Turki Al-Sheikh hints at taking legal action against Egypt’s Al-Ahly football club
Chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority Turki Al-Sheikh hinted that he might resort to the Egyptian judiciary with regard to his dispute with Egypt’s Al-Ahly football club, of which he is the honorary president. Al-Sheikh — who is currently in the midst of a dispute with Al-Ahly board member Mohamed Serag Eddin — wrote on his Facebook page that, “Egypt is a country of law […] and nothing is better than the law.” Some have interpreted this as a veiled threat to resort to the judiciary in his dispute with Al-Ahly’s board of directors. Last Saturday, Al-Sheikh criticized Al-Ahly’s administration, saying, “Hussam Ashour, Abdallah al-Saeed, Ahmed Fatehy, Emad Mete’b, and Moemen Zakaria are all wrong and you are right? The current dispute comes after the reconciliation of a previous argument between the two parties that took place at the beginning of this year. At the time, Al-Sheikh withdrew the lawsuits he had filed against some of the club’s officials.
Source:Egypt Independent
June 02, 2020 12:36 UTC
Finance Ministry issues financial statement of 20/21 budget
FILE - Ministry of FinanceEgypt's cabinet approves 2020/21 draft budget CAIRO - 26 March 2020: Egypt's cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, approved Thursday the draft budget for the new fiscal year 2020/2021. CAIRO – 2 June 2020: The Ministry of Finance issued Monday the financial statement of the State’s general budget for fiscal year of 2020/2021.The statement noted that the government works on overcoming the coronavirus crisis with the least possible harm through providing assistance and support to the neediest sectors and categories in a way that helps the economy to recover rapidly with the target of completing the development process.It referred to the economic reform program implemented by the State during the last period, noting that this program contributed to building pillars of a powerful economy that is able to absorb shocks and deal with difficulties in a way that helps the economy gain the confidence of the world’s countries, international institutions and investors.“Total expenditure in the 2020/2021 budget is planned to hit about LE 1.713 trillion, compared to LE 1.574 trillion in the 2019/2020 budget,” the ministry stated.The ministry attributed this increase in expenditure to the rise in salaries as well as presidential decrees on enhancing conditions of workers in the state administrative body, increasing investments to improve services and creating more employment.Wages and and workers compensation represent 19.6 percent of the total public expenditure in the budget, according to the statement.The financial statement revealed allocating LE 335 billion for wages and workers compensation in 2020/2021 general budget with an increase of LE 33.8 billion compared to LE 301.1 billion in 2019/2020.The statement clarified that the raise is to fund salaries, bonuses and benefits for workers of government bodies.It also pointed out that the reform of the wage structure is one of the initiatives which contribute to improving the financial conditions for civil servants at a total cost of LE 34 billion.As per public debt, the statement said that the interest expense of servicing the public debt in the coming budget is projected at LE 566 billion, compared to LE 569 billion in the current year's budget.Moreover, the statement showed that purchases of non-financial assets hit LE 280.6 billion in 2020/2021 budget compared to LE 211.2 billion in the 2019/2020 budget.Purchasing commodities and services in the coming fiscal year budget rose to about LE 100.2 billion, representing 5.8 of total expenditures, compared to LE 74.9 billion in the 2019/2020 budget.The statement revealed that some of these funds will go to buying medicine, medical stuffs, printing school books, etcRegarding oil products subsidies, it stated that it will reach LE 28.193 billion, down from LE 52.963 billion in the current budget, marking a decrease of LE 24.770 billion.It added that subsidies for medical drugs and baby milk will increase by about LE 250 million, in 2020/2021 budget, reaching LE 1.750 billion.On March 26, Egypt’s cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, approved Thursday the draft budget for the new fiscal year 2020/2021.
