Egypt has had by far its best “Covid-19” week in months, with fatalities and confirmed cases of the deadly disease significantly down as the country of 100 million people continues to reopen more, confidently inching closer to normality.
According to the Health Ministry, there were 4,598 Covid-19 cases in the week ending Friday, showing a 55.5 per cent decline on the 10,342 cases registered during the corresponding seven-day period in June, when cases and deaths accounted for about 50 per cent of the figures in the previous four months combined.
Fatalities in the July 18-24 period also saw a sharp decline of 45 per cent, with 330 deaths compared to 600 during the same period in June.
The figures bear out the forecast by Egyptian officials that the infection curve would flatten by mid-July before it begins to decline.
The health ministry has reported 91,072 Covid-19 cases and 4,518 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic hit Egypt five months ago. Officials say the actual number of cases and fatalities could be as much as 10 times higher. However, the ministry’s figures, while not reflecting statistical realities, are considered a reliable indicator of the pandemic’s curve.
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Coronavirus in the Middle East
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The government almost completely reopened the country on June 27, saying that until a vaccine is developed, Egyptians must learn to normally go about their business while taking precautions such as social distancing and wearing masks in crowded public places.
Critics at the time accused the government of putting the economy ahead of the well-being of Egyptians and called for lockdown measures to remain in place until the pandemic was over. However, the July figures suggest these fears were unfounded.
The government is further relaxing regulations from Sunday by allowing restaurants and cafes to stay open until midnight, not 10pm as has been the case since June 27, and to double their operating capacity to 50 per cent. Shops and malls will be allowed to stay open for an extra hour until 10pm.
However, public beaches and parks will stay closed, and congregational prayers at mosques and churches remain banned. Cinemas and theatres will continue to operate only at a quarter of their capacity
Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli has asked religious authorities to come up with guidelines for the “gradual” return to Friday prayers, according to a statement from his office. Muslims, who make up the overwhelming majority in Egypt, will not be allowed to visit mosques to offer the special early morning prayers on the first day of the feast of Eid Al Adha at the end of the coming week. The same ban was applied for Eid Al Fitr at the end of the holy month of Ramadan two months ago.
Official conferences will be allowed on the condition that participants do not exceed 50 at venues with a 100-person capacity. Exhibits and fairs will resume in October, according to the statement.
Egypt has gone to great lengths to prevent the economy from tanking because of the pandemic, announcing an ambitious stimulus package in March that included tax breaks, easier terms for debt repayments and a steep interest rate hike to encourage savings. It has also provided day workers with financial support to weather the lockdown. Egypt has also turned to the International Monetary Fund for help, taking two loans worth a total of nearly $8 billion to help it get through the pandemic.
The government’s swift reaction to the economic fallout of the coronavirus showed its alarm that the hard-won economic gains made over the past four years through an ambitious reform programme co-ordinated with the IMF could evaporate, plunging the country back in the financial turmoil it was mired in for years after a 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m
Winner: AF Mozhell, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Majdi, Szczepan Mazur, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Athabeh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: AF Eshaar, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi
4pm: Gulf Cup presented by Longines Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Al Roba’a Al Khali, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Younis Al Kalbani
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Apolo Kid, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muahiri
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
The specs: 2018 Audi RS5
Price, base: Dh359,200
Engine: 2.9L twin-turbo V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 450hp at 5,700rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
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
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
