CAIRO: Mohammed El-Qousi, head of the Egyptian Space Agency, said that Egypt is preparing to launch a satellite in December 2021, in addition to other projects to establish space science in the country.
He said that Egypt had an ambitious plan to build space systems and infrastructure, as well as strengthen international space relations, explore space and establish Egyptian space law, according to the Al-Youm Al-Sabea newspaper.
El-Qousi said that his country’s ambitions in space science were greater than the five satellites that it currently had in orbit.
Cairo, in cooperation with German and Chinese partners, will launch new satellites, the first of which is a satellite for remote sensing and scientific research, weighing 65 kilograms. It will be launched in December this year.

The second satellite will be launched in March 2022 and used to monitor climate change.
The third will be launched in September 2022 and used in sensor applications, after the Egyptian Space Agency completes its design in cooperation with China.
El-Qousi said that among Egypt’s goals in the coming years was the opening of a satellite collection and testing center by the end of September 2022 as one of the branches of a space city.
It will be the first of its kind in the Arab world, according to Egyptian media.
El-Qousi said that Cairo was working on a project with Africa to launch a joint satellite, with the support of the African Union and with the participation of Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Sudan and Nigeria.

CAIRO: Egypt received a shipment of about 50,000 coronavirus vaccines manufactured in India on Sunday as part of efforts to diversify the country’s vaccine sources.
The shipment arrived at Cairo International Airport on Emirates EK 927 from India via Dubai, where authorities finalized procedures for its release.
Presidential adviser Mohammed Awad Tag El-Din announced on Saturday that Egypt would gradually receive coronavirus vaccines from different sources, and referred to the arrival of 50,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses.
Tag El-Din said that pregnant women will be unable to receive vaccinations as Egypt’s jab stock had been urgently fast-tracked. The country will target healthcare workers, the elderly and those with chronic diseases.

“Pharmaceutical factories have worked to cover our needs of medicine for the coronavirus treatment protocol. We have a strategic reserve of medical devices and equipment,” Tag El-Din said. Egypt’s Health Ministry also announced the launch of a vaccine application website.
Issam Salah, adviser to the minister of health for information technology, said the website was designed to handle requests to receive experimental COVID-19 vaccines, adding that the website has seen “great interaction” with Egyptians. It received more than 10,000 requests in the first hour of its launch.

Pharmaceutical factories have worked to cover our needs of medicine for the coronavirus treatment protocol. We have a strategic reserve of medical devices and equipment.

Mohammed Awad Tag El-Din, Presidential adviser

Salah said that there are three ways to submit an application on the site: Registering online, by phone, or in-person at listed hospitals that will be announced at a later date.
Egyptian citizens will be able to use the website to submit vaccination requests once registrations open in the coming days.
Aly Al-Ghamrawi, spokesperson of the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), told Egyptian media that the EDA is studying the AstraZeneca vaccine, and once the necessary requirements are met, an approval decision will be filed for its emergency use.
The EDA is also studying Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine for local registration and to make it available for Egyptian citizens along with China’s Sinopharm jab, which has been approved for emergency use.
Mohammed Hassani, assistant to the minister of health for initiatives and a member of the ministry’s Scientific Committee to Combat COVID-19, told media that a new clinical research study is being conducted in Egypt on the Russian vaccine.

LONDON: The UAE on Sunday recorded less than 3,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time since Jan. 12.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) said there had been 2,948 new coronavirus infections and 12 deaths in the previous 24 hours.
The figures represented a marked drop from the 3,647 cases announced Saturday and 3,962 cases on Friday, amid hope that a sharp increase since the end of December had reached its peak.
Officials from the MoHAP said the total number of cases since the pandemic began had reached 303,609, while the death toll rose to 850.
It also said that 4,189 people had recovered from the virus over the past 24 hours. The total number of recoveries is 276,958.
The new figures come as the Emirates races ahead with its inoculation campaign.

In line with the directives of our leadership that prioritizes human health & the great efforts of the health sector, today we have reached the highest daily vaccine doses.#UAE also ranks second globally in the daily vaccine distribution rate per 100 people.#TogetherWeRecover pic.twitter.com/yRKaggWdh4

— NCEMA UAE (@NCEMAUAE) January 31, 2021

Some 220,000 vaccines were administered in one day — the highest figure since the launch of the drive.
Health minister Abdul Rahman Al-Owais praised the efforts of the authorities and front line workers. The country aims to immunize half of the UAE’s population of 10 million by April.
The ministry said it had vaccinated over 3.185 million people, at a rate of 32.21 doses per 100 people, making it the second fastest country in the world after Israel for vaccine rollout.