Source:Egypt Today
June 02, 2020 12:17 UTC
Amina Khalil announces drama series “Leh Laa” launches June 6 on Shahid
Actress Amina Khalil announced Monday that her newest drama series “Leh Laa” (Why not?) The series was originally slated to air in the last half of the Ramadan drama season but was postponed due to shooting difficulties. Publishing the show’s poster on her Instagram, Khalil wrote: “Four days to broadcast the series ‘Leh Laa,’ I am very enthusiastic, happy and frightened at the same time. “Leh Laa” follows a woman named Alia (Khalil) and her journey to break free of her controlling conservative family to lead her own independent life, and the conflict that arises as a result. The series is written by a narration workshop supervised by the scriptwriter Maryam Noam, directed by Maryam Abu Aouf, and produced by E-PRODUCER.
Source:Egypt Independent
June 02, 2020 11:49 UTC
Mexico alerts record number of new daily COVID-19 cases
FILE PHOTO: Relatives of a man who died of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) before being transferred to a hospital are seen near an ambulance transporting the body of their loved one, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico May 26, 2020. REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezREUTHugo López-Gatell Ramírez, Undersecretary of Prevention and Health Promotion of the Mexican Ministry of HealthCAIRO – 3 June 2020: Mexico has announced that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) had reached its maximum intensity in the country after the ministry reported a record increase in daily cases.The deputy health minister said late on Tuesday there were an additional 3,891 cases and 470 more deaths.That brought the total number of known cases to 97,326, with 10,637 deaths. Worse still, health authorities have said the real number of cases is higher than the estimated. "The coronavirus epidemic is at its maximum level of intensity," Hugo Lopez-Gatell, who has spearheaded the country's response to the outbreak, said during a news conference.Lopez-Gatell added that the decline in cases was usually slower than the ascent.Officials stated that 70,308 COVID-19 patients had recovered from the virus so far.
Source:Egypt Today
June 02, 2020 11:37 UTC
Egypt's central bank issues LE 14B in T-bills Thursday
FILE -CBECAIRO - 4 June 2020: The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), on behalf of the Ministry of Finance, is set to issue LE 14 billion in treasury bills on Thursday, June 4.The T-bills will be offered in two installments; the first installment is valued at LE 7 billion with a 182-day term and the second is worth LE 7 billion with a 357-day term.T-bills are issued every Sunday and Thursday.For the current fiscal year, the budget deficit is estimated to record LE 445.1 billion, or 7.2 percent, planned by the ministry to be financed through treasury bills and bonds and through international and Arab loans.The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) decided May 14 to keep the overnight deposit rate, the overnight lending rate, and the rate of the main operation at 9.25 percent, 10.25 percent, and 9.75 percent, respectively. Moreover, credit and discount rates are cut at 9.75 percent from 12.75 percent.Earlier, CBE decided to cut the overnight deposit rate, the overnight lending rate, and the rate of the main operation in an emergency meeting by 300 basis points.Egypt's 2020/2021 draft budget aims to reduce public debt of GDP to 82.7 percent by end of June 2021, up from earlier target of 82.5 percent by the end of June 2020 and to 77.5 percent by the end of June 2022.
Source:Egypt Today
June 02, 2020 11:37 UTC
Egyptian standards authority sets rules for making cloth facemasks
The Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality (EOS) has announced the full requirements for the production of fabric facemasks on its website. These cloth face masks are not intended for use in hospitals among medical teams and patients. These masks will be subject to six tests at the EOS’s headquarters to determine its efficiency after 25 washes, ensuring that particles of a size over three microns cannot pass. Another test will be related to its resistance to water penetration and wetness according to the ISO 811 and ISO 4920 testing methods. And lastly, a stability test on the masks will check their strength after changes in dimension and being washed at a minimum of 25 times.
