{"id":561358,"date":"2021-04-05T04:00:50","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T04:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2021\/04\/05\/what-were-tracking-on-5-april-2021\/"},"modified":"2021-04-05T04:00:50","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T04:00:50","slug":"what-were-tracking-on-5-april-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2021\/04\/05\/what-were-tracking-on-5-april-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"What we\u2019re tracking on 5 April 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, nice people. <\/strong>We have lots of stuff going on today as we speed toward the first day of Ramadan \u2014 those who observe will start fasting one week from tomorrow, so look for the coming week to be a busy one.<\/p>\n

THE BIG STORY OF THE DAY here at home: <\/strong>We could be facing new restrictions designed to tamp down the amplitude of the third wave of covid-19 if we don\u2019t all start playing ball now. We have chapter and verse in this morning\u2019s news well, below.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s PMI day:<\/strong> Figures measuring business activity in Egypt\u2019s non-oil private sector in March will land here<\/a> at 6:15 am CLT. The recovery stalled in December and business activity continued to contract in February<\/a>, albeit at a slower pace than it did the previous month.<\/p>\n

<\/a> The <\/strong>Spring Meetings<\/a><\/strong> of the IMF and the World Bank Group begin <\/strong>today<\/strong> and run <\/strong>through Sunday, 11 April. <\/strong>This year\u2019s virtual meetings will bring together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, private sector executives, representatives from civil society organizations and academics.<\/p>\n

Look for the meeting to dominate business and economy news this week<\/strong>, with the Wall<\/a> Street Journal<\/a> writing, \u201cThe world\u2019s top economic officials plan to focus \u2026 on the prospect of new Covid-19 variants and shutdowns undermining the global rebound, while weighing measures to prevent lasting damage to the poorest and most vulnerable populations.\u201d Some events will be open to the public and can be streamed live from the World Bank\u2019s platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a> GERD talks wrap today:<\/strong> Three days of talks between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in a bid to get negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) back on track are wrapping up today in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The foreign and irrigation ministers from each country are trying to agree on how to restart negotiations. Positions remain entrenched on the issue, with Egypt and Sudan calling for bringing in new international mediators and Ethiopia preferring to stick with the African Union-led process.<\/p>\n

This is the \u201clast chance\u201d to reach an agreement<\/strong>, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in a<\/a> statement<\/a> last night. \u201cThese negotiations represent the final chance the three countries must seize in order to reach an agreement to fill and operate the GERD ... before the upcoming floods season,\u201d he said. Ethiopia is planning to push ahead with the second filling of the dam in July and August this year with or without an agreement \u2014 an act President Abdel Fattah El Sisi last called a \u201cred line\u201d<\/a> for the Egyptian government.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Unesco director-general Audrey Azoula\u2019s final day in Egypt.<\/strong> She heads to Aswan today after attending the inauguration<\/a> of the Museum of Egyptian Civilizations in Fustat on Saturday night and holding talks<\/a> with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi yesterday. She also visited<\/a> a number of sites around Cairo yesterday including Saqqara, the Pyramids of Giza and Islamic Old Cairo.<\/p>\n

THE BIG STO<\/strong>RY IN THE REGION-<\/strong> Jordan has accused King Abdullah II\u2019s half-brother, <\/strong>former Crown Prince Hamza Bin Hussein, of plotting to destabilize the kingdom<\/strong> in concert with foreign entities, Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi said yesterday. \u201cThe investigations had monitored interferences and communications with foreign parties over the right timing to destabilise Jordan,\u201d he said, claiming that a foreign intelligence agency had planned to evacuate Prince Hamza and his wife from the country. The Jordanian government on Saturday arrested<\/a> 16 people to protect the \u201csecurity and stability\u201d of the country. Hamza has denied<\/a> being a part of a foreign conspiracy. Bloomberg<\/a>and Reuters<\/a> have full coverage of the story.<\/p>\n

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi spoke to King Abdullah via phone yesterday<\/strong> and reiterated Egypt\u2019s support for the stability of the kingdom, according to an Ittihadiya statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

** CATCH UP QUICK <\/strong>on the top stories from yesterday\u2019s edition of EnterprisePM:<\/p>\n