The Egyptian Public Prosecution filed five charges against blogger Hadeer Abdel-Razek in case #8032 of 2024 under Economic Affairs Misdemeanors, and the session of November 30 has been set for the first trial session.

 

The charges against Abdel-Razek:

First: Abdel-Razek intentionally published indecent images through her personal accounts on social media sites (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok) to offend public decency.

Second: Using indecent phrases, hints and sexual innuendo through images and video clips that she broadcast through her personal accounts online with the intent to seduce.

Third: Announced, through her personal accounts referred to in the first accusation, an invitation to draw attention to her debauchery through publishing indecent photos and video clips.

Fourth: She assaulted the principles of Egyptian society by publishing, through her social media accounts offensive video clips and personal photos with sexual phrases and innuendo.

Fifth: She created and used the online accounts subject to the previous accusations on the social media to facilitate the commission of the violations detailed in the previous accusations.

 

Summary of Abdel-Razek’s career and controversies

• Abdel-Razek was born in 1998 to Egyptian parents. She identifies herself on her Facebook page as a social activist, divorced, and with no children.
• She married a man in his fifties who ran a nightclub, separated from him, and appeared in a video disparaging him for allegedly allowing his first wife to assault her and interfere in her affairs.
• Posted controversial videos until a lawyer pursued her with a report to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. After she apologized for the content, thee lawyer dropped the lawsuit.
• She disappeared for a while, and returned again to publish her videos on social media sites to spark controversy – this time landing her in trouble with the police.
• Abdel-Razek publishes videos in which she talks about beauty products, methods of applying makeup, the latest fashion trends, and gives advice to women, and has 1.2 million followers on TikTok.
• She promotes “indecent” content such as lingerie.
• Abdel-Razek sparked controversy over her relationship with a man named Hamdi Ashour, who is younger than her, and was shown appearing with him in bridal clothes.

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 18 (MENA) – President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had separate meetings with some world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit, taking place on November 18-19 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The president’s meetings included Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Sisi also met French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.

The meetings tackled the latest developments in pressing regional as well as international issues, according to a statement by the Egyptian Presidency spokesperson. (MENA)

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About 9,000 tons of goods were handled at the different Red Sea harbors on Tuesday, according to the Red Sea Ports Authority (RSPA).

In a statement, the RSPA said imports included 5,500 tons of goods, 458 trucks and 352 cars.

It added that the exports included 3,500 tons of goods, 310 trucks and 18 cars.

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US Ambassador to Egypt Herro Mustafa said the US has invested $3.6 billion over the past 45 years to support Egypt’s efforts for modernizing water and sanitation infrastructure, which help provide clean water and sanitation servicers to over 25 million citizens.

Mustafa made the remarks during the opening ceremony of water purification plant in Hanady village of the Upper Egyptian governorate of Luxor on Monday.

She said the new plant is more than just an infrastructure project, rather it symbolizes the enduring partnership between the US and Egypt, and reaffirms her country’s commitment to fostering sustainable growth and prosperity for the Egyptian people.

Meanwhile, Board Chairman of Luxor Water and Wastewater Company, Maj. Gen. Ahmed Ramadan said that the new plant, located east of the city of Esna, serves 133,000 citizens in 10 villages in the region.

The project and its transmission line cost $22 million funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

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Engineering exports have increased by 25.6 percent in the period between January and September 2024, recording 3.9 billion dollars, compared with 3.1 billion dollars during the same period in 2023, a report by the Engineering Export Council of Egypt (EECE) said Tuesday.

The report put the total value of engineering exports during September 2024 alone at 446.2 million dollars up from 387.7 million dollars during the same month last year.

EECE board chairman Sherif al-Sayyad said the Council eyes 5.25 billon dollars worth of engineering exports by the end of this year and about six billion dollars during 2025.

He added that the EECE seeks to achieve an annual growth of not less than 20 percent. The future plan is for engineering exports to hit a record of 145 billion dollars, Sayyad said, noting that this would be the biggest contribution by the sector.

