True colours of ancient Greek and Roman statues

February 13th in History: France's first atom bomb test, assassination of Kim Jong-nam and more!

Texas&nbsp;on Thursday executed a&nbsp;man&nbsp;who was&nbsp;convicted&nbsp;for shooting and&nbsp;killing&nbsp;his 29-year-old wife and his two daughters, as well as his father-in-law and sister-in-law shortly after a smoking crack in&nbsp;2002.

Abel Ochoa, 47, was executed with lethal injection and pronounced dead at the state's death chamber in Huntsville at 6.48 p.m&nbsp;17 years after a jury found him guilty of capital murder, according to a statement by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/two-dead-and-one-wounded-in-shooting-at-texas-university-on-tuesday-278439">Texas&nbsp;</a>Department of Criminal Justice.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/two-dead-and-one-wounded-in-shooting-at-texas-university-on-tuesday-278439">Two dead, one wounded in shooting at Texas University</a>

Ochoa was the third inmate in the United States and the second in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/two-dead-and-one-wounded-in-shooting-at-texas-university-on-tuesday-278439">Texas&nbsp;</a>to be executed in 2020.&nbsp;Texas, which executed nine people in 2019, has executed more prisoners than any other state since the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/two-dead-and-one-wounded-in-shooting-at-texas-university-on-tuesday-278439">US&nbsp;Supreme Court</a> reinstated the death penalty in 1976. The United States is the only large Western democracy to retain capital punishment.

On Aug. 4,&nbsp;2002, 20 minutes after smoking crack cocaine, Ochoa went into his living room and shot to death his wife Cecilia, nine-month-old daughter Anahi, his father-in-law Bartolo and his sister-in-law Jackie, prosecutors said.

He then reloaded his .9mm Ruger handgun and chased his 7-year-old daughter Crystal into the kitchen, where he shot her four times. He had also shot his sister-in-law Alma, the lone survivor of the attack.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/shooter-among-one-dead-in-texas-church-attack-270896">Shooter among one dead in Texas church attack</a>

Police stopped Ochoa soon after the shooting as he drove his wife's car.

"Ochoa told the arresting officer that the gun he used was at his house on the table, that he could not handle the stress anymore, and that he had gotten tired of his life," court records showed.

Ochoa later wrote a confession in which he told authorities he was frustrated that his wife would not give him more money for drugs, court documents said.

Several state and federal courts have denied requests for the execution to be halted and appeals on Ochoa's behalf since his conviction.

On Thursday, the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/two-dead-and-one-wounded-in-shooting-at-texas-university-on-tuesday-278439">US&nbsp;Supreme Court</a> denied a request by Ochoa to stop the execution.

Twenty two people were executed in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/two-dead-and-one-wounded-in-shooting-at-texas-university-on-tuesday-278439">United States</a> in 2019, down from 25 in 2018 when the country ranked seventh in the world for the number of people it put to death, behind Iraq and Egypt, according to Amnesty International.

Texas on Thursday executed a man who was convicted for shooting and killing his 29-year-old wife and his two daughters, as well as his father-in-law and sister-in-law shortly after a smoking crack in 2002.

Texas on Thursday executed a man who was convicted for shooting and killing his 29-year-old wife and his two daughters, as well as his father-in-law and sister-in-law shortly after a smoking crack in 2002. Abel Ochoa, 47, was executed with lethal injection and pronounced dead at the state's death chamber in Huntsville at 6.48 p.m 17 years after a jury found him guilty of capital murder, according to a statement by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Also read: Two dead, one wounded in shooting at Texas University Ochoa was the third inmate in the United States and the second in Texas to be executed in 2020. Texas, which executed nine people in 2019, has executed more prisoners than any other state since the US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. The United States is the only large Western democracy to retain capital punishment. On Aug. 4, 2002, 20 minutes after smoking crack cocaine, Ochoa went into his living room and shot to death his wife Cecilia, nine-month-old daughter Anahi, his father-in-law Bartolo and his sister-in-law Jackie, prosecutors said. He then reloaded his .9mm Ruger handgun and chased his 7-year-old daughter Crystal into the kitchen, where he shot her four times. He had also shot his sister-in-law Alma, the lone survivor of the attack. Also read: Shooter among one dead in Texas church attack Police stopped Ochoa soon after the shooting as he drove his wife's car. "Ochoa told the arresting officer that the gun he used was at his house on the table, that he could not handle the stress anymore, and that he had gotten tired of his life," court records showed. Ochoa later wrote a confession in which he told authorities he was frustrated that his wife would not give him more money for drugs, court documents said. Several state and federal courts have denied requests for the execution to be halted and appeals on Ochoa's behalf since his conviction. On Thursday, the US Supreme Court denied a request by Ochoa to stop the execution. Twenty two people were executed in the United States in 2019, down from 25 in 2018 when the country ranked seventh in the world for the number of people it put to death, behind Iraq and Egypt, according to Amnesty International.

