CAIRO - 29 Septemebr 2021: Head of the Suez Canal Authority Lt. Gen. Ossama Rabea said navigation in the international waterway Wednesday registered its highest daily traffic record in its history with 87 vessels sailing in both directions, without waiting, carrying a cargo net weight of 4.8 million tons. A statement released by Rabea said the Suez Canal is ready to deal with the various changes in the world trade movement after having increased its accommodation capacity. Developing the canal's navigation course is of top priority in the coming phase, he said, stressing the political leadership's high concern with this file. The types of giant ships that crossed the canal are 18 container ships and 26 bulk ships, in addition to the crossing of 18 giant oil tankers, 10 ships for transporting liquefied natural gas and liquefied natural gas, and 15 ships of various other types.

Most applications using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services – free internet-to-internet voice and video calls – have been blocked in the United Arab Emirates for years, angering many particularly since the start of the pandemic. On Wednesday Reuters found people were able to make and take voice calls using WhatsApp and Skype from the Expo site, which will open to businesses and other exhibitors from almost 200 countries on Friday. On Wednesday, the internet services appeared to cut off again outside the site. The block on calls using the popular WhatsApp, FaceTime and Skype applications has particularly galled UAE residents who were separated from families and friends by restrictions during the pandemic. Expo 2020 Dubai, the first world fair to be held in the Middle East, was delayed for a year by the pandemic.

The “Turathna” (Our Heritage) exhibition for handicrafts and heritage will witness the participation of 1,500 owners of small projects specialized in heritage products and civil entities interested in these arts from various governorates, Trade and Industry Minister Nevine Gamea announced on Tuesday. The Medium, Small and Micro Enterprise Development Agency is organizing the exhibition for the third year in a row, from October 9-15 at the Egypt International Exhibition Center (EIEC) in the Fifth Settlement, east Cairo. The exhibition provides exhibitors with an opportunity to achieve good sales in addition to concluding contracts during the exhibition period, she said. The first session of “Turathna” exhibition, characterized by high quality products at appropriate prices, was held in 2019 and was very successful, she said. “The exhibition achieved great success and sales ranged between LE30 to LE40 million,” she added, during a telephone interview with Basma Wahba, presenter of the “90 Minutes” program, on al-Mehwar channel.

CAIRO – 29 September 2021: A total of 20,000 associations and NGOs have applied at the Ministry of Solidarity to reconcile their status per the new NGO law, according to a Wednesday report by the ministry. This will improve performance and build bridges of communication amongst partners and the civil society, the report added. Below are some of the most important facts about the NGO law:- The law came as a result of a 6-year discussions and community dialogue, which included topics on associations, unions, and the Ministry of Solidarity and Civil Society. - Facilitating the work of foreign organizations in Egypt. - Authorized the right to join foreign organizations and NGOs.

CAIRO - 29 Septemebr 2021: The Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday that 718 new coronavirus cases were registered, raising the total number of confirmed infections in the country to 303,045. In a statement, Health Ministry Spokesman Khaled Megahed said 39 coronavirus-linked deaths were recorded over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll to 17,263 since the outset of the pandemic. As many as 599 cases were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving the necessary medical care, pushing the total number of recovered cases in the country to 255,658, the spokesman added. Health Minister Hala Zayed said students will be received in 1,100 centers allocated for vaccination nationwide, a ministry statement read, explaining that they include 270 youth centers allocated for vaccination purpose. Megahed noted that 270 youth centers are currently being used as vaccination venues, in cooperation with provincial governors and the youth and sports ministry

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The crisis in Ethiopia is a “stain on our conscience,” the United Nations humanitarian chief said, as children and others starve to death in the Tigray region under what the U.N. has called a de facto government blockade of food, medical supplies and fuel. Meanwhile just 10% of needed humanitarian supplies have been reaching Tigray in recent weeks, Griffiths said. Abiy’s government also has alarmed U.N. officials and others by accusing humanitarian workers of supporting the Tigray fighters. Ethiopia will see the formation of a new government next week with another five years in office for the prime minister. “It needs to be coherent, it needs to be inclusive and it needs to be soon.”___Anna reported from Nairobi, Kenya.

CAIRO - 29 Septemebr 2021: Civil protection forces in Alexandria controlled a huge fire that broke out in a popular restaurant in Gleem on the Kornish along the Alexandria coastline. Traffic was partially diverted from the Kornish in Gleem to San Stefano so as not to disrupt morning rush hour. The blaze covered the whole waterfront restaurant and three fire engines rushed to the scene to contain the flames. Investigations on the reasons behind the fire are underway.

CAIRO – 29 September 2021: In a huge ceremony at the Russian University for Humanities, Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass received an honorary doctorate from the university. The President of the Russian University for Humanities announced that the University’s Council decided to grant Hawass an honorary doctorate for his notable work as an Egyptologist in scientific production, restoring antiquities, retrieving stolen antiquities to Egypt and in establishing the Grand Egyptian Museum and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. The ceremony was attended by Ambassador of Egypt to Russia Ihab Nasr and Egyptian Cultural Advisor Mohamed Al-Sergany. It is worth mentioning that the Russian University for Humanities is the oldest university in Russia and cooperates with 200 universities all over the world. After the honoring, Hawass gave a lecture on the recent archaeological discoveries in Egypt.

