Authorities in Egypt are investigating the deaths of four coronavirus patients at a hospital in the Nile Delta.
The government denied allegations they were caused by a shortage of oxygen.
Word of the incident in the intensive care unit of the state-run Al Husseinya Hospital in Sharqyah province reached the public after a video clip reportedly showing the moments after the four deaths appeared online.
It created a storm on social media and sparked allegations of negligence and a cover-up.
The video appears to show staff at the hospital struggling to keep the patients, two women and two men between the ages of 44 to 76, alive.
One nurse can be seen with her head buried in her hands while others rush past her.
A female voice, apparently belonging to a relative of one of the four, is heard using strong language to berate the government for alleged negligence.
But Health Minister Hala Zayed and the governor of Sharqyah, Mamdouh Ghorab, denied that the patients died from a lack of oxygen.
Neither had they died at the same time, the officials said.
Mr Ghorab said the four had pre-existing conditions, which were compounded by coronavirus.
The incident, together with a similar one elsewhere in the Nile Delta, created such a stir Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli conferred with Mrs Zayed on Sunday night for a review, in what appeared to be an unscheduled meeting.
News of the four deaths broke after two coronavirus patients in Menoufyah, another Nile Delta province, died last week at a government-run hospital. Relatives attributed those deaths to a lack of oxygen. Authorities said the two patients there also suffered pre-existing conditions.
Prosecutors questioned relatives of the two deceased. They have ordered health experts to examine the equipment used at the hospital, to ascertain its condition and whether the deaths were caused by negligence.
There were no details available on the investigation into the four deaths in Sharqyah except that Ms Zayed has sent teams to the hospital there and the one in Menoufyah to check on the oxygen supply and the equipment used to administer it.
A health ministry statement quoted Ms Zayed as saying that a daily report on the availability of oxygen at hospitals nationwide would be submitted to the prime minister.
Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, with more than 100 million people, is in the grip of a surge of confirmed Covid-19 cases.
This has prompted the closure of schools and universities until late February.
The government, however, is resisting calls for a lockdown, arguing that it would damage the economy.
Instead, authorities are seeking to more diligently enforce preventive measures such as social distancing and the mandatory use of masks in crowded public spaces.
Authorities, meanwhile, announced that the vaccine made by China's Sinopharm has been approved for emergency use, and inoculations would begin within two weeks.
In televised comments on Saturday, Ms Zayed said negotiations were also under way to procure two other vaccines — one from Oxford University and AstraZeneca and one from Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech.
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Results
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EElite%20men%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Amare%20Hailemichael%20Samson%20(ERI)%202%3A07%3A10%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Leornard%20Barsoton%20(KEN)%202%3A09%3A37%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Ilham%20Ozbilan%20(TUR)%202%3A10%3A16%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Gideon%20Chepkonga%20(KEN)%202%3A11%3A17%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Isaac%20Timoi%20(KEN)%202%3A11%3A34%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EElite%20women%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Brigid%20Kosgei%20(KEN)%202%3A19%3A15%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Hawi%20Feysa%20Gejia%20(ETH)%202%3A24%3A03%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Sintayehu%20Dessi%20(ETH)%202%3A25%3A36%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Aurelia%20Kiptui%20(KEN)%202%3A28%3A59%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Emily%20Kipchumba%20(KEN)%202%3A29%3A52%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
