Egypt’s National Strategy For Tourism Development To Be Launched As Country Sees Increase In Foreign Tourists

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October 8, 2022

Tourists from Spain and France are leading an increase in visitors to Egypt from a number of European countries.

The US is also contributing to the growing demand as Luxor benefits from a tourist boom.

Mohamed Othman, head of the Cultural Tourism Marketing Committee at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, said: “There has been an increase in the tourist traffic coming from a number of European countries, especially Spain and France.

Spanish tourism companies are currently doing around 48 trips per month to Luxor.

“There has been a significant increase in the tourist traffic from France, and the same is true of the incoming trips from the US.”

Tourism toward Luxor and Aswan is predicted to be healthy from the second half of this month, with Japan, South Korea and India starting to operate flights to Luxor.

The percentage of confirmed reservations during the winter are higher than those over the past two years, Othman added.

Tourism writer Mai Sayed told Arab News: “The increase in the number of tourists to Luxor and Aswan, which are located in southern Egypt, is due to the high temperatures there compared to European countries.

“Another factor is that this period is the beginning of the school year, which makes the Egyptian presence in the two ancient cities almost non-existent.”

She added that tourists know Egypt’s holiday seasons so that leads to an increase in visitors from abroad during October.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa is expected to hold a meeting with investors in Luxor in the presence of Gov. Mostafa Elham on the sidelines of his visit to attend a fashion show at the Temple of Hatshepsut.

He will discuss preparations for winter tourism and how to boost visitor numbers.

Plans are currently being worked on to develop a national strategy for tourism development, which will be launched during the first quarter of 2023.

These aim to increase tourist traffic, specifically to Luxor and Aswan, from 25 to 30 percent annually.

Man City Fined For Pitch Invasion

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Emenike Agu

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October 8, 2022

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Manchester City v Aston Villa – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain – May 22, 2022 Manchester City fans celebrate on the pitch after winning the Premier League

Manchester City have been fined 260,000 pounds ($288,808) by the Football Association (FA) on Friday for their fans’ behaviour after they celebrated last season’s Premier League title win by invading the pitch following victory over Aston Villa.

City came back from two goals down to beat Villa 3-2, prompting supporters to rush on to the Etihad Stadium pitch.

Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen was attacked during the post-match celebrations. City issued an apology and launched an investigation into the incident.

Greater Manchester Police also charged two men following the pitch invasion for throwing a pyrotechnic onto the pitch and going onto the field.

“The club admitted that it failed to ensure its spectators – and all those purporting to be its supporters or followers – conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from using threatening and violent behaviour while encroaching onto the pitch after the final whistle,” the FA said.

The FA fined Everton 300,000 pounds last week for two pitch invasions by supporters in last season’s win over Crystal Palace as well as a clash between an Everton fan and Palace manager Patrick Vieira.

In July, the FA, Premier League and Football Leagueannounced stricter sanctions for pitch invasions and the use of smoke bombs and pyrotechnics after an increasing number of disruptions at the end of last season.

Saudi Coffee Festival: Event Spreads Awareness, Promotes Private Sector Investment

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Angel Gimalo

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October 8, 2022

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The Saudi Coffee Festival at the Jeddah Superdome introduced visitors to the Kingdom’s coffee story, and a whole new world of delicious drinks and flavors.

It ran from Oct. 6 to 8, highlighting Saudi coffee’s cultural heritage and increasing its global and local presence.

The festival, which was organized by the Culinary Arts Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Quality of Life Program, was one of the activities of the “Year of Saudi Coffee 2022” initiative.

Visitors were met at the entrance with a small cup of Saudi coffee before they started their cultural journey.

The festival was divided into four different sections. The first, “Finjal Al-Daif,” consisted of the green museum that focused on the cultivation of coffee bean plants and the tools used in farming.

There was also a museum displaying antiques and valuable items used in coffee consumption.

Visitors also discovered different kinds of dallah, a traditional coffee pot, including one used by the late King Faisal.

A screen featuring videos of the “Year of Saudi Coffee 2022” activities and achievements was also showcased.

The most important area in this section was the kid’s area, which focused on teaching children about the diverse and rich culture of Saudi Arabia.

Mayada Badr, CEO of the Culinary Arts Commission, said: “We are educating everyone on the Saudi coffee culture and shedding light on one of our heritage ingredients — the Saudi Khawlani coffee beans. The festival serves as a platform for spreading awareness about Saudi coffee and promoting the private sector investment in our coffee and heritage.”

