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CAIRO - 19 June 2019: On Tuesday, June 18, Hollywood film instructor Dov Simens concluded the two-week Cairo film workshop that offered valuable information for 8 hours on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Simens gave extensive lectures on filmmaking, in the presence of a large number of students, concerned individuals and local celebrities. Dalia el-Beheiry, Ahmed Zaher, Gamila Awad, Scenarist Ayman Salama, Lekaa Seweidan, Mais Hemdan, and Tarek el-Ebiary were among the celebrities attending the workshop.

The international lecturer and producer visit to Egypt is his first, presenting a filmmaking workshop affiliated with Hollywood’s film workshop in Los Angeles, founded by Simens in 1998. Hollywood Film Workshop deals with filmmaking, sales and marketing of films in Hollywood and the world.

After the workshop, Simens presented a book that included all the numbers of distribution companies, directors, actors, authors, photography sites and equipment rental in Hollywood as well as in Egypt, in addition to certificates accredited by the Hollywood Film Institute in America.

It is noteworthy that more than 50,000 students, including a thousand Hollywood stars as directors, producers, actors and screenwriters have graduated from the Hollywood Film Institute, including big names such as Will Smith, Bradley Cooper, Spike Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Queen Latifa, Roger Corman, among others.

CAIRO - 19 June 2019: Egypt comes on the top of the list of countries receiving Romanian experts, and it is expected that the trade exchange between the two countries increases by 100 percent by the end of 2019 compared to last year, Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) said.

The most significant Egyptian commodities exported to the Romanian market are fertilizers, medicines, cables, electrical conductors, vegetables and fruits, chemicals, and agricultural products. The imports, on the other hand, include woods, chemical products,parts of the railway cars, tractors, and metals especially iron and steel.

Romania ranks 40th among the countries investing in Egypt, the SIS said. The Romanian investments until 2017 amounted to $223.9 million, distributed over 60 diversified investment projects. Tourism projects get the lion's share, according to the SIS; Romanian investments includeeightbig tourist companies. Romania is also involved in 14 industrial companies and 24 service companies in Egypt.

European visit

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi arrived on Wednesday in the Romanian capital Bucharest as part of his European tour that included Belarus.



Sisi noted in a press conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in Bucharest that they discussed cooperation in the fields of economy and tourism, affirming that their previous meetings have contributed to strengthening the bilateral relations.

Trade relations between Egypt and Romania surpassed $1 billion in 2018, Sisi said, adding that charter flights from Romania to Red Sea's Hurghada and South Sinai's SharmEl-Sheikh were doubled.

CAIRO - 19 June 2019: Ahmed Mekky, one of the most popular stars in the Arab World, celebrates his birthday today. He was born on June 19, 1980.

Mekky does not only have a passion for acting and rapping, which he mastered. He appeared to indulge in one of the rarest passions existing in the celebrities' arena: his passion for birds and animals in general.

Mekky is not only fond of raising and observing animals, but also in learning and understanding genetic engineering and modifying genes to produce new species of animals.

The megastar’s passion did not stop there; in fact, he has operated surgeries for dying birds to save them.

Mekky said in numerous accounts that since his childhood, he has loved and raised birds. The life of Mekky can be divided into more than one person:

Mekky the veterinary

On one of the episodes of Mona el-Shazly’s “Ma'akum” program aired on CBC, the star exposed that since a very young age, he has roamed around certain areas looking for sick birds, trying to medicate them and save their lives.

“I used to go to Friday’s market, looking to purchase a batch of sick birds. I had a room prepared to host them, where they underwent medical procedures trying to heal,” said Mekky during the interview.

