Highlighting how the ‘world of work’ is evolving fast, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has urged the D-8 member states to undertake action-oriented initiatives including harnessing technology and re-invent ‘learning’. He also encouraged the youths to emerge as agile entrepreneurs by reshaping and further developing their skills and learning. Chief Adviser Dr Yunus returned home on Friday evening wrapping up his official visit to Egypt where he attended the 11th D-8 Summit. A flight of Emirates Airlines carrying the Chief Adviser and his entourage arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around 5:00pm, Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told UNB. Prof Yunus emphasised on the importance of investing in youth and supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), resonating with the theme of the summit, and proposed initiatives for promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and skill development among youth in D-8 countries. Prioritise reconstruction of Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon: Prof Yunus On the sidelines of the D-8 Summit, the chief adviser had bilateral meetings with the presidents of Egypt, Iran and prime minister of Pakistan. The minister of higher education of Malaysia also called on the the chief adviser. During the meetings, the CA expressed satisfaction over the current status of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and those countries and hoped to work more closely in the coming days. He called for establishing impact-driven connects between the Universities of the D-8 member states during his remarks at the D-8 Summit held in Cairo December 19. During the summit, the chief adviser handed over the Chairmanship of the D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation to President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt after a successful tenure of little over three years marked by milestone achievements, including the ratification of the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement and the decision of Establishment of D-8 Youth Council in Dhaka. FS requests Canadian envoy to expedite visa processing for Bangladeshi nationals In his opening remarks, while handing the chairmanship, Prof Yunus extended warm congratulations to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for assuming the D-8 chairmanship. He highlighted Bangladesh's efforts to advance D-8 cooperation amidst global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and multifaceted crises affecting the whole world. Prof Yunus affirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to support Egypt in advancing the cooperative agenda of the D-8. The summit concluded with the adoption of the Cairo Declaration reflecting the collective aspiration and shared commitment of the D-8 member states to address the pressing issues. The Summit was also attended by Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, and Malaysia's Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir. The Chief Adviser also delivered his remarks at a ‘Special Session on the Situation in Gaza and Lebanon’ organized by the Government of Egypt and the D-8 Secretariat after the official session of the Summit on December 19. He urged the world leaders to move beyond humanitarian interventions and start focusing towards the reconstruction of Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. PLO Secretary General thanks Chief Adviser for powerful speech on Palestine at D-8 Summit Prof Yunus reiterated Bangladesh’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and called for an immediate end to hostilities. He urged decisive international actions to address the crisis, emphasizing the need for accountability for war crimes and the realization of a two-State solution with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of an independent and viable Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders. Prof Yunus proposed initiating a D-8-led process to estimate reconstruction costs for Gaza and Lebanon and formulate international strategies for resource mobilization. After the Special Session the D-8 leaders adopted a Joint Communiqué on the Situation in Palestine and Lebanon. Prof Yunus urges focus on attitudes, ethics in skilling young workforce In addition to the D-8 leaders, the Special Session was attended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Ali Asadov, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha, and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus will attend the 11th D-8 Summit which will be held in Cairo, Egypt on December 19.  The Chief Adviser is scheduled to leave Dhaka for Cairo, Egypt early Wednesday (December 18), his Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir told UNB without elaborating further.  Dr Yunus is likely to have a number of meetings on the sidelines of the Summit and preparations are underway, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  This week marks a "pivotal moment" for the D-8 with the 48th Session of the D-8 Commission meeting held in Cairo.  Over the next few days, key discussions will unfold, culminating in the 21st Session of the D-8 Council of Foreign Ministers on December 18 and the highly anticipated 11th D-8 Summit on December 19. These meetings will bring together leaders to strengthen economic cooperation and outline a shared vision for sustainable development among member states. The D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, also known as Developing-8, is an organisation for development cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.  Read: Chief Adviser invited to attend D-8 Summit in Cairo this December Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, among others, are scheduled to join Prof Yunus at the Summit.  Shehbaz Sharif will visit Cairo from December 18-20 to participate in the Developing Eight (D8) Summit. The establishment of the D-8  Organisation for Economic Cooperation was announced officially through the Istanbul Declaration of Summit of Heads of State/Government on 15 June, 1997. Earlier, Egypt invited Chief Adviser Prof Yunus to attend the D-8 Summit. At the Summit, Indonesia will accept the D-8 chairmanship from the current chair, Egypt, for the 2026-2027 period. Indonesia's chairmanship of the D-8 organization will begin on January 1, 2026. Read more: Egypt invites CA Prof Yunus to attend D-8 Summit this year The role of D-8 is increasingly important in the joint efforts to strengthen global awareness of the situation in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip, which is still under Israeli aggression. The D-8 Summit in Cairo, which will be held under the theme "Investing in Youth and Supporting Small Medium Enterprises, Shaping Tomorrow's Economy," reflects the organization's focus on youth and MSMEs issues for the future economy.

