Egypt

Egypt’s president urges maximising use of water from desalination

Ahram Online (Link: Egypt's president urges maximising use if water from desalination)

Fourteen seawater desalination plants are being built in Egypt with a total capacity of  476,000 m3

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi urged state officials on Saturday to localise the components of the water desalination technology in a bid to achieve further progress in this field.

El-Sisi stressed maximising the amount of water coming from desalination and treatment water stations, a statement by the presidential spokesman, Bassam Rady, read.

He urged the integration of the water desalination strategy with the state’s general policy for the wise management of water.

The president ordered officials to continue conducting further studies and experiments in this field to reach the best outcome.

The president’s directives come “within the general framework of building the national capacity of the state in all fields,” the statement noted.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, Minister of Planning Hala El-Saeed, Minister of Housing Assem El-Gazzar, Presidential Adviser for Urban Planning Amir Sayed Ahmed and Chairman of the Armed Forces Engineering Authority Ihab El-Far.

The meeting reviewed the state’s strategic plan in terms of seawater desalination plants, Rady said.

During the meeting, the president reviewed the operational desalination plants and those under construction or set to be built.

El-Sisi also reviewed the plan to distribute the suggested plants nationwide together with the cost and capacity of these projects,including projects to desalinate Red Sea water using new and renewable energy.

El-Gazzar last month revealed that 14 seawater desalination plants are being built in Egypt, with a total capacity of 476,000 m3 of water per day, at a cost of EGP 9.71 billion.

The 14 plants, expected to be completed by June 2022, are being constructed in the governorates of Marsa Matrouh, the Red Sea, North Sinai, South Sinai, Port Said, Daqahliya, Suez and Alexandria, El-Gazzar's statement read.

When built, the plants will bring Egypt’s tally to 90 desalination stations with a total capacity of 1,307,69 million m3 per day due to the operation of 76 existing seawater desalination plants, with a total capacity of 831,690 m3 per day, the minister said.

The plan works to provide alternative sources of drinking water through desalination in coastal governorates and reuse treated water, he added.

Egypt’s annual share of water is 560 m3 per person, placing the populousous country well below the international threshold for water scarcity.

Prime Minister Madbouly affirmed last month that the state has carried out development projects as part of its efforts to “ensure every drop of water is preserved,” including the construction of more seawater desalination plants.

The state’s move towards building more desalination plants comes amid a water shortage threat Egypt faces due to Ethiopia’s plan to unilaterally continue its massive dam filling in July.

The Ethiopian step comes despite the absence of a binding deal that secures the interests and water rights of Egypt and Sudan, a matter that has been frequently rejected by the two downstream countries.

Analysis: Gaza truce shifts focus to Egypt’s regional role

WHBL by Aidan Lewis (Syndicated content) Link: Analysis: Gaza truce shifts focus to Egypt's regional role

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s work to broker and secure a truce in the Gaza Strip this month has thrust it into the diplomatic spotlight, prompting top-level reengagement from Washington and overshadowing moves by several Arab states to normalise ties with Israel.

The efforts have earned Cairo recognition at a time when it was struggling to strike a rapport with U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration amid differences on human rights, and to make progress on its top foreign policy goal – a deal to regulate an Ethiopian dam that Egypt sees as a major threat to its supplies of Nile water.

While Cairo has mediated during previous rounds of violence between Israel and the Palestinians through its ties with both sides, analysts and diplomats say its efforts have been more visible than in recent years.

As the week-old ceasefire took hold between Israel and Hamas, the militant Islamist faction that controls Gaza, Egyptian security delegations shuttled between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories.

Next week, Palestinian figures including Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh are due to start visits to Cairo to further shore up the truce, Egyptian security sources said.

“There is a more active effort by Egypt and President (Abdel Fattah al-) Sisi. It was clear throughout the 11 days of war,” a Hamas official told Reuters.

Though Hamas has roots in the Muslim Brotherhood, which is outlawed and subject to a severe crackdown in Egypt, Cairo has well-established intelligence ties with the group.

Because of the importance Egypt attaches to security on the border between its Sinai Peninsula and Gaza, it is “super pragmatic” about its dealings with the Palestinian faction, said one diplomat.

ABRAHAM ACCORDS

Other Arab states have played a more limited role. These include Jordan, which like Egypt has a decades-old peace treaty with Israel and shares a border with the Palestinian territories, and Qatar, which has provided financial support to Gaza.

