 Palestinians since October 7, and injured 62,388 others, the majority of whom are women and children.

CNN — Attacks by Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East won’t stop until Attacks by Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East won’t stop until Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza ends, Tehran’s top diplomat warned on Wednesday, as tensions across the region threaten to spiral into wider conflict. Since Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel and the Israeli offensive in Gaza that followed, the militant group Hezbollah has engaged in daily confrontations with Israeli forces on the Lebanon-Israel border. Houthi rebels have launched a series of attacks on commercial ships and Western military vessels in the Red Sea, a major artery for international trade. Iran also launched missile strikes in Syria and Pakistan against what it described as terrorist groups who it blamed for deadly attacks inside Iran in recent weeks. Meanwhile, there are fears that the ripple effects of the tensions have begun to extend beyond the Middle East.

Egypt’s Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad met with the Argentine Ambassador to Cairo, Gonzalo Oriolabeta, on Saturday, to discuss ways of enhancing environmental and climate investment opportunities, engaging the private sector, confronting climate change, and preserving biodiversity. Fouad shared Egypt’s success story in changing the dialogue about the environment, which led to maximizing environmental and climate investment opportunities in Egypt, by linking the environmental sector with the economic and social dimensions in cooperation with the government and various partners. Fouad suggested cooperation in implementing some of the investment opportunities in the field of environment and climate, which were prepared by the Environmental and Climate Investment Unit at the Ministry of Environment and was displayed through the first online platform for environmental and climate investment in Egypt that shows feasibility studies for promising investment opportunities in areas such as ecotourism and green investment. The Argentine ambassador expressed the similarity in the two countries’ interest in protecting the environment, preserving biodiversity, and involving the private sector, noting that many Argentine companies offer products and services related to the environment, which creates great opportunities for cooperation to invest in the areas of municipal, agricultural and industrial waste management. The ambassador also expressed his hope to open more channels of communication to discuss cooperation and investment opportunities, at the government, private sector, and civil society levels, as well as the possibility of repeating the “Go Green” campaign in his country.

The Commodity Exchange is planning to launch new products on its trading platform this year, including petrochemicals, iron, cotton, and some agricultural produce. The exchange is also discussing with the General Petroleum Authority to include grease and oil products for trading. El Gharaihy, speaking at the first Commodity Exchange conference, said that the membership rules have been finalized and will be approved in the first board meeting to be held soon. He said that the current focus is on preparing the trading operation rules to transition the Commodity Exchange from auctions to actual trading. It also provides regular reports and statistics on commodity trading, serving as one of the mechanisms for hedging.

CAIRO - 20 January 2024: Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Cairo on Saturday on a two-day official visit, at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The visit comes at a time of heightened tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia, which has signed a controversial memorandum of understanding with the breakaway region of Somaliland. In a statement, the Somali ambassador to Egypt, Elias Sheikh Omar Abubakar, said the visit was an opportunity for the two countries to coordinate their positions on the crisis in Somalia. The Somali president is scheduled to meet with el-Sisi, as well as Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, to discuss the latest developments in the region. Abubakar said the visit would "boost" relations between the two countries and help to strengthen cooperation and coordination between them.

Under the MoU, Ethiopia would consider recognising the independence of Somaliland, while the unrecognized state will grant Ethiopia access to the Red Sea through a port lease. Abul Gheit reaffirmed the Arab League’s rejection of the MoU’s outcomes, whether legal, political, commercial or military. Abul Gheit and Mohamud discussed the diplomatic steps and means taken by Somalia at various Arab, African and international levels in this regard. Mohamud expressed his deep appreciation for the efforts of the Arab League to support Somalia in this crisis. Moreover, the meeting discussed the hoped-for Arab role to support Somalia at all levels to preserve its unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets on Saturday over Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip, showing pictures of Israelis held by Hamas and asking Palestinians to report any sightings of them. Please report if you spot one of them.” The Israeli army also provided a phone number and a website to send information. This is the first time that Israel has used leaflets to seek information on its captives in Gaza. The Israeli army announced that a soldier was killed and three others were wounded during an operation in Khan Yunis. It said that the 55th Brigade carried out operations against the East Khan Yunis Battalion and eliminated an armed cell in close-range clashes.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials visited Egypt this week to discuss the country’s $3bn loan program and reform efforts, amid concerns about the Gaza war’s impact on the economy and potential for expanding the loan. The visit followed a regional IMF retreat held in Egypt. Earlier reports suggested the IMF was considering additional funding to help Egypt cope with the economic pressures of the ongoing Gaza conflict. Both the IMF and Egyptian officials acknowledged the challenging global and regional environment, with geopolitical tensions and the Gaza conflict casting a shadow on emerging markets. The IMF’s visit and ongoing discussions underscore the importance of the loan program for Egypt’s economic stability and the potential for further financial support in light of the Gaza war’s impact.