ISTANBUL, Jan 13 (Reuters) – Turkey’s lira weakened nearly 3% on Thursday, giving up most of the gains from a rally a day earlier, as concerns persisted over surging inflation against a background of unorthodox policies aimed at boosting exports and growth. The lira stood at 13.5550 against the dollar at 0905 GMTon Thursday, down from a close of 13.2890 the previous day. Earlier it weakened as much as 13.68 after rallying some 4.7% to 13.15 late on Wednesday from a close of 13.8 on Tuesday. The unorthodox rate cuts led to the currency crisis late last year, driving inflation to a 19-year high of 36% in December, the highest under Erdogan’s rule. read moreJason Tuvey, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics, said data indicated that the economy held up well during the earlier parts of the currency crisis.

ISTANBUL, Jan 13 (Reuters) – Turkey has stepped up price thresholds for a special consumption tax on vehicles with small combustion engines, while adding more categories, the Official Gazette showed on Thursday, a move that will help cut vehicle prices. A 60% tax rate is to be levied on vehicles with engines smaller than 1600cc in a price band of 150,001 lira to 175,000 lira, after the adjustment. The rate rises to 70% for vehicles that cost up to 200,000 lira and 80% for those priced above 200,000 lira. The maximum price for the tax rate of 45% was raised from 92,000 lira to 120,000 lira, and the threshold for the 50% tax rate was raised to between 120,000 and 150,000 lira. Passenger vehicles sold in Turkey, already under a large tax burden, will see prices decrease as a result of the move, though the benefit is likely to erode quickly as sellers are expected to hike prices because of a weak lira currency.

CAIRO – 13 January 2022: Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mohamed Shaker told Egypt Today that the National Electricity Control Center being established at the New Administrative Capital (NAC) will start full operation by the end of 2022. The minister added that the first phase is planned to work in the first quarter of the year. He clarified that the center's value is LE840 million ($52.5 million), and it will be regulating the transmission and distribution of electricity across the grid. The minister had stated in December that 3,636 megawatts were added to the grid over 8.5 months at a cost of LE47 billion (almost $3 billion). Egypt’s electricity sector succeeded in transforming the electrical capacity deficit from 6,000 megawatts in 2014 to a surplus of 13,000 megawatts in 2020, after adding about 28,000 megawatts of electrical capacity, equivalent to 13 times the capacity of the High Dam.

She said that the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 can build on these recommendations. She voiced hope that COP27 would achieve its goals with regard to helping countries, especially developing countries. She referred to the efforts exerted by the environment ministry to confront climate change, topped by establishing the national council for climate change under the premier. She noted that the conferees agreed that climate change became a pressing issue that need an urgent international action to face the challenges of the coming period.

CAIRO - 13 January 2022: Egypt received, on Thursday morning, a shipment of one million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from Argentina on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, announced Acting Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar in a statement. On January 8, 2022, Egypt has received the third shipment of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (one million doses) via COVAX in cooperation with GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation). On December 31, 2021, Egypt received a shipment of 347,460 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine via the COVAX Facility. In a statement, the spokesman said 28 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 22,042. As many as 845 patients were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving necessary medical care, taking the number of recovered cases to 329,802 so far, the spokesman said.

Sisi said that Egypt suffers from ‘water poverty’ and still calling on reaching a binding legal agreement regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam [GERD]. In the ‘Development Partners’ Session earlier on Wednesday, Sisi said that Egypt took the lead in participating and cooperating with various world organizations. He noted to the economic reform program that was implemented in Egypt in 2016, saying that negotiations with IMF were ‘very serious and honest’. He added that ‘Egyptians were able to withstand the rigors of the economic reform program and never complained even when the pandemic surprised everyone’. “Because we complied with our agreement with the IMF regarding the economic reform program, the results were very positive”, Sisi saidThe president noted that the economic reform program was never easy to apply in Egypt, however “all hands were needed to overcome economic challenges”

CAIRO – 12 January 2022: Getting out of poverty in Africa is a hard quest given the high risks on the continent. President Sisi added that “poverty causes countries and peoples to enter into mazes. That progress has been erased by the pandemic, Egypt’s president pointed out. In that context, the UN resident coordinator pointed out that Decent Life is effective at decreasing multifaceted poverty. President of the Arab Voluntary Union Hassan Buhazza also affirmed the positive impact of Decent Life expressing admiration for the initiative.

