Egypt

02 Sep 2021; MEMO: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood yesterday denied reports by some Gulf media outlets that Turkey had placed some of its leaders under house arrest.

The group's spokesperson, Talaat Fahmy, told Arabi21 that the Brotherhood members in Turkey were "doing fine and enjoying security and stability."

01 Sep 2021; MEMO: Egypt's Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP) yesterday referred the former presidential candidate and head of the Strong Egypt Party, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, to the criminal court on charges of "leading a terrorist group".

CAIRO, August 29. /TASS/: A powerful explosion rocked Kabul on Sunday, the Al Arabiya TV Channel reported, citing eye-witnesses.

According to the reports, most likely, the blast occurred near the building of Kabul airport. A powerful explosion that ripped through the Afghan capital on Sunday was triggered by a rocket strike on a residential building, the Ashwaka local news agency reported, citing eye-witnesses.

CAIRO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Baghdad on Saturday, the Egyptian presidency said, the first meeting since the two countries agreed in January to end a long-running dispute.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain had agreed to end the dispute that saw them boycott Qatar since 2017 over charges it supports terrorism, a reference to Islamist groups, which Doha denies.

CAIRO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Friday urged for dialogue to end the diplomatic rift between Algeria and Morocco.

Shoukry made the remarks during two separate phone conversations with his Algerian and Moroccan counterparts Ramtane Lamamra and Nasser Bourita, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

During the two conversations, Shoukry discussed the recent developments in the relations between the two countries, stressing the need to overcome the current crisis.

26 Aug 2021; MEMO: Egypt will open the Rafah crossing on its border with the Gaza Strip in one direction for three days on Thursday to allow stranded Palestinians to return back to the tiny coastal enclave, two security sources said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

Egyptian goods and aid will be allowed into the Gaza Strip too, the sources added.

25 Aug 2021; MEMO: Egyptian authorities have been pressuring Hamas to cancel planned demonstrations at the fence separating Israel from the besieged enclave, Al Maydan News revealed yesterday.

Reporting a Palestinian source, Al Maydan said that the closure of the Rafah Crossing, which came into effect on Monday, is part of efforts to pressure Hamas.

25 Aug 2021; MEMO: Egypt has announced that doctors, government employees, teachers, university professors, admin workers and students above the age of 18 will get the coronavirus vaccine in September.

The decision comes ahead of restrictions which will be brought in in October to restrict people entering public institutions unless they can provide proof that they have had the vaccine.

CAIRO, August 24. /TASS/: The banking system of Afghanistan will resume operation from August 25, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman of the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) said on Tuesday. 

"All banks in the country, including the Central Bank, will resume their work from tomorrow. We have carried out the appropriate preparatory work. We urge employees of this sector to return to their jobs," said the Taliban spokesman, whose speech was broadcast live on the Ariana News TV channel.

CAIRO, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Members of the Egyptian community, Al Azhar mission, and the Egyptian embassy staff in Afghanistan returned home safely in the early hours of Tuesday, state-run MENA news agency reported.

"Upon directives of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the Armed Forces dispatched a military plane to Afghanistan to safely evacuate the Egyptians from Kabul," it said.

More than 40 Egyptians have returned, it added.