They also include the United Arab Emirates, which called for deescalation and was the most prominent of four Arab states to announce it was normalising ties with Israel last year as part of the Abraham Accords promoted by former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

The agreements triggered speculation that Egypt’s regional sway could be diluted, but analysts say this month’s violence put the signatories – who include Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco – in a sensitive spot as Arab sympathy with Palestinians surged.

“The recent descent into open conflict, in Jerusalem and Gaza, has underlined how little control the Gulf signatories have over Israel’s behaviour,” wrote Kristin Smith Diwan of The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

The UAE Foreign Ministry declined to comment on whether Emirati officials had been in contact with Israel to try to calm the recent violence.

The UAE’s ambassador to Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba, said last month that it was possible to “do business with Israel and have a tough conversation about the Palestinian issue at the same time”.

Asked if Israel saw the UAE as a partner in cooling tensions with the Palestinians, Israel’s envoy to the UAE, Eitan Na’eh, told reporters on Wednesday that it was too early to say, adding that the UAE could encourage moderation in the region.

‘CONFLICT MANAGEMENT’

For Egypt and Sisi, who enjoyed good relations with Trump, one achievement of the ceasefire push has been the sudden resumption of contact with the White House.

After an awkward silence that had lasted since Biden’s inauguration in January, the U.S. leader spoke twice with Sisi in five days.

However, U.S. and Egyptian reengagement around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be limited by the current lack of prospects for a peace process, analysts say.

“This is mostly conflict management rather than conflict resolution,” said Nabil Fahmy, a former Egyptian foreign minister.

In the past, “our engagement was on peace process issues as well as on the security issues in Gaza when things broke out. Presently there are no serious peace process issues.”

Egypt, which receives some $1.3 billion of U.S. military aid annually, has also faced strong criticism from U.S. Democrats over its human rights record. After a visit to Cairo this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said human rights remained “very much on the agenda”.

But Egypt has learned to wait out bumps in its relationship with Washington and after proving itself over Gaza had won some breathing space on rights, said Hafsa Halawa, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute.

“Egypt has become a patient foreign policy actor, and that really comes from the core institutional belief that Egypt is too big to fail,” – a concept Egypt sees the United States and other allies as sharing, she said.

القيادة بالقدوة

الاهرام ٢٩ مايو ٢٠٢١
بقلم عزة رضوان صدقي

يتبع القادة السياسيون سماتٍ معينة للوصول بالمواطنين إلى حياة أفضل. هذه السمات تحوِّل السياسي العادي إلى قائد جدير بمهمة القيادة. هذه السمات بالطبع مميزة: الرؤية، الثقة، النزاهة، الاحترام، الشجاعة، الإنسانية، القدرة على الإلهام وعلى التفويض، وغيرها. كما أن القادة السياسيين يوفون بوعودهم ويتحملون مسئولية أفعالهم وأقوالهم، وهم متحدثون ماهرون يمتلكون الكاريزما التي تبهر أولئك الذين يستمعون إليهم وتلزمهم باتباع أساليبهم. كما يحكم عليهم في تصرفاتهم في الأزمات وتعاملهم مع حالات الطوارئ لتظل صورتهم خالية من الشوائب. لكن عندما لا يلتزم أحد الساسة بهذه السمات يبتعد المواطنون عنه ويصبحون غير مبالين وغير مهتمين بما يحدث في بلادهم. والأسوأ من ذلك هو عندما يتبع المواطنون نهج السياسي الفاشل ويعتبرونه القدوة.. للأسف هنا تقع البلاد في المحظور

ولكن أهم السمات في القادة الحكماء هي فعلا القيادة بالقدوة، وهذا هو جوهر مناقشة اليوم. لا يقود القادة المميزون بإخبار الآخرين بما يجب عليهم فعله، ولكن من خلال كونهم أنفسهم مثالاً لهذه الأفعال. وعندما يعمل القائد بشكل جيد يتبع الآخرون نهجه. وللأسف أحيانا عندما يعمل بشكل سيئ يقلد الآخرون عيوبه. كلا النموذجين يمهدان الطريق للتابعين

كانت أكثر سمات المهاتما غاندي الزعيم الهندي تميزًا هي قيادته بالقدوه. ارتدى ملابس الفقراء مثله مثل الجماهير التي كان يأمل في تمثيلها، واقتني قليلاً من الممتلكات آملا أن أسلوب حياته البسيطة يساويه بأهل بلده. على الرغم مما مر به نيلسون مانديلا، حيث قضى ٢٧ عامًا في السجن، إلا أنه لم يتفاعل أبدًا مع العنصرية بالعنصرية. بل على العكس عندما تقلد منصب رئيس دولة جنوب أفريقيا أصبح رئيسًا للأمة بأكملها. لقد تطلبت الأمور زعيما مثل نيلسون مانديلا ليعدل من جنوب أفريقيا ويلغي العنصرية ويحوِّل البلاد إلى مجتمع متعدد الثقافات

