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☆ Israel, Sudan announce deal to normalise relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KHARTOUM, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Israel and Sudan have finalised a deal to normalise relations, with a signing ceremony expected following a transfer of power from the military to a civilian government in Khartoum, the Israeli foreign ministry said on Thursday. Sudan's foreign ministry earlier said the deal was agreed during a visit by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to "move forward towards normalising relations between the two countries". "During the visit, which was made with the consent of the United States, the parties finalised the text of the agreement," an Israeli foreign ministry statement said. As intelligence minister that same year, Cohen made a ground-breaking visit to Sudan, a majority Muslim country. "Yes to negotiations between Israel and Sudan, yes to recognition of Israel and yes to peace between the states and between the peoples."

☆ Blinken discusses Mideast tensions with Egypt's Sisi on first leg of tour
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) in Cairo, Egypt January 30, 2023. After arriving in Cairo on Sunday, Blinken met four activists to discuss the human rights situation in Egypt, said Hossam Bahgat, one of those who took part in the meeting. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has withheld some military aid, citing a failure to meet human rights conditions, though advocacy groups have pushed for more to be held back. "He was already well aware of the magnitude of Egypt's human rights crisis and that many more new political prisoners are detained than those the regime claims to be pardoning," Bahgat told Reuters after meeting Blinken. "I think the Biden administration now accepts that two years of engaging Sisi on human rights have not led to much improvement."

☆ India puts military and diversity on display for Republic Day parade
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI, Jan 26 (Reuters) - India showcased its military and its cultural diversity in a colourful parade on Thursday at the revamped colonial avenue in New Delhi to mark Republic Day, the anniversary of the day the country's secular Constitution came into effect in 1950. Several thousand people watched the parade from seats around Kartavya Path - or path of duty - braving the cold on a foggy morning in New Delhi, while millions more watched on television. Accompanied by marching bands, troops from the country's military, border and police forces paced in perfect synchronisation towards the dais where President Droupadi Murmu took the salute. [1/3] A girl wearing a face mask holds the Indian national flag as she attends a flag hoisting ceremony during India's Republic Day celebrations in Ahmedabad, India, January 26, 2022. But foggy weather spoilt the spectacle, as spectators struggled to catch a glimpse of the aircraft as they roared overhead.

☆ Egypt's Sisi heads to India amid investment push
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi begins a visit to India on Wednesday where he will meet business leaders and be a guest of honour at India's Jan. 26 Republic Day. The trip will include discussions on strengthening economic relations between the two countries and reviewing opportunities for Indian investment in Egypt, a statement from the Egyptian presidency said. Egypt is trying to drum up foreign investment as it tries to manage a dollar shortage that has led to a sharp depreciation of the Egyptian pound. Last year it sought help from energy-rich Gulf allies and the International Monetary Fund after the economic fallout from the war in Ukraine exacerbated its underlying challenges. Reporting by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Christina FincherOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italy's foreign minister eyes migration, energy on trip to Cairo
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Aidan Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani attends a European Union foreign ministers' meeting with their counterparts from 'Eastern Partnership' countries in Brussels, Belgium December 12, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna GeronCAIRO, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Italy's Foreign Minister said on Sunday his country saw Egypt as an important partner in stemming irregular migration across the Mediterranean and in bolstering its energy security. As part of efforts to tackle irregular migration, Italy was "ready to have more legal migrants, including those coming from Egypt", Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said during a trip to Cairo. "The solution to the Libyan problem is also part of the solution of the illegal immigration problem," said Tajani. Italy aspires to be a big European energy hub and on this point there can be convergence with Egypt," he said.

☆ Egypt's soaring prices drive home economic pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Mariam Rizk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Over recent months accelerating inflation has pummelled the spending power of Egyptians, who had already endured repeated economic shocks and years of austerity. The government says it is doing what it can to tamp down prices and expand social spending, often blaming current pressures on external factors linked to the war in Ukraine. While many countries are struggling to contain rampant inflation, Egypt, with a population of 104 million, is among the hardest hit. Reuters GraphicsStill, more economic turmoil in the shorter term complicates Egypt's plans to try to turn things round after the political and economic turbulence that followed its 2011 Arab Spring uprising. The agreement also provides for increasing social spending to protect the vulnerable.

