Egypt's Non-oil Exports Climb 19%

Container ship RDO Concord sails through the Suez Canal as Egypt celebrates the 150th anniversary of the canal opening in Ismailia, Egypt on November 17, 2019. (File Phot: Reuters)
Container ship RDO Concord sails through the Suez Canal as Egypt celebrates the 150th anniversary of the canal opening in Ismailia, Egypt on November 17, 2019. (File Phot: Reuters)
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Egypt's Non-oil Exports Climb 19%

Container ship RDO Concord sails through the Suez Canal as Egypt celebrates the 150th anniversary of the canal opening in Ismailia, Egypt on November 17, 2019. (File Phot: Reuters)
Container ship RDO Concord sails through the Suez Canal as Egypt celebrates the 150th anniversary of the canal opening in Ismailia, Egypt on November 17, 2019. (File Phot: Reuters)

Egypt’s Minister of Trade and Industry Nivine Gamea announced that the country’s non-oil exports recorded a significant increase of 19 percent in the first five months of 2021.

Imports reached $12.323 billion during the period, compared to approximately $10. 375 billion in the same period in 2020.

During a press conference on Sunday, Gamea added that Egyptian exports surged by 50 percent in May 2020, amounting to $2.288 billion, compared to $1.522 billion in May 2020.

The government’s economic reform program represents a pillar in achieving positive growth rates, especially in productive projects. These effects are positively reflected in increasing export rates and providing new job opportunities, Gamea disclosed.

The minister noted that Egyptian imports also recorded a slight increase of 10 percent in the first five months of this year, registering $29.161 billion, compared to $26.422 billion in the same period in 2020.

She pointed out that the geographical distribution of Egyptian exports during the reporting period included: the European Union with a value of $3.885 billion, the Arab League with a value of $3.719 billion, Africa, excluding the Arab countries, with a value of $661 million, the US with a value of $852 million, and other markets with a value of $3.206 million.

During the first five months of 2021, 12 exported product industries saw significant increases, the minister stated.

The medical industries sector closed the 5M with a value of $280 million, jumping 55 percent, compared to $180 million during the same period last year.

Leather and leather product exports saw a climb of 54 percent to record at $35 million, compared to $23 million in 2020.

The engineering and electronic goods sector grew to about $1.18 billion, compared to $775 million during the same period last year, with an increase of 52 percent.

Head of the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC) Ismail Gaber said that the top 10 receiving markets for Egyptian exports in the first five months of this year included: the US with a value of $852 million, Saudi Arabia with a value of $788 million, Turkey with a value of $786 million, Italy with a value of $709 million, Malta, with a value of $507 million, the UAE with a value of $432 million, the UK with a value of $408 million, Libya with a value of $365 million, Sudan with a value of $320 million, and Germany with a value of $309 million.



ECB President Lagarde Reportedly Plans to Quit Before Macron's Term Ends

FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo
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ECB President Lagarde Reportedly Plans to Quit Before Macron's Term Ends

FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde addresses the press following the ECB's Governing Council meeting, at the ECB headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, February 5, 2026. REUTERS/Jana Rodenbusch/File Photo

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde plans to leave her job before next year's French presidential election to allow Emmanuel Macron to have an input into picking her successor, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Lagarde's term is due to end in October 2027 but some fear that the far right may win the French presidential race ‌in the spring of ‌2027, complicating the selection for the ‌new ⁠leader of Europe's most ⁠important financial institution.

Citing a person familiar with the matter, the FT said Lagarde has not yet decided on the exact timing of her departure but was keen on Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to be the key deciders in who succeeds her. Macron cannot run again for a third term.

"President Lagarde is ⁠totally focused on her mission and has not ‌taken any decision regarding the end ‌of her term," Reuters quoted an ECB spokesperson as saying.

The FT report comes only ‌a week after Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau ‌said he would step down in June this year, more than a year before the end of his term, allowing Macron to name his replacement before the presidential election that the far-right could win.

While it ‌will be up to all leaders from the 21-nation euro zone to pick Lagarde's successor, ⁠past practice ⁠suggests that any successful candidate must have both German and French support to clinch the role.

There are no formal candidates for the job yet but several names have been floating among ECB circles as potential ECB presidents. The most prominent among these are former Dutch central bank chief Klaas Knot and Bank for International Settlements General Manager Pablo Hernandez de Cos.

Lagarde's non-renewable term at the ECB runs until October 31, 2027. Prior to heading the ECB, she was managing director of the International Monetary Fund from 2011 to 2019 and before that, the French finance minister.


UK Inflation Falls to 3.0% in January

Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge in front of Parliament during the early morning hours in London, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge in front of Parliament during the early morning hours in London, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
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UK Inflation Falls to 3.0% in January

Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge in front of Parliament during the early morning hours in London, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge in front of Parliament during the early morning hours in London, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Britain's annual ‌rate of consumer price inflation fell to 3.0% in January from 3.4% in December, official figures showed on Wednesday.

A Reuters poll of economists had shown a median forecast of 3.0% in January and the Bank of England projected earlier this month that the headline measure of inflation would slow to ‌2.9%.

British inflation ‌has run higher than in ‌the ⁠United States and in ⁠the euro zone where it stood at 2.4% and 1.7% respectively in January.

But the BoE expects the pace of price rises to slow sharply to almost its 2% target in ⁠April as last year's rises ‌in utility costs and ‌other government-controlled tariffs fall out of ‌the annual comparison.

Investors expect the central bank ‌to cut its benchmark interest rate to 3.5% at its next meeting in March after a tight vote to keep borrowing costs ‌on hold in February although some policymakers remain worried about underlying ⁠inflation ⁠pressure.

Financial markets on Tuesday also priced a second quarter-point interest rate cut by the BoE by the end of in 2026.

ONS data last week painted a downbeat picture of Britain's economy at the end of 2025 with output barely growing. Figures released on Tuesday showed the labor market was still losing jobs although there were some signs of a stabilization.


Riyadh to Host Middle East’s Largest General Aviation Airshow in November 

The AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 will be held in Riyadh from November 24 to 28. (SPA)
The AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 will be held in Riyadh from November 24 to 28. (SPA)
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Riyadh to Host Middle East’s Largest General Aviation Airshow in November 

The AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 will be held in Riyadh from November 24 to 28. (SPA)
The AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 will be held in Riyadh from November 24 to 28. (SPA)

The Saudi Aviation Club announced that it will organize the AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 in Riyadh from November 24 to 28, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

The event is set to be the largest of its kind for general aviation in the Middle East, combining international business, investment, and innovation with live flying displays and interactive public experiences. It is being held in partnership with Messe Frankfurt Saudi Arabia.

Held at Thumamah Airport, the exhibition will bring together leading global companies operating in the general aviation industry, including aircraft and components manufacturers, avionics and navigation systems providers, as well as maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) companies, offering an integrated platform that covers the full value chain of the sector.

The event will also spotlight startups in advanced air mobility (AAM) and innovators of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, showcasing technologies and business models shaping the future of aviation.

General Supervisor of the Saudi Aviation Club Dr. Ahmed Alfahaid stated that AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026 represents a qualitative leap for the Kingdom’s aviation sector and reinforces its positioning as a global hub for general aviation and advanced air mobility.

The partnership with Messe Frankfurt Saudi Arabia goes beyond presenting global innovations to providing a vital platform for international investment and strategic collaboration, he stressed.

Moreover, the event contributes to achieving Saudi Vision 2030 objectives, including the Kingdom’s ambition to rank among the world’s top 10 general aviation markets, he added.