حكايات مكي مع منى الشاذلي عن الطيور والحيوانات هتغير نظرتك للحياة

معكم منى الشاذلي | حكايات مكي مع منى الشاذلي عن الطيور والحيوانات هتغير نظرتك للحياة اشترك في قناتنا عبر يوتيوب هنا http://cbc.eg/XCpSNr يمكنك متابعة احدث الاخبار من هنا http://cbc.eg/C5HbZQ Join and Follow us on : website : http://www.cbc-eg.com/cbc YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/cbcegypt Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/cbcegypt Instagram : http://www.instagram.com/cbcegypt Google+: http://www.google.com/+cbcegypt Twitter : www.twitter.com/cbcegypt #cbc#CBCEgy | #إحنا_cbc | #معكم_منى_الشاذلي

In addition, the star explained to Shazly that he used to read a lot of veterinarian books to accumulate knowledge about the field. He also added that he went as far as attending animal dissection classes in October University to gain more knowledge about the field.

His passion for bird treatment reached the point where he was studying the active ingredient for each medication and making custom therapeutic preparations according to the weight of the bird he is trying to heal. If one of the birds died while he was trying to treat it, he used to dissect it in order to understand the specific reasons that lead to its death, to be able to avoid it with his next bird treatment.


Mekky, the genetics engineer

During the episode of the highly watched program “Ma’akum”, the star explained that when he was young, he used to read abundantly about bird genetics, trying to mate different species together to come out with a new “stronger” generation of birds.

His brother studied genetic engineering in France and that he helped him attain great knowledge about the subject, in addition to the previous knowledge he possessed.

CAIRO – 19 June 2019: Egypt’s exports to Tanzania jumped 75 percent during 2018, recording $42 million, compared to $24 million in 2017, according to the Commercial Representative Office in Tanzania.

This percentage is the highest increase in the volume of Egyptian exports to Tanzania in more than 5 years, the office revealed.

According to the Office data, a number of new Egyptian exports to the Tanzanian market entered during 2018, including pest control rodents by $533,000, iron and steel by $506,000, prefabricated buildings worth $931,000, wires of cast iron and steel by $706,000.

The Commercial Representation Office in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam, headed by Trade Secretary Mohammed Abdel Maged, arranged and organized a promotional mission to Tanzania for a number of Egyptian companies that are members of the Export Council for Engineering Industries during the period 16-20 June 2019, in cooperation with the Egyptian Exporters Association Expolink.

These efforts led to 87 work meetings for Egyptian companies with their Tanzanian counterparts.“The main commodities promoted by this mission include: household utensils, lighting lamps, kitchen equipment for the purpose of processing hotels, prefabricated walls, Agricultural harvesting, sorting machines, electric transformers and cooling systems for industrial use.”

The increase in the volume of Egyptian exports to Tanzania is a reflection of the close relations between the two countries, especially after the visit of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to Tanzania in response to the invitation of his Tanzanian counterpart in August 2017.

CAIRO – 19 June 2019: Egypt national team captain, Ahmed Elmohamady, believes that this group of players can achieve the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations title at home.

“We promise the fans that the tournament will be ours. We are going back to playing at the Cairo Stadium, this is an incentive.” Elmohamady said on Wednesday during the press conference of the tournament’s opening game.

Egypt plays in Group A alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

The tournament takes place with the participation of 24 teams in six groups for the first time in the history of the African competition.

Elmohamady added “We have already won the title in three consecutive editions, and in the last tournament, we reached the final,”

Elmohamady is one of the golden generation members and he was among the squad that won the AFCON title in 2008 and 2010.

Egypt opens their participation in the tournament on Friday against Zimbabwe.

Egypt national team played two friendly games against Tanzania and Guinea ahead of the competition.

The first game against Tanzania ended with a 1-0 victory for the Egyptians thanks to a goal from Ahmed Elmohamady while the second game against Guinea ended with a 3-1 victory.

CAIRO, June 19 (MENA) - Minister of Trade and Industry Amr Nassar said preparations are underway to hold the 6th session of the Egyptian-Belarussian Committee for trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation.

The committee meetings will take place in Minsk in August 2019, according to the minister, adding that a business forum will be held on the sidelines of the joint session with the participation of a number of Egyptian and Belarussian investors particularly those operating in sectors of mutual interest.