Among the European countries whose engineering imports from Egypt increased are the UK, Turkey, France, Germany, Georgia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Ireland and Slovenia, the EECE chairman said. Egyptian engineering exports to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Lebanon, Azerbaijan and Qatar in Asia, and Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria in Africa also upped during the first nine months of 2024, he added.

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The National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) launched WiFi6E technology in the Egyptian market for the first time, with the aim of enhancing and meeting the needs of Internet and Wi-Fi users in Egypt.

This came during the NTRA’s announcement of the achievements it has made during the opening activities of Cairo ICT 2024 on Sunday.

This technology will bring about a shift in the quality of Internet services and improve the user experience by providing higher speeds, lower response time, and greater efficiency in the use of wireless networks.

It also comes with the ability to accommodate a larger number of users on internal networks.

The NTRA also introduced a number of new services and licenses in the Egyptian market, such as fifth-generation mobile phone services, issuing call center licenses, and enabling the display of annoying promotional calls, in addition to Internet of Things services, data center services, and cloud computing, which target investments estimated at about US$5 billion in the coming years.

The authority worked to improve the quality of service, raise the efficiency of measurement systems, monitor the frequency spectrum and expand the establishment of mobile stations.

It also aims to create a new mechanism for quality violation penalties aimed at motivating mobile service companies to increase their investments in infrastructure by a value double the value of the financial penalty, which directly benefits citizens.

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The Assistant Sub Governor for Payment Systems and Services at the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) Ehab Nasr said the CBE has officially approved banks operating in the country to receive money transfers from abroad via the InstaPay application, from all over the world.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 11th Edition of the Digital Payments, Financial Inclusion, and Digital Banking (PAFIX) International Conference and Exhibition, Nasr added that the technological and infrastructure structure of the application is more than capable of receiving transfers from abroad.

He added that banks will determine the transfer commission according to the currency used and the country through which the transfer is made, provided that the customer receives the money in Egyptian pounds.

Customers outside Egypt will be able to transfer their money instantly from their banks to their bank account or electronic wallet via InstaPay for a fee determined by the bank, he explained, noting that partnerships have been concluded with Gulf central banks to provide the service.

Agreements have been made with several banks to provide it, including the Al Rajhi Bank of Saudi Arabia.

Nasr explained that the value of InstaPay transactions recorded LE 1.2 trillion by the end of June, which confirms the success of the digital transformation in Egypt. It is expected that the volume of InstaPay transactions will reach 1.5 half billion transactions worth LE 2.6 trillion by the end of the year, he added.

The InstaPay app currently allows bank customers in Egypt to have direct access to all their local accounts and transfer money instantly between them, in addition to paying bills.

The app has gained wide popularity, especially since its services are free until the end of this year.

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Egyptian Meteorological Authority (EMA) media center member Manar Ghanem announced there will be continued rainfall on most coastal governorates overlooking the Mediterranean Sea during Wednesday, with varying intensity, as it extends to southern Lower Egypt.

During a phone-in with al-Nahar TV channel, Ghanem said that the coastal governorates overlooking the Mediterranean Sea are exposed to a low pressure system in the upper layers of the atmosphere, amid the “al-Maknasa (The Broom) Storm” hitting Alexandria, which led to the disruption of study at schools.

 

Will Greater Cairo be affected by The Broom Storm?

Ghanem xplained that the storm will not affect Greater Cairo, ruling out rain falling on these governorates.

She pointed out that there will be a slight increase in temperature ​​in most governorates starting from Thursday until Sunday, and that they will decrease again on Monday.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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The CEO of the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) Mohamed Shamroukh, announced the agency’s initial approval to increase the prices of telecommunications services in Egypt.

This came during the Fifth Generation session on the sidelines of Cairo ICT 2024 exhibition held on Monday.

He explained that this expected increase comes as a result of the high operating costs facing mobile companies, adding that NTRA sees the right of companies to review service prices.

The CEO of the NTRA said that the agency is currently studying the appropriate timing to implement the new increase in telecommunications service prices, in order to best take into account consumer interests.

