CAIRO - 4 September 2020: The Health and Population Minister Hala Zayed headed for the French capital Paris on Saturday accompanied by Presidential Adviser for Health Affairs Dr. Awad Tag Eddin to discuss ways of boosting cooperation in the health sector. Zayed will sign a memorandum of understanding between Egypt's National Cancer Institute and France's Gustave Roussy Institute of Oncology. A diagnostic clinic for breast cancer will be opened in the Egyptian institute in cooperation with France's Gustave Roussy, said Spokesman for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed. The Health Ministry said that 318 new coronavirus cases were detected in Egypt over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 289,353. In a statement late Friday, Spokesman for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed said 11 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 16,766.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi gives a speech at the 8th Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ministerial Conference on WomenCAIRO - 4 September 2020: The Egyptian-Cypriot higher committee will be held later on Saturday under the co-chairmanship of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades at the presidential palace, said Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Radi. He added that the two sides will discuss means of boosting joint cooperation in the fields of defense, energy, trade, investment and maritime transport. The committee meeting, that is held for the first time at a presidential level, will discuss important files in bilateral relations, he noted. The two countries' delegations taking part in the meeting will include ministers concerned, he added. He indicated that they will also discuss current developments in the political arena at the regional, eastern Mediterranean and the international level, especially in light of the common challenges facing the two friendly countries, which require extensive coordination and consultation between Egypt and Cyprus in order to consolidate security, stability and peace.

Sept 3 (Reuters) – The US-trained Afghan pilots and others held at a camp in Uzbekistan already feared being sent back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Senator Jack Reed, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was “deeply concerned” about the Afghan pilots and other forces there. In a dramatic episode, one of the Afghan aircraft collided with an Uzbek jet, forcing the pilots to eject. Besides dozens of pilots, there are Air Force maintenance personnel and other Afghan security forces at the camp. BIOMETRIC READINGSOn Wednesday, officials from the US government arrived at the camp to take biometric data from the Afghan personnel there, the pilot said.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A small group of Afghan women protested near the presidential palace in Kabul on Friday, demanding equal rights from the Taliban as Afghanistan’s new rulers work on forming a government and seeking international recognition. But many Afghans, especially women, are deeply skeptical and fear a rollback of rights gained over the last two decades. Around 20 women with microphones gathered under the watchful eyes of Taliban gunmen, who allowed the demonstration to proceed. “We are concerned about the issues of human rights in Afghanistan, notably on the rights of women,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday. Tens of thousands of Afghans fled the country after the Taliban takeover in a massive US-led airlift out of Kabul international airport.

The Egyptian Armed Forces announced the launch of the joint “Bright Star 2021” military training with 21 countries, which will run from September 2 to 17. The military stressed that the training is the largest and most important international military exercise, due to its size. The Egyptian-Cypriot joint training “Ptolemy 2021”, which is taking place over several days in Cyprus, was also launched. The first phase of this training includes includes theoretical and practical lectures aimed at unifying combat concepts and refining skills. The “Ptolemy 2021” training comes within the framework of the joint training plan of the Egyptian and Cypriot armed forces to exchange experience enhance military cooperation.

DUBAI, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Qatar is working to facilitate the opening of humanitarian corridors to get aid into Afghanistan, a Qatari foreign ministry official said on Friday. Al Qahtani arrived in Kabul on Friday to hold talks on forming an inclusive Afghan government and reopening of the Kabul airport, said a Qatari source familiar with the visit. The Gulf state has emerged as a key interlocutor with the Taliban, having hosted the militant group’s political office since 2013. The Taliban negotiated the U.S. military withdrawal and separate talks with the Afghan government in Qatar. Reporting by Aziz El Yaakoubi and Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Catherine Evans and Angus MacSwan

HANOI, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Vietnam’s coronavirus epicenter Ho Chi Minh City, which has kept residents confined at home under lockdown, is considering reopening economic activity from September 15, shifting from a “zero COVID-19” strategy to a policy of living with the virus. Ho Chi Minh City last month deployed troops to enforce its lockdown and prohibited residents from leaving their homes to slow a spiraling rate of deaths. Ho Chi Minh City alone has recorded 241,110 coronavirus infections and 9,974 deaths, representing half of the country’s cases and 80 percent of its fatalities. read moreThe health ministry on Friday called on recovered COVID-19 patients to help the city battle the epidemic. Editing by Martin Petty and Peter GraffIMAGE: Customers search for food on near empty shelves that were depleted due to panic buying amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam August 21, 2021.