The second section, “Fiinjal Al-Kaif,” held coffee exhibitors and experts explaining the different kinds of Saudi beans cultivated across the Kingdom along with a special tasting experience.

This section brought together key players from the Saudi coffee industry, owners of coffee shops and roasteries who shared their love for coffee with the visitors.

There were also many interactive experiences arranged for the visitors where they were taught about the various types of Saudi coffee beans and the special tools and utensils used in making the coffee.

Guests were also introduced to the recipes from the Kingdom’s various regions, giving them an authentic insight into the different sweets or dates that accompany coffees from their respective region.

A series of workshops on creating metal-based accessories for dallah and carving traditional Saudi motifs on the gypsum material was organized by the institute.

COFE, the e-commerce app, presented several workshops to teach people the techniques to get the most out of their coffee, showing them the process from bean to cup.

The first workshop helped the participants prepare the perfect cup of Saudi coffee with spices from various regions, bringing out the scent and flavor.

The second workshop centered around educating people on the wealth of flavor and taste that is hidden in Saudi coffee beans and what they can do to really create a cup of rich specialty coffee.

The festival’s collaboration with Pur Gahwa, which is a local brand, highlighted the importance of its partnership with Saudi farmers, who form an integral part of the growing chain of Saudi coffee.

COFE vendors and workshops at the festival gave people the true flavor of everything COFE stands for: Bringing together coffee communities everywhere.

A Nigerian National Football Team Returns To Lekan Salami Stadium After 33 Years

By

Emenike Agu

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October 8, 2022

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Dateline: Ibadan, 10 June 1989. Super Eagles line-up to face Cameroon at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba.

Only once has a Nigerian football team played a competitive match at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.

That was 10 June 1989 when the Super Eagles beat Cameroon 2-0 in an Italia’90 World Cup qualifier.

hirty three years later, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games’ seeking Nigeria u-23 side will open their qualifying quest at the Ibadan Stadium, the home base of Shooting Stars.

The only other match that the Super Eagles played at the Adamasingba stadium was a friendly duel with Georgia on 11June 1994 as a farewell game as the team was departing for their first World Cup adventure in the US. Now, international match is returning to the arena.

According to a media release by the Nigeria Football Federation, the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has secured a camping base for the U23 men national team, otherwise known as Olympic Eagles, ahead of the team’s Africa U23 Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against their Tanzanian counterparts this month.

Camping and prosecution of qualifying campaigns and tournaments of the U23 men and women teams for the Olympic Games and the African Games fall within the ambit of the Youth and Sports Development Ministry, but President of NFF, Ibrahim Musa Gusau on Friday commended the Ministry for securing the camp as it will aid the preparation of the Olympic Eagles for their qualifying campaign.

Tanzania will host the first leg of the fixture in the weekend of 21^st – 23^rd October, with the return leg due in Nigeria on Saturday, 29^th October.

The NFF has already scheduled the return leg for the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan.

Head Coach Salisu Yusuf has invited 32 players who will resume camping in the Oyo State capital this weekend.

Nigeria won the Africa U23 Cup of Nations in Senegal in 2015, and then went ahead to win the bronze medal at the Olympic Men’s Football Tournament in Brazil the following year.

However, the class of 2019 failed to reach the knockout rounds in Egypt and thus could not earn a slot at the Olympics in Tokyo last year.

Nigeria won gold at the Olympic Men’s Football Tournament in Atlanta, USA in 1996 and followed up with silver in Beijing, China 12 years later.

Rooney Urges Out-Of-Favour Man Utd Forward Ronaldo To Stay Patient

By

Emenike Agu

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October 8, 2022

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Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney urged Cristiano Ronaldo to remain patient and make the most of the opportunities that come his way as the Portugal international looks to work his way back into the Premier League club’s first team.

Ronaldo, in his second spell at United, has started only one league game this season and was linked with a move away during the summer transfer window, though manager Erik ten Hag said he still featured in his plans for the season.

Rooney, who played with Ronaldo at United between 2004-2009, said the 37-year-old will be finding his lack of game time hard to swallow.

“The manager’s obviously gone a different way in terms of how they’re playing and been successful,” Rooney, who now manages Major League Soccer side DC United, told reporters on Friday.

“Cristiano … him and (Lionel) Messi are two of the greatest players to ever play the game, but ultimately time catches up with us all. He’s obviously not the player he was when he was 22 or 23, for instance. It’s a tough one for him.

“Knowing him, it’ll be very difficult for him to sit on the bench … I’m sure if he stays patient, his chance will come and, again, it’s then obviously him taking those chances and trying to force his way back in.”