During a plenary session of talks with Belarussian Minister of Anti-monopoly Regulation and Trade Vladimir Koltovich, the minister reviewed the future of economic, trade, industrial and investment cooperation between the two countries and a number of other economic files of common concern.

Egyptian-Belarussian relations are witnessing great activities particularly after signing a roadmap for enhancing cooperation between the two sides in 2019-2020 in various fields, he said.

CAIRO, June 19 (MENA) - The cabinet media center denied reports about raising the metro ticket prices to EGP 17 following the inauguration of the three new stations; Haroun el Rashid, Alf Maskan and Shams Club, as part of building the third line of the Cairo metro.

In a statement on Wednesday, the center said it contacted the Transport Ministry which categorically dismissed these reports, asserting that prices of metro tickets for the first and second lines remain unchanged with no increases being planned.

The ministry said that only the fares on the third metro line have increased from EGP 3-7 to EGP 5-10.

These are mere rumors aiming at fueling the anger of commuters using this vital facility, the ministry added.

The social dimension was taken into consideration while setting the new price list of the third metro line, the ministry said, adding that fare subscriptions for students, people with special needs and senior citizens remained the same with about 98 percent reduction.

Opening the new three stations falls within the framework of the State's preparations ahead of the 19 African Cup of Nations which will be hosted by Egypt as of Friday, June 21 and efforts meant to improve the quality of means of transportation in Cairo, according to the ministry.

CAIRO, June 19 (MENA) – The cabinet’s media center denied reports on spinning and textile company workers being forced into an early retirement as part of an EGP 21 billion plan to develop the textile sector.

In a statement released Wednesday, the cabinet said it has contacted the Ministry of Public Business Sector, which has categorically dismissed these reports, stressing that early retirement is an option.

The ministry added that it is totally keen on the rights of workers, asserting that all reports about early retirement are rumors that aim to provoke the anger of spinning and weaving workers.

The ministry also urged all media outlets and social media users to verify the authenticity of any reports to avoid stirring up the public opinion.

CAIRO - 19 June 2019: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi laid Wednesday a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, according to a statement issued by Presidential Spokesman Bassam Radi.

Earlier in the day, President Sisi arrived in Bucharest on an official visit to Romania coming from Minsk, Belarus.

Sisi held a press conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in Bucharest that they discussed cooperation in the fields of economy and tourism, affirming that their previous meetings have contributed to strengthening the bilateral relations.

President Sisi stressed the strength and depth of the historic relations between Egypt and Romania within the framework of mutual respect, explaining that these relations have witnessed a great boost in light of the continuous communication between the two countries, including the Arab-European Summit held on February 24-25 in Egypt’s Sharm el-Shiekh.

Sisi will also have talks with the Speakers of the Senate and the House, the statement reported.

CAIRO - 19 June 2019: Under the preparations being made by Egypt to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, the government's institutions are working so that the championship emerges in a manner worthy of Egypt's status and history.

The preparations included several works such as the construction of a new street in the vicinity of the Cairo Stadium,decorating the streets and establishing new gardens, and a number of toilets in the vicinity of stadiums, squares and main streets.












Cairo governorate also finished painting all the properties surrounding the stadiums and set more surveillance cameras in the streets around the stadiums to secure them.

The Public Transport Authority in Cairo headed by Rizk Ali Mustafa finished painting more than 400 concrete stations, especially the bus stations of the Public Transport Authority.



On June 10, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi directed the authorities concerned to provide all the organizational, administrative and logistical means to ensure the success of the African Cup of Nations.

The Africa Cup of Nations is hosted by Egypt from June 21 to July 19. Egypt will open the 2019 African nations' championship against Zimbabwe at Cairo International Stadium.

CAIRO – 19 June 2019: The Egyptian Exchange (EGX) recorded a collective regression during Wednesday for the second session in row, losing about LE 3.59 billion of market capitalization, amid Egyptian and Arab selling.