The Sinopharm vaccine will be available at Nadd Al Hamar Health Centre, Al Twar Health Centre and Al Mankhool Health Centre. Vaccination is currently available to those who already have pre-registered appointments. pic.twitter.com/lq7euzlPhD

— هيئة الصحة بدبي (@DHA_Dubai) January 30, 2021

In a boost to the campaign, Dubai Health Authority said it would begin providing the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to those aged 60 and above, starting on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Dubai Police called on the public to report coronavirus violations as the emirate seeks to strengthen precautionary measures.

Dubai Police encourages the public to report violations of COVID-19 precautionary measures through:
– Hotline 901
– ‘Police Eye’ service on Dubai Police App
Stringent legal action will be taken against violators, in order to safeguard public health and safety. @DubaiPoliceHQ pic.twitter.com/MzrJdS8Pc8

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) January 31, 2021

Two shops in the emirate were closed and 26 others fined for not adhering to anti-coronavirus measures.
A fitness center was also ordered to close and warnings issued to 34 businesses, the municipality said.

Daily inspections are carried out by @DMunicipality to check compliance to precautionary measures at construction sites and labour accommodations across #Dubai, with 48,000 visits carried out so far. pic.twitter.com/dcjc85A2cy

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) January 31, 2021

Dubai Tourism also said it closed 23 establishments and fined 238 others during January.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, Kuwait reported 635 new cases of COVID-19, raising the total in the country to 165,257. The death toll remained 959 after no additional deaths were reported.

تعلن #وزارة_الصحة⁩ عن تأكيد إصابة 635 حالة جديدة، وتسجيل 527 حالة شفاء، ولم تسجل أي حالة وفاة جديدة بـ ⁧#فيروس_كورونا_المستجدّ⁩ COVID-19 ، ليصبح إجمالي عدد الحالات 165,257 حالة pic.twitter.com/mKM6yECu6k

— وزارة الصحة – الكويت (@KUWAIT_MOH) January 31, 2021

Oman’s Health Ministry said that its total number of cases had reached 134,326 and the death toll was 1,529.

#Statement No. 278
January 31, 2021 pic.twitter.com/xt0CfZDFFj

— وزارة الصحة – عُمان (@OmaniMOH) January 31, 2021

In Bahrain the death toll stands at 375 after three new deaths were reported. The number of confirmed cases in the country increased by 431.

Out of 12637 COVID-19 tests carried out on 31 January 2021, 431 new cases have been detected among 204 expatriate workers, 218 new cases are contacts of active cases, and 9 are travel related. There 439 recoveries from #COVID19, increasing total recoveries to 98599 pic.twitter.com/jRpxvcXv6S

— وزارة الصحة | مملكة البحرين (@MOH_Bahrain) January 31, 2021

CAIRO: Egypt re-nominated Ahmed Aboul Gheit as secretary-general of the Arab League for a second term.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi sent messages to Arab leaders, expressing Egypt’s intention to re-nominate Aboul Gheit to serve for five more years, adding he was looking forward to receiving their support for the nomination in accordance with the league’s charter.
“The re-nomination of Aboul Gheit comes within the great interest that Egypt attaches to the work of the Arab League and President El-Sisi’s keenness to provide all possible support for the organization, under whose roof the Arabs meet and embody their aspirations for collective Arab action,” said Bassam Radi, spokesman for the Egyptian presidency.
“Egypt is keen on coordinated Arab action aimed at serving Arab peoples and interests, which marked the role of the secretary-general during his first term,” Radi added.
The former Egyptian foreign minister, Aboul Gheit was chosen for the position of secretary-general of the Arab League in 2016 to succeed Nabil Elaraby.

CAIRO: Egyptian-French joint air exercises have begun at an Egyptian airbase with the participation of a number of multi-mission combat aircraft.

An Egyptian military spokesman stated via Facebook that the training comes within the framework of the joint training plan for the armed forces with countries that share close ties with Cairo.

The primary stages of the exercises include a series of lectures aimed at the standardization of combat concepts and the exchange of training expertise, in addition to the implementation of training flights on the operational tasks of the participating forces.

Egypt recently completed joint maritime training exercises in the Mediterranean with Greek forces, with the participation of the Egyptian frigate Taba and the Greek warship HS HYDRA F-452.

The exercises aim to support efforts for security and maritime stability in the region, and to strengthen bilateral capabilities.