Sept 2 (Reuters) - Manchester United captain Harry Maguire hailed Cristiano Ronaldo's return to the club and said the "greatest player to play the game" will have a huge impact at Old Trafford. Ronaldo became the all-time leading scorer in men's international football when he headed two last-gasp goals to give Portugal a 2-1 victory over Ireland in their World Cup qualifier on Wednesday. "It's amazing to have Cristiano join us, and come back home," Maguire said. "His career speaks for itself, for me (he is) the greatest player to play the game... Maguire is away on international duty with England, who will take on Hungary in a World Cup qualifier in Budapest on Thursday.

Werenfels’ paper deals with Morocco’s successful Africa policy. However, Werenfels argued in her paper for more support of the two neighboring countries to promote a spirit of cohesion. This is despite the fact that Werenfels’ paper, like all SWP papers, had undergone a rigorous internal fact-checking and review process before publication, she told DW. “They read the sentence as if I was advocating putting the brakes on Morocco,” Werenfels said. “And I have written, after all, that Europe is doing too little to promote economic integration within Africa,” Werenfels highlighted.

It has never renounced the use of force to bring democratic Taiwan under its control. This means Beijing can monitor movements around Taiwan, helped by China’s regular use of its own spy planes, drones and intelligence gathering ships, it said. China’s Defence Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. With precision missile attacks that can hit anywhere on the island, China is also capable of “paralysing” Taiwan military command centres and combat capacity of its naval and air forces, it said. Chinese spies in Taiwan could launch a “decapitation strike” to destroy political and economic infrastructure, it added.

Aeroflot began doubling its flights from Moscow to Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada airports on Wednesday, from 25 to 50. Russian tour companies identified 164 hotels, 80 of which are in Hurghada and 84 in Sharm el-Sheikh, for tourist reservations. The same conditions apply in Hurghada, but the minimum trip price starts from 51,1500 rubles (LE11,000). The Russian Air Transport Agency granted eight Russian airlines permits to operate flights to the Red Sea resort towns. Aeroflot, S7, Ural Airlines, Azur Air, Nordwind, IKAR, Red Wings, and Yamal airlines are all planning to run flights from the Russia to Egypt, according to Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived Wednesday afternoon in Egypt on an official visit. He was received in the presidential hall at Cairo International Airport by Egyptian Youth Minister Ashraf Sobhi, a delegation from the Egyptian General Intelligence Service, Egyptian Ambassador to Palestine Tarek Tayel, and the Palestinian ambassador to Egypt, its permanent representative to the Arab League Diab al-Louh. Accompanying Abbas on his visit to Cairo are Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad al-Maliki, member of the Central Committee of Fatah movement Hussein al-Sheikh, the head of the Palestinian General Intelligence Service, Major General Majid Faraj, and the president’s advisor for diplomatic affairs Majdi al-Khalidi. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with Palestinian President Abbas in Ramallah earlier in May to discuss Egypt’s role in supporting and building on the Gaza ceasefire. He added that two also discussed efforts related to reconstructing the Gaza Strip and providing development support to the rest of the Palestinian territories.

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok anticipates that a solution to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will soon be reached “within the framework of international law”, and praised an initiative presented by Algeria to solve the crisis. Algeria had called for a direct meeting between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to reach a solution to their differences over the issue. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed his optimism about the success of the Algerian initiative regarding the GERD, calling on the countries concerned to “respond” and “show wisdom and logic in order to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.”During a television interview with the Saudi al-Sharq channel on Sunday, Hamdok said that his country “appreciates the efforts of the Algerian leaders” in the initiative they presented to solve GERD crisis. “Sudan is at the greatest risk if anything happens to the GERD,” he said. Hamdok slammed any suggestion of a military solution to the contentious issues with Ethiopia over the border and the dam, stressing that “negotiation and dialogue remain the basic solution to differences with Ethiopia.”“We are neighbors to Ethiopia, linked by land, geography, history and common relations, and I assure these issues can be resolved through dialogue.”The Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ramtane Lamamra, made an African tour at the end of July which included Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt to get acquainted with the positions of all parties regarding the issue, and was briefed on developments in the region.

He said in a meeting with Egypt’s Minister of State for Military Production Mohamed Ahmed Morsi in Cairo that there is a mutual understanding between the two sides regarding the need to boost bilateral relations in the various industrial and economic fields. Attending the meeting, Hong Jin-wook, South Korea’s ambassador in Egypt, hailed the remarkable activity of the Military Production Ministry in backing national and developmental projects in Egypt. South Korean Foreign Minister Suh Wook also met on Tuesday with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Suh, for his part, praised the great national projects being established in Egypt under the leadership of President Sisi. According to the spokesman, the meeting also reviewed military and security cooperation between the two countries, especially in the industrial and technological domains.