☆ Egypt Is Spending Billions on a New Capital That Egyptians May Not Visit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Chao Deng | Amira El-Fekki | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO—In a desert plain 40 miles east of central Cairo, a sprawling new capital city is taking shape, with skyscrapers, luxury residences and pedestrian malls representing President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi ‘s vision of a modern Egypt, fueled by billions of dollars in debt to help see it through. Now comes the hard part: getting people to live and work there.

☆ Egypt: How the Arab world's most populous country became addicted to debt
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The loan, along with billions of dollars in cash inflows from Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, are Band-Aids, experts say, designed to keep the Arab world’s most populous country afloat. Without proper reforms, however, Egypt may never be able to shake off its chronic financial woes and break its growing debt addiction. Billions of dollars from Abu Dhabi and Riyadh have poured into the Egyptian economy in recent years. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) also launched the Saudi Egyptian Investment Company (SEIC) in August, a company dedicated to investments in several vital sectors of the Egyptian economy. Still, the Egyptian economy has struggled to shake off its economic woes.

Leaders of Arab League states spanning the Gulf, Levant and Africa began arriving in Riyadh on Thursday when Xi received a lavish reception by Prince Mohammed and signed a China-Saudi partnership pact with King Salman, demonstrating deepening ties. Oil giant Saudi Arabia is a top supplier to China and the joint statement reaffirmed the importance of global market stability and energy collaboration, while striving to boost non-oil trade and enhance cooperation in peaceful nuclear power. Xi invited King Salman to visit China, Saudi state television reported. Diplomats said the Chinese delegation would sign agreements and memoranda of understanding with several states in addition to Saudi Arabia, which inked an MOU with Huawei on cloud computing and building high-tech complexes in Saudi cities. The Chinese tech giant has participated in building 5G networks in most Gulf states despite U.S. concerns over a possible security risk in using its technology.

After signing the deal, military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said civilians should control politics and guide foreign policy. Last year's military coup halted a power-sharing arrangement between the military and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition, and Sudan has been without a prime minister since the start of the year. The takeover led to more than a year of mass protests against the military, during which security forces killed more than 100 civilians, according to a tally by medics. [1/5] Signatory parties stand and raise signed copies of the agreement between military rulers and civilian powers in Khartoum, Sudan December 5, 2022. International partners, who helped mediate the framework deal, say a credible civilian government is needed before assistance can be restored.

☆ Fiance of U.S. citizen detained in UAE fears he will be extradited to Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Dec 4 (Reuters) - An Egyptian-American national detained while visiting the United Arab Emirates fears he will be extradited to Egypt for criticising authorities there ahead of the country hosting the COP27 climate conference last month, his fiance said on Sunday. The UAE, a close ally of Egypt, arrested Sherif Osman, who resides in the United States, on Nov. 6 at the request of an Arab League entity responsible for coordinating law enforcement and security matters, a UAE official confirmed to Reuters on Thursday. The United States was aware of Osman's arrest in Dubai, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Thursday, and was "watching his case closely and providing appropriate consular support". Osman's fiance said she had travelled to the UAE with him to meet his sister, who lives in Dubai, and his mother who had planned to visit from Egypt. The UAE official had said the UAE "strictly adheres to all internationally accepted standards" in detention cases including regular consular access and legal council.

BEIRUT/ANKARA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Syria is resisting Russian efforts to broker a summit with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan, three sources said on Friday, after more than a decade of bitter enmity since the outbreak of Syria's civil war. Assad says it is Turkey which has backed terrorism by supporting an array of fighters including Islamist factions and launching repeated military incursions inside northern Syria. Ankara is readying another possible operation, after blaming Syrian Kurdish fighters for a bombing in Istanbul. However, three sources with knowledge of Syria's position on possible talks said Assad had rejected a proposal to meet Erdogan with Russia's President Vladimir Putin. "It would be the beginning of a major change in Syria and would have very positive effects on Turkey.

