DUBAI, Sept 20 (Reuters) – The first world fair to be held in the Middle East, Expo 2020 Dubai, opens its doors to exhibitors from almost 200 countries on Oct. 1 after being delayed for a year by the coronavirus pandemic. The 4.3 sq km (1.7 sq mile) site was desert when Dubai was chosen eight years ago to follow the 2015 Expo in Milan, Italy. Before the pandemic, the consultancy EY forecast that the Expo would over the course of its six months contribute 1.5% of the UAE’s gross domestic product. Dubai still officially expects 25 million visitors, more than Milan received and more than twice the population of the United Arab Emirates. “All major trading countries and powers plan to use Expo to refocus and to redefine their position in the world market,” said France’s Expo commissioner-general, Erik Linquier.

The joint Egyptian-Cypriot training session “Ptolemy 2021”, carried out over several days, concluded in a military base in Cyprus with the participation of special forces from both countries. The first phase of the sessions included a number of theoretical lectures and practical exercises to identify the combat experiences of the two sides, achieve integration between the forces, coordinate efforts to carry out all training tasks, identify the technical and tactical characteristics of weapons used, and exchange first aid experience. The drills also included typical and atypical shooting training with live ammunition using small arms from different shooting positions, as well as simulating storming a terrorist outpost in a residential area and clearing it of threats. The training displayed the level the participating forces display in their ability to exchange and acquire combat skills and tactics, especially in carrying out all training tasks assigned to them. Ptolemy 2021 is a first of its kind military training session between the Egyptian and Cypriot special forces, aiming to exchange experience to achieve common interests and enhance military cooperation between the Egyptian and Cypriot armed forces.

CAIRO – 20 September 2021: The joint Egyptian-Cypriot Exercises (Ptolemy 2021) – carried out by Special Forces' elements of both countries - concluded Sunday after taking place for several days in a Cypriot base. The purpose of the lectures was also presenting the technical and tactical characteristics of the arms, and exchanging experience over first aid. With regard the practical side, participating elements did typical and atypical shooting using live rounds and small rounds from various positions. They also trained on raiding a terrorist hideout in a residential area, and clearing it from armed elements. Ptolemy 2021 is the first of its kind among the Egyptian and Cypriot Special Forces, spokesperson of the Egyptian Armed Forces indicated.

BEIRUT, Sept 20 (Reuters) – Lebanon’s parliament began a session on Monday that is scheduled to discuss the new cabinet’s policy programme and hold a vote of confidence, after a nearly one-hour delay caused by a power cut. The session had been scheduled to start at 11 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) but the lights went out in the building now housing the parliament. When it began, Prime Minister Najib Mikati read out the cabinet’s draft policy programme. “From the heart of the suffering of Beirut … our cabinet was born to light a candle in this hopeless darkness,” Mikati told parliament. read moreLebanon’s financial system unravelled in late 2019.

HONG KONG, Sept 20 (Reuters) – Hong Kong police arrested on Monday three members of a pro-democracy student group, accusing them of a “conspiracy to incite subversion” including by helping deliver snacks to prisoners with the aim of recruiting followers. Hong Kong police have arrested more than 100 people under a national security law that Beijing imposed on the former British colony in June last year that critics say erodes the freedoms promised when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Beijing and the city’s government say the law is necessary to safeguard Hong Kong’s prosperity and guard against outside interference. Wall-fare, a prisoners’ rights group that provided supplies for prisoners and connected them with pen-pals, disbanded last week after Hong Kong Security Chief Chris Tang had said inmates uses items including sweets to recruit followers inside prison and endanger national security. The national security law punishes what China considers secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

Pressure keeps building on increasingly anxious world leaders to ratchet up efforts to fight climate change. “I’m not desperate, but I’m tremendously worried,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told The Associated Press in a weekend interview. Those negotiations in the fall are designed to be the next step after the 2015 Paris climate agreement. While the leaders convene for the U.N. meetings, activists, business leaders and lower-level government officials will be part of the cheerleading in a “climate week” series of events. “You’ve got the world leaders there, and so you can remind them about climate and get them focused on it” said Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group , which is coordinating climate week.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — In parts of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, people now eat only green leaves for days. In every district of the more than 20 where one aid group works, residents have starved to death. More than 350,000 metric tons of food aid are positioned in Ethiopia, but very little of it can get into Tigray. “People’s skin color was beginning to change due to hunger; they looked emaciated with protruding skeletal bones,” the aid group wrote. One Tigrayan humanitarian worker pointed out that most people live or shelter in remote places such as rugged mountains.

