CAIRO - 15 May 2022: Egyptian Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union Mohamed Omar Gad said Egypt urged the African states to hold a consultative session on the issues related to climate and energy. The move comes within the framework of the efforts to coordinate the African stances before holding the climate summit, due in Sharm el Shiekh in November. Gad said the coordination meeting comes as part of African meetings which started on the sidelines of the latest African summit that took place in February in Addis Ababa to crystallize a unified African stance in relation to the climate issues to refer it to COP 27. Egypt is seeking to increase its dependence on renewable energy from 18% to 45% by 2025, Gad said. Gad urged the African states to focus on achieving just transition to renewable energy and providing sustainable energy to the green energy projects in Africa in addition to following up the implementation of commitments which Africa received in previous climate summits.

CAIRO – 15 May 2022: An Egyptian court, presided by Judge Mohamed Sherine Fahmy, sentenced four people to life imprisonment, a woman to three years in prison, and acquitted three others in the case known as “Spying for Daesh,” on Sunday. The criminal court put three convicts on the terrorist lists, charging them with collaborating with the terrorist organization “ISIS”. The court sentences are unchallengeable. Those sentenced to death by hanging include Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Hamid al-Bar, Mohamed Ibrahim al-Beltagy, Safwat Hegazy, and Osama Yassin. In September 2018, a Cairo Criminal Court sentenced 75 to death for their involvement in a 2013 Rabaa sit-in protest.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Sunday stressed that his country adheres to its historical rights to the waters of the Nile River. “Egypt has clear historical rights in the Nile River, and we do not stand against any development in the Nile Basin countries. This comes amid the nation’s ongoing decade-long dispute with Ethiopia over its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which Egypt fears will affect its historical share of Nile River’s waters. The downstream nations fear possible blows to water facilities, agricultural land, and overall availability of Nile water. Negotiations over the dam between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have stalled for years, with the three parties ultimately failing to reach any concrete agreement.

CAIRO – 15 May 2022: Egypt has invited African countries to hold a consultative session on climate and energy to coordinate African position ahead of COP27 in November. The workshop comes on the sidelines of a conference for African minister of finance, planning, and economic development, which will kick off Monday in Senegal. Gad called on the African nations to arrive at a “fair transition” to renewable energy and secure sustainable financing of green energy projects in Africa as well as to follow up on the pledges made to Africa in COP26. For his part, John-Paul Adam, the Director for Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said African constitutes less than 1 percent of the share of green bonds to finance renewable energy and green economy projects worldwide. He emphasized that countries that invested in renewable energy early on have benefitted from price stability and distanced themselves from increasing energy prices in light of international turmoil.

CAIRO – 15 May 2022: The Egyptian Armed Forces announced Sunday targeting a number of terrorist hideouts in North Sinai over the past three days so as the operations included airstrikes that resulted in the annihilation of a number of those and three four-wheel drives. According to the statement, the outcome of raids carried out by law enforcement forces is the destruction of a four-wheel drive, and the confiscation of two rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), three rifles, one gun, and 60 bullets. Four Takfiris got killed in the fire exchange, and the bodies are being kept in the morgue until their relatives identify them. Other raids and inspection campaigns in Al Moqataa village unveiled various types of arms, large quantities of ammunitions, firearm magazines, explosives, explosive belt, bags containing TNT explosive material, electrical circuits set for explosion, large quantities of subsistence supplies, 21 cell phones, three laptops, and a tablet.

The spokesperson for the Egyptian Armed Forces, Gharib Abdel-Hafez, announced on Sunday the killing of four hostile militants during the past three days, while destroying several outposts used by the takfiris as a center for carrying out terrorist operations. In a statement, Abdel-Hafez said that the Air Force managed to destroy three four-wheel drive vehicles and severas dens in North Sinai that the terrorist elements used to implement their schemes. Authorities also managed to destroy a camouflaged four-wheel drive vehicle used by the militants to attack the armed forces, and seized two RPGs, three multiple machine guns, a pistol, and 60 bullets of different types. During the search and raid in the village of al-Muqata, security forces seized various types of weapons, large quantities of ammunition of different calibers, and magazines. Abdel-Hafez assured that the armed forces will continue their tireless efforts to defeat terrorism to achieve security, safety and stability for the people of Egypt.

CAIRO – 15 May 2022: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli will hold Sunday a press conference to present the government's plan to mitigate the impact of the global economic crisis, and attract local and foreign investments. The annual core inflation rate recorded 11.9 percent in April 2022, compared to 10.1 percent in March 2022, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) said in a statement Tuesday. Egypt’s annual consumer price inflation recorded 14.9 percent in April 2022, compared to 4.4 percent in the same month of 2021, state-statistics body said Tuesday. In March, Egypt’s annual consumer price inflation recorded 12.1 percent. The Central Bank of Egypt aims to achieve an inflation rate of 7 percent (±2) percentage points on average during the fourth quarter of 2022.

