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☆ In Egypt's 'Garbage City', a charity teaches children to recycle
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Now 34, she runs a charity that encourages children in the area to make creative and positive use of their environment by exploring the space and recycling. [1/3] Teresa Saeed, 34, founder of charity "Mesaha" known as "Space" in Arabic, works with children to collect materials from rubbish to recycle in Cairo's Zabaleen known as "Garbage City", in Manshiyat Nasser, Cairo, Egypt March 17, 2023. REUTERS/Hana Habib 1 2 3Saeed's charity Mesaha, the Arabic word for space, runs weekly recycling activities for 150-200 children aged 6-15. "These activities help children connect with their environment and think outside the box," Saeed said. "I dream that those children will grow to be leaders of change in their future professions or wherever they go" she said.

☆ Ancient Egypt excavation uncovers 2,000 mummified ram heads at Abydos
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, March 25 (Reuters) - At least 2,000 mummified ram heads dating from the Ptolemaic period and a palatial Old Kingdom structure have been uncovered at the temple of Ramses II in the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt, antiquities officials said on Saturday. It added that the discoveries would expand knowledge of the site over a period of more than two millennia up to the Ptolemaic period. The Ptolemaic period spanned about three centuries until the Roman conquest in 30 B.C. It was a necropolis for early ancient Egyptian royalty and a pilgrimage centre for the worship of the god Osiris. The structure could help "reestablish the sense of the ancient landscape of Abydos before the construction of the Ramses II temple," the head of the mission, Sameh Iskander, was quoted as saying.

☆ World Bank agrees $7 bln, 5-year partnership with Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO, March 22 (Reuters) - The World Bank said on Wednesday it had approved a new $7 billion partnership agreement with Egypt for 2023-2027 with a focus on boosting private sector jobs, provision of better health and education services, and adaptation to climate change. The Country Partnership Agreement (CPF) will entail $1 billion per year from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and about $2 billion over five years from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a statement from the World Bank said. Also on Wednesday the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, announced that it had partnered with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Egypt's Sovereign Fund to develop desalination plants in Egypt through a public-private partnership model. Egypt depends almost entirely for fresh water supplies on the River Nile, and is considered at high risk from the impacts of climate change. Reporting by Nayera Abdallah, Nadine Awadalla and Aidan Lewis, Editing by Louise Heavens, William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"So far, we have recycled more than 5 million plastic bags, but this is just the beginning," TileGreen co-founder Khaled Raafat told Reuters. "We aim that by 2025, we will have recycled more than 5 billion plastic bags." At the company's factory, on the outskirts of Cairo, workers carry large barrels loaded with mixed plastic waste to be melted down and compressed. An Egyptian start-up, TileGreen, is manufacturing interlocking tiles from recycled plastic and waste in an effort to reduce dependency on cement, which is a major polluter in the country. Plastic waste is often discarded in the street or disposed of in informal dumps or burned.

☆ Analysis: Sudan paramilitary leader jostles for role ahead of civilian handover
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Khalid Abdelaziz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo commands tens of thousands of fighters in the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and has amassed considerable mineral wealth. He is also deputy leader of Sudan's ruling council, which took power in a coup more than a year ago. Hemedti and other military men are unlikely to be able to stand for election in the short term. The main signatories to the outline agreement are Burhan's military and Hemedti's RSF on one side and the civilian Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition on the other. Any final transition agreement would likely bar Hemedti and Burhan from standing in the first post-deal elections, one international diplomat said.

