CAIRO - 10 September 2020: Egyptian-Turkish diplomatic relations can be restored this year if the outstanding issues are resolved, said Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday. Madbouli affirmed that the main issue for Egypt is Turkey's involvement in Libya, adding that no other country should interfere in Libya, or try to influence decision-making there. Egyptian and Turkish diplomats agreed Wednesday on continuing the exploratory consultations aimed at normalizing relations, which were severed in 2013 due to Turkey's support to the Muslim Brotherhood outlawed in Egypt. The first round of exploratory consultations was held in Cairo on May 5-6 as both sides discussed bilateral relations and their stances on the issues of Libya, Syria, and Iraq. They also agreed on the necessity of achieving peace and security in the Middle East, and on evaluating the outcomes of the consultations to decide upon the steps that followed.

MOSCOW, Sept 10 (Reuters) – Russia and ex-Soviet ally Belarus on Friday launched the active phase of vast military exercises involving 200,000 personnel that have alarmed Ukraine and some NATO nations. The “Zapad-2021” war games, taking place on Russia’s and Belarus’s western flanks, are due to run until next Thursday. The Western NATO alliance, whose officials have said Russia has regularly underreported the size of the exercises in the past, has urged Russia to be transparent and said it will be watching closely. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the active phase of the drills would take place at nine sites in Russia and five sites in Belarus. The exercises involve 200,000 personnel, 80 planes and helicopters, 290 tanks and 15 naval ships, it says.

LONDON, Sept 10 (Reuters) – Britain’s economy unexpectedly slowed to a crawl in July as the Delta variant of COVID-19 spread rapidly after lockdown restrictions were eased and as a ‘pingdemic’ kept many workers at home self-isolating. Finance minister Rishi Sunak said he was confident that the economy would continue to recover from the pandemic. Industrial output grew by 1.2 percent, boosted by the return to production of an oil field, but manufacturing was flat. Early signs of how Britain’s economy fared in August have suggested that consumers got back to spending, with unofficial measures of retail sales and broader expenditure bouncing back. ($1 = 0.7215 pounds)Reporting by William Schomberg and Andy Bruce; Editing by William Schomberg and Catherine Evans

DUBAI, Sept 10 (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates said on Friday residents who had been fully vaccinated with a shot approved by the World Health Organization could return as of September 12 from a list of previously suspended countries. Dubai, one of the UAE’s seven emirates, is due to open the Expo 2020 world fair on October 1 after a year-long delay due to the pandemic. The regional business and tourism hub is relying on the fair to give its economy a boost. Organisers had previously said they expect remaining UAE flight restrictions imposed to curb coronavirus infections to be lifted in time for Expo 2020. Countries from which residents can fly into the UAE from Sept. 12 are: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Namibia, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, South Africa, Nigeria and Afghanistan.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reiterated Egypt’s firm position on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis, wherein it is seeking to reach a binding agreement that preserves the water rights of all parties. “But it should not in any way detract from the water rights of Egypt and Sudan in the Nile River. In an interview with Bloomberg that was published on Wednesday, Shoukry confirmed Egypt’s keenness to “avoid armed conflict” over the Renaissance Dam. Egypt and Sudan 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 agreements.

Egypt’s Ambassador to Russia Ihab Nasr and an Egyptian delegation also attended the meeting, which took place in Moscow. During the meeting, Anany reviewed tourism figures and highlighted Egypt’s anti-COVID precautionary measures and health safety controls that it is strictly implementing at tourist sites. Anany stressed the safety and convenience of Egypt’s tourist towns, noting that visitors can enjoy the country’s beaches year-round. She praised the country’s precautionary measures, saying that they enhanced her country’s confidence in Egypt as a tourist destination. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-YoumIMAGE: Russian tourists arriving in Hurghada

We have opened the door but we have also said that we can close it if needed,” Soeren Riis Paludan, a professor of virology with the Aarhus University in Denmark’s second largest city, told The Associated Press. The tipping point in Denmark to start easing restrictions came when a majority in the age group of 50+ had the two shots, Riis Paludan said. Some have lifted restrictions but will introduce a vaccination passport. On July 19, the British government lifted remaining legal restrictions for England, though it still plans to introduce a vaccination passport for entry into nightclubs and other crowded venues at the end of September. While in many European countries there were pockets of resistance such passes, people used it all the time in Denmark because people trust authorities, Riis Paludan said.

