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☆ After Saudi Arabia, Iran may be patching up with its oldest Arab foe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The feud became the longest between Iran and an Arab country in modern times. Khamenei’s recent comments come as Saudi Arabia normalizes ties with Iran after nearly eight years of a diplomatic freeze. Apart from Saudi Arabia and Iran, Egypt has reconciled with both Turkey and Qatar, and the Arab League last month welcomed Syria back as a member after more than a decade of isolation. Weight of historical symbolismAs the years passed by, Egypt and Iran only grew apart, with little desire to reconcile from either party. Most Arab states continue to reject recognition of Israel.

Persons: Princess Fawzia, Iran’s Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Fawzia, King Farouk I –, –, Pahlavi, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran “, ”, Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq, Trita Parsi, ” Parsi, “, Abdel Fattah al, Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Shah, Anwar Sadat, King Farouk, Sadat, Khaled Islambouli, Hosni Mubarak, chargé d’affaires, Mubarak, Mohamed Mursi, Parsi, “ Israel, Abraham, Israel, won’t Organizations: CNN, Iran’s Crown, Iran’s, Media, Tehran, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Arab League, Quincy Institute, Oman News Agency, Reuters Analysts, Cairo Citadel, West, Israel, Abraham Accords Locations: Egypt, Iran, Tehran, Saudi Arabia, United States, ”, London, Cairo, Turkey, Qatar, Syria, West, Washington ,, Al, Rifa’I, Israel, Republic, Ater

☆ Annecy gathers in support of knife attack victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, June 11 (Reuters) - Citizens of the southeastern French town of Annecy gathered on Sunday in support of victims of the knife attack which gravely wounded four toddlers and two pensioners on Thursday. Annecy Mayor Francois Astorg told the crowd the attack was "a tragedy touching our city, the country and the whole world. The suspect, a Syrian refugee, is under formal investigation for attempted murder and was placed in detention on Saturday. The injured are no longer in critical condition, Annecy Prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis told a news conference on Saturday, though the four children remained in hospital. The stabbing was the first violent attack targeting children since 2012, when gunman Mohamed Merah shot three Jewish children and one of their parents, and then three soldiers, in Toulouse.

Persons: Annecy Mayor Francois Astorg, Astorg, Mathis, Mohamed Merah, Dominique Vidalon, David Holmes Organizations: Annecy Mayor, Annecy Prosecutor, Thomson Locations: French, Annecy, Syrian, Toulouse

REUTERS/Denis BalibousePARIS, June 10 (Reuters) - The suspect in a knife attack in which four toddlers and two pensioners were wounded in the southeastern French town of Annecy on Thursday has been placed in detention, the local prosecutor said on Saturday. The suspect, a Syrian refugee born in 1991, is under formal investigation for attempted murder and resisting arrest with a weapon, the prosecutor said. The injured are no longer in critical condition, Annecy Prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis told a news conference, adding that the four children were still in hospital. The suspect has chosen not to speak while in police custody and when presented before judges, the prosecutor said. Witnesses told investigators that they heard the suspect call out for "his wife, his daughter" and shouted "Jesus Christ", the prosecutor added.

Persons: Denis Balibouse PARIS, Mathis, Mohamed Merah, Bonnet, Christ, Dominique Vidalon, Cecile Mantovani, Hugh Lawson, Louise Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Annecy Prosecutor, Thomson Locations: Annecy, French, France, Syrian, Toulouse, Savoie, Sweden, Turkey, Italy, Switzerland, Swedish

☆ MLS awards expansion team to San Diego
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 18 (Reuters) - Major League Soccer (MLS) awarded its 30th team to San Diego on Thursday, with the club set to make their debut in 2025 under the ownership of entrepreneur and investor Mohamed Mansour. The team will share the new, 35,000-seat Snapdragon Stadium with an existing women's team, San Diego Wave of the National Women's Soccer League. "Sycuan has deep roots to the San Diego community," said Sycuan Tribal Chairman Cody Martinez. "Our MLS team will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community." Adding some star power to the ownership ranks is the San Diego Padres six-time All-Star Manny Machado.

☆ Egypt launches national dialogue amid ongoing security crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Farah Saafan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO, May 3 (Reuters) - Egypt launched a national political dialogue on Wednesday that authorities said was meant to generate debate around the country's future, though the chair of the event said several areas of discussion would be off limits. It is one of several steps aimed at countering criticism of Egypt's human rights record. Other measures include a five-year human rights strategy and a presidential amnesty committee that is considering thousands of requests to free some of those jailed under Sisi's rule. The dialogue's chairperson, Diaa Rashwan, said all sessions would be open to the media but discussions around the constitution, foreign policy and "strategic national security" would be off limits. Critics say recent steps on human rights are cosmetic, pointing to continuing detentions and arrests of dissidents, and say they doubt the dialogue signals real change.

