Tag Archives: Egypt

A dozen countries in the Middle East and Central Asia have asked the International Monetary Fund for financial support in dealing with the coronavirus, and the Kyrgyz Republic is likely to receive the first emergency disbursement, the fund said. Governments should spare no expense to help their health systems and …

Facebook Inc (FB.O) said on Monday it had removed two networks of fake accounts linked to digital marketing firms in Egypt and India which were pushing dueling narratives about countries in the Gulf on the Facebook and Instagram platforms. Facebook, in its first monthly report on information operations, said both …

Economic shocks stemming from rising sea levels pose a long-term risk to the sovereign credit ratings of dozens of countries which have large areas at risk of submersion, including Vietnam, Egypt, Suriname and the Bahamas, Moody’s said on Thursday. Climate science suggests that sea levels will continue to rise for …

The Levant News Exclusive – By Emad El-Din Aysha | Mark Sedgwick is Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at Aarhus University, and Chair of the Nordic Society for Middle Eastern Studies. He studied history at Oxford University, did his PhD at the University of Bergen, and taught for many …

Facebook Inc has announced it removed hundreds of pages, groups and accounts on its platforms for “coordinated inauthentic behavior” linked to three operations in Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Nigeria. The operation in Indonesia involved a network of over 100 fake accounts on Facebook and Instagram posting content …

The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) revealed the winning logo from the design competition held for the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2020. IAC, which will be hosted in Dubai for the first time in the Arab world, is a global event that brings together leading space specialists and decision-makers …

Air France (AIRF.PA) is maintaining its flights to Cairo, a spokesman for the airline said on Sunday, following the decision by rivals British Airways and Lufthansa to suspend flights to Egypt’s capital over security concerns. British Airways, a unit of IAG (ICAG.L) said on Saturday it was suspending flights to …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD     It’s being taken as a given that the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is going to be built on the Blue Nile and that the downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt, are going to have to face the consequences. If the so-called Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam …

The First Climate and Health Ministers’ Meeting, hosted today in partnership with the World Health Organization,WHO, and the UN as part of the Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting, highlighted the serious impact of climate change on people as well as the environment. Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of …

Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi, UAE Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League, headed the UAE delegation participating in the 11th Arab Ministerial Water Council. The meeting of the council was also attended by other Arab ministers of water resources and irrigation, along with Mazen Ghoneim, Head of …

The Expo Centre Sharjah recently concluded its visit to Egypt and Jordan where it explored prospects of future cooperation and joint coordination in the sector of international exhibitions and conferences, to promote the interests of the Arab economy. The Expo delegation was headed by Saif Mohamed Al Midfa, Expo Centre …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday vowed to try to ensure the Egyptian government is tried in international courts for the death of former president Mohamed Mursi, who suffered a fatal heart attack in a Cairo court earlier this week. “Muhammed Mursi flailed on the courtroom floor for 20 minutes …

The United Nations human rights office called on Tuesday for an independent investigation into the death of Egypt’s former President Mohamed Mursi, saying it should encompass all aspects of his treatment during nearly six years in custody. Egypt’s Islamist ex-president was buried in a small family ceremony early on Tuesday …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD     I haven’t been to a movie theatre for quite a while now, let alone to watch an Arabic movie. But, I couldn’t resist this time, with Sherif Arafa’s Al-Mamar (or The Passage) portraying one of those sadly forgotten battles during the war of …

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of Dragon Oil, has welcomed the Dubai-based company’s purchase of BP’s stake in Egypt. BP has agreed to sell its interests in Gulf of Suez oil concessions in Egypt to the company, which is owned by Dubai government. Under the terms of the agreement, …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD   What can I say about Ammar Al-Masry’s Throne of Atlantis, the long awaited sequel to Shadows of Atlantis? It’s a mind-boggling treat! To remind those who have forgotten, myself included, here is a summary. In Shadows of Atlantis you have a near perfect world …

The is a translation of an interview conducted by Mohamed Nazreen Shahul Hamid and published in the November 2018 edition of “Dewan Sastera“, a Malaysian literary magazine edited by Zaharahanum Kamarudin. The interviewee, Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD, is currently a member of the Egyptian Society for Science Fiction (ESSF) and a …

Egypt sees increasing interest from U.S. energy companies in developing its offshore oil and natural gas resources and expects them to participate in two bidding rounds due before year-end, Petroleum Minister Tarek El Molla said. Egypt has emerged as an attractive destination for foreign energy firms following a string of …

For years, Mostafa Mahmoud struggled to pay for his expensive drug addiction, spending much of his meagre income on hashish. A few months ago, he switched to a cheaper way to get high which he says is pushing him to his death. The 27-year-old man is among a growing number …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD     I made the mistake of reading, and the even bigger mistake of ‘buying’, M. M. Tawfik’s novel Candygirl: An Egyptian Novel, published in English by the AUC Press in 2013. (Mr. Tawfik did the translation himself, and he does a reasonably competent job …

Mubadala Petroleum has announced that it has agreed with Eni to purchase a 20 percent participating interest from Eni’s share in the Nour North Sinai Offshore Area ‘Nour’ concession, an offshore exploration block in Egypt. Eni is the operator of the concession through its subsidiary, IEOC. In the concession, which …

Egyptian naval forces fired on a Palestinian fishing boat and killed a fisherman on Wednesday, Gaza’s interior ministry said, but an Egyptian military source denied the report. Egypt’s navy has in the past shot at Gazans whom it has accused of crossing the maritime border. There was no initial information …