☆ American Arrested in Dubai at Risk of Deportation to Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Stephen Kalin | Chao Deng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—An American citizen arrested recently on a visit to the United Arab Emirates faces possible extradition to his native Egypt after criticizing Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and calling on Egyptians to protest in videos he made while living in the U.S.Sherif Osman, 46, an Egyptian-American dual national, was one of a handful of Egyptians abroad urging people to organize demonstrations during a United Nations climate summit in November held in the Egyptian beach city of Sharm El Sheikh and attended by world leaders including President Biden.

Pro-Palestinian sympathies among fans have also spilt into stadiums as four Arab teams compete. Qatari players have worn pro-Palestinian arm-bands, even as Qatar has allowed Israeli fans to fly in directly for the first time. The first Middle Eastern nation to host the World Cup, Qatar has often seemed a regional maverick: it hosts the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas but has also previously had some trade relations with Israel. Arab fans have shunned Israeli journalists reporting from Qatar. Omar Barakat, a soccer coach for the Palestinian national team who was in Doha for the World Cup, said he had carried his flag into matches without being stopped.

☆ Erdogan says Turkish, Egyptian ministers to meet in process of building ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ISTANBUL, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in comments broadcast on Sunday that a process of building relations with Egypt will start with ministers of the two countries meeting and that the talks would develop from there. "We had narrowly focused talks with Mr. Sisi there and said now let's have ministers coming and going at a low level. After that, let's broaden and widen these talks," Erdogan said, also signalling the possibility of improving ties with rival Syria. "Just as this business is now on track with Egypt, things may also get on track with Syria," he said. Reporting by Omer Berberoglu; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Egypt's Sisi to attend Qatar World Cup opening ceremony – state TV
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will head to Qatar to attend the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony on Sunday, state TV quoted the presidency as saying. Qatar has thawed ties with Egypt and its Gulf neighbours after a resolution early last year to end a political row that had seen Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt boycott Doha for over three years. Reporting by Yasmin Hussein; Writing Mahmoud Mourad; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Soccer Qatar's Bedouin roots star in World Cup opening ceremony
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"From Qatar, from the Arab world, I welcome everyone to the World Cup 2022," Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said. "How lovely it is that people can put aside what divides them to celebrate their diversity and what brings them together." Then, fireworks exploded from the roof of Al Bayt stadium, 44 km (27 miles) north of the capital, Doha. Earlier, the nearly full stadium erupted in cheers when Sheikh Tamim arrived at the stadium flanked by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The ceremony featured video footage of Sheikh Tamim as a boy playing soccer in the desert, which seemed aimed at countering the argument made by Qatar's critics that the Gulf Arab state has no soccer tradition.

☆ Egyptian-British hunger striker's family say they received 'proof of life' letter
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The sister of Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah said on Monday the family had received a letter from prison that served as "proof of life" from the hunger striker. Since then his family and his lawyer had made repeated trips to the prison where he is detained northwest of Cairo, but had received no news on his condition. Since he obtained British citizenship in December, British officials have sought unsuccessfully to secure consular access to Abd el-Fattah. Abd el-Fattah's lawyer Khaled Ali said he was at the prison along with his mother Laila Soueif, and was waiting for prison authorities to allow him to visit. Egypt's public prosecutor said on Thursday Abd el-Fattah was in good health, after the family said they were informed that medical intervention had been carried out to maintain his health.

