Egypt to Release Guide on Transfer Plan to New Administrative Capital

A model of a planned new capital for Egypt is displayed for investors during the final day of Egypt Economic Development Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, March 15, 2015. (Reuters)
A model of a planned new capital for Egypt is displayed for investors during the final day of Egypt Economic Development Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, March 15, 2015. (Reuters)
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Egypt to Release Guide on Transfer Plan to New Administrative Capital

A model of a planned new capital for Egypt is displayed for investors during the final day of Egypt Economic Development Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, March 15, 2015. (Reuters)
A model of a planned new capital for Egypt is displayed for investors during the final day of Egypt Economic Development Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, March 15, 2015. (Reuters)

Egypt’s Ministry of Planning, Follow-up and Administrative Reform is expected to release a guide on the executive plan for the process of transferring entities and ministries to the New Administrative Capital.

“The guide will serve as a document specifying the role and responsibility of each participant in the transfer process, supported by performance indicators,” said Planning Minister Hala al-Saeed.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held Friday a meeting to follow up on the latest developments in the move to the new capital.

The meeting was attended by Saeed, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait, Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities Assem al-Gazzar, Minister of Transport Kamel el Wazir, Chairman of the New Administrative Capital Company for Urban Development Ahmed Zaki Abdeen and a number of other officials.

Madbouly stressed his keenness to follow up on the executive position of the transfer process to the new capital in a regular manner.

He mainly follows up on the construction work, the process of transferring the staff and the management of the government district, as well as identifying the efforts made in the mechanization and digital transformation in government buildings.

“The implementation plan has been divided into major activities carried out by specific entities, such as information infrastructure, human resources and incentives to move to the new capital,” Saeed explained.

She added that these incentives include transportation and the provision of housing units for employees who will be transferred by offering them facilitation in payment methods.

Wazir, for his part, pointed out that a plan has been prepared for the mass transportation of the staff and points where they will be assembled have been identified in order to facilitate the process.

In June, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called on the government to adhere to the construction plan in the new capital and to speed up the completion of the main and internal roads.



Lebanon: Mysterious Evacuation Calls Renew Fears of Israeli Strikes

A Lebanese soldier secures participants during a marathon in Beirut last week (AP)
A Lebanese soldier secures participants during a marathon in Beirut last week (AP)
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Lebanon: Mysterious Evacuation Calls Renew Fears of Israeli Strikes

A Lebanese soldier secures participants during a marathon in Beirut last week (AP)
A Lebanese soldier secures participants during a marathon in Beirut last week (AP)

A wave of anonymous phone calls urging residents to evacuate buildings in southern and eastern Lebanon sparked fresh panic on Saturday over potential Israeli attacks. Though the threats later proved to be unfounded and traced to local sources, the incident unfolded amid heightened tensions and the continued presence of Israeli military aircraft in the skies above South Lebanon.

According to local media reports, Lebanese citizens in the town of Tammine in the Bekaa Valley (eastern Lebanon) received phone calls urging them to evacuate a residential building. Security forces immediately launched an investigation into the origin of the calls, while residents evacuated the building as a precaution.

After coordination with Lebanese security agencies, authorities confirmed the caller was Lebanese and the threat lacked credibility. Legal measures were initiated against the individual responsible for the hoax threat.

Security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the calls were made from within Lebanese territory, and the numbers are being tracked using technical means. “We are monitoring these calls and pursuing those responsible,” a source said.

This incident is the latest in a series of similar events. Over the past few months, especially during the expanded conflict along the Lebanon-Israel border, hundreds of Lebanese citizens have received anonymous calls warning of imminent strikes, spreading fear across communities.

Lebanese authorities have arrested around 20 individuals linked to these threats. Security officials noted that during periods of active conflict, Lebanon’s military intelligence identified coordinated foreign campaigns - some linked to Israel - aimed at inciting fear among the population.

“These calls were part of organized external efforts, and in some cases, the Lebanese army’s intelligence managed to trace and neutralize them by blocking digital access points used to relay such messages,” a security source explained. “They were indeed causing panic among residents.”

Residents, particularly in southern Lebanon, say they have no choice but to treat such calls seriously. Israel has occasionally issued official warnings ahead of attacks, as seen in two incidents in Beirut’s southern suburbs after a ceasefire agreement took effect. However, in other instances, Israeli aircraft have carried out strikes without warning, further fueling concern among civilians and prompting widespread caution.

Saturday’s panic was further heightened by intensified Israeli aerial activity over southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported low-flying Israeli fighter jets over the villages and towns of Tyre district, as well as over Jezzine and the eastern sector of the south.

Local activists also reported Israeli drones flying at low altitude above the Litani River basin. One drone reportedly dropped two sound bombs over the Wadi al-Asafir area in the town of Khiam.