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The Egyptian Interior Ministry revealed the truth behind a video clip recently shown on TV of some people negotiating to buy stone pieces from the archaeological area of the Giza pyramids in order to be sent over abroad.

A security source said that the video clip is “old” and was previously circulated in 2016, and the perpetrators of the incident were arrested at the time, and legal measures were taken.

The source also indicated that a statement about the incident was published on the official page of the Ministry at the time.

The source indicated that some parties have been keen to republish “old” video clips and claim that they are “recent” in order to spread misinformation.

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The government attaches special importance to the sports sector through adopting all strategies and policies, which contribute to enhancing this sector, said the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC).

This came in a report issued by the IDSC, which shed light on the remarkable improvement witnessed on the sports sector, especially in the past few years.

The report also pointed out to the modernization of the sports infrastructure in line with the development projects.

Regarding the State’s efforts in enhancing the sports sector, the total cost of developing the sports infrastructure reached about LE416.49 million during 2023, said the report.

The report also said that the cost of developing sports facilities, including building equipment, amounted to about LE117.98 million in 2023, compared to LE43.26 million in 2022.

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Luxor Governor Abdel-Muttalib Amara and US Ambassador to Egypt Herro Mustafa opened Monday an exhibit titled: “Jimmy Carter: 100 Years of Uniting Peoples” at the Misr Public Library in Luxor.

In press statements, Mustafa said that the event offers an important opportunity to highlight the strong ties between the US and Egypt.

She expressed her pleasure at holding the exhibit in Luxor as its first stop outside Cairo.

Highlighting Luxor’s rich cultural heritage and historical importance, the US diplomat said there is no better place than Luxor to honor former US President Jimmy Carter’s peacebuilding legacy.

Herro said Carter’s efforts continue to shape the US-Egypt partnership to date, especially in light of his profound relationship with Egypt and the Egyptian people, which was shaped by his friendship with and admiration for late president of Egypt Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat.

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CAIRO, Nov 18 (MENA) – Wisdom and balance have always been the title of relations between Egypt and Oman, said Omani Ambassador in Cairo Abdullah bin Nasser Al Rahbi.

The relations extend with confidence and stability under the wise political leadership in the two Arab countries, added the ambassador.

Al Rahbi said in a statement Monday, on the occasion of the 54th National Day of the Sultanate of Oman, which falls on November 18, the Egyptian-Omani relations witness further growth and prosperity in all political, economic, social and cultural fields, thanks to the generous care of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq.

Sultan of Oman visited Egypt in May of last year, and had a meeting with president Sisi.

The two Arab leaders had introduced a qualitative shift for Egyptian-Omani relations in all fields and sectors, and established a new phase of bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, education and judiciary, as the volume of trade exchange between the two countries increased to more than one billion dollars annually, a number the two countries want to double in the coming period, the ambassador noted.

He added that Egypt and the Sultanate of Oman are bound by fraternal relations at all levels, and that these relations are deeply rooted.

“The Sultanate of Oman celebrates the 54th National Day, and it is making continuous achievements in the path of comprehensive development drawn by the leader of its renewed renaissance, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, according to a fixed and sound vision to move forward in various fields and preserve the gains achieved,” said the ambassador. (MENA)
A I E/R G E

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Egypt’s Ministry of Civil Aviation responded to the claims of a tourist at the Cairo International Airport who left a negative review of his travel experience to foreign websites and channels.

The ministry attached the passenger’s itinerary inside the airport to reveal the circumstances of his claims.

The Ministry said that the blogger traveling through Cairo International Airport published an article entitled “Why I consider Cairo Airport the worst ever”, which was covered by some websites and satellite channels, to narrate his experience of arriving and traveling from Cairo International Airport on November 10-11.

The ministry continued: “The surveillance cameras recordings were reviewed, as the passenger’s itinerary was monitored from his arrival at Cairo International Airport on his first flight coming from Italy until his departure to the hotel, as well as on his second flight, which started from Cairo International Airport heading to Addis Ababa Airport.”

The ministry explained that the passenger arrived at Terminal II on November 10 at 16:50, and the time period from the moment of his arrival until he left the terminal building took about 18 minutes.