☆ Sister of jailed hunger striker says she has appealed to Egyptian president
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A sister of jailed hunger striker Alaa Abd el-Fattah said she has appealed directly to Egypt’s president for an amnesty for her brother, whose protest has overshadowed a global climate summit in Egypt this week. Mona Seif resubmitted a request for clemency which she first made in June, along with a personal plea to Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, she said in a post on social media late on Friday. Sisi met U.S. President Joe Biden at the COP27 climate summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday. Sisi said he told Biden that Egypt has launched a national strategy for human rights and a national dialogue. Abd el-Fattah, a prominent blogger and activist who has been in detention for much of the last decade, has been on hunger strike since April 2.

☆ Curbs on rights weaken Egypt's climate talks, campaigners say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Dominic Evans | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] People walk outside of the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre during the COP27 climate summit opening in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt November 6, 2022. Climate action "requires more people on the street, more voices, more independent research, more independent reporting, more accountability when climate obligations are not met," said Tirana Hassan, Human Rights Watch's acting Executive Director. "That's not going to happen under governments such as the Egyptian government which is excluding civil society, independent journalism and academia," she told a meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh this week. Despite those criticisms some delegates argued that there was a benefit to holding the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh to shine a light briefly on Egypt's record. "This is a huge opportunity," Egyptian journalist and human rights advocate Hossam Bahgat said.

☆ Sister of jailed hunger striker says she has appealed to Egypt president
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 12 (Reuters) - A sister of jailed hunger striker Alaa Abd el-Fattah said she has appealed directly to Egypt's president for an amnesty for her brother, whose protest has overshadowed a global climate summit in Egypt this week. Sisi met U.S. President Joe Biden at the COP27 climate summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday. Without naming Abd el-Fattah, the White House said Biden raised human rights during their talks. Sisi said he told Biden that Egypt has launched a national strategy for human rights and a national dialogue. Abd el-Fattah, a prominent blogger and activist who has been in detention for much of the last decade, has been on hunger strike since April 2.

☆ U.S. doing all it can for release of hunger striker in Egypt, security adviser says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The United States is doing "everything it can" to secure the release of Egytian-British activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah from jail in Egypt and President Joe Biden raised the case with his Egyptian counterpart, the U.S. national security adviser said on Saturday. "We are doing everything we can to secure his release, as well as the release of a number of other political prisoners," Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One after leaving Egypt. Sisi said he told Biden that Egypt has launched a national strategy for human rights and a national dialogue. Rights groups say tens of thousands of people have been arrested since then including Islamists, leftists and liberals. Reporting by Dominic Evans and Nandita Bose; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden addressed the COP27 climate conference in Egypt on Friday, saying the global climate crisis posed an existential threat to the planet and promising that the United States was doing its part to combat it. "The climate crisis is about human security, economic security, environmental security, national security, and the very life of the planet," Biden said, before outlining steps the United States, the world’s second-biggest greenhouse gas emitter, was taking. It came even as a slew of crises - from a land war in Europe to rampant inflation - distract international focus. "Against this backdrop, it's more urgent than ever that we double down on our climate commitments. Upon arrival, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told U.S. President Joe Biden that Egypt has launched a national strategy for human rights and is keen to develop in that regard.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden told the COP27 climate conference in Egypt on Friday that global warming posed an existential threat to the planet and promised the United States would meet its targets for fighting it. "The climate crisis is about human security, economic security, environmental security, national security, and the very life of the planet," Biden told a crowded room of delegates at the U.N. summit in the seaside resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. Biden said global crises, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, were not an excuse to lower climate ambition. U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a speech at COP27 climate summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, November 11, 2022. "It's radio silence on loss and damage finance," Singh said, calling Biden "out of touch with the reality of the climate crisis."

☆ Egyptian authorities intervene in prisoner's hunger strike, family says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Abd el-Fattah's sister Mona Seif said Ali was negotiating access at the prison. Abd el-Fattah's hunger strike has loomed over the U.N. talks, with another sister, Sanaa Seif, flying in to campaign for his release, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak raising the issue with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Without water, Abd el-Fattah's health could rapidly deteriorate and the United Nation's rights agency has expressed concern for his life. They said previously that Abd el-Fattah was being given meals. He is on hunger strike against his detention and prison conditions.

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