ISTANBUL, Sept 10 (Reuters) – Turkey’s unemployment rate rose to 12.0 percent in July from 10.6 percent a month earlier as pandemic-related labour supports expired, according to data on Friday that also showed an uptick in the underutilization of workers. In July this year, a seasonally adjusted measure of labour underutilisation climbed to 23.6 percent from 22.4 percent a month earlier. The labour force participation rate rose 0.9 percentage points from a month earlier to 51.2 percent in July. The seasonally-adjusted youth unemployment rate was 23.1 percent in July, unchanged from the level a month earlier. The non-agricultural unemployment rate was at 13.9 percent in July, up 1.6 points from a month earlier.

A White House statement said Biden and Xi had “a broad, strategic discussion,” including areas where interests and values converge and diverge. The conversation focused on economic issues, climate change and COVID-19, a senior US official told reporters. “President Biden underscored the United States’ enduring interest in peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world and the two leaders discussed the responsibility of both nations to ensure competition does not veer into conflict,” the statement said. But the official also acknowledged that the United States’ ability to change China’s behavior may be limited, and that Washington must largely focus on shoring up the US competitiveness and rallying partners and allies. “We also think that essentially Beijing’s actions are quieter than their words,” the official said.

Sept 10 (Reuters) - Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo is capable of playing until he is 40 as he has adapted his playing style to extend his career, former captain Wayne Rooney said. Ronaldo, 36, spent six seasons at Old Trafford between 2003-09, winning eight major trophies, and rejoined United from Juventus last month on a two-year contract. "His ability is obviously one thing, but then he's also looked after himself massively ... he's still in great condition. It wouldn't surprise me if he's playing until he's 40, like Ryan Giggs did, and still scoring goals. Ronaldo, who scored 118 goals for United during his first spell, is expected to feature when they take on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.

BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) - Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to give Argentina a 3-0 win over Bolivia in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday, lifting him above Pele as South America's top international scorer with 79 goals. Messi got the opener after 14 minutes in Buenos Aires, dancing around the Bolivian defence before curling the ball into the net from just outside the box. His 77th, 78th and 79th goals marked his seventh hat-trick for the national side and took him two above Pele in the South American scoring charts. “I was really anxious, and I really wanted to enjoy it," Messi said. Jean Meneses pulled one back for Chile in the 56th minute but Luis Dias restored Colombia’s two-goal lead with 16 minutes left.

The expansive rules mandate that all employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or test for the virus weekly, affecting about 80 million Americans. And the roughly 17 million workers at health facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid also will have to be fully vaccinated. Federal workers who don’t comply will be referred to their agencies’ human resources departments for counseling and discipline, to include potential termination. Combined, the White House estimates those requirements cover 2.5 million Americans. Thursday’s order is expected to affect nearly 2 million more federal workers and potentially millions of contractors.

A dispute over the waters of the Helmand River is a conflict that has been going on for more than a century between Iran and Afghanistan. Iran accuses Afghanistan of violating its water rights, arguing that far less water than the amount agreed in a 1973 treaty flows into Iran. More water has been flowing into Iran again since the Taliban took power, according to local Iranian media. Hopes of cross-border cooperationIn February 2021, Tehran and Kabul agreed on a roadmap to reach an understanding on sharing water from the Helmand River. The plan called for establishing hydrometric stations to monitor how much river water flows to Iran.

(Reuters) - Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has shaken off a minor ankle injury sustained while on duty with the Netherlands and will be available for their Premier League visit to Leeds United this weekend, manager Juergen Klopp said on Thursday. Knee surgery kept Van Dijk sidelined for most of last season and this year's European Championship where the Netherlands were eliminated in the last-16 by the Czech Republic. "With Virgil, that was obviously a scary moment, you can imagine," Klopp told Liverpool's website. Klopp said he asked Van Dijk to send a video of himself not limping, but added that the defender had assured him he was "200% fit". "Yesterday he was not here (at the training centre) but he was in Liverpool again," Klopp said.

The Suez Canal Authority quickly addressed an incident where one of the ships crossing the canal, named the CORAL CRYSTAL, temporarily ran aground within the north convoy, Suez Canal Authority head Osama Rabei said. The ship carried 43,000 tons, he added, and assured that the authority swiftly resolved the issue and fixed the ship’s course. Navigation movement was not affected, as other ships were directed to cross from the eastern branch of the canal. The canal is operating as usual according to Thursday navigational reports, which showed a crossing of 61 ships from both directions, with a total net tonnage of 3.2 million tons, including 37 ships crossing from the northern direction with a total net tonnage of two million tons, and 24 ships from the south with combined tonnage of 1.2 million tons. Rabie stressed that the authority possesses the necessary capabilities to deal with all malfunctions, in addition to infrastructure prepared for emergency situations, especially after the inauguration of the new Suez Canal project and development projects for the construction of a series of garages on the new waterway.