Source:Egypt Independent
June 02, 2020 11:19 UTC
Egypt’s cabinet sets up nationwide hotlines for coronavirus inquiries
The Egyptian cabinet on Monday has established hotlines across each of Egypt’s governorates dedicated to answering coronavirus inquiries, cabinet spokesperson Nader Saad announced. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly will also personally follow the coronavirus crisis by directly communicating with governors, Saad added during a phone interview on Lamis al-Hadidy’s TV show on the al-Arabiya al-Hadath channel. Back in March the government had allocated general hotline 105 to receive all questions regarding the coronavirus outbreak. It received around 8,000 calls a day, which included reports of suspected cases, questions about prevention and the difference between coronavirus symptoms and influenza. Also in March, Egypt’s Health Ministry announced it had established two hotlines (080-8880700 and 0220816831) to provide citizens with psychological support through the distress caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Source:Egypt Independent
June 02, 2020 09:36 UTC
Egypt's Min. of Tourism & Antiquities presents virtual tour of Abu Serga Church
Abu Serga Church - Screenshot from the virtual tour brought by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism & AntiquitiesAbu Serga Church - Screenshot from virtual tourCAIRO - 1 June 2020: Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is launching a new virtual tour of the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus known as Abu Serga Church.To enjoy the tour use the following URL:https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=PfNu1RDRbZfThat church has a special place among the rest of the Coptic churches. This is because it is related to the journey of the Holy Family in Egypt.The name of the church belongs to both Saints Sergius and Bacchus who were martyred in the Rusafa area in Syria according to the Christian belief.Like the rest of the early churches, the church and its underground Labyrinths were designed in the basilica style. It consists of a cross-sectional area, longitudinal galleries and oriental apse (under which lies the Labyrinths).The church is distinguished for its unique architectural and artistic features that reflect the spirit of Coptic architecture in Egypt, where the ambon, the baptismal bath, and the wooden veil inlaid with ivory is visible, in addition to religious scenes that represent saints and apostles on various domes and columns.In addition, the church was built over the ruins of an ancient Roman castle. Some scholars believe that it dates back to the late fourth and early fifth centuries AD, while others see it as dating back to the seventeenth century AD.
Source:Egypt Today
June 01, 2020 19:18 UTC
Liverpool stars take a knee to show support for Black Lives Matter
"At a time I've been asking people to come together, work together and be united, we appear to me more divided than ever," said Rashford. "Black lives matter. Black communities matter. "The French World Cup winner posted on Instagram: "I can't tolerate, I won't tolerate, WE WON’T TOLERATE. The action taken to ensure justice for George Floyd at this moment sends a clear message about the perceived value of black lives in America.
Source:Egypt Today
June 01, 2020 16:41 UTC
UMC production company announces 3 shows for Egypt’s Ramadan 2021 season
The United Media Services (UMC) production company on Sunday announced it would produce three different series for Egypt’s 2021 Ramadan drama season. The company confirmed in a statement that a second part of the “Al-Ikhtiyar” (The Choice) TV series was coming, following the success of the first season this year. It ranked in first place in several public polls on Ramadan 2020’s best series, the UMC statement said. Preparations are also underway for the “Hagma Mortadda” (Counterattack) series, starring Ahmed Ezz, Hind Sabry, Hisham Selim and Salah Abdallah. It is set to be written by Bahir Dewidar, who wrote Al-Ikhtiyar, and directed by Ahmed Alaa al-Deeb.
Source:Egypt Independent
June 01, 2020 14:26 UTC
Heat wave to hit Egypt on Monday only; Cairo records 34°C
File: scorching heat waveCAIRO – 1 June 2020: "A heat wave will hit Egypt on Monday only. It was expected that the wave will continue for three days but changes happened in pressure distributions and the fading of the air depression," said Undersecretary of the Center for Remote Sensing of the Meteorological Authority Iman Shaker.She further said that the rise in temperature will be witnessed Monday, where Cairo will see highs of 34°C, while on Tuesday and Wednesday the temperature will decrease back to 32°C.On Monday, there will be a rise in temperature; warmer weather will be witnessed in Cairo, Lower Egypt, and the Northwestern Coast with moderate winds.The official weather forecast authority announced Saturday that the country will witness a heat wave over three days, peaking on Wednesday with some areas recording highs of 40°C.
