195 Egyptian expats stuck in Kuwait arrive in Cairo on exceptional flight
Cairo International Airport - WikipediaCAIRO – 12 May 2020: An exceptional flight operated by Kuwait Airways and carrying 195 Egyptians whose residency expired in the Gulf country landed in Cairo International Airport on Tuesday.The passengers will be screened before their transportation to university dorms where they will be quarantined for 14 days.On May 5, Egypt launched an air bridge to bring back 5,300 expats in Kuwait who have been staying there illegally after the expiry of their residence. Those are being quarantined in university dorms free of charge.On May 6 and May 10, 450 and 490 returned, respectively. On each of those days, three flights were operated.Aviation suspension in Egypt began on March 19, except for domestic and cargo flights. Also, tourists who had arrived before the date were allowed to complete their program, and leave on dates scheduled beforehand.A number of tourists requested to remain in Egypt as COVID-19 outbreak took its toll on their countries. Hence, Egyptian authorities approved as long as they go through coronavirus tests instructing the travel agencies to ensure the visitors' visas duration is extended by the Ministry of Interior, and informing their respective countries of their desire.On April 21, the Ministry of Civil Aviation resumed exceptional flights to bring home stranded Egyptians starting with Lebanon.An exceptional flight carrying 233 stranded Egyptians from UK's Heathrow Airport landed in Marsa Alam on May 10.
Source:Egypt Today
May 12, 2020 14:03 UTC
Ibrahim Nasr passes away at the age of 70
FILE - Late Ibrahim NasrCAIRO - 12 May 2020: Head of Egypt’s Acting Syndicate Ashraf Zaki said that actor and comedian Ibrahim Nasr died in the early hours of May 12.In statements made to the press, Zaki said that the funeral will be held at the Azbakeya Church today, May 12.Nasr was mostly known for his role in the film “Shams el-Zanati” (1991) starring Adel Imam, and for the prank show “Zakia Zakaria” that was considered a turning point in Ramadan prank shows in the Egyptian and Arab Television.
Source:Egypt Today
May 12, 2020 13:07 UTC
Tripoli's Mitiga Airbase used to pilot Turkish drones is threat to civilians: LNA spox
Libyan military spokesperson Ahmed al-Mesmary - ReutersLibyan Armed Forces kill commander of Turkey-backed Syrian armed group CAIRO - 11 May 2020: The Libyan National Army (LNA) announced on Sunday the killing of a high-profile Syrian mercenary who was transported by Turkey to fight in the ranks of Tripoli militias. The LNA carried out an operation in Ain Zara town southern the capital to target Mohamed Hendawy who is the commander of the second corps at Turkey-backed armed group, the National Syrian Army. CAIRO – 12 May 2020: Spokesperson of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Ahmed al-Mesmary admitted striking Tripoli's Mitiga Airbase by a number of missiles because the site has become a security threat not only to military concentrations but also to civilians in Tripoli and surrounding areas.That is because the airbase is used by Turkey to pilot drones that target LNA concentrations, civilians, and vehicles transporting supplies to towns and cities located near the capital such as Misrata, Tarhouna, and others. "We hit any military or semi-military targets as well as any civilian sites that are used for military purposes," Memsary said quoting texts from international laws that allow targeting civilian locations if used by military entities.The LNA lies few kilometers from Mitiga airbase, which has prompted militias to target Al Watiyah district western Tripoli with the aim of achieving advances and taking over Oqba Ibn Nafea Airbase to be the alternative, Mesmary highlighted in April.The LNA recovered Sirte from militias in January, and has been encircling Tripoli and Misrata advancing in their suburbs and deterring attacks by militias.Mesmary praised the joint statement issued by Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, UAE, and France to denounce the Turkish military intervention in Libya.In December, Turkey signed with the Government of National Accord (GNA), which is an interim non-elected government that is recognized by the United Nations, two MoUs on defense and gas drilling in the Mediterranean.Since January, Turkey has been transporting Syrian mercenaries into the North Africa state, and sending military officers and experts to command the operations rooms of the militias affiliated to the GNA.
