Ever Given freed THE SUEZ Canal Authority (SCA) will release the Ever Given which had blocked the Suez Canal for six days in March, causing a global trade crisis and a social media frenzy. The ship will be freed after a settlement was reached with the ship owner's company on Monday. The SCA had sued the ship's owner while banning the ship from leaving Egyptian waters. The SCA initially requested $916 million in compensation because of the loss the blockage caused in addition to the expenses of freeing the ship. However, the figure was lowered to $550 million. The two parties are yet to agree on a final figure. On Sunday, an Egyptian court adjourned a hearing concerning the dispute between the SCA and the ship owners to 11 July to allow both parties to finalise a settlement. Preparations for the release of the vessel will be made and an event marking the agreement will be held at the SCA headquarters in Ismailia. SCA Chairman Osama Rabie stated that a tug boat with a pulling capacity of 75 tons will be delivered as part of the deal.
Fire kills four FOUR Egyptians working in Cyprus were found dead on Sunday in a massive forest fire that broke out across several Cypriot villages the day before with the country facing a severe heat wave. The four were reported missing and found dead close to Odou, a mountainous village in the Larnaca district of Cyprus. The bodies were found 400 metres from their charred vehicle. Minister of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates' Affairs Nabila Makram confirmed that the Egyptian embassy was working with Cypriot authorities to gather further information and to arrange the transport of the bodies to Egypt as soon as possible. The Foreign Ministry offered its condolences to the families of the victims. The fire, which broke out in Arakapas village, affected nearly 10 communities over 50 square kilometres in the foothills of the Troodos Mountain. The European Union deployed firefighting planes as assistance to help Cyprus contain the blaze. Although the cause of the fire remains unclear, police are currently questioning a 67-year-old who is thought to be connected with the blaze.
Online visas EGYPT has launched an online e-visa portal for tourists wanting to visit. According to the Ministry of Tourism, the service is available to tourists from 74 countries and in eight languages. The e-visa can be downloaded by applicants and will be checked by authorities upon arrival in Egypt. The portal enables tourists to pay online using their debit or credit cards and provides detailed instructions on how to start applying for the visa. According to the website, Egyptian passport authorities still have the right to reject any person wanting to enter Egypt, without explanation, as is the case with any other standard-issue visas. There are other disclaimers before going through the process that travelers can check. After dropping 70 per cent due to Covid-19, tourism in Egypt has now witnessed a steady recovery. Since the start of 2021, Egypt has welcomed nearly 500,000 tourists a month and plans for a full recovery of the tourism sector by the end of this year.
Easing restrictions THE HIGHER Committee for the Management of the Coronavirus Crisis, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa Madboli, decided on Sunday to increase the capacity of hotels, cinemas, and restaurants to 70 per cent instead of 50 per cent. The decision to ease coronavirus restrictions was based on the current decrease in the daily cases registered in the past four weeks. During the Sunday meeting, Health Minister Hala Zayed said Egypt had launched the production of one million doses of the coronavirus vaccine. Comparative tests are currently being carried out ahead of expanding production.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 8 July, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