The benchmark EGX 30 declined 0.50 percent, or 70.68 points, to close at 14,132.18 points.

The equally weighted index EGX 50 decreased 0.65 percent, or 13.61 points, to close at 2,090.85 points.

The small and mid-cap index EGX 70 decreased 0.07 percent, or 0.4 points, to close at 603.85 points, and the broader index EGX 100 inched down 0.15 percent, or 2.37 point, to 1,541.76 points.

Market capitalization lost LE 3.59 billion, recording LE 753.34 billion, compared to LE 757.03 billion in Tuesday’s session.

The trading volume reached 87.67 million shares, traded through 14,710 transactions, with a turnover of LE 535.02 million.

Foreign investors were net buyers at LE 8.96 million, while Egyptian and Arab investors were net sellers at LE 7.92 million, and LE 1.04 million, respectively.

Egyptian and foreign individuals were net sellers at LE 13.12 million and LE 25.66 million, respectively, while Arab individuals were buyers at LE 4.26 million.

Egyptian and foreign organizations bought at LE 5.2 million and LE 34.62 million, respectively, while Arab organizations sold at LE 5.3 million.

Gharbia Islamic Housing Development, El Nasr for Manufacturing Agricultural Crops and Nasr Company for Civil Works were top gainers of the session by 7.58 percent, 6.75 percent and 6.54 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, Arabia Investments Holding, El Ahram Co. for Printing and Packing, and Sinai Cement were top losers of the session by 9.91 percent, 9.60 percent, and 7.77 percent, respectively.

EGX ended Monday’s session in red, as EGX30 declined 0.27 percent, EGX50 decreased 0.81 percent, EGX70 dropped 0.29 percent, and EGX100 inched down 0.32 percent.

CAIRO - 19 June 2019: The Foreign Ministry strongly denounced statements published by the spokesperson of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Mohamed Morsi's death during his trial in an espionage case, describing the statements as an attempt to deliberately "politicize" a normal death.

According to a statement issued by spokesperson of Foreign Ministry Ahmed Hafez on Wednesday, he pointed out that such statements are not appropriate to be released by an international organization.

He also denounced the content of the statements which implied doubts that aim at undermining the State's institutions and neutrality of the Egyptian justice.

Hafez's statement asserted that such attempts are malicious claims to undermine Egypt's commitment to international standards and jumping to fake conclusions without giving any valid evidence.

"Such remarks are completely unacceptable especially in view of Egypt's specific measures that have already been applicable by the Egyptian authorities out of its full commitment to and respect of international treaties," the statement added.

Hafez asserted that Egypt is well aware that such "politicized" statements come in line with statements made by officials in a certain country and entities that seek to take advantage of the issue for political purposes.

This country is claiming to respect democracy and human rights, while its actions and practices are just aiming to keep its powers by all possible means; the regime of this country has turned it into a large prison, the spokesperson added.

He further noted that this country is detaining tens of thousands of its opponents and members of the civil society without holding anyone accountable for stealing their freedom of expression. Additionally,this country is sponsoring thousands of terrorists who are operating in the region and are involved in killing thousands of innocent people with the aim of achieving political gains.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson also asserted that such remarks by the spokesperson of OHCHR will be debated at the highest levels in Egypt to consider its objectivity,violations and deviations in breach of all norms of professionalism and neutrality that should be applied by an international body.

In the same context, the State Information Service criticized on Tuesday tweets made by the Human Rights Watch on Morsi’s death.

Here is the full SIS statement:

“Human Rights Watch’s tweets on Morsi’s passing represent nothing but political exploitation in the name of Human Rights.

In a new ethical low for Human Rights Watch, Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the Middle East and North Africa division of HRW, published a number of tweets on her account regarding the circumstances of the passing of the deposed president, Mohamed Morsi. Whitson’s tweets contained nothing but false claims that reaffirm HRW's tradition of circulating lies."

