Egypt has sent a special jet to bring hundreds of Egyptian nationals back home from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus epidemic began, the aviation ministry said in a statement on Sunday. An Airbus A330-200 aircraft took off from Cairo International Airport on Sunday morning bound for Wuhan with a special health ministry medical team on board. The flight has 297 seats. Cabinet spokesperson Nader Saad said late on Saturday that 306 out of a total 345 Egyptian nationals in Wuhan have requested to return home. The aviation ministry was not immediately available to explain how the remaining Egyptians will return. Earlier on Sunday, Egypt s foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez told satellite TV channel CBC Extra that the jet is set to take off from Wuhan on Sunday evening, adding that all the returning Egyptians do not show any signs of the coronavirus. Chinese authorities are screening all travellers leaving Wuhan and have banned anyone who has symptoms of the deadly virus from leaving the city, he added. Egypt first announced on Thursday that it had allocated a special jet to evacuate Egyptian expatriates from Wuhan, the epicentre of the growing epidemic, which has killed over 300 people in China. All Egyptian travellers brought from the Chinese city will be screened and suspected cases will be quarantined, officials said. The virus has spread to other countries including the US, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, and others. More than 130 cases have been reported in around two dozen countries. Egypt s national airline EgyptAir announced last week that it was suspending all flights to and from Chinese cities, with Hangzhou flights suspended starting 1 February, and Beijing and Guangzhou flights starting 4 February. The flagship carrier added that it would resume flights to the Chinese cities according to incoming reservations and demand.

Egypt s population will hit 100 million people next week, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said on Saturday. The country s population reached 99.945 million at 10 a.m. (local time) on Saturday, CAPMAS added. The number excludes Egyptians abroad, which are estimated at over 9 million people. Cairo is ranked Egypt s most populated governorate with 9.924 million persons, followed by Giza with 9.75 million people then Sharqia with 7.536 million, CAPMAS pointed out. South Sinai governorate got the last place in terms of Egypt s population with about 108,742 persons, followed by North Sinai with 450,528 people and then Matrouh with 477,172, it noted. Since 2017, Egyptian officials have described the country s rapid population growth as an "actual catastrophe" that threatens national development plans and demands immediate attention, just like the country s war against terrorism. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi repeatedly said that the current rate of population growth poses a threat to the nation and restricts Egypt s progress. Last year, Egypt launched a two year initiative dubbed, "Two Is Enough", to encourage people to have fewer children. It is mainly financed locally, with the Social Solidarity Ministry spending EGP 75 million Egyptian pounds ($4.7 million) and the UN providing EGP 10 million.

Egypt denied media reports that a a suspected coronavirus case was detected in the country, as the disease continues to spark global fears. In an official statement late Wednesday, health ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said no nCoV cases have been detected in Egypt. The denial came hours after several websites reported that a suspected coronavirus case was detected in Matrouh. A crisis management room is working 24/7 to issue official statements, follow up precautionary measures and implement a medical insurance plan to prevent the virus from reaching Egypt, he added, urging accuracy by media outlets on covering news about the virus. The epidemic has killed at least 170 people in China, with thousands infected worldwide as countries began isolating hundreds of citizens evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the disease.

The last round of the tripartite meetings called by the US administration between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam "GERD" kicked off in Washington on Tuesday , the Egyptian foreign ministry said. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry headed for Washington on Sunday to take part in the two-day talks. The meetings, sponsored by the US and the World Bank, aim to reach an agreement on rules regulating the filling and operation of the Ethiopian dam. The talks were supposed to be concluded mid this month but the three sides failed to reach an agreement and decided to defer them to Tuesday. The three Nile basin countries remained deadlocked over the way the dam will be filled with water during droughts. Ethiopia hopes that the $4.8 billion GERD project on the Blue Nile, which has been under construction since 2011, will allow it to become Africa’s largest power exporter. Egypt, however, fears that the Ethiopian dam, which is 70 percent complete and set to be fully operational by 2022, will diminish its share of Nile water, which comprises 85 percent of the country’s water resources.

