Egypt's Sisi Opens Huge Suspension Bridge over the Nile

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. (Reuters)
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. (Reuters)
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Egypt's Sisi Opens Huge Suspension Bridge over the Nile

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. (Reuters)
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. (Reuters)

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday opened a suspension bridge over the Nile touted as the world's widest, one of a series of military-led, mega-projects designed to improve infrastructure and provide jobs.

The bridge, which crosses the Nile just north of central Cairo, is a key link in a highway stretching from the Red Sea in the east to Egypt's northwestern Mediterranean coast, and is meant to help reduce congestion in the capital.

Traffic ground to a halt in parts of central Cairo on Wednesday morning as Sisi traveled to open the bridge with ministers and military generals.

At its widest, the bridge has six traffic lanes in each direction and measures 67.3 meters (222 feet) across. A regional director for the Guinness Book of World Records present at the opening said that makes it the world's widest suspension bridge.

Around one million cubic meters of concrete as well as 1,400 km (2,268 miles) of steel wire for 160 suspension cables were used in its construction, according to a presentation given at the formal opening.

The bridge crosses the Nile's Warraq Island, which has an estimated 100,000 residents, some of whom have protested against planned demolitions on the island and plans to develop it into a "modern residential community".

Other prestige projects launched under Sisi include an expansion of the Suez Canal, completed in 2015, and the building of a new capital in the desert east of Cairo that is currently under construction.



Saudi Ministry of Tourism Records Growth in Licensing Numbers for Private Hospitality Facilities in 2024

Saudi Ministry of Tourism Records Growth in Licensing Numbers for Private Hospitality Facilities in 2024
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Saudi Ministry of Tourism Records Growth in Licensing Numbers for Private Hospitality Facilities in 2024

Saudi Ministry of Tourism Records Growth in Licensing Numbers for Private Hospitality Facilities in 2024

Preliminary data from the Ministry of Tourism indicates a 333% growth in the number of licenses issued to private tourism hospitality facilities in 2024 compared to 2023, reaching 8,357 licenses, up from 1,929 licenses.
According to tourism regulations, a private tourism hospitality facility is defined as a furnished and independent real estate unit owned by an individual and licensed by the Ministry of Tourism to provide daily accommodation services to tourists for a fee, SPA reported.
Spokesman Mohammed Al-Rasasimah noted that the increase in licenses issued to private tourism hospitality facilities reflects the ministry's commitment to enabling individual investors to obtain necessary operational licenses and to ensure improved service quality.