The allegations made by the tweets were as follows:

1. Whitson accused the Egyptian government of causing the death of the deceased deposed president through "criminal negligence" by not providing him with adequate healthcare. She also used the deceased president’s passing to give credence to such claims and apply them broadly to all inmates serving sentences in Egyptian prisons.

2. It is astonishing that Whitson posted her first tweet less than 30 minutes after the announcement of the deceased deposed president’s passing, and in this very first tweet she prematurely assumed that the deceased deposed president passed away due to medical negligence without providing any evidence or proof of her allegations,bearing in mind that the only verified information about his death was in the statement released by the public prosecutor after the preliminary examination of the deceased deposed president’s passing.The prosecutor added that he will provide more details after forensic officials finish their examination of the body.

3. HRW’s last report on the deceased deposed president’s health condition was 2 years ago on June 19, 2017 and it included some allegations of violations of his right to have access to proper healthcare. This contradicted with an official report that was issued simultaneously, which stated that the deceased deposed president was in good health, and was only suffering from diabetes. Since then no reports or updates were provided by HRW on the health of the deceased deposed president which proves that the allegations made by Whitson are nothing but unfounded lies.

4. The deceased deposed president submitted his last official request to the court regarding his health condition on November 19th, 2017 asking to be treated on his own expense and the court approved his request. This further demonstrates how false Whitson’s allegations really are.

The conclusions that Whitson has reached in her tweets are nothing but an attempt to prematurely reach outcomes with the most politicized intentions. Furthermore, HRW has reached a new low by attempting to take advantage of the death of an Egyptian citizen to make political statements, and unfounded criminal accusations that have no relation whatsoever to human rights work.


Morsi, 67, who died from heart attack on Monday, according to preliminary medical assessment had received continuous medical care, and his health condition had not been ignored, a medical official said. The medical source added that the prison had cooperated with a number of hospitals to serve Morsi and look after his condition.

Morsi was the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Organization, which was designated by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Russia as a terrorist group.

CAIRO – 19 June 2019: Governor of Alexandria Abdel Aziz Qensua announced discussing the establishment of a complex of petrochemical plants with investments of about $5 billion, alongside an existing plant with investments of $1.5 billion, bringing the total investment to $6.5 billion.

“We have succeeded in pumping huge investments in exploration and exploration for gas, and we have access to self-sufficiency.We are currently trying to achieve the added value of gas,” Qensua said.

During his speech at a business dinner organized by the Egyptian Businessmen Association on Tuesday evening, he saidto a delegation of 40 Saudi investors that Alexandria has completed the strategic plan, which includes real estate opportunities and medical cities both west and east of the governorate, as well as industrial opportunities from medium and large industries.

The governor of Alexandria praised the role of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in standing next to Egypt following the June 30 Revolution, which restored the spirit of the Egyptian state. He added that the countries of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE represent the pillar of stability of the Arab region in light of the current events.

Advisor to the Governor of Alexandria Esmail al-Adly presented the investment opportunities available in the governorate from residential, medical and tourism projects to the delegation of Saudi investors.

CAIRO – 19 June 2019: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi will inaugurate KIMA 2 plant on June 30, 2019, Chairman of Chemical Industries Holding Company Emad el-Din Mostafa said.

Mostafanotedthat KIMA 2 is the largest chemical project in the Middle East with an area of 60 feddans; the project provides 3,700 jobs. Headded that he will inspect the project on Wednesday, June 19, to monitor the operation of the ammonia units, which started working, in preparation for the operation of the urea units next week.

Mostafa further clarified that the ammonia plant will produce about 1,220 tons per day, while the urea plant will produce about 1,570 tons of urea per day, with a total of 570,000 tons per year.

According to Mostafa, the project cost LE 11.6 billion, 62 percent of which came from bank funding and the rest was provided by contributors.

Previously, Mostafa pointed out that the project targets to achieve LE 400 million in the first year of operation, which will increase to reach about LE 1 billion annually with the development of the old part of the plant.

