Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has apologised for widespread power cuts that have hit the country as it deals with an intense heatwave.
“I renew the government's apology. We are fully aware of the extent of Egyptian families' suffering from the problem of electricity outages,” Mr Madbouly said in a televised address on Tuesday.
The Prime Minister also announced a series of measures aimed at easing the crisis, including the earlier closure of shops at 10pm each evening.
He said $1.18 billion would be allocated to tackle the power shortages during summer.
The funds will be used to import more natural gas and mazut, which are in short supply amid increased power consumption, Mr Madbouly said.
The ministries of petroleum and mineral resources, and electricity issued a joint statement apologising for the electricity crisis on Monday.
Despite co-ordination between the two ministries, the unusually high temperatures meant power cuts had to be extended by an hour, to three hours daily, until the end of the week to “maintain safe and stable operation of the gas network and power generation plants”, they said.
Mr Madbouly said President Abdel Fattah El Sisi had directed the government to deal with the situation and resolve it.
The Prime Minister assured the public that power cuts would end by the third week of July.
Backlash
Egyptians took to social media to criticise the government's apologies, where hashtags related to the electricity crisis and the heatwave have been the most talked-about subjects in the country this month.
Prominent figures accused the government of failing to do its job and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
“Why are you failures? (Turn off the lights),” said Nasser Amin, a prominent lawyer, in a post on X on Tuesday.
“This country went through a war for six years (67-73), a third of the Egyptian state's land was occupied, the enemy was 90km from Cairo, the enemy's aircraft were striking deep from Helwan to Aswan, and the government was asking people to turn off the lights during the attack, not cutting it off from them,” Mr Amin said, referring to the 1967 war and subsequent Israeli occupation of the Sinai peninsula.
Shops closed
Part of the government’s plan to deal with the crisis will be to shut down shops and malls from 10pm. Pharmacies and supermarkets are exempt from this directive, Mr Madbouly said.
The decision was criticised by Egyptians who said people typically stay out late during summer, with businesses staying open to cater to them.
The government attributed the crisis to unprecedented heatwaves in June, with temperatures exceeding 40°C, and even reaching 50°C in Aswan, putting enormous pressure on electricity consumption.
It also cited a technical malfunction in “gasfields in neighbouring countries” connected to Egypt's network, which caused a disruption in supply and forced energy authorities to increase power cuts to avoid a complete network collapse.
Egypt has been facing electricity shortages since last summer. At the time, Mr Madbouly said the government was prioritising exports to remedy a dollar crunch that has afflicted the economy since 2022.
Before the war, Israel was exporting about 800 million cubic feet of natural gas a day to Egypt.
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
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Premier League results
Saturday
Crystal Palace 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2
Cardiff City 2 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Bournemouth 2
Leicester City 3 Fulham 1
Newcastle United 3 Everton 2
Southampton 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Manchester City 3 Watford 1
Sunday
Liverpool 4 Burnley 2
Chelsea 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
Arsenal 2 Manchester United 0
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
PAST 10 BRITISH GRAND PRIX WINNERS
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2012 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2011 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)
2010 - Mark Webber (Red Bull Racing)
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2008 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2007 - Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
Meg%202%3A%20The%20Trench
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The currency conundrum
Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”
Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.
This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.
ENGLAND%20SQUAD
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Story of 2017-18 so far and schedule to come
Roll of Honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia rugby season?
Western Clubs Champions League
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Dubai Exiles
Fixtures
Friday
West Asia Cup final
5pm, Bahrain (6pm UAE time), Bahrain v Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy final
3pm, The Sevens, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Sports City Eagles
Friday, April 13
UAE Premiership final
5pm, Al Ain, Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
'How To Build A Boat'
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