In press statements, he added that this will help Egypt turn into an international logistical hub that is based on using modern technology for benefiting from the excellent geographical location of the country. Also, this achievement will help facilitate local and international trade movement, he said, attributing this achievement to the unified electronic platform which is connecting all Egyptian ports.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Schools were closed indefinitely and some coal-based power plants shut down as the smog-shrouded Indian capital and neighboring states invoked harsh measures Wednesday to combat worsening air pollution after an order from the federal environment ministry. Besides the closure of schools, the Commission for Air Quality Management ordered a stop to construction activities until Nov. 21 and banned trucks carrying non-essential goods. The panel also directed the states to “encourage” work from home for half of the employees in all private offices. Forecasters warned air quality would worsen before the arrival of cold winds next week that will blow away the smog. Earlier this month, air quality levels fell to the “severe” category in the capital and residents faced bouts of severe, multiday pollution.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi instructed the expansion of vaccination campaigns for citizens against coronavirus and the facilitation of procedures to access vaccines. The vaccination campaigns are for the safety of the public, official spokesperson for the presidency Bassam Rady stated. The Ministry of Health confirmed that the frequency of vaccinations against the coronavirus will increase during the coming period with the expansion of vaccination centers. The rate of vaccination of workers in the state’s administrative apparatus has reached 95 percent, official spokesperson for the Health Ministry, Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, said. He added that the administrative body is more committed to vaccination during the past weeks and that workers and employees were vaccinated through vaccination convoys at government agencies or through the normal vaccination mechanism.

CAIRO – 17 November 2021: Chairman of the Roads and Bridges Authority Hossam El Din Mostafa told Al Watan newspaper Wednesday that microbuses will be banned completely from using the Ring Road by the end of December 2021. The official pointed out that the alternative will be the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), which will have stations at major intersections. Section of Ring Road near Cairo-Alexandria Agricultural RoadMostafa underlined that the lanes of the Ring Road – crossed by 213,000 vehicles daily - will become seven up from four, except for the section extending in Mounib, which will encompass eight lanes. He added that trucks will be only allowed on the Ring Road between midnight and 6:00 a.m. The Ministry of Transportation plans to introduce the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in Greater Cairo's Ring Road.

CAIRO, 17 November 2021: The Egyptian national team defeated its Gabonese guest, with two goals, on Tuesday afternoon, in the match that was held at the Army Stadium in Borg El Arab, in the sixth and final round of the World Cup qualifiers. Mohamed Magdy Afsha and Yohan Obiang scored an own goal for Egypt in the 4th and 74th minutes from a penalty kick, while Jim Alvina scored Gabon's only goal in the 54th minute. Egypt raised its score to 14 points to move away from the fifth group lead before the start of the play-off stage, while Gabon's balance froze at seven points, ahead of the Libyan team, while Angola is at the bottom of the group with five points. Carlos Queiroz took advantage of the match to give the largest number of players the chance to qualify for the final stage of the qualifiers. The Portuguese coach made 7 modifications to the starting lineup, and only the quartet of Mohamed El-Shennawy, Ahmed Hegazy, Amr Al-Sulayya and Mohamed Sherif remained from the last match against Angola.

CAIRO – 16 November 2021: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Tuesday issued directives for expanding COVID-19 vaccination campaigns for citizens, and facilitating relevant procedures. President Sisi's orders came during his meeting with Presidential Adviser for Health Affairs Mohamed Awad Tag el Din, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said. Tag el Din told the president that the epidemiological situation is under control amid the approach of winter and the relative increase in the number of coronavirus cases. Presidential Adviser for Health Affairs Mohamed Awad Tag el Din said on Monday Egypt has all kinds of approved coronavirus vaccines enough for vaccinating all citizens. He explained that vaccinated citizens may be revaccinated since the coronavirus vaccines are effective for 6-9 months.

CAIRO – 16 November 2021: The Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) of the Egyptian Cabinet showed the development in the petroleum sector during the past seven years, as it witnessed the signing of 99 petroleum agreements with investments amounting to $17 billion, in addition to the implementation of 45 projects to develop oil fields with investments of LE 565 billion. This came in a videograph published by the Information Center, which reviews the size of the petroleum sector's achievement during the last seven years. The videograph pointed out that investments in two new projects in the petrochemical sector in Damietta and Alexandria amounted to LE 72 billion, in addition to implementing 7 projects to develop refineries with investments of LE 86 billion. It indicated that the volume of domestic consumption of natural gas reached 47 million tons, with an increase of 35 percent compared to 2014/2015, and the number of housing units to which natural gas was delivered during the last seven years rose by 50 percent to 12.3 million units.