United, who are sixth in the standings with 12 points from seven games, face Everton in a league clash on Sunday.

Man City Move Top As Chelsea And Newcastle Continue To Rise

By

Emenike Agu

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October 8, 2022

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Manchester City’s Jack Grealish in action with Southampton’s Armel Bella-Kotchap Action

Manchester City continued their imperious home form to ease to a 4-0 win over Southampton and move top of the Premier League as Chelsea and Newcastle United also enjoyed comfortable victories to show their top-four ambitions.

City, who had trounced Manchester United 6-3 last week, barely had to break stride against Southampton, with Joao Cancelo, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez netting before Erling Haaland struck the fourth goal to stretch his scoring streak to 10 straight matches in all competitions.

City have won all five of their Premier League games at the Etihad Stadium, scoring 24 goals in the process.

The victory took champions City top of the table with 23 points after nine matches and cranked up the pressure on early title rivals Arsenal, who host Liverpool on Sunday with the chance to reclaim the lead.

Chelsea continued to show signs of improvement under coach Graham Potter as they strolled to a 3-0 win at home to Wolves, who are without a manager after sacking Bruno Lage last week.

Former Chelsea forward Diego Costa made his first start for the visitors but Potter’s side were dominant and secured a third consecutive win in all competitions thanks to goals from Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja, moving up to fourth in the table on 16 points.

Newcastle climbed up to fifth with an emphatic 5-1 home victory over Brentford, one year and one day after the completion of their Saudi Arabia-backed takeover.

Bruno Guimaraes, a 40-million-pound arrival from Olympique Lyonnais and one of the club’s biggest signings since the takeover, scored in each half on a memorable afternoon for the club, who were languishing in the relegation zone when the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) acquired the club from previous owner Mike Ashley for a reported 300 million pounds ($333 million).

Bournemouth came from behind to beat Leicester City 2-1, scoring two goals in the space of five second-half minutes to and inflict a fifth consecutive away defeat on Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Patson Daka gave Leicester the lead in the 10th minute but Philip Billing and Ryan Christie scored in the second half to continue Bournemouth’s superb record under interim manager Gary O’Neil, who has won two games and drawn three since succeeding Scott Parker.

The result put renewed pressure on Leicester coach Rodgers, whose side are 19th in the table with only four points.

Malta’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Tours Historical Monuments On Saudi Visit

By

Angel Gimalo

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October 8, 2022

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Malta’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ian Borg on Saturday visited the Saudi city of AlUla, where he was briefed on the historical monuments and civilizations that date back thousands of years.

Borg was also briefed on the great development the area has witnessed during the past years, including hosting international conferences, forums, and cultural and entertainment events.

During the tour, where he was accompanied by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji, the representative of the Royal Commission for AlUla Governorate gave a detailed explanation of the programs and plans aimed at preserving the historical and human heritage in AlUla, in addition to the future visions that will enhance its position as a global tourist destination that attracts international and regional entertainment events, as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

Strike: Federal Govt Threatens ASUU With Contempt

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

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October 8, 2022

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The Federal Government has threatened to sue the striking lecturers, who are members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities if they fail to resume as ruled by the National Industrial Court.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, who issued this threat on Friday during an interview disclosed that he had directed labour controllers to monitor compliance at all tertiary institutions across the states.

He said, “The court says ASUU must obey today (Friday). I have asked labour controllers in the 36 states and the zones to reach out to the universities; number one, to see if the vice chancellors have opened the gates because that is one of the imports of the judgment of the Industrial Court.

“You must open the gates, you must open the class rooms and to see whether those workers, those teachers reported today, tomorrow Friday and Saturday. My labour controllers will write me a report.

“The Education Ministry through the NUC will also do their bit and we will compare it. By Tuesday, if they have complied with this, first, they will have the right to appeal as the court says.

“If they come back to their classroom, they will have time to attach evidence and do their appeal. My labour controllers will also give me things to support education in the country. If they don’t, go and read that portion of the NICN Act, they will be charged for contempt,” he said.

Meanwhile, the ASUU has said it will study the ruling of the appeal court which ordered its members to return back to work.

The union’s national president, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke reacted on behalf of the union.

LN247 reports that the Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Friday, ordered the Academic Staff Union of Universities to call off its strike.

The court gave the order after dismissing the union’s application for a stay of execution of an earlier ruling of the National Industrial Court directing the university lecturers to resume work.

The three-member panel of the Court of Appeal led by Hamma Barka granted the union permission to appeal the ruling of the industrial court but ruled that it must first resume work to be allowed to file the appeal.