Egypt s Ministry of Health denied on Monday media reports that it will launch campaigns to inspect Chinese restaurants in seven governorates to counter Wuhan Novel Coronavirus that originated in China. In statements to the media, health ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed denied the media reports, saying that the ministry s food supervision directorate conducts periodic campaigns to inspect food establishments nationwide to make sure they meet the required health conditions and terms in accordance with the law. On Sunday, several Egyptian news websites reported that the ministry is going to launch campaigns to inspect Chinese restaurants in seven governorates Megahed added that the Ministry of Health declared a state of emergency in all the quarantines in Egypt s airports, ports and borders as a precaution against the outbreak of the new strain of Coronavirus. The spokesperson stated that no case or suspected case of Coronavirus was recorded in Egypt.

Egypt s Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad has said that a new initiative aimed at spreading environmental awareness, dubbed Live Green, sends a strong message that environment-related issues are of national priority for the political leadership. In an interview with the state-run MENA news agency, Fouad said the initiative was launched after studies on an environmental communications strategy conducted over a year ago. The strategy was launched at the beginning of the parliament’s session at the energy and environment committee s meeting to discuss obstacles to raising awareness about environmental issues and their importance. The implementation of the initiative will take three years, she said, adding that one year is not enough to achieve environmental awareness among all citizens.

Egypt denied having any cases of the new coronavirus among its expats in China, as the epidemic of the disease sparked worry and fear globally. According to a statement by the foreign ministry, Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs and Egyptians Abroad Yasser Mahmoud Hashim said the Egyptian Embassy in Beijing is currently following up the condition of the Egyptian community in the Chinese province of Hubei and its capital Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak of the deadly virus, by directly contacting them. The embassy offers all kind of support to the expats in light of the Chinese government s decision to put Wuhan under quarantine and suspend all transportation to and from the city, Hashim noted. "There are no cases of the novel coronavirus among the Egyptian expats in the city or all of China," the diplomat affirmed, pointing out that the embassy is cooperating with the Chinese authorities to ensure that the Egyptian expats are receiving all the care and help they need. Egypt s Ambassador in Beijing Mohamed el Badry contacted a number of the community s leaders in the quarantined city, expressing his full solidarity with them and promising to provide them with all possible help. The Foreign Ministry, for its part, expressed its appreciation for the Chinese government s tremendous efforts to contain the virus, confirming its solidarity with the Chinese people and leadership during these critical circumstances.

Egypt s Cairo airport started screening passengers arriving from China for signs of the new coronavirus outbreak, airport sources said on Thursday. There are doctors and health monitors in arrival halls equipped with medical devices needed to examine passengers coming from China, the sources said. Flight attendants have also been instructed to report any coronavirus suspected cases among travellers and any suspected cases would be isolated and sent to hospital, the sources added. All airports in Egypt are on high alert and have received the same instructions, but most of the flights coming from China arrive in Cairo airport, the sources said.

Egyptian and Saudi forces started Wednesday joint naval training activities in Egypt s Red Sea, Egypt s Army spokesman said in a statement. The multi-day training, dubbed Morgan 16, aims to "enhance the skills and capabilities of the participating forces … raise combat efficiency of naval forces of both brotherly countries and identify the latest maritime armament systems used in the region," the statement said. Observers from a number of Arab and African countries are taking part in the drills. The training is part of a broader plan for joint military training between the Egyptian and Saudi armed forces designed to "enhance maritime security measures in the region through training on joint action to confront current and future threats and unify the concepts of naval combat actions of brotherly and friendly countries bordering the Red Sea," it added. The training activities involve theoretical lectures and training seminars, several tactical shooting exercises for special forces, including using small arms and conducting raids on a coastal target with live ammunition alongside sniper units.

