Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Wednesday appointed Hassan Mahmoud Rashad as head of the country's intelligence agency, according to a statement from the presidency.
He replaces Abbas Kamel, a close aide of the president and a longtime confidant.
Mr Rashad was sworn into the new role by Mr El Sisi, the statement added. Mr El Sisi's office released a photo on Wednesday showing him receiving both Mr Kamel and his successor, Mr Rashad.
Little is known about Mr Rashad besides that he is a career intelligence operative who, like most officials in his field, hails from the military. As is the case with his predecessor, he holds the army rank of major general.
Mr Kamel is a longtime confidant of Mr El Sisi. The brief statement said his new role would be adviser to, and special envoy of, the president as well as “general co-ordinator of security agencies."
The statement did not say why Mr Kamel was replaced.
Under the outgoing chief, the nation's intelligence agency took over from the Foreign Ministry the running of several key files, including neighbouring Sudan, Libya and Gaza.
Mr Kamel, 67, was named chief of the intelligence agency in 2018 after working for Mr El Sisi as his chief of staff when the Egyptian leader was defence minister and later when elected President in 2014.
He was also the lead negotiator in mediation by Egypt, the US and Qatar to end the year-long war in Gaza and free Israeli and other hostages held by Hamas since October last year.
His last known foreign trip was a brief visit last month to Eritrea, a strategically located Horn of Africa nation that Egypt has been moving closer to in recent years.
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Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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A little about CVRL
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5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Her most famous song
Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?
Would I ever find you again
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You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
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This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.
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