Texas executes man convicted of killing five family members in 2002

A new archaeological discovery dating back to 3,000 years was unveiled in the southern governorate of Minya in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/voice-of-egyptian-mummy-heard-for-first-time-in-3000-years-276291">Egypt </a>on Thursday.

It included 16 communal tombs dating back to around 2600 BC which belonged to the sky God Horus, high priests of god Djehuty and along with senior officials of the late period in Upper Egypt.

Nearly 20 sarcophagi were unearthed at the tombs located in al-Ghoreifa archaeological site and dating back almost 2,500 years, the country's Ministry of Antiquities said.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/voice-of-egyptian-mummy-heard-for-first-time-in-3000-years-276291">Egyptian mummy's last wish fulfilled as voice echoes after 3000 years</a>

Out of these, nine sarcophagi found in shafts were intact.

<img alt="Body of a mummy" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9014aadb-e76c-4350-93cf-5a1a78c77084" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202020-01-31T153433.329.jpg" />

In addition, 10,000 ushabti figurines, 700 amulets, pottery vessels, and 86 canopic jars along hundreds of jars made of gold were also discovered.

Skulls and human remains were found in a burial chamber.

Also see: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-egypt-unveils-ancient-burial-site-home-to-50-mummies-194748">Egypt unveils ancient burial site, home to 50 mummies</a>

Egyptian antiquities officials hope this discovery would bring much-needed tourism revenues.

Minya is&nbsp;about 300 kilometres south of Egypt's capital Cairo.

It is an&nbsp;ancient southern city that was once the country's capital during the rule of Pharaoh Akhenaten and home to ancient archaeological sites.

A new archaeological discovery dating back to 3,000 years was unveiled in the southern governorate of Minya in Egypt on Thursday. It included 16 communal tombs dating back to around 2600 BC which belonged to the sky God Horus, high priests of god Djehuty and along with senior officials of the late period in Upper Egypt.

A new archaeological discovery dating back to 3,000 years was unveiled in the southern governorate of Minya in Egypt on Thursday. It included 16 communal tombs dating back to around 2600 BC which belonged to the sky God Horus, high priests of god Djehuty and along with senior officials of the late period in Upper Egypt. Nearly 20 sarcophagi were unearthed at the tombs located in al-Ghoreifa archaeological site and dating back almost 2,500 years, the country's Ministry of Antiquities said. Also read: Egyptian mummy's last wish fulfilled as voice echoes after 3000 years Out of these, nine sarcophagi found in shafts were intact. In addition, 10,000 ushabti figurines, 700 amulets, pottery vessels, and 86 canopic jars along hundreds of jars made of gold were also discovered. Skulls and human remains were found in a burial chamber. Also see: Egypt unveils ancient burial site, home to 50 mummies Egyptian antiquities officials hope this discovery would bring much-needed tourism revenues. Minya is about 300 kilometres south of Egypt's capital Cairo. It is an ancient southern city that was once the country's capital during the rule of Pharaoh Akhenaten and home to ancient archaeological sites.

Egypt unveils tombs dating back to 3,000 years

January 26  in history: Discovery of the Cullinan, Constitution of India comes into force and more

The North African country of Egypt&nbsp;has been under a state of emergency since April 2017 bombings of two Coptic churches by an Islamic State group affiliate that killed more than 40 people.

The extension comes nine years after the January 2011 uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak, who had also ruled for decades under a state of emergency.