Egypt s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said he was overwhelmed by the warm welcome Egyptian expats have shown during his participation in the UK-Africa Investment Summit, hosted by the British capital on Monday. "I was overwhelmed by the warm welcome Egyptian expats have shown during my participation in the proceedings of the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London. They are a source of pride and inspiration to us," Sisi posted on his official social media accounts. Later, the Egyptian President attended a reception held for leaders of delegations to the UK-Africa Investment Summit 2020 at Buckingham Palace. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, hosted the reception on Monday night on behalf of British Queen Elizabeth II and in the presence of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Sisi and Johnson had chaired the opening session of the summit on Monday.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson co-chaired the inaugural session of the UK-Africa Investment Summit 2020 that kicked off in London on Monday. Egypt is attending the summit in it s capacity as the president of the African Union. President El-Sisi addressed the summit affirming Africa s willingness to cooperate with all partners including the UK. “There are promising and diverse opportunities for Africa s partners,” El-Sisi said, adding that “such opportunities make Africa one of the most important destinations for international business institutions like those in the UK.” President El-Sisi cited four pillars of cooperation that are considered a priority for African countries. The first pillar is the implementation of infrastructure development projects in African Union countries, on top of which are the Cairo-Cape Town road, which will link the north of the continent to its south, as well as renewable energy and railway projects. The second pillar, according to El-Sisi is “the activation of all the operational stages of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” as it will “enhance intraregional trade, increase international competitiveness of the continent, and create an African market that attracts foreign investment.” El-Sisi added that the third pillar is creating partnerships with the foreign and African private sector and resolving its obstacles, since it a catalyst for economic growth. The final pillar is “empowering youth and women across the continent and providing them with job opportunities,” he said. President El-Sisi stressed the importance of providing governmental guarantees to international companies to reassure investors and to encourage them to pump direct investments into Africa. El-Sisi stressed the importance of tackling the disparity in the trade balance by opening the UK market to African products, so that trade exchange becomes on a fairer basis. The UK-Africa Investment Summit 2020 aims at highlighting investment opportunities in Africa and fostering British investments in the continent. The summit is attended by heads of African states and governments, heads of international organisations, as well as officials from British and African companies.

A minor earthquake measuring 4.09 on the Richter scale hit the southeast Red Sea city of Hurghada Saturday evening, Egypt s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIA) said in a statement Sunday. According to the statement, the quake was felt on Saturday at 11:46pm, with no injury or property damage reported. This is the second earthquake in the tourist hub within the month. Earlier in January, an earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale hit Hurghada with no injuries reported. Egypt is typically an earthquake-safe country that rarely sees earthquakes. In 1992, an earthquake measuring 5.6 hit the country, killing 541 people and injuring 6,522 others.

Ministers from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia agreed on Wednesday to reconvene on 28-29 January in Washington to finalise an agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the US Treasury Department said, adding that technical and legal talks will be held until then. Following three days of talks in Washington mediated by the Treasury and the World Bank, the ministers agreed that the filling of the $4 billion dam will be undertaken in stages while taking into account the potential impact on downstream reservoirs, the joint statement by the US Treasury, which hosted the meetings, said. The initial filling of the dam, which is expected to begin in July, will achieve a level of 595 meters above sea level and early electricity generation, "while providing appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan in case of severe droughts," the statement said. The subsequent stages of the filling and the long-term operation of the 6,000-megawatt dam will be done according to a mechanism that "determines release based upon the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the level of GERD", and addresses measures for Egypt and Sudan during "prolonged periods of dry years, drought and prolonged drought." Egypt had said earlier that the main points of contention with Ethiopia were drought limits and the operation of the giant dam under different hydrological conditions. The Ministers also agreed that there is a "shared responsibility" of the three countries in managing drought and prolonged drought, the statement added. Egypt, a downstream country, is concerned that the dam will significantly diminish its water supplies from the Nile River, on which it is almost entirely dependent for fresh water. Four rounds of technical talks over the mega project, which is around 70% complete, were held as part of the roadmap agreed upon during US-brokered meetings in Washington in November to end the dispute. Last week, the three countries have failed to reach an agreement on technical issues including the filling of the dam, with Cairo and Addis Ababa exchanging blame for the deadlock. Ethiopia said Egypt is trying to reinforce “self-claimed sole ownership of the Nile waters" with a proposal of filling the dam over a period of 12-21 years. Egypt slammed the claim as “deliberately misleading”, saying its proposal suggests filing the dam within six-seven years during normal conditions of the flow of the Blue Nile.