A fire ripped through a packed church during morning services in Egypt’s capital on Sunday, killing at least 41 worshippers and injuring 14. The church quickly filled with thick black smoke, and witnesses said several trapped congregants jumped from upper floors to escape. “Suffocation, suffocation, all of them dead,” said a distraught witness, who only gave a partial name, Abu Bishoy. The cause of the blaze in the Abu Sefein church in the working-class neighborhood of Imbaba was not immediately known. An initial investigation pointed to an electrical short-circuit, according to a police statement. Footage from the scene circulated online showed burned furniture, including wooden tables and chairs. Firefighters were seen putting out the blaze while others carried victims to ambulances. Families waited for word on relatives who were inside the church. Witnesses said there were many children inside the building when the fire broke out. “There are children we didn’t know how to get to them,” said Abu Bishoy. “And we don’t know whose son this is, or whose daughter that is. Is this possible?” The country’s health minister blamed the smoke and a stampede as people attempted to flee the fire for causing the fatalities. It was one of the worst fire tragedies in Egypt in recent years. Witness Emad Hanna said the church includes two places used as a daycare for children, and that a church worker managed to get many children out. “We went upstairs and found people dead. And we started to see from outside that the smoke was getting bigger, and people want to jump from the upper floor. ... We found the children.” Egypt’s Coptic Church and the country’s health ministry reported the casualty toll. The church said the fire broke out while a service was underway. The church is located in a narrow street in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Cairo. Fifteen firefighting vehicles were dispatched to the scene to put out the flames while ambulances ferried casualties to nearby hospitals, officials said. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi spoke by phone with the Coptic Christian Pope Tawadros II to offer his condolences, the president’s office said. Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam, also offered his condolences to the head of the Coptic church. “I am closely following the developments of the tragic accident,” el-Sissi wrote on Facebook. “I directed all concerned state agencies and institutions to take all necessary measures, and immediately to deal with this accident and its effects.” Read: European firefighters join battle to stop French wildfires Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghafar said in a statement that two of the injured were discharged from a hospital while 12 others were still being treated. The Interior Ministry said it received a report on the fire at 9 a.m. local time, and that they found that the blaze broke out in an air conditioner in the building’s second floor. The ministry, which oversees police and firefighters, blamed an electrical short-circuit for the fire, which produced huge amounts of smoke. Meanwhile, the country’s chief prosecutor, Hamada el-Sawy, ordered an investigation and a team of prosecutors were dispatched to the church. Later on Sunday, emergency services said they managed to put out the blaze and the prime minister and other senior government officials arrived to inspect the site. Egypt’s Christians account for some 10% of the nation’s more than 103 million people and have long complained of discrimination by the nation’s Muslim majority. Sunday’s blaze was one of the worst fire tragedies in recent years in Egypt, where safety standards and fire regulations are poorly enforced. In March last year, a fire at a garment factory near Cairo killed at least 20 people and injured 24 more.

Launching of flight operation of Egyptair, the state-owned flag carrier of Egypt, between Dhaka and Cairo is likely to get delayed due to increase in airport taxes worldwide. “Due to Coronavirus pandemic, the Egyptair, like other airlines, has to readjust taxes in their reservation system at different destinations across the globe. Thus it is taking time,” Farhad Hossain, executive director and chief operating officer of the Alo Dhaka Aviation, the general sales agent (GSA) of Egyptair, told UNB. Earlier on September 11, Egyptair announced its direct regular flights from Dhaka to Cairo on November 1, 2021. Read: US-Bangla to resume Dhaka-Kolkata flights from October 21 “Now, it could be delayed, and we hope we could be able to launch the non-stop flight operation on Dhaka - Cairo - Dhaka sometime in December,” Farhad added. He said that all the necessary arrangements and preparations are in progress to make a regular flight operation of Egyptair. He noted two flights a week would initially operate between Dhaka and Cairo. “The frequency of the flight operations will be increased further from January 2022,” he said. Egyptair has operations to over 80 destinations in different cities worldwide, including 15 domestic destinations in Egypt. Officials of ALO Dhaka Aviation Limited – GSA of Egypt Air said they would announce several packages for the passengers and tour operators to encourage people to visit historical tourist sites in Egypt, including pyramids and some other attractive museums. In addition, many Bangladeshi nationals who live abroad can also travel through Egyptair to take transit in Cairo to their destinations across the world as the airline has huge connectivity with other cities, and Egypt Air is a member of Star Alliance. Read: Bangladesh-India flight frequency ‘to increase’ Egyptair officials said the start of its direct flights between Dhaka and Cairo would offer an excellent opportunity for different stakeholders to visit Egypt, Europe, Africa, and North America. In addition, it would reflect the exchange of businesses, cargo, and hosting Bangladeshi students in Egyptian universities and tourists who would come to explore the multifaceted Egyptian tourism they hoped. Egyptair, headquartered at Cairo International Airport, currently has a fleet of 69 modern aircraft and operates scheduled passenger and freight services to over 80 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

More than 100 accusers have emerged online in the past two weeks, triggering a new #MeToo movement in Egypt.

Arab foreign ministers are meeting Saturday in Egypt's capital to discuss a White House plan for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would grant the Palestinians limited self-rule in parts of the occupied West Bank, while allowing Israel to annex all its settlements there and keep nearly all of east Jerusalem.