يظهر عكس هذا النمط في نهج الرئيس الأمريكي السابق ترامب، وبالتالى أتباعه. كان ترامب مترددًا في ارتداء القناع أثناء الجائحة وقلّل من الحاجة إلية وسخر من الناس، مثل الرئيس بايدن، بارتدائه. أمريكيون كثيرون تبعوا خطاه وربما تسببوا في أن تكون الولايات المتحدة أكثر تضررا من الجائحة. كما انتقد الرئيس ترامب الكثيرين من الشخصيات البارزة وكل من عاداه حتى الأقليات. آنذاك انتقد الأمريكيون الكثيرون بطريقة مماثلة واتبعوا نفس النهج. أتباع الرئيس رددوا عبارة "احبسوها، احبسوها" بعد أن شجب ترامب هيلاري كلينتون. وهتفت الحشود ضد إلهان عمر عضوة الكونجرس التي قضت ٣٠ عاما بالولايات المتحدة، بعد أن هاجمها الرئيس ترامب قائلين "أرجعوها إلى بلادها". وأخيرًا بعد رفضه التنازل وقبول نتائج الانتخابات الرئاسية لمّح ضمنيًا إلى أنصاره باقتحام مبنى الكابيتول هيل وقد فعلوا ذلك فعلا

الآن دعونا نركِّز على بعض السمات الجديرة بالملاحظة في قائد استثنائي معين

عندما يضع زعيم بلده فوق كل شيء ويتعهد بمحو كل من يتعرض لها فإنه يعزز حب الناس تجاه بلادهم. عندما يكون القائد مدركا لما يواجهه شعبه ومدركا لمعاناتهم فيتم نقل السمة إلى الأفراد ويتعاطف الجميع مع المحتاجين منهم. عندما يتبرع زعيم بنصف راتبه ونصف ممتلكاته الشخصية وميراثه للمساعده في بناء بلده فإنه يشجع المسئولين ورجال الأعمال والمواطنين العاديين على فعل الشيء نفسه. وها هي مئات المشاريع تنفذ عن طريق التبرعات

عندما يتحدث القائد بهدوء، فالأمل أن تنتقل السمة إلى الآخرين ليتحدثوا بطريقة مماثلة. عندما يتجنب استخدام الهجمات الافترائية واللغة السيئة يصبح من المعتاد عدم التحدث بهذه المصطلحات. لو أنه صرخ أو استغل السباب، فمن المحتمل أنه كان سوف يشجع الآخرين على فعل الشيء ذاته

عندما يكرم القائد المنجزين والمنفذين، وأيضا الشهداء على حد سواء ويمنحهم الاحترام الذي يستحقونه يدرك الجميع أنه شرف كبير أن يخدم المرء بلده ويُستشهد من أجله. عندما يكون فريق عمل مسلسل مثل "الاختيار" محل تقدير القائد، يتفوق فنانون آخرون في تكرار مسلسل مماثل على قدم المساواة مع الأول. كما سُمِّيت القاعدة العسكرية باسم الرئيس السابق محمد نجيب التى مرت عشرات السنين بعد وفاته تكريما لجهوده الوطنية. كما تمت إعادة تسمية عديد من المدارس في جميع أنحاء البلاد على اسم الشهداء الذين فقدوا حياتهم دفاعًا عن وطنهم. ثم تسمية الكراكة على اسم الرئيس السابق لهيئة قناة السويس مهاب مميش هى شرف حقًا، لكن عندما ينسحب القائد إلى الوراء ويطلب من مميش رفع العلم فوق الكراكة بنفسه فإنه تكريم آخر يستحق الملاحظة

عندما يبذل قائد جهدًا هائلاً لإنشاء معايير أفضل لشعبه يأخذ الآخرون على عاتقهم التصرف بطريقة مماثلة. هم أيضا يبذلون قصارى جهدهم ويطمحون إلى مستوى أعلى من الكفاءة ويسعون لتحقيق المستحيل. عندما يشجع القائد أولئك الذين يقودهم على بذل كل جهدهم فإنهم يؤدون أعمالًا رائعة، ويعكس الموكب الذهبي للملوك والملكات وتعويم الحافلة إيفر جيفين هذا الجهد

مما لا شك فيه أن مصر لديها قائد ذو مقاييس وثوابت استثنائية، والأهم أنه يقود بالقدوة

 

Remembering Faten Hamama: More than Egypt's 'Lady of the Silver Screen'

Ahram Online, by Ashraf Gharib, Friday 28 May 2021 (Excerpt: read on Remembering Faten Hamama, More than Egypt's 'Lady of the  Silver Screen')

Ahram Online remembers Faten Hamama on what would have been her 90th birthday

 

Faten Hamama (Photo: Al Ahram)

 

Please contemplate with me this title, which everyone agrees describes her perfectly.