CAIRO – 12 January 2022: Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Engineer Tarek El-Molla stressed that Egypt is implementing an ambitious program to develop its mining industry based on Egypt's Vision 2030, adding that work is underway to implement the first gold refinery in Marsa Alam. The remarks came during the eighth consultative meeting of Arab mining and mineral resources in Riyadh. “Egypt considers the optimal exploitation of natural resources as one of its most important goals,” said El-Molla in his speech. He explained that Egypt’s ambitious program developed by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources succeeded in implementing comprehensive reforms to advance the Egyptian mining system after studying all local and international challenges. El Molla announced that work is underway to implement the first approved gold refinery in Egypt in the Marsa Alam area in the Eastern Desert to maximize the added value of gold resources and to complete the value chain for gold production by maximizing local content.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi responded to his country’s criticism of human rights issues, saying the criticism was “very harsh” because Egypt “is committed to human rights under of his beliefs and ideas “. During the session of the “Simulation Model of the International Human Rights Council at the United Nations” at the World Youth Forum currently being held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Sisi emphasized an integrated approach and global treatment of human rights in Egypt, referring to the need to take into account the challenges facing Egypt. Could this be a failure of human rights? The President thanked everyone who attended the session, even those who criticized the human rights situation in Egypt. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time.

CAIRO – 12 January 2021: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said changing situations by force can lead to an uncontrollable destruction as he addressed a session titled 'International Responsibility for Post-Conflict Areas Reconstruction' during the World Youth Forum (WYF). The president underscored Egypt’s readiness to play a positive role regarding conflicts in other countries, saying peace and building are constants to Egypt. The Egyptian state will move to ensure its message is delivered powerfully and effectively in support of UNRWA to fulfill its role, Sisi added. There are currently 5.8 million Palestinian refugees recorded by UNRWA, she added. Nomani said the UN expects 1.3 million Yemeni deaths by 2030, 70 percent of which for reasons other than the conflict, including poverty and malnutrition.

CAIRO - 12 January 2022: Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad stressed that Egypt has taken effective procedures to face the climate change problem although Egypt’s emissions are only 0.6% of these emissions worldwide. Speaking to Sada Al Balad TV channel, the minister reiterated on Tuesday that the fourth edition of the World Youth Forum shed light on the climate change issue after it was also discussed in the previous edition in 2019. She hopes that participants at the forum could reach effective recommendations to face the impact of climate change which affects the food issue. It is expected that the climate change impacts could cause losses worth $300-500 billion between 2030 and 2050, the minister warned. President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi said that the coming eight years are crucial to combat climate change, stressing salience of cooperation between governments and the private sector.

BERLIN (AP) — Victims of torture in Syria and human rights activists say they hope the upcoming verdict in a landmark trial will be a first step toward justice for countless Syrians who suffered abuse at the hands of President Bashar Assad’s government in the country’s long-running conflict. The court heard evidence implicating Raslan in 30 of those deaths, said Patrick Kroker, a lawyer with the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights who represented several survivors at the trial. Instances of sexual violence are also being considered as part of the charge, he said. If convicted, Raslan could face life in prison. His lawyers last week asked the court to acquit their client, claiming that he never personally tortured anybody and that he defected in late 2012.

Frost will form in areas of northern Upper Egypt. Tuesday’s weather forecast remains cold during day time on the western coasts, Cairo, northern Upper Egypt and Alexandria. Frost cover expected for northern Upper Egypt and central Sinai. It is expected that the temperature in Cairo will be 19C, in Alexandria and the northern coasts 18C, and in South Sinai 24C. In northern Upper Egypt it is 20C, and in southern Upper Egypt it is 25C.

Chairwoman of the National Council for Human Rights Moshira Khattab delivering a speech at the WYF on January 11, 2022. TV screenshotCAIRO – 11 January 2022: The session of Model United Nations Human Rights Council (MUNHRC), which was attended by President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Chairwoman of the National Council for Human Rights Moshira Khattab, was held Tuesday within the fourth edition of the World Youth Forum (WYF). The chairwoman of the National Council for Human Rights underlined that population growth is a global challenge to resilience against crises. On another level, the chairwoman of the National Council for Human Rights commended the president’s keenness on promoting freedom of creed. On his side, President Sisi addressed human rights in view of population growth, illegal migration, and refugees.

The Egyptian Medical Syndicate announced its follow-up to the recent controversy over the death of the veteran journalist and TV host Wael al-Ebrashy, and denounced and rejected the attack on Egypt’s doctors as one of the means of discharging anger and sadness over his death. The syndicate will also study taking legal measures regarding the incident. It stressed that it affirms its full support for all doctors and medical teams performing their duty, and mourned the 660 doctors who lost their lives to the pandemic. Ebrashy passed away on Sunday evening at the age of 58. He was then admitted to the Zayed Specialized Hospital for treatment after his lung suffered significant deterioration.