Egypt Begins Repatriating 3,000 Citizens Stranded in Qatar

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during a visit to a factory in Cairo on Saturday, June 13, 2020. (Egyptian government)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during a visit to a factory in Cairo on Saturday, June 13, 2020. (Egyptian government)
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Egypt Begins Repatriating 3,000 Citizens Stranded in Qatar

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during a visit to a factory in Cairo on Saturday, June 13, 2020. (Egyptian government)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during a visit to a factory in Cairo on Saturday, June 13, 2020. (Egyptian government)

The Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation has started operating 18 special flights via the Omani capital, Muscat, to bring back around 3,000 Egyptian citizens stranded in Qatar.

Egyptians stuck in Qatar would be repatriated via a company from Doha to Muscat, from where they would be flown to Cairo International Airport, the ministry said in a statement.

Despite suspending flights mid-March, the government has recently repatriated tens of thousands of stranded citizens from various world countries.

It has pledged to repatriate all its citizens who want to return to Cairo.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Hala Zayed dismissed director of El Mataria Teaching Hospital in Cairo from his post over his dereliction of duty.

The director was also referred to an investigative panel after the death of a Sudanese patient at the hospital.

Zayed took her decision after a video went viral on social media, documenting the death of the Sudanese patient.

Each patient has the right to access health services, the minister said, adding that no leniency will be shown in this regard.

A committee uncovered some technical and administrative violations by the hospital, and it will continue its work to identify the shortcomings and refer the negligent officials to the judiciary.

A woman published a video on social media showing a patient who had died inside the hospital and who was still in his bed alongside other patients who are still receiving treatment.

“Directly after the incident, Zayed directed opening an urgent and immediate probe,” the statement read, adding that the results will be presented to the Minister of Health and Population to be referred later to competent authorities.

Separately, in line with the government’s efforts to resume various activities, Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly visited Saturday a number of factories in the 6th of October City.

He was accompanied by Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea and Executive Director of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones Mohamed Abd El Wahab.



Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
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Rescue Teams Search for Survivors in Building Collapse that Killed at Least 2 in Northern Lebanon

A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
A Lebanese flag is pictured, in the aftermath of a massive explosion, in Beirut's damaged port area, Lebanon August 17, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

At least two people were killed and four rescued from the rubble of a multistory apartment building that collapsed Sunday in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, state media reported.

Rescue teams were continuing to dig through the rubble. It was not immediately clear how many people were in the building when it fell.

The bodies pulled out were of a child and a woman, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Dozens of people crowded around the site of the crater left by the collapsed building, with some shooting in the air.

The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon’s second largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure. Building collapses are not uncommon in Tripoli due to poor building standards, according to The AP news.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry announced that those injured in the collapse would receive treatment at the state’s expense.

The national syndicate for property owners in a statement called the collapse the result of “blatant negligence and shortcomings of the Lebanese state toward the safety of citizens and their housing security,” and said it is “not an isolated incident.”

The syndicate called for the government to launch a comprehensive national survey of buildings at risk of collapse.


Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
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Israel to Take More West Bank Powers and Relax Settler Land Buys

A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)
A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)

Israel's security cabinet approved a series of steps on Sunday that would make it easier for settlers in the occupied West Bank to buy land while granting Israeli authorities more enforcement powers over Palestinians, Israeli media reported.

The West Bank is among the territories that the Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Citing statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Israeli news sites Ynet and Haaretz said the measures included scrapping decades-old regulations that prevent Jewish private citizens buying land in the West Bank, The AP news reported.

They were also reported to include allowing Israeli authorities to administer some religious sites, and expand supervision and enforcement in areas under PA administration in matters of environmental hazards, water offences and damage to archaeological sites.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the new measures were dangerous, illegal and tantamount to de-facto annexation.

The Israeli ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The new measures come three days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet in Washington with US President Donald Trump.

Trump has ruled out Israeli annexation of the West Bank but his administration has not sought to curb Israel's accelerated settlement building, which the Palestinians say denies them a potential state by eating away at its territory.

Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

His ruling coalition includes many pro-settler members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

The United Nations' highest court said in a non-binding advisory opinion in 2024 that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be ended as soon as possible. Israel disputes this view.


Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Attack on Aid Convoys in Sudan

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit strongly condemned the attack by the Rapid Support Forces on humanitarian aid convoys and relief workers in North Kordofan State, Sudan.

In a statement reported by SPA, secretary-general's spokesperson Jamal Rushdi quoted Aboul Gheit as saying the attack constitutes a war crime under international humanitarian law, which prohibits the deliberate targeting of civilians and depriving them of their means of survival.

Aboul Gheit stressed the need to hold those responsible accountable, end impunity, and ensure the full protection of civilians, humanitarian workers, and relief facilities in Sudan.