They noted that this is a record time for passengers to complete arrival procedures for most airports globally, proving the smoothness of procedures and flexibility of movement within the airport.

The passenger then headed to the Meridian Hotel where he spent about five hours, before arriving at Terminal III at Cairo International Airport on the same day of his arrival in Egypt to travel on Ethiopian Airlines flight heading to Addis Ababa, which took off at 2:50 am on November 11.

His travel experience through the first checkpoint took about one minute, after which he went to the airline counter to complete his travel procedures, which took about eight minutes, then he went to the passport counter, which took one minute.

This confirms the smooth flow of the passenger’s movement inside the airport, contradicting what he said about chaos and irregularity that made him feel uncomfortable.

The passenger wasn’t carrying any loaded bags and only carried a handbag and a small backpack, which his claims about being subjected to harassment from workers regarding requesting a tip in exchange for helping him carry his bags.

Regarding the passenger’s complaint about tips, the airport’s work policy denies what his claims as the Cairo International Airport has guidance stickers that read (NO TIPS) and are installed in various locations at the airport, supported by a complaint number to confront any wrong behavior.

The ministry also addressed his claims about security procedures applied at Cairo International Airport, and confirmed that the security procedures followed by the airport authorities are subject to international standards in security and safety.

The passenger described the Cairo International Airport staff as aggressive and unfriendly, criticizing their behavior and feeling uncomfortable.

However, the ministry reported that none of this was captured by the cameras during the passenger’s stay at the airport, as he did not show any direct interaction or contact with anyone inside the arrivals and departures halls, the ministry said.

“Here we confirm that this is unjustified abuse directed at the staff and causes harm to their reputation without any justification or material or tangible evidence to prove the validity of what was mentioned, and these are misleading claims that aim primarily to defame and harm the reputation of the staff and harm the name and status of Cairo International Airport and its employees,” the ministry said.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Communications and Information Technology Minister Amr Talaat said on Sunday the ministry seeks to increasing exports of outsourcing industry, now estimated at 3.7 billion Dollars, to nine million dollars in 2026.

He said there are 175 international companies so far establishing more than 195 outsourcing centers in Egypt and employing more than 145,000 specialists, he added.

While opening of the 28th edition of the Egypt International Technology Exhibition and Conference for the Middle East and Africa Cairo ICT 24, the minister said the centers vary in their specializations, including 48 call centers, 80 centers for software development and building modern software, and 68 centers for high-value solutions such as integrated systems.

He reviewed the most important axes of the ministry’s strategy and its objectives, which revolve around the citizen and supporting him in receiving government services saying the ministry has started simplifying the procedures for citizens to obtain digital government services and enabling citizens to gain a job opportunity in light of the digital economy, encouraging entrepreneurship and providing infrastructure.

He said many successful models of digital transformation projects will be presented during the event, the most important of which is Digital Egypt platform, which has so far eight million users.

He explained that the comprehensive health insurance project and how services were provides to citizens in the five governorates in which it was implemented will also be presented.

Talaat also reviewed some figures of the communications and information technology sector in the last 6 years, saying there are 145,000 specialists who export digital services outside Egypt, 11,000 of whom are in high-value specializations such as designing electronic circuits and integrated systems in cars.

He said the ministry has about 23 innovation centers in 19 governorates, noting that the ministry aims to reach 32 centers in the 27 governorates in various parts of Egypt.

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CAIRO, Nov 16 (MENA) – A security source has categorically denied claims circulated on a social media website by a fugitive Muslim Brotherhood (MB) member about a letter attributed to one of the Interior Ministry’s affiliated entities, about the number of people killed, injured and detained while dispersing the 2013 sit-ins at Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda squares.

This “fabricated” post had previously gone viral and been refuted several years ago, the same source said, noting that such groundless and fabricated reports expose the terrorist group’s bankruptcy, as well as its desperate efforts to cover up its crimes. (MENA)

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House of Representatives Speaker Hanafi Gebali referred a presidential decree and two bills submitted by the government to ad-hoc committees for review.