It said should ASUU fail to re-open the universities, the permission it gave the union to appeal against the interlocutory injunction of the National Industrial Court “will be automatically vacated.”

It gave the university lecturers’ union seven days within which to file its notice of appeal against the order of the National Industrial Court.

“I am inclined to grant the application to appeal the decision of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria. But the order of the lower court shall be immediately obeyed,” the court held in its unanimous ruling.

But reacting to the court order, Osodeke said, “We will review the judgment with our lawyer and we will decide on the next step.”

Beautiful Nigeria: National War Museum, Abia State

By

Angel Gimalo

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October 8, 2022

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National War Musuem, Umuahia
This is located in Ebite Amafor in Isingwu Autonomous Community of Umuahia North LGA.

This tourist centre takes the visitors right back to the war period.

It was commission in 1985 to showcase the weapons, artillery and other instruments of warfare deployed in the Pre-colonial and Nigeria Civil War.

Located on a large area of undulating hills, it offers the viewers a view of the three galleries consisting of the traditional warfare gallery, the armed forces gallery and the Nigerian Civil War gallery.

One of the popular artifact that can be seen in this museum is the Ojukwu’s bunker.

Others include Voice of Biafra bunker, Nigeria’s civil war weapon, materials related to the Niger delta conflict, Enugu-Port-Harcourt Coal Miners riot, Aba women riot and other traditional warfare relics.

This museum is one of the most educating tourist center in Abia state.

Nigeria Spent $100m Feeding 10m School Children — Minister

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

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October 8, 2022

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The Federal Government on Friday said about $100 million was spent in feeding 10 million Nigerian children under the National School Feeding Programme, as part of efforts to eliminate the scourge of child labour in the country.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, stated this in his office when he received the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard and officials of the Department of State who paid him a courtesy visit.

Ngige explained that the Nigerian government introduced the school feeding programme under its social security programme, to lure children engaged in child labour, back to school.

He said the Federal government also introduced social protection programmes to fight poverty, which is the major contributory factor to the prevalence of child labour in Nigeria.

A statement by Olajide Oshundun, Head of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment quoted Ngige as saying, “We have introduced the National school feeding programme under our social security, to lure children back to school. As of today, we are feeding 10 million children across the country. We have spent nearly $10 million on this.

“We have also taken more schools into the areas prone to child labour and made education free in the whole country through the Universal Basic Education Act and the Child Rights Act.

“For the people with disability, we introduced Disability Peoples Commission to give them full and comprehensive aid so that they will not feel that they have any disability. If you don’t support someone with a disability, it is outright poverty.”

The minister expressed the gratitude of his ministry to the U.S government for the recent technical assistance of the United States Department of Labour to West Africa, in the area of fighting violence and harassment at work under Convention 190 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Nigeria and Liberia are listed there and the fund is $5 million, estimated to be spent on the project. We think that it is a step in the right direction.

“Just last week we got information of another $4 million for anti-child labour activities in Nigeria. Ondo State is chosen as the pilot state for the fight against child labour in the area of cocoa farming. We think this is a good step in the right direction because over the years, from the time we visited for African Growth and Opportunities (AGOA) conference under the Department of Labour and Trade in Washington in 2017, we had made it clear that the United States Government has to take practical steps for us to follow. We cant be mouthing child labour and we leave it unattended to when we know that most of those engaged in it are those trying to make up for family needs.”

According to him, vulnerable families send their underage children to work in cocoa farms, and mining sites or to engage in street hawking and petty trading, because family income is not enough, owing to underemployment or unemployment.

He explained that advocacy alone cannot reduce the scourge, as it would be difficult to retain the audience of a hungry person.

Ngige reiterated his proposal at the AGOA conference that the United States must assist Nigeria in fighting child labour, adding that his ministry needed assistance in the area of capacity building and logistics, such as vehicles, to enable officials of the Department of Occupational Safety and Inspectorate Division to move into areas with a high incidence of child labour and tackle the scourge from the source.

He added that the government needed assistance to train people in skill acquisition, to make the uneducated gainfully employed in plumbing, refrigeration repairs, and tiling, among others.

Earlier Leornard said the United States Government was worried to see that Nigerian children were subjected to the worst forms of child labour in quarries and grannies and mining sites.

She assured that her country would continue to work with the Nigerian Government in addressing the scourge and appealed to the remaining seven states yet to domesticate the Child Rights Act to do so without further delay.

She said the U.S government was pleased to see a new programme in Nigeria that provides seed capital to vulnerable people to pursue programmes in areas with a high prevalence of child labour.