At the Haitian capital’s airport, three flights with 327 returned Haitians landed on Sunday from Texas, according to a US official with knowledge of the matter. “I left Haiti to go find a better future,” said Stephanie, who declined to provide her surname. She said she was taken from under the bridge by US agents to a detention facility before being loaded onto the flight. “If jobs could be created, we would never have exposed ourselves to this misery in other countries,” she said. In a video message released Sunday evening, Prime Minister Ariel Henry pledged to assist the expelled Haitians and bemoaned the “disturbing” images from the camp.

(Reuters) - Speaking ahead of Monday's home game against Granada, Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said he is not worried about his future despite criticism in the wake of last week's drubbing by Bayern Munich in the Champions League. "The only thing is to think about the game, think about the team," the 58-year-old coach said. But Barcelona have two games in hand, and Koeman was confident his injury-ravaged team would return to winning ways. "So I'm calm, I'm trusting that we are going to win games as we did at the beginning of the season. Barcelona will be without Ousmane Dembele, Martin Braithwaite, Pedri, Jordi Alba, Sergio Aguero and Ansu Fati for Monday's match.

“The talks are within the concern to intensify future coordination over all common issues,” a statement from Jordan’s army said. Jordan had for years supported mainstream Western-backed rebels who controlled southern Syria until a campaign by the Syrian army in 2018 aided by Russian air power and Iranian-backed militias retook the province. Thousands of rebels, who once received arms and support funnelled through Jordan, handed over their weapons under surrender deals brokered by Moscow. Jordan and Israel are alarmed by an expanding Iranian presence through its penetration of Syrian army units and the proliferation of Tehran-funded militias who now hold sway in southern Syria, senior Western diplomats say. Hezbollah denies Western allegations it is behind a multi-billion dollar drug smuggling network that moves from Syria via Jordan to export to the Gulf.

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Manchester City will have to field several youngsters in Tuesday's League Cup clash against Wycombe Wanderers as a number of players are suffering from injuries, manager Pep Guardiola said. "I don't have any alternative (against Wycombe)... we are going to play a few young players," Guardiola was quoted as saying by the club's website on Sunday. "We have John (Stones), Aymeric (Laporte), Oleks (Zinchenko), Rodri and I think (Ilkay) Gundogan all of them injured. "Some players might rest for the games we have coming up ahead of us," he added. "Ruben (Dias) played all of the minutes so far and Joao (Cancelo) played all of the minutes, too, so I don't think they will be able to play in this game."

LONDON (Reuters) -Chelsea's dominant second-half performance was rewarded with goals for Thiago Silva, N'Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger in a comfortable 3-0 victory at London rivals Tottenham Hotspur that sent them joint top of the Premier League on Sunday. The emphatic scoreline did not look likely in the first half as the home side's energetic display allowed them to more than match Chelsea. On the day Tottenham mourned the passing of Jimmy Greaves, the club's greatest-ever scorer, their modern-day goal machine Harry Kane had another disappointing day and is yet to add to his 166 league goals for the club this season. Spurs faded badly after the interval and their abysmal Premier League record against Chelsea now reads: played 59, won seven, drawn 20, lost 32. After winning their first three Premier League games of the season 1-0 to lead the table, Totenham have now suffered back-to-back 3-0 reverses and have slipped to seventh.

LONDON (Reuters) - West Ham United manager David Moyes said it was his decision for substitute Mark Noble to take the missed penalty in the 2-1 defeat by Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday. Noble had only missed four of 42 career penalties before Sunday and Moyes said he had no regrets about the decision. "Not at all, Mark Noble is one of the best penalty takers we've got, it was my decision. Mark Noble has an incredible record at penalties so I'm thinking Mark has come on, De Gea's not saved many and hopefully this is the answer." The penalty drama aside, Moyes said he had been very impressed with his team's performance.

Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed announced that Egypt has received 546,400 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, courtesy of the French government. It added that the Egyptian government spares no effort in providing free vaccinations to citizens. Zayed assured that the received shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be distributed to the 781 vaccination centers distributed throughout the governorates of Egypt. The shipment will be subject to analysis in the laboratories of the Egyptian Drug Authority, she added, and noted that the AstraZeneca vaccine has proven effective in preventing infection with the coronavirus. It is given out in two doses separated by 28 days.

Libyan Minister of Economy and Trade, Mohamed al-Hawij announced that there are now 51 joint cooperation agreements between Egypt and Libya in areas of industry, agriculture, employment, trade, services and more. With the signing of 14 new agreements and memoranda of understanding alongside the updating of old ones, Hawij said that economic cooperation between Egypt and Libya is back after a 12-year hiatus. This opens the door to accelerating reconstruction projects in Libya, especially if elections are held on time. “The deteriorating situation has halted cooperation in several areas, so we are reactivating agreements to exchange benefits,” Hawij said. He added that these recent agreements are primarily economic, especially in oil and gas exploration, trade, facilitating the residence of Libyans in Egypt, and their transportation between Egypt and Libya and the same for Egyptian experts and workers in Libya, alongside the opening of airports between the two countries.