Following the integrity workshops that brought together member associations from the AFC, CONMEBOL and Concacaf regions, FIFA is due to start the fourth edition of its Global Integrity Programme, as the CAF member associations come together for five one-day sessions starting on 30 September. The meetings, concluding on 4 November, will see integrity and anti-corruption experts from FIFA, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), CAF and other organisations share knowledge and discuss best practices with integrity officers from across Africa. The modules will focus on key topics, including establishing an integrity initiative, reporting mechanisms, competition protection, media strategy, cooperation between stakeholders, best practices and investigations. In line with FIFA’s overall vision of making football truly global and its ongoing commitment to protecting and promoting the integrity of the game, the FIFA Global Integrity Programme is aimed at improving education and integrity capacity-building in all 211 member associations by sharing advanced know-how and resources with integrity officers. FIFA and the UNODC recently celebrated the first anniversary of its fruitful partnership.

CAIRO – 29 September 2021: In the following lines, ET sheds light on the most important world events that took place on September 29. 1908 - The International Conference on Labor Protection, held in Lucerne, Switzerland, decides to ban night work for children under 14 years of age. 1962 - Ahmed Ben Bella becomes prime minister of the first Algerian government after independence. 1988 - The International Court of Justice issues a ruling regarding Egypt's entitlement to Taba. 2015 - The US agency "NASA" confirms the existence of the "liquid of life" (water) under the frozen surface of Mars.

The British royal family received the makers of the latest parts of “James Bond” series, dubbed “No Time to Die”, including Egyptian American actor Rami Malek. Members of the British family stood in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, stood next to her husband, Prince William and eagerly discussed the film with its cast and crew. Craig appeared in a dark red suit, abandoning the famous smokey suit of secret agent “007”. “No Time to Die” is the 25th installment in the James Bond series, the fifth for Craig as James Bond and his final role as the character.

Qatar’s ambassador to Egypt Salem bin Mubarak al-Shafi said on Wednesday that he and his country seek to achieve “the maximum possible rapprochement in Qatari-Egyptian bilateral relations.”“Egypt is a country with strategic weight, and its pivotal role in the region cannot be neglected,” he added. The Qatari ambassador’s statements are the first after handing over his credentials as an extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Qatar to Egypt. He stressed that Egypt and Qatar “Are brothers, and we have deep ties of identity, language, and social and cultural heritage. The Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani issued a decree in September appointing Salem bin Mubarak Al Shafi, ambassador extraordinary to Egypt, after a rupture since mid-2017. Shafi held several positions in the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the latest of which was serving as Doha’s ambassador to Turkey.

A member of the the Scientific Committee to Combat Coronavirus at Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population, Mohamed al-Nady, explained on Tuesday that the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine varies according to each citizen. During a phone interview with DMC channel, Nady said that vaccines give antibodies for a period of six months, some gives nine months of immunity, and up to a year. Nady noted that it is possible for a citizen to get a vaccine and not develop antibodies, but added it is not recommended to do tests for antibodies in the body after receiving the vaccine. He explained that international organizations do not recommend conducting further analysis and called for citizens not to be crowed the laboratories to check. Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population on Tuesday reported 718 new coronavirus cases, 39 deaths, and 599 recoveries.

“They had a detailed discussion of Yemen conflict, and both parties endorsed the efforts of the new UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg and agreed to intensify diplomatic engagement with all relevant parties. Special Envoy Lenderking will remain in the region to follow up on the detailed discussions,” the official said. The official also said Sullivan thanked the crown prince for “Saudi Arabia’s hospitality in permitting thousands of at-risk Afghans to transit through Saudi territory” during Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last month. Sullivan will be in Cairo on Wednesday for meetings with Egyptian officials that will include a discussion on Libya, White House National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said in a statement. Sullivan will host Israel’s national security adviser, Eyal Hulata, in Washington on Oct. 5 for more discussions, she said.

Renowned musician Omar Khairat will perform a concert on the Grand Theater of the Cairo Opera House, on October 12 and 13, at eight pm amidst proper precautionary measures. The concert tickets will be announced as soon as possible through the Opera House ticket booking website. Khairat has dozens of works of art inside and outside Egypt: most majorly including “Meen Eli Mayhebesh Fatma?” (Who does not love Fatma? ), “Qadeyet Amm Ahmed” (Uncle Ahmed’s Case), “Hanin” (Nostalgia), “Zy Ma Heya Hebaha” (As It Is, Love It), and “Fiha Haga Helwa” (It Has Something Sweet). He had recently performed a concert at the Al-Manara Center in the Fifth Settlement, a concert attended by a large number of audience, taking into account precautionary measures.