The Al-Azhar’s newspaper Sawt Al-Azhar (Voice of Al-Azhar) page on Facebook published part of an interview with the Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb that took place in 2019, talking about Al-Azhar’s position on wife-beating and beating others in general, after the issue was recently raised. The page said that it published “the part that MBC Masr did not want to broadcast”, while discussing the issue of beating, especially wife beating, and Al-Azhar’s position on it. “I hope to live until I see that beating an Arab Muslim is a crime, and the one who hits is punished like a criminal,” he added. There is no such thing as beating with conditions with the aim of discipline, and there is no such thing as beating with a Miswak,” he continued. Editor-in-chief of “Sawt Al-Azhar” newspaper, Ahmed al-Sawy, responded to the statements of the President of the National Council for Women, Maya Morsy, where she attacked Tayeb.

Dani Alves was left out of Barcelona's squad for the Europa League knockout stage as coach Xavi Hernandez decided to include new signings Ferran Torres, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Adama Traore instead, the club announced on Wednesday. Torres, Traore and Aubameyang all arrived in the January transfer window. Torres left Manchester City to join Barcelona for a fee of around 55 million euros ($62.30 million), with a further 10 million euros in add-ons. Speedy Spain winger Adama Traore arrived this week on loan from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers until the end of the season. Aubameyang completed his move to Barcelona on a free transfer after terminating his contract with Arsenal on Wednesday.

South Korea on Tuesday signed a contract to sell K9 self-propelled howitzers to Egypt in a deal worth over US$1.65 billion, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Wednesday. South Korean manufacturer Hanwha Defense signed an agreement with Egypt’s defense minstry for the largest K9 export deal in Cairo’s Artillery House military facility, capping off 10 years of intermittent talks. The deal will see the production of K9s produced in Egypt and technology transfer affording to the to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). The DAPA did not elaborate on details such as when the K9 howitzers will be supplied to Egypt and at what quantity. The deal makes Egypt the eighth foreign country to adopt the K9, joining Turkey, Poland, India, Norway, Finland, Estonia, and Australia.

The operations dubbed “Winter Eagle” were aimed against Turkey’s insurgent Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq, which Ankara says has hideouts there, and the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces known as People’s Protection Units, or YPG in Syria. The YPG is a close U.S. ally against the Islamic State group but is labeled a terrorist group by Ankara because of its ties to the PKK. The strikes aimed to “eliminate terrorist threats against our people and security forces from the north of Iraq and Syria and to ensure our border security,” the ministry statement read. The Observatory reported another Turkish drone strike at a power station a day earlier near the Semalka border crossing between Syria and Iraq’s Kurdish region. The group is considered a terror organization by Turkey and its allies, including the United States and the European Union.

The head of the Suez Canal Authority Osama Rabie, announced on Tuesday that the navigation movement in the vital waterway during January 2022 made unprecedented records. He explained that the figures that were achieved came in terms of the number of ships, net tonnages and the revenues achieved to become the highest compared to the performance rates achieved during the successive months of January throughout the history of the canal. Rabie indicated that the Suez Canal witnessed the crossing of 1774 ships from both directions during January 2022, compared to the crossing of 1594 ships during January 2021, with a total net tonnage of 106.1 million tons, compared to 104.2 million tons during January 2021. He explained that the regularity of navigation movement in the canal had a great impact on increasing the total revenues achieved, as the authority’s revenues during January 2022 recorded about US$ 544.7 million, excluding navigation services, compared to US$ 495.7 million during the same month of last year, an increase of US$ 49 million at 9.9 percent. Rabie added that the navigational reports during January 2022 monitored a significant increase in the transit rates of various types of ships compared to the same month of last year, as the number of bulk vessels increased by 25.1 percent, and container ships transiting the canal increased by 11.5 percent.

Memory of the day: Egypt, Syria sign the Charter of Arab Unity in 1958CAIRO – 1 February 2022: In the following lines, ET sheds light on the most important world events that took place on February 1. 1877 - Isaac Burgess and William Longstreet receive a patent for the first steamboat in the United States. 1881 - The arrest of Ahmed Orabi and his companions after the British entered Cairo. 1958 - Syria and Egypt sign the Charter of Arab Unity between the two countries under the name of the United Arab Republic. 2008 - The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al- Maktoum, appoints his son Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum as the crown prince of Dubai.

As we age, our brain functions and memory tend to become less sharp as compared to what they used to be when we were younger. Omega-3s help improve memory and brain functions. BeetsBeets improve brain functions by increasing the blood flow to the brain. AvocadosAvocados are a source of healthy unsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats which help reduce blood pressure linked to cognitive decline. Additionally, avocados contain antioxidants such as carotenoids, vitamin C and E which all help reduce inflammation.

