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Egypt Launches Awareness Campaigns on COVID-19 During Al-Fitr Holiday

Men in protective masks wait for the train at a metro station in Cairo. (Reuters)
Men in protective masks wait for the train at a metro station in Cairo. (Reuters)
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Egypt Launches Awareness Campaigns on COVID-19 During Al-Fitr Holiday

Men in protective masks wait for the train at a metro station in Cairo. (Reuters)
Men in protective masks wait for the train at a metro station in Cairo. (Reuters)

Egypt’s Health Ministry launched awareness campaigns on the COVID-19 outbreak during Eid al-Fitr, urging citizens to respect all necessary precautions.

Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said that the Egyptian president directed the concerned authorities to provide financial support to the health sector to address the impacts of the third wave of the coronavirus.

As per the presidential directives, allocations should help meet the requirements of hospitals from medical supplies and importation of COVID-19 vaccines, the minister noted.

In a statement on Friday, Maait said additional allocations hitting EGP13.2 billion have been offered to the health sector since the beginning of the current fiscal year to maintain the safety of citizens and reduce the spread of the global pandemic.

The government is closely following up on the repercussions of the third wave and taking all measures needed to curb its spread.

Health Ministry spokesperson Khaled Megahed also affirmed that awareness campaigns are still being launched in all provinces, especially as Egyptian celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

A number of teams are working to raise community awareness at public markets, railway stations, public transport, places of worship, salons, cafes, shopping centers, and villages, in cooperation with the sheiks and concerned authorities.

Egypt recorded 1,193 COVID-19 infections, and 59 deaths, raising the total number of infections to 242,120 cases, while the death toll stood at 14,150 deaths. The country also reported 179,261 recoveries.

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Lebanon Parliament Adjourns for Consultations after Failing to Elect Aoun in First Round

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
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Lebanon Parliament Adjourns for Consultations after Failing to Elect Aoun in First Round

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri adjourned a session held on Thursday to elect a president for two hours of consultations, after a first round of voting failed to produce enough votes for Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun.
Aoun needs 86 votes to be elected but received 71. Two political sources said he was likely to cross the 86-vote threshold in a second session on Thursday.

Lawmakers began the session amid expectations it could see Aoun elected as president following a vacancy of more than two years, an AFP reporter said.

The 128-lawmaker chamber, which has failed to reach consensus a dozen times amid tensions between the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and its opponents, started discussions at 11:00 am (0900 GMT).
Aoun, no relation to the former president, is widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States, whose assistance Lebanon will need as it seeks to rebuild after a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah previously backed another candidate, Suleiman Franjieh, the leader of Marada movement with close ties to former Syrian President Bashar Assad.
However, on Wednesday, Franjieh announced he had withdrawn from the race and endorsed Aoun, apparently clearing the way for the army chief.
Lebanon’s fractious sectarian power-sharing system is prone to deadlock, both for political and procedural reasons. The small, crisis-battered Mediterranean country has been through several extended presidential vacancies, with the longest lasting nearly 2 1/2 years between May 2014 and October 2016. It ended when former President Michel Aoun was elected.
As a sitting army commander, Joseph Aoun is technically barred from becoming president by Lebanon's constitution. The ban has been waived before, but it means that Aoun faces additional procedural hurdles.
Under normal circumstances, a presidential candidate in Lebanon can be elected by a two-thirds majority of the 128-member house in the first round of voting, or by a simple majority in a subsequent round.
But because of the constitutional issues surrounding his election, Aoun would need a two-thirds majority even in the second round.
Other contenders include Jihad Azour, a former finance minister who is now the director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund; and Elias al-Baysari, the acting head of Lebanon’s General Security agency.
A president is needed to appoint a permanent prime minister and cabinet. The caretaker government that has run Lebanon for the last two years has reduced powers because it was not appointed by a sitting president.
The next government will face daunting challenges apart from implementing the ceasefire agreement that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war and seeking funds for reconstruction.
Lebanon is six years into an economic and financial crisis that decimated the country's currency and wiped out the savings of many Lebanese. The cash-strapped state electricity company provides only a few hours of power a day.
The country's leaders reached a preliminary agreement with the IMF for a bail-out package in 2022 but have made limited progress on reforms required to clinch the deal.