They didn’t call her “the star of the masses” or “a box office star” or any other common descriptors. Instead they call Faten Hamama, “the lady of the Arab silver screen.”

The iconic Egyptian actress was born on 27 May 1931, and passed away at the age of 84 on 17 January 2015.

After all, the masses change and the movie stars change with them. A box office star can’t be such at all artistic stages of his career. In addition, the commercial significance of the star doesn’t necessarily go in line with critics’ viewpoint.

But the title “lady of the Arab silver screen” is a permanent and durable title or description that isn’t linked to an artistic stage or a particular age, and is attributed neither to the audience alone nor exclusively to the critics.

It is also a title that can’t be withdrawn or stripped from the person to whom it belongs. It is a statement of recognition that all the audience, whether the masses or the critics, gave to this woman, who respected the moniker and bore the responsibilities of this special stature.

The lady of the silver screen is a title confined solely to Faten Hamama, whose right to hold this title was not disputed by any other actress, unlike some other titles which other stars, both men and women, have clashed over. She is therefore a unique case among all Arab film actresses.

“The lady of the Arab silver screen” means that Faten Hamama in the field of cinematic acting is like Oum Kulthoum, “the Arab lady singer” in the world of music.

Then what great stature equates Faten in cinema and Umm Kulthoum in singing?

The idea of “the lady” in Arabic means being a pioneer in leadership, not the temporal connotation, so Faten is like Umm Kulthum and few men and women were and will retain the honorable façade that preserved Egypt’s special status and its soft power in the Arab sphere.

Hence, she is a woman gifted with special characteristics, some of these may resemble that which other Egyptian actresses possess, but they aren’t combined except in Faten. These characteristics weren’t realised to this degree of distinction and excellence, apart from her.

Therefore, Faten is the only one who deserves the description of the “lady of the Arab silver screen.”

Everything in Faten Hamama’s face asserts that she is Egyptian through and through; black eyes, black hair, and a complexion that resembles that of most Egyptian women. But the most important thing is that she had an utterly Egyptian soul throughout her life.

She was a woman who showed both fiery spirit, as a girl in her first film A Happy Day (1940), and solemnity in her last film, The Land of Dreams (1993).

Her acting teacher, the late Zaki Tuleimat, described her eloquently when he said, “she is a small creature that grows in a calculated way and composes a piece of a handsome girl with a small face; very good-looking, like the face of precious dolls in which wide eyes move incessantly, and behind them lies a tension that pulsates and an uninterrupted curiosity.”

On another occasion, Tuleimat described her smile “as the state of sublime contentedness which only the fortunate enjoy.”

Faten Hamama (Photo: Al Ahram)

 

Thus, it wasn’t strange that Faten Hamama, who appeared before us as a little girl in A Happy Day on the screens of the Royal Cinema House in Cairo, with a totally Egyptian spirit – both on the inside and outside – possessed the potential for success.

When she tells the film's star Mohamed Abdel-Wahab in one scene “molokhaya is very delicious,” we realise that she not only possesses “Egyptianess,” but also a captivatingly innate and spontaneous talent, which, unlike the spontaneity of children, is instead the spontaneity of someone who is aware she is acting and calculating every step, no matter how young and inexperienced she is.

Faten Hamama’s career accordingly had great longevity, lasting for 60 years between A Happy Day and her final television series in 2001, The Face of the Moon.

Many other children appeared around the same time on cinema screens and had exceptional talent – the most prominent of them is Feyrouz – but they stopped completely afterwards or needed several years to reinvent themselves and reemerge with a different artistic image.

The reason for this is that those child actors’ talents were driven by the spontaneity of childhood, which they lost when they became more mature. Faten’s talent, however, was and remained motivated by a divine spontaneity that the passage of time could not change.

However, there is more to the success and longevity of the lady of the Arab silver screen than this spontaneity, because God endowed her with many gifts; besides beauty, she had an innate talent and an alertness, and a voice with a lovely tone that through its calmness and colour could reach the hearts of the audience.

