New military spokesperson appointed
DEFENCE Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mohamed Zaki on Sunday ratified the appointment of Colonel Islam Mahdi as the Armed Forces new official spokesperson.
Mahdi replaces Colonel Gharib Abdel-Hafez who was appointed spokesperson in June 2021. The announcement was made via the spokesperson’s official Facebook page. Mahdi graduated from the Military Academy in 2002 and obtained a Master’s degree in economics and political science.
During his military career, he received a number of medals and decorations, including the 25 April distinction.
Train tickets in dollars for foreigners
THE NATIONAL Railway Authority (NRA) announced on Monday the price of train tickets in US dollars for foreigners looking to book seats on the cross-country Alexandria-Aswan train.
The cheapest tickets foreigners can buy are $15 second-class tickets from Alexandria’s Sidi Gaber station to Cairo’s Ramses station, while the most expensive are $65 first class tickets on the VIP train from Alexandria’s Sidi Gaber station to Aswan station.
The announcement is in line with recent statements by Transportation Minister Kamel Al-Wazir that starting January 2023 foreign tourists will be required to pay for their train tickets in US dollars or euros via bank cards.
The step comes at a time when tourists are increasingly using trains to travel in the country. It helps secure hard currency liquidity amid the rising value of the US dollar as well as ease the burden on the Central Bank of Egypt.
Ready for regular flights
ALAMEIN International Airport will be ready to receive regular flights starting March, according to Civil Aviation Minister Mohamed Abbas Helmi. The airport serves the North Coast region and New Alamein city and is considered an important regional airport, Helmi said at a press conference on Monday.
The Alamein Airport began to receive special charter flights in August last year. On efforts by the ministry to develop civil aviation, the minister referred to Giza Sphinx International Airport that opened to domestic and international flights a few months ago. According to Helmi, work on renovating Alexandria’s Borg Al-Arab Airport is set to be completed in July.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 5 January, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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