The Egyptian Meteorological Authority warned of weather fluctuations on Thursday and Friday, a decrease in weather temperatures, rainfall, and wind that would disturb maritime navigation. Friday’s weather is expected to be the worst in terms of temperatures, which will drop significantly over most parts of Egypt. On Wednesday, February 2, meteorologists expect active winds in Cairo and Lower Egypt, accompanied by dust and sand in the west of the country. Maximum temperatures predicted on Wednesday:Cairo and Lower Egypt 19CAlexandria and the northern coasts 19CSouth Sinai 23CNorthern Upper Egypt 20CSouthern Upper Egypt 23COn Thursday and Friday, expect unstable weather and rains at varying intensity on northern Egypt, extending to northern Upper Egypt. Active winds are predicted in Alexandria, Greater Cairo, Upper Egypt, the northern coasts, South Sinai, and Lower Egypt.

CAIRO - 1 February 2022: The Health Ministry said Monday that 2,223 new coronavirus infections were detected, upping the total number of confirmed cases reported in Egypt since the beginning of the outbreak to 425,911. In a statement, Spokesman for the Health Ministry Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said 31 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 22,635. As many as 1,891 patients were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving necessary medical care, taking the number of recovered cases to 358,165 so far, the spokesman said. Up to 37 million Egyptian citizen have received their first Covid-19 dose of the vaccine, while other 25 million have received the two doses all around the country according to spokesperson of the Health Ministry Hossam Abdel Ghaffar. He noted that 618,761 citizens received the third [booster] dose of vaccine against corona virus.

In Yangon, the country’s largest city, and elsewhere, photos on social media showed normally busy streets were almost empty. The anniversary has also attracted international attention, especially from Western nations critical of the military takeover, such as the United States. Widespread nonviolent demonstrations followed the army’s takeover initially, but armed resistance arose after protests were put down with lethal force. People in Myanmar rushed before the start of Tuesday’s strike to buy essentials, and in Yangon appeared to have done their shopping on Monday. City workers in Yangon were told to attend during strike hours, according to leaked documents posted on social media.

JERUSALEM, Feb 1 (Reuters) – A global leader in vaccine rollout during early waves of the coronavirus, Israel’s government has adopted “Living with COVID” as its mantra since a few months before Omicron arrived. “The staff are exhausted,” said Yoram Weiss, acting director general of Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. The sheer magnitude of the surge has meant that coronavirus wards have been filling up fast while numbers of staff, many kept at home by Omicron infection, have fallen, also impacting quality of care. “We have on average 10-15% less doctors and nurses, whereas we need 20-30% more because of the flood of patients,” Dror Mevorach, who heads Hadassah’s coronavirus ward, told Reuters. The shortage has also forced hospitals to divert resources to COVID wards, cutting back on other procedures, and in mid-January several scientists urged the government to intervene to reduce infection rates.

TEHRAN (IQNA) – An eye-catching copy of the Holy Quran has been put on display at the 53rd edition of the international book fair in Cairo, Egypt. The Quran is completely written with thread, and is presented by a Syrian team participating in the book fair. The entire Quran is embroidered on cloth, by means of an embroidery machine, and it consists of 12 volumes. It took approximately 12 years to complete this giant Quran, which weighs about 200 kilograms. More than 1060 Egyptian, Arab and foreign publishers and agencies from 51 countries have participated in the book fair.

In line with the digital transformation strategy of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the first update of the mobile application “of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat was launched, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced in a statement. The update included several aspects: including the available information about the artifacts displayed in the museum, its internal maps, as well as the services provided to visitors, Ahmed Ghoneim, CEO of the Managing Executive Director of the Authority of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, said. The update came according to the users’ evaluation of the application from Egyptian and foreign visitors to the museum, which facilitates and improves their experience, he said, noting that the museum will continue the process of development to connect the public with the museum more effectively and to emphasize the museum’s role as a cultural and civilized beacon. The mobile application for the museum was completed in December 2021 in cooperation with IPMagiX. The application bears the name NMEC and is downloaded from Google play or the App store.

CAIRO – 31 January 2022: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen praised the firm and special relations between Egypt and the European Union, affirming that the EU is keen to continue boosting cooperation with Egypt at all levels. Von der Leyen made her remarks in a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Monday, according to Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi. The phone call discussed a number of issues and developments of the situation in the region, Radi said. Sisi and Von der Leyen shared similar views regarding the necessity to continue consultation and intensify cooperation between the two sides on the direct bilateral level and at international events, Radi said. In this regard, Sisi affirmed keenness to enhance cooperation and dialogue between Egypt and the EU in light of the joint interests and challenges, Radi added.

CAIRO - 31 January 2022: A first batch of 15,000 doses of Evusheld (tixagevimab co-packaged with cilgavimab), AstraZeneca’s long-acting antibody combination which provides pre-exposure protection from COVID-19, arrived at Cairo international airport on Saturday (29 January). Egypt is the first African country and the fourth globally to receive Evusheld. The doses arrived within days of obtaining Emergency Use Authorization from the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), and further deliveries are expected in the coming weeks as part of a total supply of 50,000 doses in 2022. The collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Population and AstraZeneca played a key role in our efforts to respond to the pandemic through the provision of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. With Evusheld, we now have better capabilities to protect immunocompromised patients in Egypt.”Hatem Werdany, Country President for Egypt, AstraZeneca said: “We are delighted to see the first doses of Evusheld arrive in Egypt, soon after being granted Emergency Use Authorization by the Egyptian Drug Authority.