“We expect the factory to pay costs over 8 years, and contribute to the provision of jobs for engineers, technicians and chemists; workers have already been selected. As the project progresses, there will be more jobs for Aswan's people,” he noted.

KIMA 2 is a facility for fertilizer manufacturing that is being built at the existing site of the company's Aswan fertilizer complex at a cost of LE 11.6 billion.

The Egyptian Chemical Industries, known as KIMA, is affiliated to the Chemical Industries Holding Company, producing nitrogenous fertilizers and chemicals, including hydrogen and ammonia.

CAIRO, June 19 (MENA) - Egypt's head coach Javier Aguirre said that Egypt is seeking to win the title of the Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) for the eighth time.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday ahead of the Egypt-hosted AFCON 2019, due to kick off on Friday, Aguirre said that the Zimbabwean team is truly worth playing in AFCON, adding that he has been following it for some time now and knows everything about it.

The Egyptian national team will kick-off their Group A against Zimbabwe at the Cairo International Stadium on the opening day of the competition.

The Egyptian team shoulders a great responsibility, Aguirre said. "We are ready for the opening match, there is no substitute for winning the title," he added.

AFCON 2019 will be the first Africa Cup of Nations to witness the expansion of the teams from 16 to 24.

Egypt is the most successful nation in the cup's history, winning the tournament a record of seven times.

PARIS (Reuters) - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will stand trial for influence peddling after the country’s highest court rejected his final bid to have the case thrown out, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Sarkozy is accused of offering to help a prosecutor win promotion in return for leaked information about a separate inquiry. Sarkozy, who is embroiled in several criminal investigations, denies any wrongdoing.

CAIRO - 19 June 2019: The National Cinema Center, under the chairmanship of Khalid Abdul Galil, will launch the fourth edition of Vision Forum for Youth Cinema in September, held under the patronage of Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem.

The next edition is scheduled to be held in cooperation with the General Federation of Arab Artists, the Cinema Syndicate headed by Captain Moss’ad Fouda, and with the participation of several Arab countries.

This came after the success of the meeting over the course of the previous three editions, which was organized in conjunction with several provinces and with the participation of a large number of rising talents.

In addition to the independent film competitions, the forum will include film departments in different Egyptian universities.

The forum will be held under the supervision of Samir Farag, and the management of Safa Mourad.

(Reuters) - Following is a summary of commercial aircraft deals announced by Airbus and Boeing at the Paris Airshow.

AIRBUS
* Indigo Partners, the private equity firm of veteran low-cost airline investor Bill Franke, agrees to buy 32 A321XLRs worth an estimated $4.5 billion, and convert 18 more A320 family orders to the new aircraft.

* Accipiter Holdings purchases 20 A320neos worth $2.2 billion at list prices. The order was completed in March 2019 and had been listed in Airbus’s order books as undisclosed.

* Taiwan’s China Airlines signs preliminary deal to buy 11 A321neos, worth about $1.4 billion at list prices, while leasing another 14.

* Air Lease Corp signs letter of intent for 50 A220-300s, 27 A321XLRs and 23 A321neos worth an estimated $11 billion at list prices.

* Virgin Atlantic orders 14 A330neos worth $4.1 billion at list prices, and takes out an option for six more.

* Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines orders four A321XLRs, estimated to be worth more than $500 million at list prices.

* Philippines budget airline Cebu Air orders 16 A330neos, 10 A321XLRs and five A320neos, worth about $6 billion in total at list prices.

* Saudi Arabian Airlines orders a further A320neo family aircraft worth an estimated $3.3 billion at list prices, and takes out options for as many as 35 more.

* Malaysia’s AirAsia Group converts 253 A320neo orders to the larger A321neo. Financial terms not disclosed.

* IAG orders eight A321XLR for its Iberia brand and six for Aer Lingus, plus 14 options. The orders are worth an estimated $1.8 billion.