BEIRUT, Sept 1 (Reuters) – The Lebanese government has received no request for fuel to be imported from Iran, the caretaker energy minister said on Wednesday, appearing to confirm that the Shi’ite group Hezbollah has bypassed the state with a move to import Iranian fuel. Hezbollah, a heavily armed group founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, announced last month thata shipment of Iranian fuel oil was on its way to help ease crippling shortages. read moreThe group is by far the most powerful faction in Lebanon, where it has been part of the ruling system for years. Hezbollah’s opponents say the declaration, followed by announcements of two further Iranian fuel shipments for Lebanon, has further undermined the authority of the state and exposed Lebanon to the risk of US sanctions. Asked about the Iranian shipment, the caretaker energy minister Raymond Ghajar told journalists “our role is restricted to import permits, we did not receive a request for permission”.

Egypt has signed a US$4.45 billion agreement that will finance the first line of its high-speed electric train, which will connect the country’s Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts. The deal was signed by the Transport Ministry’s National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) and a German/Egyptian consortium including Siemens, Orascom Construction, and the Arab Contractors. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Transport Kamel al-Wazir, and German Ambassador to Cairo Frank Hartmann all witnessed the signing. The contract will also cover design, supply, and 15 years of maintenance for the line. The train will reduce traffic congestion, contribute to increased safety, and serve the new urban and industrial communities around Egypt.

Even as other countries mandate vaccinations for certain professions, Germany has avoided forcing anyone to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. So far, questions regarding personal health information, including vaccination status, are not permitted under German law. But with many employees heading back into their workplaces after months of working from home, the relevance of their vaccination status has led some lawmakers to push for a temporary change in the law. Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht added that an employer’s right to inquire about a worker’s vaccination status can only be valid in exceptional cases. “Health information of employees is particularly sensitive, and the question of a vaccination against coronavirus is part of that,” she told the Funke media group.

CAIRO – 1 September 2021: On September 1, many important events took place. Important world events:1892 - The publication of the first issue of Al-Hilal Cultural Magazine. 1985 - The wreck of the sunken Titanic is found at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, 73 years after it had sunk.

CAIRO – 1 September 2021: Bright Star 2021 joint military drill will take place in Egypt Sept. 2-17 with the participation of 21 countries. Bright Star is a series of military training exercises hosted in Egypt in cooperation with the U.S. every two years. It was last held in 2018, as the training was canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19. Bright Star was launched in 1980 as part of the U.S.-brokered peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. Many European and Arab countries participate in the comprehensive training that brings together all military departments.

More treasures of King Tutankhamun have been relocated to its display cabinets at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), how 75 out of 107 display windows allocated for possessions at the museum. Six statues of King Senusret I and a sacrifice table belonging to King Mentuhotep II are scheduled to be transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square during the next few days. Anany held an extensive meeting with archaeologists, restorers and museum workers, to thank them for the efforts in completing everything required and praising their successful transfer of King Khufu’s First Boat to the GEM. The GEM received earlier in August the first boat belonging to King Khufu 48 hours after transferring it from its place of display in the pyramids archeological area to the GEM. The GEM is set to showcase 5,000 relics from Tutankhamun’s collection as well — including 2,000 artifacts that will be displayed for the first time.

ISTANBUL, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Retail prices in Turkey’s largest city Istanbul rose 1.88 percent month-on-month in August for an annual increase of 18.89 percent, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) said on Wednesday. Wholesale prices in the city, home to about a fifth of Turkey’s population of 84 million, increased by 1.42 percent month-on-month in the same period for an annual rise of 28.36 percent, ITO said. Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun Editing by Daren ButlerWomen shop at a local market in Fatih district in Istanbul, Turkey January 13, 2021. Picture taken January 13, 2021.

Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population on Tuesday reported 279 new coronavirus cases, nine deaths, and 763 recoveries. A total of 288,441 cases have been reported in Egypt, alongside 16,736 deaths and 239,343 recoveries. Health Minister Hala Zayed announced last week that Egypt’s first case of the fast-spreading delta variant was detected in mid-July. The committee, headed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, agreed that restaurants, cafes, shops, and malls may return to summer working hours. The Health Ministry is currently working to issue QR-coded vaccination certificates for Egyptians and foreigners that receive their doses in the country.