Source:Egypt Today
June 01, 2020 14:26 UTC
Cairo Airport receives 624 stranded Egyptians from Saudi Arabia
FILE - A charter flight - PixabayCAIRO – 1 June 2020: The Cairo International Airport has received on Sunday three exceptional flights from Saudi Arabia carrying 624 Egyptians, as part of the national efforts to expatriate stranded nationals abroad amid the coronavirus crisis.The flights were operated by the Egyptian flag carrier EgyptAir and Air Cairo.As Egypt halted international flights on March 19, in a bid to curb the spread of the novel virus, it has operated dozens of flights to repatriate its stranded citizens who are willing to return from different countries.On April 22nd, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi noted that around 3,500 Egyptians are stranded abroad over coronavirus, affirming that authorities are committed to bringing them back despite "hard circumstances".Although Egypt has reported a relatively high number of coronavirus cases during the past few days, Cabinet’s Spokesman Nader Saad said the government will discuss this week the issue of reopening airspace and operating flights again after a long halt over coronavirus.Egypt reported 1536 new coronavirus, COVID-19 cases, Sunday, raising the total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak in Egypt to 24985.Spokesman for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed said in the daily briefing that 46 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 959.As many as 344 patients were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving necessary medical care, taking the number of recovered cases to 6810 so far, the spokesman said.The number of coronavirus patients who had now been retested for the virus and received negative results has reached 6037, he added.
Source:Egypt Today
June 01, 2020 14:15 UTC
Coronavirus infections in Egypt may be 10 times the reported figures, official
Egypt’s actual number of coronavirus cases could be between five to ten times higher than officially reported Ministry of Health figures, according to a member of the Higher Committee for Viruses from the Higher Education Ministry Adel Khattab on Friday. In an interview with the “al-Gomaa Fe Masr” (Friday in Egypt) show, Khattab explained that all coronavirus cases registered by the Health Ministry are of those able to reach the ministry for testing in the first place. Khattab therefore believes that Egypt has yet to see its peak. Egypt on Sunday confirmed 1,536 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s number of confirmed total cases so far to 24,985. The total number of COVID-19 deaths has now reached 959 nationwide, after announcing 46 deaths.
Source:Egypt Independent
June 01, 2020 13:30 UTC
Minister estimates 40K COVID-19 cases mid-June, presents speculative model of real figures
The new Coronavirus (COVID-19)- CC via Pixabay/FrankundFreiCAIRO – 1 June 2020: Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar presented Monday a model that speculates the real figures of COVID-19 infections and deaths given they are unidentifiable by authorities worldwide.The model suggests multiplying documented infection figures by 5 and deaths by 10. When applying the model to Egypt's latest figures released on May 31, the total number of infections becomes 117,000 instead of 24,985 by an increase of 6,835 and not 1,536.The number of infections has been increasing by 5.4 percent daily, and the percentage of deaths has been 3.9.The minister had speculated that infection cases would reach 20,000 by the end of May, and now estimates that they will hit 40,000 on June 10-13. Further, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli stated on Monday that infections will rise over the next 2 weeks.Egypt recorded 1536 new coronavirus, COVID-19 cases, Sunday, raising the total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak in Egypt to 24985.Spokesman for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed said in the daily briefing that 46 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 959.As many as 344 patients were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving necessary medical care, taking the number of recovered cases to 6810 so far, the spokesman said.The number of coronavirus patients who had now been retested for the virus and received negative results has reached 6037, he added.
Source:Egypt Today
June 01, 2020 13:18 UTC
Video: Egypt send Congo, Zambia anti Covid-19 supplies
Zambian Vice President Inonge Wina receives Egyptian Covid-19 medical suppliesCAIRO - 1 June 2020: Egypt has sent Congo and Zambia medical supplies, disinfectants, drugs and protective suits to heal combat Covid-19.The military jet loaded with the supplies was received Monday by Congolese Deputy Foreign Minister Raymond Tshibanda and other officials, as well as the Egyptian ambassador in Congo. "As you know, throughout history Egypt has given us assistance and aid. The supplies sent today aim to promote deeper relations with Egypt. The Zambian officials thanked the Egyptian people and leadership for helping their country in the novel coronavirus crisis. "This is not the first time that the government of Egypt has supported Zambia, so we are very thankful indeed to the government of Egypt to show solidarity to the Zambian people in this hour of need.
Source:Egypt Today
June 01, 2020 13:18 UTC