Minister of Supply and Domestic Trade Ali al-Moselhy instructed that mobile vehicles be dispatched to aid places affected by torrential rains in Aswan, according to the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Supply Ahmed Kamal. Kamal clarified that on Monday, the Egyptian Company for Wholesale Trade, affiliated with the Holding Company for Food Industries, in cooperation with the Aswan Directorate of Supply, deployed six mobile vehicles in the areas affected by torrential rains in Aswan, including Aboul Rish, Komombo, West Draou and al-Shallal, to provide food commodities to citizens in those places at great discounts. The Egyptian Company for Wholesale Trade will also dispatch on Tuesday more vehicles, Kamal said. The city of Aswan also spent a pitch-black night after a power outages due to power supply stations going out of service. The rains irritated scorpions out of their burrows filled with torrential water in the sandy areas surrounding several settlements by Aswan.

The six experts on the team from the International Atomic Energy Agency are to meet with Japanese officials and visit the Fukushima Daiichi plant to discuss technical details of the planned release, Japanese officials said. The team currently in Japan includes three IAEA officials and one each from South Korea, France and Russia. A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 knocked out the Fukushima Daiichi plant’s cooling systems, triggering the meltdown of three reactors. Japanese officials say the water must be removed to allow the decommissioning of the plant, and that its release into the ocean is the most realistic option. Controlled release of tritium from normal nuclear plants is a routine global practice, officials say.

So far, vaccines are still able to defend against serious disease and death from Delta, but scientists remain on alert. Here is what we know:DELTA – STILL DOMINANTThe Delta variant, first detected in India in December 2020, remains the most worrisome version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Delta is more than two times as contagious as previous SARS-CoV-2 variants, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People infected with Delta carry around 1,200 times more virus in their noses compared with the original version of the coronavirus. DELTA OFFSPRINGGiven Delta’s global dominance, many vaccine experts now believe that all future variants will be offshoots of Delta.

CAIRO - 16 November 2021: Presidential Adviser for Health Affairs Mohamed Awad Tag el Din said on Monday Egypt has all kinds of approved coronavirus vaccines enough for vaccinating all citizens. The decision on preventing unvaccinated civil servants from entering their workplaces has been issued after making sure that all kinds of vaccines are available, he reiterated. He explained that vaccinated citizens may be revaccinated since the coronavirus vaccines are effective for 6-9 months. The adviser noted that the peak of the fourth wave of Covid-19 has not been reached yet. The Health Ministry said Tuesday that 946 new coronavirus cases were detected in Egypt in the past 24 hours, upping the total number of cases to 344,907.

CAIRO - 15 November 2021: The fourth edition of the World Youth Forum ill be held Jan. 10-13, 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, and the registration window remains open for a month from Nov. 15. The National Training Academy said in a press conference Monday that WYF will take anti-coronavirus precautionary measures and practice social distancing. The forum was scheduled to be held in 2020 but was postponed sue to the corona virus pandemic, with this edition focusing on the repercussions of the Covid-19, as well as peace, development, and innovation. On the sidelines of the forum, WYF lab, WYF Theater, and Inspire. People in the age group 18-30 can participate as attendees or speakers from this link https://register.wyfegypt.com/Around 15,000 young men and women participated in the third edition of the World Youth Forum from 160 countries.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry meets with the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on November 15, 2021 in Cairo- Press photoCAIRO - 15 November 2021: European commissioner for home affairs Ylva Johansson said that the EU is ready to deepen cooperation with Egypt, with financial support, on migration in all its aspects. “Egypt is a key partner for the EU,” she added on her Twitter account after a meeting with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on in Cairo. Sameh Shoukry for the exchange today, including a detailed outline of regional #migration patterns. Egypt is a key partner for the EU. pic.twitter.com/XFdjSl1TQX — Ylva Johansson (@YlvaJohansson) November 15, 2021During the meeting, they discussed means of boosting cooperation between Egypt and the European Union in the field of immigration.

CAIRO – 15 November 2021: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi received, Monday a phone call from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement. The talks tackled several issues, including bilateral relations and ways of boosting cooperation in the economic, industrial and energy fields. They also discussed the latest developments regarding the Dabaa nuclear power plant and the establishment of the Russian industrial zone in East Port Said. The Russian leader also stressed the importance he attaches to regular consultations with President Sisi on regional and international issues, the spokesman added. The phone talks also tackled files of bilateral relations and ways of boosting cooperation in the economic, industrial and energy fields.

CAIRO – 15 November 2021: The State Litigation Authority obtained an arbitration ruling before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in the Netherlands, in the lawsuit filed by the Bahraini Nile Duma Company against the Egyptian state. The statement of the State Litigation Authority stated that the arbitral tribunal rejected the requesting company's request to compensate it in the amount of $29.3 million in addition to the accrued interests, which saved the public treasury from bearing the aforementioned compensation amounts. The arbitration case lasted 5 years, and the State Litigation Authority was able to obtain a ruling rejecting the two cases. This ruling is the 15th issued in favor of the Egyptian state in the last 7 years in international arbitration cases and disputes before international arbitration bodies and foreign courts. The State Litigation Authority stated that it succeeded in saving the public treasury from paying it during that period, the equivalent of $6.215 billion, 410 million, and €2 billion and LE 4 million, which is the total value of investors' claims in those disputes.