Source:Egypt Today
May 12, 2020 12:56 UTC
Public Business Sector Ministry, FECC, FEI ink protocol on developing 1st e catalog for Egyptian products
FILE – Minister of Public Business Sector Hisham Tawfik- Egypt TodayCAIRO - 11 May 2020: The Public Business Sector Ministry signed on Tuesday with the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FECC) and Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) a protocol on developing the first electronic catalog for Egyptian products.The protocol was signed by Public Business Sector Minister Hesham Tawfik, FECC President Ibrahim Al Araby, and FEI Chairman Mohamed el Sewedy.In this regard, Tawfiq said the agreement is a practical embodiment of the active partnership between the government and the private sector in line with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi's directives to promote the economy.The protocol will open new markets for the Egyptian factories and companies in the African countries, as the catalog will be a promotion tool for the Egyptian products, Tawfiq noted.The agreement integrates with the ministry's efforts to offer a package of services for exporters through its companies like the Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport and the Insurance Holding Company, Tawfiq pointed out.The minister hailed the fruitful cooperation among the ministry, FECC, and FEI, urging the members of the two federations to register the data of their companies and products on the catalog.
Source:Egypt Today
May 12, 2020 12:56 UTC
IMF approves US$2.77 billion support to Egypt to address coronavirus
The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved Egypt’s request for emergency financial assistance of US$2.772 billion to meet the urgent balance of payments needs stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. An IMF statement on Monday said that the pandemic is an immediate and severe economic disruption that could negatively impact Egypt’s hard-won macroeconomic stability if not addressed. Authorities have launched a comprehensive package to contain the economic impact of the pandemic. The IMF said it will remain closely engaged with the Egyptian government and the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and stands ready to provide policy advice and any further support. An Egyptian Cabinet press release issued in April stated that discussions with the IMF have entered an advanced stage.
Source:Egypt Independent
May 12, 2020 12:22 UTC
President Sisi extends greetings to nurses on their international day
President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi' speech marking Africa Day occasion on May 25 - press photoCAIRO – 12 May 2020: On International Nurses Day marking May 12, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi extended his greetings to workers in the nursing field.The president expressed appreciation and respect for nurses on behalf of himself and the Egyptian people for "the precious sacrifices they make in order to fulfill their humanitarian duty honorably and zealously. "The president highlighted that nurses, at this arduous phase, are proving their competence and loyalty towards their homeland and people.The Nursing Syndicate announced on Tuesday the sixth death among its members because of COVID-19 in addition to 55 infections. The Syndicate's chairwoman, Kawthar Mahmoud, stated that Egypt has 250,000 nurses who offer 70 percent of care to in-patients at medical establishments.The rate of infection with the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Egypt recorded 346 cases on Monday after it reached the highest figure (495 cases) at the beginning of this week, according to the ministry of health’s daily briefing.The Health Ministry said 346 people in Egypt tested positive for the COVID-19 and 8 people died with the novel virus in the last 24 hours.This brings the total number of cases and deaths to 9,746 and 533 deaths respectively since the crisis started, according to the official figures.The test results of 2,655 people of the reported cases turned from positive to negative, including 2,172 people who fully recovered.Also, 97 cases left hospitals after they recovered, according to the instructions of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Source:Egypt Today
May 12, 2020 12:11 UTC
Moody's keeps Egypt's rating at B2 with stable outlook
Moody's - REUTERSCAIRO – 12 May 2020: Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") affirmed Monday the long-term foreign and local currency issuer ratings of the Government of Egypt at B2, and kept the outlook stable.Moody's also affirmed Egypt's foreign currency senior unsecured ratings at B2, and its foreign currency senior unsecured MTN program rating at (P)B2.“The affirmation of the B2 rating and stable outlook reflect Egypt's ongoing credit strengths and challenges that Moody's does not expect to change materially relative to similarly-rated sovereigns through the global shock posed by the coronavirus pandemic. While the coronavirus shock exposes Egypt's credit vulnerabilities, improvements in governance and policy effectiveness in recent years shore up the sovereign's credit profile resilience to the current shock,” it clarified.It explained that the rapid and widening spread of the coronavirus outbreak, deteriorating global economic outlook, falling oil prices, and asset price declines are creating a severe and extensive credit shock across many sectors, regions and markets. “The combined credit effects of these developments are unprecedented. For Egypt, the shock propagates through pressure on external financing requirements, diminished tourism receipts and remittances and slower growth.”According to corporation, Egypt's government's large funding requirements and weak debt affordability driven by a high interest bill expose it to a sharp tightening in financing conditions triggered by the coronavirus.“However, at this stage, Moody's assesses that a track record of economic and fiscal reform implementation and demonstrated capacity to manage significant shocks reduce the likelihood of global financial market disruption severely affecting Egypt. The short-term country ceilings for foreign-currency bonds and deposits remain unchanged at Not Prime (NP).