"The president of Egypt ordered the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/freedom-under-attack-in-egypt-256185">extension of the state of emergency</a> nationwide for three months starting Monday, January 27," said the official gazette on Sunday.&nbsp;

Under a state of emergency, police powers such as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypts-ex-military-chief-of-staff-released-after-near-two-year-detention-269622">arresting and holding citizens</a> are extended and&nbsp;constitutional rights&nbsp;such as freedom of speech and assembly are curtailed.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-seeks-to-parry-rights-criticism-after-mass-arrests-261743">Egypt seeks to parry human rights criticism after mass arrests</a>

Egypt has for years been battling an Islamist insurgency, which surged following the 2013 military ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi.

The attacks have been largely concentrated in the restive <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-ethiopia-sudan-views-come-closer-on-giant-nile-dam-sudanese-minister-269627">northern Sinai Peninsula</a> but occasionally struck elsewhere in the country.

In February 2018, Egypt launched a large-scale nationwide anti-militant operation.

Rights groups say the state of emergency coupled with the government's effective protest ban since 2013 has helped it in crushing dissent.&nbsp;

In September, rare minor protests broke out in Egypt triggered by online calls for Sisi's removal.&nbsp;

Some 4,000 people were arrested in the following weeks, according to local rights groups.

Activists have called it one of the worst waves of a crackdown against any dissent that was launched when Sisi officially took power in 2014. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

The North African country of Egypt has been under a state of emergency since April 2017 bombings of two Coptic churches by an Islamic State group affiliate that killed more than 40 people.

The North African country of Egypt has been under a state of emergency since April 2017 bombings of two Coptic churches by an Islamic State group affiliate that killed more than 40 people. The extension comes nine years after the January 2011 uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak, who had also ruled for decades under a state of emergency. "The president of Egypt ordered the extension of the state of emergency nationwide for three months starting Monday, January 27," said the official gazette on Sunday. Under a state of emergency, police powers such as arresting and holding citizens are extended and constitutional rights such as freedom of speech and assembly are curtailed. Also Read: Egypt seeks to parry human rights criticism after mass arrests Egypt has for years been battling an Islamist insurgency, which surged following the 2013 military ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi. The attacks have been largely concentrated in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula but occasionally struck elsewhere in the country. In February 2018, Egypt launched a large-scale nationwide anti-militant operation. Rights groups say the state of emergency coupled with the government's effective protest ban since 2013 has helped it in crushing dissent. In September, rare minor protests broke out in Egypt triggered by online calls for Sisi's removal. Some 4,000 people were arrested in the following weeks, according to local rights groups. Activists have called it one of the worst waves of a crackdown against any dissent that was launched when Sisi officially took power in 2014.

Egypt extends state of emergency to three years

This week’s inauguration of a new Red Sea Egyptian military base was pregnant with the symbolism of the rivalries shaping the future of the Middle East as well as north and east Africa.

The inauguration took on added significance as rebel Libyan Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar, backed by United Arab Emirates crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Egyptian General-turned-President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, snubbed Russian President Vladimir Putin by refusing to agree to a ceasefire in the Libyan war.

Haftar’s refusal thwarted, at least temporarily, an effort by Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to structure the ceasefire so that it would align opposing Russian and Turkish interests, allow the two parties to cooperate in the exploitation of Libya’s energy resources, and protect a Turkish-Libyan maritime agreement creating an Exclusive Economic Zone that strengthens Russian-backed Turkish manoeuvres in the eastern Mediterranean.

The manoeuvres are designed to thwart a Greek-Cypriot-Israeli agreement to build a pipeline that would supply gas to Europe, reducing European dependence on Russian gas in the process.

Critics charge that the maritime agreement that would limit Greek-Cypriot Israeli access to hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean, violates the Law of the Sea.

Warning that it would block European Union backing for any Libyan peace deal as long as the Turkish-Libyan maritime agreement was in place, Greece was one of the countries Haftar visited in the days between his rejection of a ceasefire and a conference on Libya hosted by Germany that is scheduled to be held in Berlin on January 19.

