{"id":562011,"date":"2021-05-04T03:36:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T03:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2021\/05\/04\/this-morning-a-top-us-official-starts-a-regional-gerd-tour-a-six-day-heat-wave-starts-its-deadline-day-for-income-and-wages-taxes\/"},"modified":"2021-05-04T03:36:15","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T03:36:15","slug":"this-morning-a-top-us-official-starts-a-regional-gerd-tour-a-six-day-heat-wave-starts-its-deadline-day-for-income-and-wages-taxes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2021\/05\/04\/this-morning-a-top-us-official-starts-a-regional-gerd-tour-a-six-day-heat-wave-starts-its-deadline-day-for-income-and-wages-taxes\/","title":{"rendered":"THIS MORNING: A top US official starts a regional GERD tour, a six-day heat wave starts + it\u2019s deadline day for income and wages taxes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, wonderful people, and welcome to a very short workweek. <\/strong>We hope you all had a relaxing long weekend with family and (socially distanced) friends.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re just a little over a week away from our next holiday<\/strong>, as Eid El Fitr looks likely to begin next Thursday, 13 May and end on Saturday, 15 May.<\/p>\n

PSA #1- We\u2019re looking at a six-day heat wave: <\/strong>The mercury is headed for 42\u00b0C today and will peak at 44\u00b0C on Sunday, according to our favourite weather app, before falling to a more seasonally appropriate 32\u00b0C on the first day of Eid El Fitr.<\/p>\n

PSA #2- So, when do we eat?<\/strong> We sit down for iftar at 6:34pm this evening, and will have until 3:33am to wrap up our sohour.<\/p>\n

THE BIG STORY here at home this morning? <\/strong>That could be the rising amplitude of the third wave now washing across the nation \u2014 and increasingly encouraging signs about future vaccine availability. We have all the details in this morning\u2019s news well, below.<\/p>\n

THE BIG STORY INTERNATIONALLY- <\/strong>It\u2019s a toss-up between US President Joe Biden announcing last night<\/a> that he would raise the cap on the US\u2019 annual admission of refugees \u2014 and Bill and Melinda Gates deciding to get a divorce (statement on Twitter<\/a>) after nearly three decades of marriage (the NYT has more<\/a>).<\/p>\n

WHAT\u2019S HAPPENING TODAY-<\/strong><\/p>\n

Businesses have until today to file their wage tax returns<\/strong>, the Tax Authority said in a statement<\/a> on Friday. The due date for submitting returns was originally 30 April but the Tax Authority extended the deadline due to the national holidays. You also have until today to file your corporate tax return<\/strong>, which was also due on 30 April.<\/p>\n

US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman begins today a 10-day trip<\/strong> that will take him to Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan<\/strong> \u201cto address the interlinked political, security, and humanitarian crises\u201d in the area, according to a State Department statement<\/a>. Feltman \u2014 who was appointed last month<\/a> \u2014 will meet with officials from the four countries, as well as from the UN and African Union. His trip comes as Egypt continues to lobby for US involvement in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam impasse. We have more in this morning\u2019s news well.<\/p>\n

A separate team of senior US officials could be making a stop in Egypt this week<\/strong> as part of a region-wide tour to assuage concerns about the Biden administration\u2019s bid to revive the nuclear agreement with Iran, Bloomberg<\/a> reported on Friday. The team of National Security Council and State Department officials will reportedly also make stops in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan.<\/p>\n

A court decision <\/strong>could be handed down today<\/a><\/strong> on Shoei Kisen\u2019s appeal against the <\/strong>seizure of the<\/strong> Ever Given.<\/strong> The Japanese company appealed the decision of an Ismailia court that last month allowed the Suez Canal Authority to seize the ship while it seeks more than USD 900 mn in compensation for the incident. Shoei Kisen also wants the owners of the 18k containers on board to help pay the damages, the Associated Press<\/a> reported Friday. Meanwhile, three of the 25 crew members still aboard the Ever Given will be allowed to return home<\/strong> to India after their contracts expired, the ship\u2019s German manager Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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