* Qantas Airways orders 10 A321XLR worth an estimated $1.3 billion at list prices and will convert 26 planes from a prior order to the new model.

BOEING
* ASL orders 10 737-800 converted freighters, worth about $1.1 billion at list prices, and agrees purchase rights for 10 more.

* Qatar Airways orders five 777F freighters, worth about $1.7 billion at list prices.

* Turkmenistan Airlines says intends to order one 777-200LR worth $346.9 million at list prices.

* Taiwan’s China Airlines provisionally orders up to six 777 freighters, worth about $2.1 billion at list prices.

* IAG signs letter of intent for 200 737 planes, comprising a mix of 737-8 and 737-10, worth more than $24 billion at list prices.

* Korean Air commits to buying 20 787 Dreamliners worth $6.3 billion at list prices.

Cairo, Egypt – June 19, 2019 — Egyptian startup Paynas, specialized in providing financial technology solutions, wins Visa’s FinTech pitch-off competition of $50,000.

The event was held on the sidelines of Seamless North Africa 2019 over the past two days. The Egyptian startup, Paynas, was granted Visa’s grand prize after competing with four Egyptian and international startups.

By relying on cloud computing technologies, Paynas specializes in providing financial solutions for human resources features, employees payroll, as well as other offered benefits by employers. The award falls within Visa’s ongoing efforts to support innovation and creativity in the financial technology sector and was presented following a competition held in cooperation with the Central Bank of Egypt that provided an opportunity to Fintechs to present their creative solutions to a panel of distinguished jurors.

The Visa pitch-off that provided an opportunity to Fintechs from all over the world to present their creative solutions , live and on stage, to leading industry experts at the prestigious FinTech and e-commerce conference and exhibition in the North Africa region held under the auspices of H.E. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt.

During the competition, Fintechs were given 5 minutes to convince leading industry experts of their innovative solutions in any of the fields of financial inclusion, digital payments, insurance, settlements, asset management, mobile solutions, P2P, security, authentication or other fintech related solutions.

“We are happy to offer Paynas the grand prize, and Visa is always keen on developing the financial sector in Egypt and in the region and expanding our relationship with the government. We have partnered with the Central Bank of Egypt in conducting workshops related to financial inclusion and we’re always looking to build the ecosystem that fosters innovative ideas. Providing the support, knowledge, and best practices is always a key priority for Visa to nurture Fintechs around the region,” stated Ahmed Gaber, Visa General Manager, North Africa.

“The Fintech pitch-off provided local and global Fintechs with an opportunity to affirm their innovative approach towards solving pain points facing numerous industries. The pitch-off is an opportunity for people at all levels in the Fintech community to talk to each other, share what challenges them and learn from each other. We are working on making it simpler and quicker for early stage start-ups to connect with our network than ever before. ,” continued Gaber.

Visa recently announced it is expanding its Fintech Fast-Track Program in Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) region as part of its efforts in developing the next generation of digital payment solutions. Already rolled out in Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific, the program provides innovative fintechs with a faster and easier integration process with VisaNet, Visa’s global network, in addition to a suite of tailored digital solutions and growth capabilities.

The Fintech Fast-Track program provides a new commercial framework that includes access to Visa’s payment capabilities, reduced fees and streamlined processes.

CAIRO - 18 June 2019: The Egyptian Metrological Authority called on the fans of the Africa Cup of Nations to cover their heads while heading to the stadiums on Friday which marks the beginning of the summer.

The fans are also advised to drink plenty of water and juices, and wear cotton clothes.

Ahmed Abdel Aal, head of the EMA, said that the temperature is expected to rise by 3 to 4 °C from the average, as June 21 marks the beginning of Summer.

The temperature on Friday is expected to reach 34-35°C, while humidity can reach 50-60 percent.

The Africa Cup of Nations is hosted by Egypt from June 21 to July 19. Egypt will open the 2019 African nations' championship against Zimbabwe at Cairo International Stadium.