Four workers were killed when a fire broke out at Egypt's main telecoms hub on Monday night, causing internet and phone service disruptions that were continuing on Tuesday.
State-owned company Telecom Egypt confirmed the deaths of employees inside Cairo's Ramses Central building.
The blaze began in a seventh-floor operations room before spreading to other floors, trapping some employees in the building. At least 39 people were injured, according to civil defence officials. The Ministry of Health said firefighters were among those injured.
Financial services across Cairo and parts of Giza were affected by the internet and phone disruption.
Long queues formed at branches of several banks on Tuesday, as customers tried withdraw cash in person due to disruption to e-banking systems. Many Egyptians took to social media to complain that they could not make payments or carry out other transactions.
Telecommunications Minister Amr Talaat said services were being progressively restored. He said Ramses Central, which manages about 40 per cent of Egypt’s telecom traffic, is not the only centre of its kind, and other hubs across the country have taken on the load to compensate.
All services are expected to be functioning normally by Wednesday morning, Mr Talaat said, adding that some minor issues could persist in rural provinces but were being addressed.
Services including banking, ATM operations and money transfer apps had largely returned to normal on Tuesday after being severely disrupted, the minister added.
Egyptian National Railways, which had announced a disruption to its nationwide ticket booking system on Monday, confirmed on Tuesday that the system was operational again. The Egyptian Stock Exchange, however, halted trading on Tuesday, citing instability following the fire.
Rescue workers said they suspected a short-circuit sparked the blaze but a more thorough investigation was needed to determine the cause.
The fire was brought under near control just before midnight after burning for six hours, officials said. However, smoke was still seen rising from various places in the building on Tuesday morning, prompting fears that the flames could reignite.
Firefighters remained at the site in an effort to keep it cool, officials said.
While many users reported marked improvements in internet and mobile connectivity on Tuesday, many also continued to report disruption, with some services slow or inconsistent.
The National Telecom Regulatory Authority had said technical teams were working to restore full service as quickly as possible and were assessing the effect of the fire on critical infrastructure.
Customers hit by the disruption were expected to be compensated, the authority said.
Media Production City, which hosts the country’s largest TV and radio stations, issued a statement saying that while live TV broadcasts were not affected, communications issues had disrupted co-ordination between programme producers and their sources.
Ramses Central, built in the 1927 under the reign of King Fuad I, has served as a critical node in Egypt’s telecoms network for nearly a century.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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)
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FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
Tomb%20Raider%20I%E2%80%93III%20Remastered
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
Under 19 World Cup
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Price: On request
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
RIVER%20SPIRIT
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeila%20Aboulela%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Saqi%20Books%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Company%C2%A0profile
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