TRIPOLI, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Fighting broke out in Tripoli early on Friday between rival armed forces, the heaviest clashes in the Libyan capital since the conflict between eastern and western factions paused a year ago. The new fighting pitted the 444 Brigade against the Stabilization Support Force, two of the main forces in Tripoli, a witness said. The United Nations Libya mission called for an immediate halt in the fighting, saying it had “grave concern”. Political factions have squabbled repeatedly over the role and powers of the interim government as well as over the control of state institutions and the public purse. Reporting by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli and Hani Amara in Istanbul, writing by Angus McDowall, editing by Mark Heinrich, William MacleanIMAGE: Smoke rises after an attack on the Administrative Control Authority in Tripoli, Libya, August 31, 2021.

EgyptAir will resume its flights to Kuwait starting September 5, Chairman of EgyptAir Holding Company Amr Aboul Enein announced. The airline will operate two daily flights between Cairo and Kuwait using its Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner, known as the Dream Plane, which accommodates up to 309 passengers. The company is also scheduled to operate its Boeing 737-800 flights, which come with personal screens and more spacious seats. According to the statement, EgyptAir customers can book their flights between Cairo and Kuwait through the website egyptair.com, at EgyptAir offices, and by calling 1717 inside Egypt. Kuwait announced on August 19 that it would resume direct flights with Egypt and a number of other countries, including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

CAIRO-3 September 2021: Hussein Labib, Zamalek's president, revealed that Zamalek are in negotiations with Pyramids to sign their midfielder Abdullah El Said. We have made an offer to sign him but we did not receive and response from Pyramids." He led them to the Egyptian Cup final in 2019 and the CAF Confederation Cup final in 2020 for the first time in the club's short history. We are trying to strengthen our squad and we want to sign several players in different positions." Zamalek achieved the domestic league title for the first time since 2015 after a fierce title race with arch-rivals Al Ahly.

CAIRO-3 September 2021: Al Ahly defeated Morocco's Widad Smara 29-24 on Thursday to win the African Handball Cup Winners' Cup title. "We were determined to win the competition despite its difficult time at the start of the season. Al Ahly had a fantastic run in the competition and managed to win seven matches out of seven to secure the title in a very important time for the team. El Tayar said after the game "Winning the title gives the team a huge motivation ahead of the new season. We have big ambitions and we want to win every title this season."

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria says it shot down Israeli missiles as they approached the capital Damascus on Friday, saying it had countered an “aggression” from its longtime adversary with its own air defenses. State news agency SANA said Syria shot down most of the missiles, which were launched from the area southeast of neighboring Lebanon and targeted areas near Damascus. The Israeli military, which rarely speaks of its military operations in the war-ravaged country, did not acknowledge that they carried out any airstrikes. It said only that a surface-to-air missile launched from Syrian territory towards Israeli air space exploded over the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, and that residents in central Israel had located several missile fragments on the ground. Israel has launched hundreds of strikes against Iran-linked military targets in Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

The Egyptian Embassy in Moscow has announced a hotline for Russian tourists, according to a post on mission’s Facebook page. As of September 1, hotline 19654 in Egypt is open to respond to Russian tourists’ inquiries. In a special statement to RT, the Egyptian Ambassador to Moscow, Ehab Nasr, said that the launch of the Russian hotline comes as part of the Tourism Ministry’s ongoing commitment to helping tourists within the country. A number of Russian airlines recently announced running new flights from Moscow to Egypt’s Red Sea resort cities of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, as Russia officially resumed flights between the areas in mid-August. ___IMAGE: Sharm el-Sheikh Airport receives first Russian flight from Moscow on Monday, August 9, 2021.

Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population on Friday reported 318 new coronavirus cases, 12 deaths, and 651 recoveries. A total of 289,353 cases have been reported in Egypt, alongside 16,766 deaths and 240,976 recoveries. While Egypt‘s Supreme Committee for the Management of Coronavirus Crisis lifted some COVID-19 restrictions back in June, some still remain. As of August 27, World Health Organization data states that 8.7 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in Egypt, which has a population of 104 million. The Health Ministry is currently working to issue QR-coded vaccination certificates for Egyptians and foreigners that receive their doses in the country.

Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population on Saturday reported 331 new coronavirus cases, 10 deaths, and 439 recoveries. A total of 289,684 cases have been reported in Egypt, alongside 16,776 deaths and 241,415 recoveries. While Egypt‘s Supreme Committee for the Management of Coronavirus Crisis lifted some COVID-19 restrictions back in June, some still remain. As of August 27, World Health Organization data states that 8.7 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in Egypt, which has a population of 104 million. The Health Ministry is currently working to issue QR-coded vaccination certificates for Egyptians and foreigners that receive their doses in the country.