Accordingly, Faten is probably the Arab, and maybe international, actress who benefitted most from the monologue.

Leading by example

Leadership in all realms especially in the political one demands specific traits in which leading by example ranks the most vital.  

Political leaders determine the course of their followers’ lives. Worthier ones rally their people to reach a better place, and they accomplish this by following certain attributes that turn ordinary politicians into deserving leaders. In the process, they are transformed into long-standing historical figures whose image survives the years. These attributes are all very salient: vision and purpose; confidence; integrity; respect; courage; humaneness; ability to influence, to inspire, and to delegate; and many others.

Political leaders also keep their word; when they say they will accomplish something, they fulfill their promises. They also act with consistency and take responsibility for their actions and words. Since they are responsible for implementing strategies and policies meant to better serve the interests of the country they govern, the onus is on them to lead their countries to advancement, and they are often recognized for how they govern during times of crisis and how they handle emergencies distinguishably. And leaders are skilful speakers who possess the charisma that captures the attention of listeners and inspires devotion in them. Besides, their image must remain impeccably flawless.

Unfortunately, when these essential traits are not upheld and fall by the wayside, citizens switch off their leaders. They become indifferent and lack regard towards the leader and their country in general. Even worse is when citizens follow a failed leader’s approach; then, the country is in deep trouble.

But most importantly, leaders lead by example, and this is the core of today’s discussion. The renowned leaders don’t lead by only telling others what to do, but by showing them how to do it, by being idyllic examples themselves.  A leader sets the tone and framework of how those he leads will function, so when he does well, others will pursue his approach, but when he does poorly, others will imitate his drawbacks. Both models, the exemplary and the unworthy, set the way for followers.

To put it succinctly, leaders embolden and empower followers to act in a certain way.

Mahatma Gandhi’s most honorable trait was his ability to practice what he preached, and, hence, lead by example. He wore the clothes of the poorest Indians and was a minimalist, owning very few possessions. This symbolized the masses he was hoping to represent.  

Despite what Nelson Mandela went through, serving 27 year of imprisonment, he never reacted to racism with racism. Quite the contrary, when he became president, he served as president of the whole nation. It took a leader like Nelson Mandela to play a significant role in turning South Africa around, abolishing apartheid, and leading the country towards multiculturalism.

Quite the antithesis is seen in ex-President Trump’s approach, and, consequently, his followers. Trump was reluctant to wear a mask during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many Americans followed his lead maybe causing the US to be worse hit than other countries. When he didn’t respect minorities or even distinguished figures, Americans lashed out in an identical fashion. In fact, his remarks incited his followers to pursue the same tone; “Lock her up,” was parroted after Trump decried ill of Hilary Clinton. After he attacked Ilhan Omar, a congresswoman who has been a US citizen for 30 years, the crowds chanted “Send her back, send her back.” And finally, refusing to concede, President Trump, during a rally, implied his supporters storm Capitol Hill, and they did.

Now let’s focus on some noteworthy traits in a certain exceptional leader.

When a leader places his country above all else and vouches to obliterate anyone who goes against it, he enhances people’s love towards their land. Consequently, they become more appreciative of their country and are concerned with its wellbeing.

When a leader is empathetic towards his people, he empowers them to become empathetic, too. When a leader donates half his salary and half his personal assets and inheritance to assist in building his country, he encourages officials, businessmen, and regular citizens to do the same. Hundreds of projects have been completed by donations.  

When a leader speaks softly, he gets others to speak in a similar fashion, as the trait is, hopefully, passed on to them. When he avoids name calling, foul language, and obscenities, it becomes the norm to speak in those terms. Had he shrieked out or bellowed insults, chances are he would have encouraged others to do the same.

When a leader acknowledges and then bestows honours on doers and martyrs, alike, others realize that it is indeed an honour to serve, and die, for one’s country. When the cast of a series such as “The Choice,” or “El Ekhtiar,” are recognized, other performers excel in repeating a similar series at par with the first one. After a long awaited acknowledgement, over sixty years to be exact, Ex-President Mohamed Naguib had a military base named after him posthumously in Alexandria. Schools across the country are renamed after martyrs who lost their lives defending their country. A dredger gets to be named after ex-Chair of the Suez Canal Authority, Mohab Mamish. It is indeed an honour, but when the leader retreats and asks Mamish to raise the flag over the dredger himself, it is an act of humbleness that deserves note.