Source:Egypt Today
May 12, 2020 12:11 UTC
Egypt: Exports of fruit and vegetables increase to nearly 2.5 million tons
Last weekend, Head of the Central Department of Agricultural Quarantine at the Ministry of Agriculture, Ahmed al-Attar, said that exports of vegetables and fruits have increased to 1,770,000 tons since the beginning of 2020. He added that citrus exports ranked first, while potatoes ranked second, and onions ranked third, explaining that Egypt was able to achieve overwhelming success in the export of oranges despite the intense competition with Spain. He revealed that the Ministry of Agriculture was able to open four new international markets for the first time since the beginning of January despite the outbreak of the coronavirus and the difficulty of opening new markets, including a new market of dates in Australia, a market of oranges in New Zealand, a market of citrus in Brazil and a market for potatoes in Mauritius. The Agriculture Ministry, represented by the Central Administration of Agricultural Quarantine, continues to expand in new markets within the framework of the efforts to increase agricultural exports following the international export quality standards, and to apply export traceability systems during the stages of agriculture, production, packaging and exportation. Source: egypttoday.com
Source:Egypt Today
May 12, 2020 11:52 UTC
Enjoy a guided video tour for the first key of the holy Ka’aba
Guided tour from the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo, exposing the oldest key of the holy Ka'aba. Video brought to you by Egypt's Min. of Tourism & Antiquities - Screenshot of videoشاهد أقدم نموذج باقى من مفاتيح الكعبة حتى الآن، يرجع إلى العصر المملوكي استمتع معنا بإطلاق فيديو تعريفي جديد داخل متحف الفن الاسلامي بباب الخلق، لعرض وشرح أقدم نموذج باقى من #مفاتيح_الكعبة حتى الآن، يرجع إلى العصر المملوكي، وينسب... Enjoy a guided video tour for the first Key of the holy Ka’aba, made of copper inlaid with silver. This video tour is brought to you by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities.This key belongs to the Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Sha’ban, it is considered to be the oldest existing specimen ever seen for keys of the Ka’aba.Verses from the part of the holy Quran is inscribed on the key from Surat al-Fath as well as the name and titles of sultan al-Ashraf Sha’ban.It’s attributed to 765 AH /1363 -1364 AD.Thanks to Gihan Nabil Director of the Learning Center of the Grand Egyptian Museum and the tour guide Dina Ezz Aldin for volunteering.
Source:Egypt Today
May 12, 2020 11:48 UTC
Egypt’s Ministry of Health converts 30 hospitals to quarantine hospitals
Egypt’s Ministry of Health on Monday announced that it is converting 30 fever and chest hospitals to quarantine hospitals to receive patients infected with coronavirus, and to provide medical services such as testing, diagnosis, quarantine and treatment. Zayed noted that all coronavirus cases in Egypt undergo full medical care in quarantine hospitals, according to World Health Organization guidelines. Egypt on Sunday confirmed 436 new coronavirus cases, bringing the country’s number of confirmed total cases so far to 9,400. The total number of COVID-19 deaths has now reached 525 nationwide, after announcing 11 more deaths. The total number of fully-recovered cases rose to 2,075 after 73 cases left quarantine on Sunday, and all of whom have been discharged from isolation hospitals.
Source:Egypt Independent
May 11, 2020 15:45 UTC
'Hungry' Bayern delighted to be back in training, says Alaba
"It was really very, very nice to be back on the pitch, training as a whole team," said Alaba. "You could feel that in training, everyone was hungry -- and looking forward to the first game. "We are used to playing at home in front of 82,000," Dortmund coach Lucien Favre told German daily Bild. "When Bayern are on top form, they usually decide the league title for themselves, especially with this lead. "Clubs must finish the season by June 30 in order to collect around 300 million euros ($324 million) in television money.
