The Military Production Ministry concluded partnerships with the private sector to produce the first electric Egyptian bus that works with electricity, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Helwan Metal Equipment Company (Military Factory 360), Taha Gomaa Abdel Gawad announced. Abdel Gawad stressed the role of the Ministry of Military Production plays in supporting and developing the Egyptian economy, and having an effective role in the sustainable and comprehensive development of the state through multiple national projects. Abdel Gawad pointed out that in recent years, the Ministry of Military Production was able to record many unprecedented achievements in various fields, whether military or civilian. In the sports field, the Ministry of Military Production established sports stadiums, and in the environmental field, it established waste recycling factories in different governorates, as well as projects to operate wells in Toshka, he said. The ministry also paved many roads in various governorates and took part in the construction of the Regional Ring Road, he added.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday discussed preparations for Egypt’s hosting of the COP27 World Climate Summit 2022 in a meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and several other ministers. Sisi said that launching this huge global event on Egyptian lands sends a message to the world that his nation is witnessing great progress in environmental matters such as the transition to clean energy. The spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency Bassam Rady said in a statement that during the meeting, various logistical and organizational measures were reviewed by the competent authorities, as well as previous experiences of organizing the climate conference in various countries. He stressed that this event represents the largest and most important United Nations conference ever in terms of the number of participants and its duration. It also looked over advancing national and African concerns on climate change issues and providing the opportunity to conclude partnerships with various international institutions to finance projects related to addressing climate change in Egypt.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday that cross-border terrorism works to fragment societies and demolish nation-states in favor of promoting extremist ideas that calls for hatred of the other and obstructs progress. The president welcomed all delegations participating in the CISSA conference. He said that he hoped Egypt will assume its presidency to continue its contributions to achieving security integration, coordination, and raising its capabilities to help overcome the security risks surrounding African countries. Sisi warned that extremist ideologies sabotage the steps African nations is making towards achieving their targeted prosperity. He called for intensified coordination between all concerned continental mechanisms, including the CISSA, to dry up all sources of terrorism, stop its activities, and protect the peoples of the continent.

More U.S. states desperate to defend against COVID-19 are calling on the National Guard and other military personnel to assist virus-weary medical staffs at hospitals and other care centers. People who became sick after refusing to get vaccinated are overwhelming hospitals in certain states, especially in the Northeast and the Upper Midwest. The New York National Guard said it had deployed 120 Army medics and Air Force medical technicians to 12 nursing homes and long-term care facilities to relieve fatigued staff. The largest hospital system in Indiana enlisted National Guard for support this week at a time when the number of COVID-19 patients in the state has more than doubled in the past month. The state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are now higher than Indiana’s summer surge that peaked in September and are approaching the pandemic peak reached in late 2020.

On investor conference calls this month, Central Bank Governor Sahap Kavcioglu signalled the easing would likely pause in January after one more cut this month. “One critical question, in our view, is what is a low interest rate – 12%, 8% or 5%? The poll also showed an expectation that the policy rate will stand at 12% at the end of 2022, according to the median of eight respondents. Turkey’s real interest rate is deeply negative, a red flag for investors and savers, including Turks who have flocked to hard currencies. Erdogan has ousted three central bank governors in 2-1/2 years and replaced many of its other orthodox policymakers.

CAIRO-11 December 2021: After 120 minutes of hard-fought football, Egypt defeated Jordan 3-1 to set up a clash with Tunisia in the FIFA Arab Cup semi-finals. Marwan Hamdy was able to level the score minutes before half time with a sensational header after receiving a beautiful cross from Ahmed Sayed Zizo. The two teams slow down the tempo of the game after a fierce battle in the first half. Queiroz used his bench to reenergize the team but the Jordanians fought to take the game to extra time. It was the perfect occasion for the youngster to score his debut goal for the Egyptian national team.

The Libyan Embassy in Cairo announced the opening of admission for Egyptian companies that are legally licensed to enroll workers abroad and who wish to register them with the embassy. 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. The embassy stressed that it will not accept any requests from recruitment companies wishing to register with the embassy without submitting all the required documents, and they must be adhered to submission deadlines. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has announced that as of April the signing of an MoU between Egypt and Libya to facilitate the return of Egyptian workers to Libya. Madbouly said that workers will be able to work in the fields specified and requested by Libya.