☆ Egypt's Sisi discusses nuclear plant, grains trade with Russian officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, March 19, (Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held talks with high-ranking Russian officials on Sunday to discuss a Russian-built nuclear plant under construction on Egypt's north coast as well as grains supply and food security, Egypt's presidency said. The meeting with officials including Russia's trade minister and a special envoy of President Vladimir Putin also addressed the establishment of a Russian industrial zone inside the Suez Canal's Economic Zone, among other investments, it added. Construction by Russia's state-owned energy corporation Rosatom of Egypt's first nuclear plant at El Dabaa began in July of last year, and is expected to take until at least 2030. In the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Egypt has been trying to balance long-standing ties with both Russia and Western powers. Reporting by Mohamed Hendawy Writing by Farah Saafan Editing by Aidan Lewis and Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Egypt hosts Israeli-Palestinian talks in push for pre-Ramadan calm
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, March 19 (Reuters) - Egypt hosts Israeli and Palestinian officials on Sunday in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh in a U.S. and Jordanian backed effort to calm a surge of violence in the West Bank ahead of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan. The meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh "aims to support dialogue between the Palestinian and Israeli sides to work to stop unilateral actions and escalation, and break the existing cycle of violence and achieve calm", a statement from Egypt's foreign ministry said. This could "facilitate the creation of a climate suitable for the resumption of the peace process", it added. The Palestinians aim to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital - territories Israel captured in a 1967 war. But peace talks have been stalled since 2014 and Palestinians say Jewish settlement expansion has undermined the chances of a viable state being established.

☆ 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.

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.

Egypt desperately needs the proceeds from privatisation after a series of economic shocks. STAKE SALE DRIVEEgypt set a target in 2022 of raising $10 billion annually over four years through private investment in state assets. Egypt has established its own sovereign fund to bring in private investors to develop state assets, but the move appears designed to attract capital without relinquishing control, said Sayigh. "They want others to help the state with its financial burden, but it's still the state that determines priorities and investments," he said. MILITARY TAX BREAKSFuture asset sales will be complicated by an expansion under Sisi of the military's often opaque economic role, analysts say.

CAIRO, March 9 (Reuters) - Egypt, one of the world's largest wheat importers, has given notice it will withdraw at the end of June from a decades-old U.N. grains treaty, causing consternation among some other signatories to the convention. Egypt signed the GTC, the only international treaty covering trade in grains, at its inception in 1995, and has been a member of the council that governs it since 1949. Several delegations within the IGC are surprised and sad about the decision," Arnaud Petit, executive director of the International Grains Council, which administers the treaty, told Reuters. Other signatories to the GTC include major grain importers and exporters such as the United States and the European Union. Two sources familiar with the matter, who asked to remain anonymous, told Reuters that Egypt owed the IGC membership fees.

☆ How deep are Egypt's economic troubles?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

CAIRO, March 3 (Reuters) - Egypt's economy has come under severe pressure over the past year, with the Egyptian pound tumbling, foreign currency drying up, and inflation soaring. As many as 60% of Egypt's 104 million citizens are estimated to be below, or close to the poverty line. IS EGYPT'S DEBT SUSTAINABLE? Egypt's debt burden has been climbing, though analysts differ over how much of a risk this presents. Substantial principle and interest payments on foreign debt contribute to a large external financing gap - the difference between supply of and demand for foreign currency financing.

☆ Scientists reveal hidden corridor in Great Pyramid of Giza
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Aidan Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

2 story has been corrected to delete height comparison in paragraph 4)A hidden corridor nine metres (30 feet) long has been discovered close to the main entrance of the 4,500-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza, and this could lead to further findings, Egyptian antiquities officials said on Thursday. The Great Pyramid was constructed as a monumental tomb around 2560 BC during the reign of the Pharaoh Khufu, or Cheops, to a height of 146 metres (479 feet). [1/4] A hidden corridor inside the Great Pyramid of Giza that was discovered by researches from the the Scan Pyramids project by the Egyptian Tourism Ministry of Antiquities is seen in Giza, Egypt March 2, 2023. Scientists detected the corridor through cosmic-ray muon radiography, before retrieving images of it by feeding a 6mm-thick endoscope from Japan through a tiny joint in the pyramid's stones. In 2017, Scan Pyramids researchers announced the discovery of a void at least 30 metres long inside the Great Pyramid, the first major inner structure found since the 19th century.