Source:Egypt Today
May 11, 2020 15:11 UTC
IMF discusses Egypt’s request for loan to counter coronavirus
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday began discussing Egypt’s request for a new loan to counter the spread of coronavirus and its economic effects. This preemptive step follows the success of the country’s economic reform program and is aimed at maintaining the gains Egypt’s economy has made. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgiev said that the executive board of the fund will review Egypt’s request. Egypt completed earlier this year the final stage of its economic reform program, obtaining US$12 billion from the fund. In an attempt to revive its faltering economy since 2011, Egypt obtained an IMF loan in 2016 in exchange for implementing a rigorous reform program, beginning with floating the pound.
Source:Egypt Independent
May 11, 2020 13:29 UTC
Share of renewable energy in total power generated in Egypt to remain the same in 2020
Solar installers from Baker Electric place solar panels on the roof of a residential home in California, U.S. October 14, 2016- ReutersCAIRO – 11 May 2020: The share of renewable energy in the total amount of power generated in Egypt annually is speculated to remain the same in 2020 compared to 2019.Chairman of New and Renewable Energy Mohamed al-Khayat told Egypt Today that the amount expected to be generated of such type of energy by the end of 2020 is 6,000 megawatts.The breakdown is 1,465 megawatts of solar energy generated in Aswan's Benban Solar Station, 580 megawatts of wind energy generated in Hurghada's Gabal al-Zeit Wind Farm, 250 megawatts of wind energy generated in other wind farms, and 3,000 megawatts of hydropower.The total amount of renewable energy generated on grid until present is 5,800 megawatts. It is planned that the share of renewable energy in the total amount of energy generated becomes 20 percent in 2022 and 42 percent in 2035.In 2019, the amount of renewable energy generated rose by 2,000 megawatts to record 6,000 megawatts composing 11 percent of the 55,000 megawatts generated in Egypt annually.With a total of 300 wind turbines at a total cost of LE 12 billion ($670.64 million), the overall capacity of the three phases of Gabal al-Zeit Wind Farm is 580 megawatts. The first completed phase contains 120 turbines with a capacity of 240 megawatts, while the second and third projects will have 110 turbines with a capacity of 220 megawatts and 60 turbines with a capacity of 120 megawatts, respectively. The project was launched in 2015.Benban solar station includes 32 plants, and is considered the largest solar power project in the world and was funded by the World Bank with a total value of $653 million.The total value of the project is $2 billion for a total power generation of up to 1600 megawatts. The project is carried out with the participation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and a large number of major international companies.
Source:Egypt Today
May 11, 2020 12:56 UTC
233 stranded Egyptians in UK brought home
Marsa Alam International Airport - File photoCAIRO – 11 May 2020: An exceptional flight carrying 233 stranded Egyptians from UK's Heathrow Airport landed in Marsa Alam on May 10. Those are being quarantined in university dorms free of charge.On May 6 and May 10, 450 and 490 returned, respectively. On each of those days, three flights were operated.President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi noted in April that around 3,500 Egyptians are still stranded abroad over coronavirus, affirming that authorities are committed to bringing them back despite "hard circumstances. "Aviation suspension in Egypt began on March 19, except for domestic and cargo flights. Also, tourists who had arrived before the date were allowed to complete their program, and leave on scheduled dates beforehand.A number of tourists requested to remain in Egypt as COVID-19 outbreak took its toll on their countries.
Source:Egypt Today
May 11, 2020 11:26 UTC
Egyptian MP submits motion against TV program 'Ramez Magnoon Rasmy' - Egypt Independent
Egyptian MP Hassan Basiony on Monday submitted to Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal a motion requesting a briefing from the Prime Minister, Information Minister and Culture Minister regarding the broadcast of the prank show ‘Ramez Magnoon Rasmy’ (Ramez is Officially Crazy). Basiony said that the show includes ideas that also violate public order, which includes issues such as security, public health and public morals. These things, Basiony said, threaten society, especially young people who may consider imitating such behaviors — something psychiatrists have warned about. Egypt’s Administrative Court on Wednesday turned down lawsuit to suspend the prank program “Ramez Magnoon Rasmy” presented by actor Ramez Galal on MBC Masr. Regardless, millions of Egyptians enthusiastically await his show during the Iftar hour when they break their fast.
Source:Egypt Independent
May 11, 2020 11:15 UTC