The decree, which was referred to the parliament’s constitutional and legislative affairs committee, is related to establishing a 63.5-kilometer railway line connecting Roubiki, Tenth of Ramadan, and Belbeis in collaboration with the French Development Agency (AFD).

Gebali also referred a bill on the final account of the Ministry of Justice budget to the Planning and Budget Committee and another one on the suspension of Law No. 113/1939 on land tax to a joint committee of the Planning and Budget Committee and the offices of the Agriculture and Irrigation, Food Security and Animal Wealth, and Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee.

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Official spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency said President Sisi was keen at the beginning of the meeting on thanking his Brazilian counterpart for inviting Egypt to participate in the G20 summit reflecting Brazil’s appreciation for Egypt’s leverage in the Middle East and the African continent.

The Egyptian president praised the summit’s organization and Brazil’s keenness on placing the priorities of developing countries on the summit’s agenda, topped by launching the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, especially in light of growing global geopolitical challenges on the economic and social levels, the spokesman said.

For his part, the Brazilian President appreciated the active Egyptian participation in the group’s meetings throughout the year in support of the needs and priorities of developing countries, and welcomed President Sisi’s participation in the summit’s activities, he added.

The two leaders discussed the regional situation as President Sisi reviewed Egypt’s efforts to restore stability in the Middle East and reach an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, praising the Brazilian stand in support of the Palestinian issue, according to the spokesman.

The Brazilian president affirmed his country’s great appreciation of Egypt’s key historic role in supporting the Palestinian people and their problem, he said.

They also agreed on the necessity of implementing a two-state solution, expanding international recognition of the Palestinian state and rejecting any attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause, added the spokesman.

He said the two presidents discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations, with both countries realizing the importance of enhancing cooperation for both peoples’ interests.

Following the meeting, the Egyptian president and his Brazilian counterpart signed a joint statement on raising relations between the two countries to the level of strategic partnership, in a way that achieves the interests and aspirations of the two friendly peoples.

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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday headed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in the G20 summit scheduled to be held throughout Monday and Tuesday.

Egyptian presidential spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy said that the president is participating in the summit at the invitation of Brazilian President Lula da Silva.

This marks Egypt’s fourth participation in the group’s summits following its participation in the Chinese presidency summits in 2016, the Japanese presidency in 2019, and the Indian presidency in 2023 – reflecting the growing appreciation of Egypt’s international weight and its pivotal role regionally.

Fahmy added that the summit will discuss priority topics for developing countries such as “social inclusion and combating poverty and hunger”, “reforming global governance institutions”, and “energy transformation within the framework of sustainable development” as the president delivers Egypt’s speeches in the summit sessions.

Sisi’s speeches will address Egypt’s development efforts and the challenges facing developing countries in their efforts to achieve sustainable development goals, especially in light of the current political and economic fluctuation worldwide.

He will put forward Egypt’s vision regarding solidarity and enhancing cooperation to confront these challenges.

The President’s speeches will also shed light on regional conditions and the crisis facing the region to Israel’s escalation attacks in Palestine and Lebanon, and Egypt’s efforts to restore stability in the Middle East.

The summit’s activities include the official launch of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, an international alliance launched by Brazil in light of its presidency of the G20.

This alliance aims to enhance social inclusion and eliminate poverty and hunger, by mobilizing financial and knowledge resources to accelerate the pace of global efforts to combat poverty and hunger, as they are at the top of the sustainable development goals.

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The CEO of the El Nasr Automotive Company, Khaled Shedid, announced that the first car produced by the company will be released in the coming May.

During a phone interview with al-Hayat TV channel, on Saturday evening, Shedid said that the company’s passenger car factory is designed to produce 20,000 cars annually, at a rate of 80 cars per day.

“Two or three months before the start, there will be a launch for cars to advertise them,” he added.

The CEO of the company refused to disclose the price of the cars that the company is planning to launch in the Egyptian market.

The El-Nasr Automotive Company celebrated its return to production on Saturday, after about 15 years of hiatus, as it announced the imminent launch of the first locally manufactured bus with a high percentage of locally-produced components.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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