Egypt s Ministers Sameh Shoukry of Foreign Affairs and Mohamed Abdel Atti of Water Resources and Irrigation agreed to continue negotiations for the third straight day on Wednesday in Washington on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Wednesday. In a statement early Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry said the two ministers attended a meeting held by US President Donald Trump with the ministers of the three states. Foreign Ministry Sameh Shoukry underlined Egypt s appreciation for the efforts exerted by Trump and US treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in this vital file. On Tuesday, the Egyptian, Ethiopian and Sudanese ministers for foreign affairs and water resumed talks on regulations that should be adopted to fill and operate the dam. Technical talks were held to discuss details about the measures that should be adopted by Ethiopia. Four rounds of talks in the GERD negotiations were held as part of the roadmap agreed upon during a US-brokered meeting in Washington last November to break the deadlock in the negotiations. Ethiopia started constructing the GERD in 2011 on the Blue Nile in the northern Ethiopia highlands, from where most of the Nile s waters flow. Egypt fears that the speed of filling the Ethiopian dam will diminish its share of the river’s water. Ethiopia aims to become the continent s biggest power exporter by generating more than 6,000 megawatts through the dam.

Egyptian officials held “long, in-depth talks” with US representatives in Washington on Monday where Egypt explained its vision for filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Egypt’s foreign ministry said in a statement. Monday’s talks were part of the ministerial meeting at the US Treasury Department on the filling and operation of the $4 billion project. Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry and Minister of Irrigation Mohamed Abdel-Ati participated in talks with their Ethiopian and Sudanese counterparts where they discussed the technical rules and mechanisms needed for reaching a "just and balanced agreement on filling and operating" the dam on Ethiopia s section of the Nile River. The Washington meetings, which continue on Tuesday, are being attended by US Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and the president of the World Bank David Malpass. Four rounds of talks in the GERD negotiations were held as part of the roadmap agreed upon during a US-brokered meeting in Washington last November to break the deadlock in the negotiations. The Washington meeting had set 15 January as the targeted deadline for resolving the dispute. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the latest four trilateral meetings between the irrigation ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have not led to significant progress “due to Ethiopia’s intransigence.” According to the Declaration of Principles signed by Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in 2015, if the three countries fail in resolving the dispute through negotiations, they can ask for mediation or refer the matter to their heads of state or prime ministers. Ethiopia started constructing the GERD in 2011 on the Blue Nile in the northern Ethiopia highlands, from where most of the Nile s waters flow. Egypt fears that the speed of filling the Ethiopian dam will diminish its share of the river’s water. Ethiopia aims to become the continent s biggest power exporter by generating more than 6,000 megawatts through the dam.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi discussed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel the situation in Libya, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said on Sunday. In a phone call, Merkel briefed Sisi on the German contacts to reach a political solution to the Libyan crisis. The two leaders exchanged views on the latest developments in the war-torn country and their impact on the entire region. They agreed that any political solution in Libya should be drawn up comprehensively, covering all political, economic, security, and military dimensions. Also, they stressed the importance of confronting illegitimate interference in the Libyan domestic affairs.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly left to Oman Sunday to offer condolences after the death of Sultan Qaboos Bin Said in Muscat. Madbouly will be heading a senior delegation that will include the ministers of religious endowments, tourism and antiquities, justice and planning. The visit comes one day after Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi announced Saturday three days of mourning in the country after the death. Sultan Qaboos Bin Said passed away late Friday at age of 79 after nearly 50 years in power. Oman named Saturday Minister of Culture Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said as the new ruler of the Arab Gulf country, ending speculation over who would succeed longtime ruler Sultan Qaboos.

Egypt s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will head for Algeria Thursday carrying a message from President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune. Shoukry said he is scheduled to hand over the message during a meeting with the Algerian president, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez said. Shoukry will also hold talks with his Algerian counterpart Sabri Boukadoum on means of promoting bilateral cooperation as well as a host of issues, topped by the Libyan crisis.

