Egypt

02 March 2022; MEMO: Egypt has increased the transit fees for ships passing through the Suez Canal by ten per cent, reports the Associated Press, to develop and enhance the service.

Transit fees for liquefied petroleum gas and chemical tankers increased by ten per cent whilst vessels carrying vehicles, natural gas and general cargo went up seven per cent and oil crude tankers and dry bulk vessels will go up five per cent.

01 March 2022; MEMO:The Arab League has avoided naming Russia in a statement issued yesterday following an emergency meeting held at Egypt's request on the "recent developments in Ukraine".

In its statement, the League expressed "concern" about the developments in Ukraine, and "their serious military and humanitarian consequences".

01 March 2022; MEMO:As the Russian war in Ukraine continues, fears are growing in Egypt about the effect the fighting will have on its economy as it recovers from the global coronavirus pandemic.

Russian and Ukrainian tourists make up around 40 per cent of the total number of tourists who visit Egypt and numbers had already started to wane in February as news of a potential conflict played out.

27 Feb 2022; MEMO: Russia's invasion of Ukraine could lead to bread shortages across parts of the Arab world, including war-torn Yemen, where millions are already on the brink of starvation.

According to a special briefing by the US-based Middle East Institute (MEI) earlier this week, "the Ukraine crisis could trigger renewed protests and instability in several MENA countries."

28 Feb 2022; MEMO: The Arab League is meeting today to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine which is being labelled the biggest European conflict since the Second World War.

At least 102 civilians have been killed and roughly 422,000 are displaced, both internally and outside the country.

21 Feb 2022; MEMO: A leak from one of the world's biggest private banks, Credit Suisse, reveals that it opened accounts for clients involved in torture and corruption including from the Middle East and kept them open even after details of their crimes were made public.

An anonymous whistleblower leaked details of thousands of the bank's clients to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, which found among them dictators, spies and corrupt politicians with accounts worth a collective value of $8 billion.

22 Feb 2022; MEMO: The Egyptian parliament has proposed banning non-specialists from discussing religion in the media following the launch of an investigation into a journalist accused of "contempt of religion."

Ibrahim Issa told viewers during a private TV show on Friday that the Prophet Mohammed's night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem was a "completely delusional story."

CAIRO (AP) — The United States and Egypt on Monday launched a joint working group to prepare for the next climate change summit in November, the American envoy for climate issues said.

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said the group is focused on the United Nations’ COP27 conference in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He said the country has already begun its preparations for the meeting.

CAIRO, Feb 20 (NNN-MENA) – Nine criminals and one policeman were killed, during a security raid at a gang’s hideout, in Egypt’s Nile Delta province of Dakahlia, said the Egyptian Interior Ministry in a statement yesterday.

The criminals, involved in drug smuggling and armed robberies, took a piece of agricultural land in a village of the province, as a den for their activities.

20 Feb 2022; MEMO: During the International Petroleum Technology Conference "Aegis 2022" last Monday, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi invited CNN anchor John Defterios to moderate a dialogue session at the conference and witness the developments taking place in the country.

Defterios is a former CNN broadcaster currently working as a consultant for APCO Worldwide, specialising in public relations. Despite Al-Sisi's invitation, the reality of Egyptian and foreign reporters tells another story.