{"id":556901,"date":"2021-10-27T13:33:21","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T13:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2021\/10\/27\/tonight-egyptair-flight-to-moscow-u-turns-new-military-chief-of-staff-named-minimum-corporate-tax-plan-coming-in-the-us-senate-and-sudan-updates\/"},"modified":"2021-10-27T13:33:21","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T13:33:21","slug":"tonight-egyptair-flight-to-moscow-u-turns-new-military-chief-of-staff-named-minimum-corporate-tax-plan-coming-in-the-us-senate-and-sudan-updates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2021\/10\/27\/tonight-egyptair-flight-to-moscow-u-turns-new-military-chief-of-staff-named-minimum-corporate-tax-plan-coming-in-the-us-senate-and-sudan-updates\/","title":{"rendered":"TONIGHT: EgyptAir flight to Moscow u-turns + new military chief of staff named + minimum corporate tax plan coming in the US Senate and Sudan updates."},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s another busy day as we wind down from the last work week of October<\/strong>, ladies and gentlemen. Heading into Halloween, we\u2019ve got the MPC meeting tomorrow, new appointments, and Sudan may have been neutralized as an ally in the GERD talks by the AU. But first\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/a> HAPPENING NOW-<\/strong> An EgyptAir flight heading to Moscow from Cairo u-turned 20 minutes<\/strong> after takeoff \u201c\u200b\u200bafter a threatening letter was found\u201d on one of the seats<\/strong>, according to a statement<\/a>. It remains unclear what the letter said, but the national flag carrier said the \u201cnecessary measures are being taken\u201d after the aircraft landed again in Cairo Airport. We sincerely hope this incident doesn\u2019t get in the way of air traffic between Egypt and Russia, particularly as demand among Russian tourists for trips to Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada is picking up<\/a> after direct flights were reinstated<\/a> just a few months ago after a six-year hiatus.<\/p>\n

Maybe a new flight to Luxor from Sharm El Sheikh will keep \u2018em coming?<\/strong> EgyptAir is now operating direct flights between Luxor and Sharm El Sheikh, with the first flight between the two cities in six years landing earlier today, according to a Tourism Ministry statement<\/a>. The weekly flight is designed to diversify visitors\u2019 touristic experience, allowing them to enjoy both coastal and cultural destinations.<\/p>\n

THE OTHER BIG STORIES <\/strong>TODAY<\/strong>-<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a> We have a new military chief of staff:<\/strong> President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has tapped Lieutenant General Osama Ahmed Askar as the new Armed Forces chief of staff, according to an Ittihadiya statement<\/a>. Askar succeeds Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid, who will now become the presidential advisor for a Decent Life initiative, the presidency said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alexandria Medical Investment subsidiary TAT Medical Services just retracted its offer to acquire 100% of Alex Medical Services<\/strong>, according to a Financial Regulatory Authority statement (pdf)<\/a>. The decision comes a few months after TAT Medical upped<\/a>its bid back in June.<\/sup> TAT is the second to exit the heated (and protracted) bidding war for Alex Medical, after Speed Medical<\/a> pulled out earlier in May.<\/p>\n

We now know who the two US companies that have agreed to work with the Military <\/strong>Production Ministry to manufacture desalination tech in Egypt.<\/strong> MPS Infrastructure<\/a> and Aquatech<\/a> signed an agreement forming a consortium with the National Authority for Military Production that will see them set up facilities to manufacture equipment used in desalination and wastewater treatment plants, in a statement (pdf)<\/a> out this morning. This came as part of Cairo Water Week<\/a>, a series of events put on by the government to raise awareness about Egypt\u2019s growing water insecurity and drum up international support for its 20-year strategy to increase its water resources.<\/p>\n

^^ We\u2019ll have more on these stories<\/strong> and others in tomorrow\u2019s EnterpriseAM<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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More Israel-Palestine mediation:<\/strong> Intelligence chief Abbas Kamel will meet Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah in Cairo today to discuss the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions, including Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli press. Egypt recently played<\/a> an instrumental role in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas following a period of intense violence in Gaza, and has since met<\/a> with multiple Hamas delegations and representatives to discuss peace with Israel and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

** CATCH UP QUICK<\/strong> on the top stories from this morning\u2019s EnterpriseAM<\/strong>:<\/p>\n