When a leader exerts monumental effort to create better standards for his people, others take it upon themselves to act in a similar fashion. They, too, exert their best effort; they aspire for a higher level of efficiency and strive for perfection. When a leader pursues the highest standards and encourages those he leads to do the same, they perform outstanding work. Both the Golden Parade of the Egyptian Kings and Queens and the refloating of the Ever Given mirror these standards that have become the expected norm.

Without doubt Egypt has a leader of exceptional calibre, one who leads by example.

Ramping up railway: a look into Egypt’s megaprojects

Railway Technology, by Ilaria Grasso Macola 25 May 2021 Ramping up railway: a look into Egypt's megaprojects)

In the last seven years, Egypt has invested in renewing its centuries-old infrastructure, in particular railways, striking up deals with international organisations such as the European Investment Bank and World Bank as well as companies such as Siemens. We profile the biggest projects Egypt has invested in.

In the last seven years, Egypt has invested in renewing its centuries-old infrastructure, in particular railways. Credit: WikiImages.

In the last few years, Egypt has seen an exponential increase in funding for infrastructure. According to research by KPMG, transport – and in particular railways – have in the last few years become one of the main economic drivers.

In 2014 Egyptian National Railway (ENR) announced a ten-year investment of $10bn to upgrade the railway network, and ever since the country has kept on investing.

GlobalData’s February ‘Rail Construction Projects – Middle East’ report shows investment in the Egyptian railway projects pipeline is around $50bn, with 45% of this funding being used to finance current projects.

“Egypt is in the process of overhauling the country’s railways including the infrastructure, rail lines, and building new stations,” reads the report. “Works continue on the US$20 billion Cairo Metro Network, comprising six lines, and improving the quality and level of urban transport services in the city.”

Cairo will not be the only city in Egypt to be involved in the upgrading plans, projects will start all over the country.

Below, we have a look at some of the biggest railway projects the Egyptian Government has embarked upon in the last couple of years.

Egypt’s first electric high-speed train

In January, Siemens Mobility signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Egyptian transport ministry for the development of the country’s first-ever electric high-speed railway.

With an initial order value of $3bn, the first 460km will connect the city of El-Alamein on the Mediterranean Sea to Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea at high speed, passing through New Administrative Capital, a new city that is being built 45km east of Cairo to relieve the pressure from the capital’s metropolitan area.

“We are delighted that the Ministry of Transport is seeking to put their trust in us to deliver this important project,” said Siemens Mobility CEO Michael Peter. “Our digital leadership and comprehensive turnkey services will bring an integrated and state of the art high-speed rail system, that will provide a technology boost for the country and create local jobs.”

“The project’s initial phase will create 15,000 jobs as well as 2,000 permanent positions”

In an interview with Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm, Siemens CEO and president Joe Kaeser said that the project’s initial phase will create 15,000 jobs as well as 2,000 permanent positions.

The contract’s terms include design, installation as well as commission and 15-year maintenance, and 15 stations are expected to be completed in two years.

The 460km-connection is only the first part of the project, which aims to build a 1,000km railway system network worth $23bn.

“We are honoured and proud to expand our trustful partnership with Egypt. By building a high-efficiency rail system for the country, we will support the Egyptian people with affordable, clean and reliable transportation,” said Kaeser when signing the MoU in January.

Restructuring the Egyptian National Railways

The high-speed railway is not the only railway project the Egyptian Government has focused on in 2021.

In March the World Bank approved a $241.1m loan, which will go towards the restructuring of the ENR, including the modernisation of signalling on the Alexandria to Cairo and Beni Suef to Nag Hammadi routes.

The loans will also be used to improve passenger safety and punctuality, increasing the number of trains running on time from 75% to 90%.

“Reforming Egypt’s railways is critical to meeting citizens’ travel needs”

“Modernising and reforming Egypt’s railways is critical to meeting citizens’ travel needs and boosting the overall economy”, Railway Gazette reported Egyptian transport minister Kamel El Wazir saying.

“Improving the service for millions of passengers per day is a priority, particularly because citizens depend on ENR to access jobs and do other tasks, including fulfilling personal errands.

“Increasing freight transport is also a critical objective, which will increase the economy’s overall competitiveness.”

Modernising railway, renewing metro

Intense modernisation works started in 2020 when the European Investment Bank announced in February that it would grant Egypt €2.7m for two railway projects, the upgrade of the railway line that connects the cities of Tanta and Damietta and the renewal of Cairo Metro Line 2.

Worth €1.5m, the project will involve a feasibility study – including an environmental and social impact assessment – as well as works to improve railway safety. Out of the 118km of modernisation works, 65km – which connect the cities of El Mansoura and Damietta – will undergo track doubling.