Egypt said on Wednesday that there is a "real opportunity" to make progress during the current talks in Addis Ababa to overcome the dispute over a giant dam project Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile. "I think there is a real opportunity to make progress in our meeting today and tomorrow to overcome differences," Egypt s Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati told a meeting between officials from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on Wednesday. "We hope to come up with a draft agreement on filling and operating the [Grand Ethiopian] Renaissance Dam (GERD)." Abdel-Ati s remarks came during the last of the four technical meetings between the water ministers of the three countries to resolve the dispute over the $4 billion hydroelectric project. During his speech to the gathering, Abdel-Ati said that the key components of a final agreement between the three countries involve: the filling of the dam, drought alleviation measures, "fair and balanced" operation rules that sustainably enable Ethiopia to generate hydroelectric power while maintaining the operation of Egypt s High Dam, as well as establishing an effective mechanism for the implementation of the agreement. "We agreed on these basic components, and our differences lie in the approach to implementing these elements and in some numerical values, such as drought limits, and some differences with regard to the operation of the Renaissance Dam under different hydrological conditions," the Egyptian minister said, according to a statement by his ministry. "I sincerely believe that we can bridge the gap between us on these issues," the minister said. The two-day meeting was attended by the irrigation ministers of Ethiopia and Sudan and technical delegations from the three countries, with the participation of the World Bank. It is part of a roadmap agreed upon during a US-brokered meeting in Washington last November to break the deadlock inthe negotiations. Abdel-Ati expressed hope that the GERD, as a new water structure in the eastern Nile system, would be integrated in a joint management process with Aswan s High Dam to "preserve the resilience of the water system to meet the harsh conditions" that may arise from filling and operating the dam. Egypt fears that the Ethiopian dam, which is 70 percent complete and set to be fully operational by 2022, will diminish its share of Nile water, which provides the bulk of the country’s water resources. Egypt s water supply is already scarce. The country is suffering from a significant water shortage of 21 billion cubic meters a year, a crisis that the country is tackling through the treatment of agricultural and sewage water, according to Abdel-Ati. Ethiopia started constructing the dam in 2011 on the Blue Nile in the northern Ethiopia highlands, from where most of the Nile s waters flow. Ethiopia aims to become the continent s biggest power exporter by generating more than 6,000 megawatts through the dam. The Egyptian Water and Irrigation Ministry spokesperson told Ahram Online last December that Egypt is holding to its demands regarding the regulations for filling and operating the GERD, dismissing news reports that Egypt had agreed to the release of 35 billion cubic meters of water. According to the Declaration of Principles signed by Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in 2015, if the three countries failed in resolving the dispute through negotiations, they can ask for mediation or refer the matter to their heads of states or prime ministers. The first meeting of the US-sponsored talks was held in Addis Ababa in mid-November 2019, the second was in Cairo in early December 2019, and the third was in Khartoum in late December 2019. The foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan should meet on 13 January in Washington in the presence officials from the US Treasury and the World Bank to try to finalise an agreement to resolve the dispute.

Egypt is set to host on Wednesday a ministerial coordination meeting with the foreign ministers of France, Italy, Greece and Cyprus to discuss the ongoing rapid developments in Libya, a statement by the foreign ministry read. According to the statement, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will hold the meeting with his counterparts to discuss pushing forward efforts to reach a comprehensive political resolution for the Libyan crisis and military actions that aim to hamper such efforts. The foreign ministers will also discuss the overall situation in the Eastern Mediterranean. The ministerial meeting comes a few days after Shoukry held phone calls with his Italian and French counterparts Luigi Di Maio and Jean-Yves Le Drian, where they agreed that Turkey’s recent intervention in Libya endangers security and peace in whole the region. The calls, which came shortly after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of Turkish troop deployment to Libya, are part of intensive communications by Egypt with international partners on ongoing developments in Libya. In the past weeks, tensions have continued to mount in the Mediterranean region following controversial accords signed between Ankara and Libya s Government of National Accord, led by Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj.

New Vatican Ambassador to Egypt Archbishop Nicolas Henry arrived in Cairo late on Saturday. Archbishop Henry was received by several archbishops and leaders of the Catholic Church in Egypt. Archbishop Henry has previously served in India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Belgium, Cuba, Bulgaria, Guatemala, among other countries. He served in the Section for Relations with States at the Vatican before joining the private secretariat of Cardinal-Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone in 2006. In 2010, he was elevated to the rank of Apostolic Prothonotary and joined the Prefecture of the Pontifical House. In January 2013, he was one of the last bishops ordained by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who appointed him Apostolic Nuncio in Guatemala in 2013.