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the army will come to the defense of Gulf Arabs if they face any direct threats, a pro-government newspaper said on Tuesday. Youm7 newspaper also quoted Sisi as saying in response to a question on U.S. sanctions on Iran: “Instability affects us all and …

Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Youth Authority, highlighted the UAE’s experience in empowering the youth and supporting them through the “National Agenda for the UAE’s Youth 2021,” which aims to invest in …

The UAE Armed Forces is participating in the joint Arab military exercise titled ‘Arab Shield 1’ which is taking place from 3rd to 16th November, at the Mohamed Naguib Military Base in Egypt. The major military exercise will involve land, naval and air, special forces and aim to strengthen joint …

A Russian MiG-29 fighter plane crashed during a training flight in Egypt on Saturday, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation was cited by RIA news agency as saying. The plane was supplied by Russia to Egypt as part of a commercial contract in 2018, Russia’s Kommersant newspaper said, adding that the Egyptian …

Gunmen killed at least seven people and wounded 14 others in an attack on a bus driving toward a Coptic Christian monastery in Egypt on Friday, the Archbishop in Minya said No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on people traveling to St. Samuel the Confessor monastery in Minya, …

A Turkish ship will start drilling for oil and gas in the Mediterranean on Wednesday, Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said, a move that could create tensions with neighboring Cyprus and Greece over jurisdiction. Attempts to tap gas and oil in the eastern Mediterranean, along with a dispute over Greece’s maritime …

Here’s a quiz for you — name a Middle East developer with hotel projects in Switzerland, a boutique resort in Montenegro, one in Oman and another at Ras Al Khaimah? And who is also building a city-within-a-city on the Red Sea shores? Chances are that the name “Orascom Development Holding” …

An Egyptian court has sentenced an activist to two years in jail over a video she posted on social media criticising the government for failing to protect women against sexual harassment and over poor living conditions, her lawyer said. Amal Fathy, a member of the now banned April 6 youth …

Egyptian officials will tour Asia later this year to test interest in the country’s debt, part of government efforts to expand borrowing options as volatility roils emerging markets, Finance Minister Mohammad Maait said. Egypt has raised the possibility of issuing Samurai or Panda bonds in the past, but the planned …

Egypt’s finance minister said on Wednesday the government will weigh up in January how to proceed with further state company sales, with five share offerings planned to take place by the end of this year. Egypt hopes the privatisation drive will spur investment and private-sector growth, which has been moribund …

Saudi authorities have arrested an Arab man who appeared in video having breakfast with a female work colleague. The Ministry of Labor and Social Development said the man was arrested for appearing in an “offensive video” and cited violations of rules including those “regulating women’s placement at work.” Local news …

Giza Criminal Court sentenced four people to 14 years in prison over charges including deliberately murdering prominent Shia Muslim leader Hassan Shahata, and three other Shias in 2013. The case is known in media as the “Shia strife.” The defendants carried Molotov cocktails, sticks and bladed weapons, and headed to …

A joint venture between Spain’s Naturgy and Italy’s Eni has been awarded a $2bn settlement from Egypt over gas supplies by a World Bank arbitration body, in a move that could accelerate the resumption of the country’s liquefied natural gas exports. The ruling by the International Centre for Settlement of …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD*   Iritdad or ‘Backwards’ is a science fiction novel by Egyptian author Muhammad Ahmed Al-Nagui, published originally in 2016. As you can probably guess from the title, the novel fits in the time-travel genre. The story is set in the distant future, 2107 to be …

Asharq Al-Awsat reports on a developing US Mideast peace plan that recognizes east Jerusalem as Palestinian capital, no right of return, limited demilitarized sovereignty, billions in aid, Jordan Valley remaining in Israeli hands; Europeans offer arbitration assistance but unwilling to replace US. The US peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian …

Prosecutors in Egypt have charged a defrocked monk with the murder of a Coptic Christian Bishop at a desert monastery. Bishop Epiphanius, 64, was found dead in a pool of blood at Saint Macarius Monastery in Wadi Natroun, north-west of Cairo, on 29 July. Wael Saad, who had been a …

Egypt’s Suez Canal revenues rose to $493.3 million (Dh1.81 billion) in July, a Reuters calculation showed on Monday. Suez Canal Authority Chief Mohab Mamish said that revenues for July rose by $46.2 million compared with the same month last year. Revenues in the first six months of 2018 increased by …

Egypt has inaugurated several power generation projects, including three power plants built by the German conglomerate Siemens. Tuesday’s ceremony was attended by President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi, and government ministers and officials. The three combined-cycle power plants built by Siemens in Kafr Al Shaikh and Beni Suef provinces and also …

Egypt on Saturday said a new Israeli law giving Jews the exclusive right to self-determination in the country undermined the chances for peace in the Middle East and the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. The law, which was passed on Thursday, drew a rebuke from the …

By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD   The Israelis just passed a ‘Jewish nation state’ bill meant to do away with what little progress has been made when it comes to using Arabic names, as well as pushing for yet more settlement building while calling for Jerusalem as the country’s ‘whole …

Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers said Saturday they had accepted a cease-fire ending a massive Israeli onslaught on militant positions after a soldier was shot dead, once again pulling the sides back from the brink of a full-fledged war. Israel and Hamas have fought three such wars over the past decade …

An Egyptian bank manager has fled the country with 180 million Egyptian pounds ($10 million) from client accounts. Some 100 million pounds of the International Commercial Bank’s (CIB) funds reportedly belonged to a number of owners of vehicle shops and maintenance centres in the coastal city of Alexandria. In an …