During the current fighting Egypt has joined calls for an effective ceasefire while saying they consider the conflict an internal matter for Sudan. The most important regional ally for Hemedti before the conflict was the United Arab Emirates. Hemedti said he advised Sudan to cut ties to Wagner after the U.S. imposed sanctions on the private military contractor. Saudi Arabia has had close ties to Burhan and Hemedti, both of whom sent troops to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Israel, which had been hoping to move forward in normalising ties with Sudan, has also offered to host talks.

☆ Egyptian minister to visit Turkey as ties improve - Ankara
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ANKARA, April 10 (Reuters) - Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is likely to visit Turkey again this week, the government in Ankara said on Monday, adding that progress could be made towards reinstatement of envoys after relations ended a decade ago. Cavusoglu visited Cairo last month, a decade after diplomatic links were cut by the overthrow of Egypt's then president and Ankara's ally Mohamed Mursi. Shoukry also visited Turkey two weeks ago to show solidarity after the massive earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria. Consultations between senior foreign ministry officials in Ankara and Cairo began in 2021 as Turkey sought better ties with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Saudi Arabia. But normalisation between Ankara and Cairo accelerated after Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan shook hands in Doha at the World Cup.

☆ Factbox: In Middle East, once improbable ententes set new tone
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Some U.S. allies had concluded their interests are not best served by a highly polarised Middle East, he added. The agreement between leading Sunni Arab power Saudi Arabia and the Shi'ite Islamist government in Tehran could defuse tensions and conflicts such as the Yemen war. Saudi Arabia has turned to China at a time of strain in its historic alliance with the United States. Saudi Arabia took the lead in rebuilding ties in 2021, declaring an end to the boycott of Qatar. Sources say Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reopen embassies.

☆ Egypt's Sisi heads to Saudi Arabia amid financial pressure, regional realignment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, April 2 (Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is travelling to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, according to three diplomatic sources, as Cairo continues to seek financial inflows to ease pressure on its currency and bolster a faltering economy. The trip also comes amid a major diplomatic realignment in the region, with moves by Saudi Arabia and Egypt to ease tensions with Syria, Iran and Turkey. There was no immediate official comment from Egypt or Saudi Arabia on the visit. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have repeatedly come to Egypt's help since Sisi led the ouster of Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood a decade ago. When Egypt's financial difficulties were exposed and exacerbated by the fallout from the war in Ukraine last year, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar made deposits in Egypt's central bank and pledged major new investments.

☆ Egypt's Sisi visits Saudi Arabia amid financial pressure, regional realignment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

RIYADH, April 2 (Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Saudi state news agency SPA said, as Cairo seeks financial inflows to ease pressure on its currency and bolster a faltering economy. The trip also comes amid a major diplomatic realignment in the region, with moves by Saudi Arabia and Egypt to ease tensions with Syria, Iran and Turkey. Other Saudi and Egyptian officials, including Saudi national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, attended the meeting, it added. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have repeatedly come to Egypt's help since Sisi led the ouster of Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood a decade ago. When Egypt's financial difficulties were exposed and exacerbated by the fallout from the war in Ukraine last year, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar made deposits in Egypt's central bank and pledged major new investments.

☆ Morocco coach Regragui in dreamland after win over Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Osama Khairy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 26 (Reuters) - Morocco coach Walid Regragui has hailed his team as history makers after they followed up their giant-killing feats of last year's World Cup with their first win over Brazil in a friendly in Tangier on Saturday. The Atlas Lions became the first Arab team to defeat the five-times world champions, with goals from Sofiane Boufal and substitute Abdelhamid Sabiri earning Morocco a 2-1 victory. We beat Brazil, who are number one in the FIFA rankings and the country of football." "To make the celebration beautiful, we had to win this match and that's what we did," Morocco centre back Romain Saiss said. The result was further proof of the strides Morocco have made under Regragui.

At a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said talks with Turkey on the possibility of restoring ties to ambassadorial level would happen at "the appropriate time". Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey would upgrade its diplomatic relations with Egypt to ambassador level "as soon as possible". "There is a political will and directives from the presidents of both countries when they met in Doha ... to launch the path towards a full normalisation of relations," Shoukry said. Consultations between senior foreign ministry officials in Ankara and Cairo began in 2021, amid a push by Turkey to ease tensions with Egypt, the UAE, Israel and Saudi Arabia. As part of that tentative reconciliation, Ankara asked Egyptian opposition TV channels operating in Turkey to moderate their criticism of Egypt.