Other improvements will include the installation of a signalling system as well as a freight yard to Damietta port.

“The current upgrade of Tanta – El Mansoura – Damietta railway goes in line with the EU policy which aims at improving living standards of millions of Egyptian commuters using this important artery through the implementation of an enhanced quality and safe transport system,” EU ambassador to Egypt Ivan Surkoš said.

A further €1.2m will be directed towards a feasibility study for the upgrade and renewal of the Cairo line 2, which will focus primarily on infrastructure and rolling stock – expanding the line’s life expectancy for another 25 years.

 

Egypt seeks to become African hub for manufacturing coronavirus vaccines: Health minister

Ahram Online

The North African country is set to produce two million doses of Sinovac vaccines in three weeks

Egypt’s Minister of Health Hala Zayed

Egypt seeks to turn into a centre that manufactures coronavirus vaccines for other countries in the African continent, Health Minister Hala Zayed said, as the country's vaccine maker VACSERA started working on manufacturing the first batch of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine.

 

On Saturday, during a meeting in Cairo with a Chinese delegation for China's drug maker Sinovac, Zayed said Vacsera's firms have all the capabilities needed for the production process of the coronavirus vaccines.

 

"Vacsera will be serving as the main firm for the Chinese Sinovac Company in Africa," the health minister noted, as according to a statement released following the meeting.

 

The Chinese delegation arrived in Egypt on Friday after recieving a shipment carrying raw materials to produce two million doses of Sinovac vaccines. The shipment is part of a wider agreement that was signed in April to manufacture over 40 million Chinese doses annually via Vacsera's firms in Egypt.

 

The 40 million doses are expected to be produced by the end of 2021 as per the inked deal.

 

Zayed said the Chinese delegation's visit would last for three weeks until the first batch of the vaccines - two million shots - is produced.

 

Also according to Zayed, the production process includes several stages, starting from testing the raw materials by the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA); packaging the vaccine; issuing the approval; carrying out stability studies and then conducting efficiency tests by the EDA.

 

The EDA has approved the emergency use of five vaccines: Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, CoronaVac and Covishield- AstraZeneca.

 

Minister Zayed highlighted the "unlimited" attention the Egyptian leadership is paying to produce vaccinations in order for Egypt to become a centre for manufacturing vaccines for African countries after fulfilling domestic needs.

 

Vacsera's laboratories and production lines have been revamped at a cost of EGP 750 million (nearly $48 million) provided by the government to keep pace with producing the vaccines, said the Egyptian minister.

 

According to a previous statement by Zayed, coordination is ongoing in an effort to locally manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine at VACSERA’s factories in 6 October city.

 

Egypt has received millions of coronavirus vaccines lately as it is ramping up the effort to vaccinate as much as possible from its 110 million-plus population.

 

Nearly two million have been vaccinated against the deadly virus in Egypt, out of a total of 3.5 million who have already registered to receive the inoculation via a website set up by the Egyptian Ministry of Health.

 

Egypt, which is seeing a surge in infections, due to a third wave of the pandemic, has registered a total of 252,690 cases, including 14,670 deaths and 186,223 recoveries. 

Egypt counters third virus wave with biggest vaccination center in Mideast

Arab News (Link: Egypt counters third virus wave with biggest vaccination center in Mideast)

A member of medical team sprays disinfectant as a precautionary move amid concerns over the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak at the underground Al Shohadaa "Martyrs" metro station in Cairo. (REUTERS file photo)

CAIRO: The Egyptian Ministry of Health is intensifying efforts to control the fierce third wave of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) through the largest vaccination center in the Middle East.

All of Cairo’s Exhibition Center area has been dedicated to the vaccine site, which will be able to vaccinate 10,000 people a day, the ministry said.

The center features 96 clinics where citizens enter their data and have their vital signs recorded. It takes no longer than 10 minutes to get vaccinated.

A special room has been set up where people rest for 30 minutes after getting the jab in case there are any complications.

There is also a waiting hall with a capacity of 500 in addition to a spacious parking lot. The center operates from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on all days except Fridays. With this center, the total number of vaccination sites in Egypt has reached 400.

The ministry aims to inoculate 400 citizens daily in each of the centers across the country, said a spokesman, adding that all the centers have proper ventilation.