(Reuters) - As much as Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard may protest that his mind is focused purely on his team beating Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday, there can be no denying the emotions his return to Anfield will stir up. He played his final game for Liverpool at Anfield in 2015 and had a spell as a youth coach in the academy before taking on the manager's job at Scottish club Rangers. Gerrard's success in winning the Scottish Premiership last season earned him the chance to take over at Villa following the dismissal of Dean Smith last month. The 41-year-old has made a swift impact at the Midlands club, winning three of his opening four games in charge, with the only loss coming to league leaders Manchester City. Liverpool are second in the table, a point behind Pep Guardiola's City and one ahead of European champions Chelsea.

Airbus officials confirmed the statement referred to Qatar Airways. A spokesman for the airline said it would not comment on the Airbus statement before reviewing it. BRAND DAMAGEMhun said Airbus had offered solutions to Qatar Airways from patches, to repairs of the anti-lightning material or repainting of entire aircraft, but Qatar Airways had declined the offer. Industry sources say Qatar Airways is reluctant to implement short-term fixes without a full breakdown of the root cause. It is not only a problem between Airbus and Qatar Airways but it is also designed to prevent further damage to the A350’s reputation with all operators,” said aviation adviser Bertrand Grabowski.

CAIRO – 10 December 2021: Egypt received a shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines from Spain comprising 1,273,600 doses, said local reports on Thursday. The shipment is part of a donation worth more than 4.4 million doses announced by Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during his official visit to Egypt earlier in December. Of this shipment, Egypt has received 204,000 AstraZeneca doses on 24 November, as well as more than 3 million Johnson & Johnson doses on 28 November. Earlier this week, Acting Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar revealed that Egypt has received about 98.4 million doses of coronavirus vaccines since the beginning of the pandemic in Egypt early this year. He added that the ministry has already used 48 million doses in vaccination so far, with about 51 million doses remaining ready for use.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is looking to close his two-day virtual Summit for Democracy on Friday by shining a spotlight on the importance of election integrity, countering authoritarian regimes and bolstering independent media. Biden didn’t mention either China or Russia by name as he opened the summit. Biden underscored that even long-established democracies, like the United States, haven’t been immune to the strains. “Here in the United States we know as well as anyone that renewing our democracy and strengthening our democratic institutions requires constant effort,” Biden said. Thursday’s video gathering drew backlash from the United States’ chief adversaries and other nations that were not invited.

ANKARA, Dec 9 (Reuters) – Moscow will host an inaugural meeting of a six-way South Caucasus peace platform on Friday, an idea proposed by Turkey and Azerbaijan following last year’s Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. The peace platform – including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Iran, and Turkey – was proposed by Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan after the ceasefire. It said Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, Iran and Turkey will be represented at the deputy foreign ministers level, but did not elaborate on Georgia’s participation. Turkey has said it will reciprocate positive steps taken by Armenia to mend ties and has invited Yerevan to join the peace platform since the end of the conflict. Russia and Turkey jointly operate an observation center in Nagorno-Karabakh to ensure the ceasefire is maintained.

Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala al-Said posing with other officials in front of civil service vehicles on December 9, 2021. Press PhotoCAIRO – 9 December 2021: The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development delivered Thursday 13 civil service vehicles to the Ministry of Interior's Civil Affairs Department, Industrial Development Authority, Egyptian Drug Authority, and the National Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructure. Minister Hala al-Said told press that the vehicles were designed by engineers working for the ministry, and implemented by a number of Egyptian national companies. Said noted that this batch raises the total number of civil service vehicles delivered to 95 as 62 were supplied in FY2020/2021, while 20 others were handed over on November 8. The minister added that the plan includes finishing 87 vehicles by the end of FY2021/2022.

The US issued several calls to the parties of the conflict to end the clashes immediately. But fighting continues between the Ethiopian central government and rebel groups, led by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Abiy Ahmed authorized Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen to manage the affairs of the government as he headed to the battlefield to lead the army against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Tigary region has witnessed a large-scale armed confrontation since November 4 2020 between the Ethiopian army and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Egypt and Sudan are in conflict with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

DUBAI, Dec 8 (Reuters) – Bahrain’s parliament has approved the doubling of value-added tax to 10%, a member of parliament said, a reform that is part of plans to fix the Gulf state’s heavily indebted finances. That money was linked to a set of fiscal reforms, but after the coronavirus crisis strained its finances, Bahrain in September postponed plans to balance its budget by two years and announced plans to increase a value-added tax. Parliament recognized the measure was “a critical pillar of the kingdom’s fiscal balance program”, Ahmed Al Salloom, member of parliament and chairman of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, said in a statement on Wednesday. read moreBahrain’s public debt climbed to 133% of gross domestic product last year from 102% in 2019, the International Monetary Fund has said. “The successful approval of the VAT increase by parliament is a critical milestone within our economic recovery plans and our aim of achieving a balanced budget by 2024,” the ministry of finance said.