☆ Top Egyptian and Turkish diplomats hold talks in Cairo amid improving ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo, Egypt March 18, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El GhanyCAIRO, March 18 (Reuters) - Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held talks with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo on Saturday, in the first such visit after a decade of ruptured ties. Cavusoglu and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry were expected to discuss a range of bilateral and international issues in a step towards restoring normal relations, according to statements from the two sides. As part of that tentative reconciliation, Ankara asked Egyptian opposition TV channels operating in Turkey to moderate their criticism of Egypt. Last month, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited Turkey in a show of solidarity after the massive earthquakes that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria.

Summary Egyptian FM says 'goal of visit primarily humanitarian'And to 'pass on our solidarity' from people of EgyptArab League suspended Syria in 2011DAMASCUS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Egypt's foreign minister met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday in the first visits to Syria and Turkey by a top Egyptian diplomat in a decade. "The goal of the visit is primarily humanitarian, and to pass on our solidarity – from the leadership, the government and the people of Egypt to the people of Syria," Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told reporters in Damascus. "When the foreign minister of Egypt comes to Damascus, he comes to his home, his people, and his country," Mekdad said. Shoukry also visited Turkey, pointing to another shift in Egypt's foreign ties. "Foreign minister offers condolences for the victims of earthquake, affirms solidarity of Egyptian leadership, government and people with Turkey, and asserting continuity of aid for supporting Turkey and its brotherly people," Ahmed Abu Zeid, spokesperson for Egypt's Foreign Ministry, said.

☆ Egypt's foreign minister to visit Syria, Turkey on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 26 (Reuters) - Egypt's Sameh Shoukry will travel to Damascus on Monday in the first visit by an Egyptian foreign minister since Syria's conflict erupted in 2011, according to a statement by the Egyptian foreign ministry. Shoukry will visit Turkey and Syria - both hit hard by a deadly earthquake on Feb. 6 - to "convey a message of solidarity from Egypt with the two countries" according to the foreign ministry statement. Turkey's foreign ministry confirmed the visit, saying Shoukry will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and visit the southern province of Adana and the port of Mersin, where an Egyptian aid ship is set to arrive. Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi spoke with Assad by phone for the first time on Feb. 7 and on Sunday, a delegation of top parliamentarians from around the region - including Egypt's parliament speaker - met Assad in Damascus. Relations began thawing in 2021, part of a push by Turkey to ease tensions with several regional powers.

☆ Why Egypt is asking its people to eat chicken feet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —Egypt’s economic situation is so dire that the government is asking people to eat chicken feet. In Egypt, chicken feet are seen as the cheapest of meat items, considered by most as animal waste rather than food. After the recommendation to switch to chicken feet, the price of one kilogram of the product reportedly doubled to 20 Egyptian pounds ($0.67). But those firms don’t operate like private companies, enjoying special privileges without disclosing their financial data to the public. Experts have questioned why international creditors had not leveraged their loans to drive Egypt’s military out of the economy.

☆ 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.

☆ Turkey's Erdogan shakes hands with Egypt's Sisi at World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the sidelines of the World Cup in Doha, Qatar, November 20, 2022. Murat Cetinmuhurdar/PPO/Handout via REUTERSISTANBUL, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan shook hands with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the sidelines of the World Cup in Qatar on Sunday, a photo from Turkey's presidency showed. Turkey's state-owned Anadolu Agency said Erdogan briefly met, shook hands and talked to Sisi and other leaders, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and King Abdullah of Jordan. Ankara's ties with Cairo have been strained since Sisi, then Egypt's army chief, led the 2013 ouster of Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, who was strongly supported by Erdogan. Egyptian officials had expressed caution over any rapprochement, although Erdogan said in July there was no reason high-level talks should not take place.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ Amazon unveiled a new warehouse robot that can identify and pick 65% of the items it sells. 'This will take my job,' one warehouse worker said.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The robot's capabilities have sparked fears among some Amazon workers that Sparrow could leave them without work. Sparrow "will take my job," one Amazon warehouse worker said, after reading Amazon's description of the robot. "Everyone knows that Amazon wants to replace human labor with robots," said Ryan Brown, an Amazon worker and the president of the union Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity & Empowerment. One of Amazon's robot arms is installed at Brown's facility, he said, but "interestingly enough, the robot that we have is always down." "These robots collapse," agreed Brett Daniels, an Amazon worker and Amazon Labor Union organizer.

Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERSDUBAI, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is working with Lazard (LAZ.N) on funding options and a potential initial public offering of Masar, a $27 billion mega project in the holy city of Mecca, two sources with direct knowledge told Reuters. The PIF, Lazard and Masar did not respond to a Reuters query for comment. Bloomberg first reported Lazard was advising the sovereign wealth fund on NEOM. Masar is a 1.2 million square metre urban development project in the western part of Mecca. Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh;Editing by Elaine HardcastleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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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