☆ Scientists discover corridor in Great Pyramid of Giza
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, March 2 (Reuters) - Egyptian antiquities officials announced on Thursday the discovery of a hidden nine metre-long corridor behind the main entrance of the Great Pyramid of Giza that they said could lead to further findings. The find was made under the Scan Pyramids project that since 2015 has been using modern technology including scans and endoscopes to peer inside the pyramid, the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. The unfinished corridor was likely built to relieve the weight of the pyramid on either the main entrance, seven metres below, or on another as yet undiscovered chamber or space, said Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. The Great Pyramid was built as a monumental tomb around 2560 BC, during the reign of the Pharaoh Khufu, or Cheops. It stands at a height of 146 metres (479 feet), the tallest structure built by humankind until the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1889.

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.

Shunned by the West, Assad has been basking in an outpouring of support from Arab states that have normalised ties with him in recent years, notably the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia sent its first reported plane of aid to Assad-controlled Aleppo, a notable gesture from a Gulf state still at odds with Syria's president. 'BREAK THE SIEGE'The UAE has pledged $50 million in aid to Syria, without saying in which part of Syria it will be spent. Once a backer of Assad's foes, the UAE has been pressing other Arab states to re-engage with Damascus, according to two Gulf sources, despite opposition from its strategic ally the United States. Tunisia, which cut off ties with Syria a decade ago, has said it will strengthen relations with Damascus since the quake.

☆ Egypt's Sisi seeks to tamp down media clash with Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Hatem Maher | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Arabia along with other energy-rich Gulf states has long provided crucial funding to Egypt, upping support after Sisi took power nearly a decade ago, and as an acute financial crisis took hold last year. "The mean, the scoundrels and the nouveau-riche have no right to insult their masters," he wrote, drawing on derogatory stereotypes and claims of historical superiority. Another well-known Saudi commentator, Ali Shihabi, later tweeted: "Egypt is a black hole that will never close unless the govt is able to make material structural reforms." Tawfik's article has been removed from Al Gomhuria's website and replaced by an editorial lauding Egyptian-Saudi relations as "historic and eternal". Additional reporting by Nadine Awadalla and Aziz El Yaakoubi, Writing by Aidan LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Israeli foreign minister heads delegation to discuss Sudan normalisation
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KHARTOUM, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen was in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Thursday to discuss the normalisation of ties between the two countries, two Sudanese government sources said. The trip was part of an exchange of visits between Sudan and Israel and involved discussions on reaching and signing a normalisation deal as well as military and security issues, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. In January 2021, Sudan said that its justice minister at the time, Nasredeen Abdulbari, had signed on to the Abraham Accords during a visit by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. As intelligence minister in 2021, Cohen made a ground-breaking visit to Sudan. Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz and Dan Williams; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 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."

☆ 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.

☆ Founder of Egypt’s Juhayna Food Industries and his son released from prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CAIRO, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The founder and former CEO of Juhayna Food Industries (JUFO.CA) and his son were released from prison in Egypt on Saturday after about two years in detention, according to a judicial source and a family member. The arrests of Safwan and Seifeldin Thabet two months apart had shaken Egypt’s business community as well as Egyptian and foreign investors. The Thabet family have denied any wrongdoing in statements on social media. A member of the Thabet family told Reuters the two men were released from a police station and returned home, but said the family had no other information about why they were freed. The family had pleaded for their release partly due to the illness of Safwan’s wife, who died during his detention.

☆ 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.

☆ Eni, Chevron announce new gas discovery in Egyptian East Med field
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Italian energy group Eni (ENI.MI) and U.S. energy major Chevron (CVX.N) said on Sunday they had made a new gas discovery in an Egyptian offshore field in the Eastern Mediterranean sea. km Nargis Offshore Area concession operated by Chevron (CVX.N), which holds a 45% interest in it. Eni also holds a 45% stake, while Egypt's Tharwa Petroleum Company SAE holds a 10% interest. State-controlled Eni is looking for new gas sources as it aims to completely replace gas imports from Russia by 2025 following the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The new discovery is located in the Nargis-1 exploration well and "can be developed leveraging the proximity to Eni's existing facilities", the group said in a statement.

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