CAIRO – 14 May 2022: The new Indian wheat shipment to Egypt fully complies with the required standards, Ahmed El-Attar, head of the Central Administration of Plant Quarantine at the Ministry of Agriculture said on Saturday. In a telephone interview with Al-Hayah Al-Youm, Attar said the examination of the Indian wheat samples proved high quality of the wheat, noting that a CAPQ committee is still present in India to complete wheat examination. To minimize the effects of the ongoing Russian-Ukraine crisis on Egypt’s grain stockpile, the Egyptian government has announced India as a new wheat supplier. During the meeting, Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhi confirmed that the supply of local wheat goes smoothly, noting that there are more than 450 locations to supply wheat nationwide. Egypt is currently suffering from a crisis of wheat supply from the conflicting Russia and Ukraine, the two biggest wheat importers to Egypt.

In a statement Saeed said that the declaration works to enhance participation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, through a strategic partnership in implementing the National Structural Reform Agenda for Egypt 2021-2024, launched in April. Saeed noted the Egyptian government’s launch of the three-year National Structural Reform Program, which aims to diversify the production of the Egyptian economy by focusing on three leading sectors: manufacturing, agriculture, communications and information technology, which represent the main pillar of the structural reform program. During the implementation of the National Structural Reform Program, specific areas will be developed in cooperation with the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt, including forecasting the potential effects of reforms on the sustainable development goals. The minister noted to the review of the specific policy measures and quantitative objectives specified in the national structural reform program with a focus on comprehensiveness and sustainability, as well as defining the technical assistance of the United Nations. For her part, Panova said that the United Nations family is proud to partner with the Egyptian government to address critical structural reforms that will support sustainable development.

The Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) has signed six memoranda of understanding for investments worth US$ 10 billion for green hydrogen and green ammonia projects with major international companies and alliances, to establish industrial facilities and complexes in the Sokhna area to produce green fuel and use it for ship bunkering purposes or export to foreign markets. In a statement on Friday the SCZone said that it aims for the Sokhna area to become a leading regional center in the green hydrogen industries, coinciding with the global transformation to clean energy uses. The region aims to localize this type of industry in its integrated areas in Sokhna and East Port Said, and preparations are currently being made to establish these projects in Sokhna due to its readiness as an industrial zone. The statement said that Sokhna area is near the Sokhna Port, the largest of the Red Sea ports, and is witnessing huge development work which qualifies it to attract many investments, and facilitates import and export operations. All companies are currently conducting detailed feasibility studies for projects to sign and announce contracts, in conjunction with Egypt’s hosting of the COP27 Climate Change Summit.

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) – A female student in northern Nigeria was killed by a mob who stoned, beat and set fire to her for allegedly posting a blasphemous statement against the Prophet Mohammed, according to police. The incident happened at the Shehu Shagari school in Sokoto, northwestern Nigeria, and the school was immediately closed. The Sokoto State government must immediately apprehend them and make an example of them. He told CNN that blasphemy does not exist under Nigeria’s constitutional laws, although some northern Muslim states recognize it under Sharia law. There have been previous incidents of mobs attacking people for alleged blasphemy in Nigeria.

Taipei, Taiwan (CNN) – Business has been swift this week for Oscar Chen, the fourth-generation owner of the Liang Xi Hao restaurant in central Taipei. So we don’t like city lockdowns or mass testing, and we don’t think it is useful to control the spread of the virus,” Chen said. Taiwan's former vice president and epidemiologist Chen Chien-jen says zero-Covid is "mission impossible" as the Omicron variant is highly transmissible. Taiwan’s former vice president and epidemiologist Chen Chien-jen says zero-Covid is “mission impossible” as the Omicron variant is highly transmissible. The difficulty of purchasing the test kits has prompted some residents to complain about the authorities’ lack of preparedness.

CAIRO – 13 May 2022: The United Arab Emirates [UAE] bid a farewell to President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Friday. Egypt has declared a three-day mourning period nationwide after the death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan starting from Friday. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed died on Friday at the age of 73 after a long journey of illness. President Sisi added that Sheikh Khalifa sincerely loved Egypt and was a loyal friend in all conditions and circumstances. The UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs has mourned to the UAE people, Arab and Islamic nations and the world the death of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Jerusalem (CNN) US President Joe Biden is considering a visit to East Jerusalem during an upcoming visit to Israel, an Israeli official told CNN Monday. Biden would possibly visit Al Makassed Hospital, although the plans are yet to be finalized, the Israeli official cautioned. CNN has asked the White House for comment on the possibility of a Biden visit to East Jerusalem. The hospital in East Jerusalem serves Palestinians, including those from the West Bank and Gaza. Former US President Donald Trump cut US $25 million in planned funding for the East Jerusalem Hospital Network, which included Al Makassed Hospital.

CAIRO – 13 May 2022: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi mourned the death of the United Arab of Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan who passed away on Friday at the age of 73 after a long journey of illness. President Sisi added that Sheikh Khalifa sincerely loved Egypt and was a loyal friend in all conditions and circumstances. I ask Allah Almighty to extend his mercy and forgiveness to the late UAE president and to maintain the UAE's progress and pride,” he added. The UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs has mourned to the UAE people, Arab and Islamic nations and the world the death of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Emirates lost its righteous son, the leader of the empowerment stage and the trustee of its blessed journey.”“Khalifa bin Zayed, my brother, my mentor and my teacher.