Investing in education A THREE-day conference on global higher education ended its sessions on Saturday. Higher Education and Scientific Research: Between the Present and the Future opened last Thursday in the New Administrative Capital and was inaugurated by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. Offering a host of opportunities to invest in the higher education sector and establish international universities in the new capital, the forum attracted 2000 senior officials, 300 foreign scientists, heads of international universities and education experts from 55 countries. Maximising the return on investment in higher education and scientific research and directing scientific research to serve the goals of sustainable development and the local economy were among the topics addressed by the gathering. The forum also discussed ways to use technology – including artificial intelligence – to enhance quality within educational and research institutes and develop graduates' skills to keep pace with the demands of local, regional and international labour markets. Curriculum development was discussed alongside mechanisms to enhance the abilities and skills of students and faculty members as they undertake scientific research. A large exhibition on the sidelines of the forum attracted private, state and foreign universities and offered pre-university students an insight into the many higher education opportunities available. 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Major first step The NUCLEAR Power Plants Authority (NPPA) has been granted a site permit for the Dabaa nuclear power plant, announced NPPA head Amgad Al-Wakil. Al-Wakil says issuing the permit was based on design and site reviews, and an environment impact assessment, carried out by the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority. A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency also examined the proposed location of the plant. The permit is a first step towards getting a construction license. The Russian Atomic Energy Corporation will develop the Dabaa reactor which will be owned and operated by the NPPA. The plant is expected to account for up to 50 per cent of Egypt's power generation capacity, help meet the country's increasing demand for electricity and boost the economy and industrial development, creating up to 50,000 job opportunities. 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Two officers killed TWO policemen were killed on Sunday morning when armed men attacked a police patrol in the Al-Nozha Al-Gadida district, north of Cairo. The attack happened after Captain Maged Abdel-Razek from Al-Nozha police station noticed a black car with a hand-written number plate and four men inside. As the police patrol approached the suspect vehicle the driver stepped out and opened fire with an automatic rifle. Abdel-Razek and the patrol's driver were killed and two other policemen injured. Mobile security checkpoints have been deployed in the vicinity of the incident and prosecutors have requisitioned surveillance cameras to examine CCTV footage. 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Nubians fined ON SUNDAY the Aswan State Security Emergency Court fined 25 Nubians LE50,000 each for organising an unlicensed protest, disrupting public order and halting traffic. The court cleared seven other defendants. The case dates from September 2017 when Nubian protesters organised a march with drums along Aswan's Nile Corniche. The protesters were demanding that their rights, as stipulated in the constitution, be respected, including Nubians' right to be resettled on the banks of Lake Nasser and to receive compensation for land lost following the construction of the Aswan Dam. Security forces dispersed the protest and arrested more than 30 demonstrators.
