Russia's state-owned nuclear energy corporation has finally broken ground on its $30 billion nuclear power station in the desert on Egypt’s Mediterranean coastline.
Rosatom on Wednesday laid the concrete foundations for the Al Dabaa nuclear power plant, which is to be Egypt’s first.
The complex is a centrepiece in Cairo’s growing ties with Moscow, which entails multibillion-dollar arms purchases, Russian investment, frequent joint war games and the import of huge amounts of Russian wheat.
The project signals Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s readiness to maintain and expand ties with Russia, despite the host of sanctions imposed by Cairo’s western friends and backers, led by the US, against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
It also fits in with Egypt’s ambitious programme to diversify its energy sources, investing heavily in renewable and clean energy as it prepares to host the next global conference on climate change, Cop27, in November.
News of Egypt’s wish to have Russia build its first nuclear power station broke in 2015.
Two years later, Mr El Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin formally signed an agreement on the construction of the four-reactor, 4,800-megawatt plant.
The project had remained largely dormant for seven years until late last month, when Rosatom said it had received permission from the Egyptian regulator to start building the first power unit out of the planned four, a 1,200-megawatt unit which will be operational in 2026.
Seeking to reassure local residents and the Mediterranean's North Coast holidaymakers, officials have spoken at length about the safety and security of the plant.
“It will have the highest standards of reactors’ safety,” said Ayman Hamza, the Electricity Ministry spokesman.
“The plant will withstand earthquakes, storms, floods, snowfall and outside explosions. Its three shields will protect it against the crash of a heavy aircraft."
The growing Egypt-Russia ties recall the 1950s and 1960s when the Arab nation embraced socialism and forged a close bond with the Soviet Union.
That Cold War-era bond was defined by a milestone Soviet arms deal in the 1950s, the construction of the Aswan High Dam in southern Egypt by Russian engineers, a giant steel complex south of Cairo and a small army of military advisers stationed in Egypt after its defeat by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.
Relations with Russia cooled off under the rule of Anwar Sadat (1970-1981) and Hosni Mubarak (1981-2011) when Egypt became a close US ally. Mr El Sisi, in office since 2014, has maintained Cairo’s close relations with Washington, but has simultaneously moved to take Egypt closer to Moscow.
Last November, Egypt signed a long-term agreement with the Czech UJV Rez Research and Development company to consult on the project, said Sami Shaaban, chairman of the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiology Regulatory Authority.
The start of work on Wednesday was marked by a celebration attended by Egyptian Electricity Minister Mohammed Shaker and Rosatom chief executive Alexey Likhachev at the site, 300 kilometres north-west of Cairo.
For years, all that could be seen of the site of the nuclear power plant was a three-metre-high wall stretching for more than 10 kilometres parallel to the coast — but no sign of activity.
New signs of life
On Wednesday, the site, part of which now sits alongside a new six-lane motorway, showed renewed signs of life, with Egypt’s red, white and black flags fluttering from poles as SUVs and limousines darted in and out of the gate. An armoured vehicle was stationed by the gate.
Huge lorries were parked outside, apparently waiting for clearance to enter. White-and-blue pre-fab offices sprang up seemingly overnight, sitting outside and inside the gate.
Elsewhere along the off-white wall, construction was under way for concrete watchtowers at 100-metre gaps close to the gate.
The area is inhabited by a farming community of about 50,000 living in the ramshackle town of Al Dabaa.
It interrupts a chain of high-end seaside compounds frequented mostly by Egypt’s rich. It is about 40 kilometres west of New Alamein, a new coastal city defined by skyscrapers, which serves as the government’s summer seat and includes a presidential residence.
Residents have been compensated for the land on which the nuclear power plant will stand. New homes were built for them by the armed forces at the cost of 1 billion Egyptian pounds ($52,750). A technical school in the town focusing on nuclear energy is already open.
SPECS
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Company%20profile
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More on Turkey's Syria offence
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16. first leg
Atletico Madrid v Juventus, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
More on animal trafficking
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
RESULTS
Bantamweight title:
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) bt Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
(KO round 2)
Catchweight 68kg:
Sean Soriano (USA) bt Noad Lahat (ISR)
(TKO round 1)
Middleweight:
Denis Tiuliulin (RUS) bt Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
(TKO round 1)
Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) bt Joachim Tollefsen (DEN)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 68kg:
Austin Arnett (USA) bt Daniel Vega (MEX)
(TKO round 3)
Lightweight:
Carrington Banks (USA) bt Marcio Andrade (BRA)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 58kg:
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) bt Malin Hermansson (SWE)
(Submission round 2)
Bantamweight:
Jalal Al Daaja (CAN) bt Juares Dea (CMR)
(Split decision)
Middleweight:
Mohamad Osseili (LEB) bt Ivan Slynko (UKR)
(TKO round 1)
Featherweight:
Tarun Grigoryan (ARM) bt Islam Makhamadjanov (UZB)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 54kg:
Mariagiovanna Vai (ITA) bt Daniella Shutov (ISR)
(Submission round 1)
Middleweight:
Joan Arastey (ESP) bt Omran Chaaban (LEB)
(Unanimous decision)
Welterweight:
Bruno Carvalho (POR) bt Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
(TKO)
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