New Administrative Capital Rises in Egypt’s Eastern Desert

ENR by Gary Lakes, (excerpt: New Administrative Capital Rises in Egypt's Easter Desert) 

Development of phase 1 of the NAC will cost about $58 billion when complete in 2030. Basic infrastructure of the phase is complete, and construction on several buildings, including this ministerial building, is slated to be finished in 2022. Photo courtesy Mohamed Abdalla

Egypt is in the midst of a huge construction boom—the center of which is a New Administrative Capital intended to modernize the seat of government for the country of 103 million people in a new city 28 miles east of Cairo.

The Egyptian government announced in 2015 it would build a new capital on 270 sq miles of land located between the main roads leading to the port cities of Suez and Ain El Sokhna. When the NAC is complete in 2050, it will be home to up to 7 million people.

The NAC, designed by U.S.-based Skidmore Ownings and Merrill, consists of three phases. Development of phase 1 will cost about $58 billion when complete in 2030. Basic infrastructure of the phase is complete, and construction on several buildings, slated to be finished in 2022, has begun.

The city will host two towering skyscrapers. An 80-floor tower has been under construction for two years and has reached the 40^th floor. When finished, it will be 385-m high, making it the tallest building in Egypt and Africa.

However, the planned Oblisco Capitale, which will look like a Pharaonic obelisk, is due to be inaugurated in 2030 at a height of 1,000 meters, making it the tallest structure in the world.

The Arab Contractors Co., also known as Osman Ahmed Osman Co., is putting the finishing touches on the new parliament building, which so far has required 16.5 million work hours from 6,400 workers and 300 engineers.

The project covers an area of 126,000 sq m. The building has 1,000 administrative offices, and a 50-m-dia dome. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in April that about 52,000 government employees would begin transferring to work at the NAC in August.

Crews have used about 45,000 cu m of concrete; 210,000 cu m of reinforced concrete and 25,000 cu m of reinforced steel in the project, said Ahmad El Aladalany, from the Support Division of Arab Contractors, in an emailed statement.

“We have had many challenges with this project,” Aladalany said, including COVID-19 and the removal of 500,000 cu m of rock and soil. 

Multiple Phases

Phase 1 will establish the core of the new city and concentrate on the essential needs to get the new capital up and running. It covers development of 40,000 acres, including a government district, a commercial district and a downtown district built along the Green River.

Phase 2 will expand the city by a further 47,000 acres with more residential and business areas, and phase 3 will follow the same direction by expanding a further 97,000 acres.

“You can imagine a city that stretches from the Nile River to the Red Sea,” Mohamed Abdalla, chairman of Coldwell Bank Middle East and vice chairman of Acumen Holding Investment Bank told ENR. “We are witnessing something significant in the history of Egypt.”

The government is using proceeds from land sales at the new capital to finance the project, said Abdall. He also is chairman of the real estate committee for AmCham Egypt, which promotes business between Egypt and the U.S. “We used to worry about investment, but that isn’t the case anymore… The government isn’t having to rely on foreign investors,” he said during an interview via Zoom.

The government also is collecting fees on construction that was previously done without licenses under earlier governments, he noted.

Virtually all of Egypt’s construction companies are involved in the NAC, as is the China State Construction Engineering Corp.

Running Orders

Poetry Foundation, by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha (Link: Running Orders)

Running Orders

BY LENA KHALAF TUFFAHA

They call us now,

before they drop the bombs.

The phone rings

and someone who knows my first name

calls and says in perfect Arabic

“This is David.”

And in my stupor of sonic booms and glass-shattering symphonies

still smashing around in my head

I think, Do I know any Davids in Gaza?

They call us now to say

Run.

You have 58 seconds from the end of this message.

Your house is next.

They think of it as some kind of

war-time courtesy.

It doesn’t matter that

there is nowhere to run to.

It means nothing that the borders are closed

and your papers are worthless

and mark you only for a life sentence

in this prison by the sea

and the alleyways are narrow

and there are more human lives

packed one against the other

more than any other place on earth

Just run.

We aren’t trying to kill you.

It doesn’t matter that

you can’t call us back to tell us

the people we claim to want aren’t in your house

that there’s no one here

except you and your children

who were cheering for Argentina

sharing the last loaf of bread for this week

counting candles left in case the power goes out.

It doesn’t matter that you have children.

You live in the wrong place

and now is your chance to run

to nowhere.

It doesn’t matter

that 58 seconds isn’t long enough

to find your wedding album

or your son’s favorite blanket

or your daughter’s almost completed college application

or your shoes

or to gather everyone in the house.

It doesn’t matter what you had planned.

It doesn’t matter who you are.

Prove you’re human.

Prove you stand on two legs.

Run.