This year marks the third celebration of Mother Earth Day, which falls on 22 April, within the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, emphasizing the crucial role ecosystems play in sustaining all life on Earth. In Egypt, a nation rich in history and natural wonders, several initiatives are leading the way in promoting nature and well-being.  VeryNile Taking the lead in sustainable river cleaning, VeryNile is revolutionizing the fight against pollution in the Nile. This initiative combines social impact with environmental awareness, developing eco-friendly solutions to remove inorganic waste ..read more

The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, expressed her regret and ‘condemnation for her inability to conduct a field visit to the Gaza Strip’ after Israel rejected her visit. While Albanese is on a regional tour that includes Jordan and Egypt, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, welcomed her at the General Secretariat headquarters on 21 April. The meeting, attended by Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Sameh Shoukry, was organized to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza in light of the months-long Isra ..read more

A 3,400-year-old head from a statue of King Ramses II, which was stolen and smuggled out of Egypt over three decades ago, was returned to its home country on Sunday 21 April.  The artifact, part of a group statue depicting the ancient Egyptian ruler alongside deities, was confiscated in Geneva during criminal proceedings.  Last July, it was handed over to the Egyptian embassy in Bern and has now been entrusted to the care of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, the head of the department dedicated to the repatriation of antiquities, highlighted the significan ..read more

  Cairo Governorate officials responded to accusations of plagiarism on social media concerning the ring road’s new visual identity. The artwork, which some social media users felt resembled the logo of an Italian organization, has now been taken down. However, the Ministry of Higher Education clarified in a separate statement that the paintings were just an experiment. Social media users pointed out a resemblance between Cairo Governorate’s new visual identity design and the logo of Terra Fertile,an Italian agricultural association. The design was also said to be similar to work by Itali ..read more

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has drafted a comprehensive strategy to enhance Egypt’s macroeconomic stability and promote private sector growth in Egypt.  The plan outlines four elements, which are monetary and fiscal policy tightening, flexible exchange rate, targeted budget support for households, and balancing the roles of the public and private sectors. In December 2022, the IMF approved a 46-month arrangement fund to Egypt worth USD 3 billion (EGP 145.7 billion), which was later increased to USD 8 billion (EGP 388.7 billion) in March 2024. Egypt’s economy has been struggling ..read more

Egypt aims to raise USD 1 billion (EGP 48.2 billion) this year by selling state assets through its ongoing privatisation programme, Egyptian Planning Minister Hala El-Said revealed in an interview with Asharq Business on 21 April. The government will also work to improve the following year, with an increased target of USD 1.5 billion (EGP 72.3 billion) set for 2025. Previously, in February 2024, Egypt’s Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait stated that the government is looking to raise USD 6.5 billion (EGP 313.4 billion) by the end of the year. The planning minister also revealed that Egypt has r ..read more

  We’ve been feeling too many emotions. Many, many emotions. When I say “we,” I’m not just referring solely to myself, my inner circle, or my community. I mean every individual, spanning across every generation, every culture, and every background, who has borne witness to the events unfolding in Palestine over the past six months. The emotion runs deep because it seems as though we’re collectively experiencing it, as if our hearts have synchronized to resonate with each other’s feelings. It’s more than grief, more than outrage, and more than pain. It’s an emotion deeply ingrained within ..read more

In a phone call with Al Hekaya program on MBC Egypt channel on 19 April, Mohamed El-Homsany, Egypt’s Cabinet spokesperson, stated that Egypt saves around USD 1 billion (EGP 48.2 billion) yearly due to its systematic power cuts. The government is aware of the struggles that Egyptians experience due to the electricity cuts and this situation is not going to be permanent, according to El-Homsany. He stated that the government is working on solving the power crisis and that the saved resources are used for essential needs, such as food and medicine. Scheduled outages began in July 2023 due to a sh ..read more

Following Iran’s unprecedented assault on Israel last week, Israel launched an attack on the central Iranian city of Isfahan early on Friday morning, reported US media. According to CBS News, US officials confirmed that an Israeli missile had struck Isfahan. Three drones were destroyed by Iranian defense systems, according to Iranian media. Iranian officials, speaking to local media, said that no damage was reported and denied that an attack had taken place. On X (formerly Twitter), Hossein Dalirian, a spokesperson for Iran’s National Centre of Cyberspace and Space Agency, denied the US claims ..read more

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is set to visit Ankara this weekend to hold discussions with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan regarding the situation in Gaza and the broader Middle East region.  The talks aim to address the urgent need for a potential permanent ceasefire in Gaza.  Preceding Shoukry’s visit, Fidan traveled to Doha on Wednesday, to meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar.  The discussions in Doha will focus on the situation in the Palestinian strip and other regional developments ..read more