Haftar’s rejection came as Turkish troops arrived in Libya to bolster forces of the internationally recognised government of prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj defending the capital Tripoli against an eight-month-old assault by the field marshal’s rebel Libyan National Army (LNA) that is backed by Russian mercenaries with close ties to the Kremlin, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Prince Mohammed’s presence at the inauguration of the Egyptian naval base underlined the UAE’s influence in Egypt since it backed Al-Sisi’s 2013 military coup that toppled the country’s first and only democratically elected President and the Emirates’ determination to counter Islamist forces as well as Turkish influence in Libya and the Horn of Africa.

UAE and Egyptian backing of Haftar is not just about countering jihadist and non-jihadist Islamists as well as Turkey, but also Qatar, Turkey’s ally, which also supports the Libyan rebels.

The UAE-Turkish-Qatari proxy war in Libya is increasingly also coloured by Prince Mohammed and Al-Sisi’s opposition to efforts to resolve divisions among the Gulf states that spilled into the open with the declaration of a Saudi-UAE-led diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar in 2017.

Saudi Arabia has hinted in recent months that it may be amenable to an easing of the boycott, a move that is believed to be opposed by the UAE as long as Qatar does not make significant concessions on issues like freewheeling broadcaster Al Jazeera and support for political Islam.

The new naval base’s location symbolizes Egypt’s conundrum that also poses a problem for the UAE at a time that Egypt is at odds with Ethiopia over the operation of a giant dam that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile.

Stepping up involvement in Libya risks Egypt becoming embroiled in two conflicts at the same time.

Egypt claims the dam puts a million Egyptian jobs, $1.8 billion in economic output annually and electricity valued at $300 million at risk.

The base is aimed at "securing the country's southern coasts, protecting economic investments and natural resources and facing security threats in the Red Sea," according to a spokesman for Al-Sisi.

The president has warned that Egypt would take all the necessary measures to protect its rights to the Nile waters.

So far, Egypt is banking on mediation helping it avoiding being trapped between a rock and a hard place by achieving a ceasefire in Libya that would keep Egypt’s hands-free to deal with Ethiopia were a conflict to erupt.

The question is whether Haftar, who without signing the ceasefire agreement reportedly told German officials that he would adhere to its terms and the UAE are willing to play ball.

The proof will be in the pudding. German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the stakes by insisting in advance of the Berlin talks that they ensure “That the weapons embargo is adhered to again.”

The United Nations has accused the UAE together with several other countries, including Turkey, of violating the UN embargo.

As a result, it may be the UAE rather than Haftar who has a decisive voice in Berlin.

Said North Africa expert Ben Fishman: “Until Abu Dhabi pulls back its drones, operators, and other crucial military support, the prospects for Libya’s stability will remain dim. 
 
Besides the fact that they provide the greatest advantage to Haftar’s forces, focusing on the Emiratis also makes sense because the other foreign players currently have reasons to de-escalate on their own.” 
 
(Views expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

This week’s inauguration of a new Red Sea Egyptian military base was pregnant with the symbolism of the rivalries shaping the future of the Middle East as well as north and east Africa.

This week’s inauguration of a new Red Sea Egyptian military base was pregnant with the symbolism of the rivalries shaping the future of the Middle East as well as north and east Africa. The inauguration took on added significance as rebel Libyan Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar, backed by United Arab Emirates crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Egyptian General-turned-President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, snubbed Russian President Vladimir Putin by refusing to agree to a ceasefire in the Libyan war. Haftar’s refusal thwarted, at least temporarily, an effort by Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to structure the ceasefire so that it would align opposing Russian and Turkish interests, allow the two parties to cooperate in the exploitation of Libya’s energy resources, and protect a Turkish-Libyan maritime agreement creating an Exclusive Economic Zone that strengthens Russian-backed Turkish manoeuvres in the eastern Mediterranean. The manoeuvres are designed to thwart a Greek-Cypriot-Israeli agreement to build a pipeline that would supply gas to Europe, reducing European dependence on Russian gas in the process. Critics charge that the maritime agreement that would limit Greek-Cypriot Israeli access to hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean, violates the Law of the Sea. Warning that it would block European Union backing for any Libyan peace deal as long as the Turkish-Libyan maritime agreement was in place, Greece was one of the countries Haftar visited in the days between his rejection of a ceasefire and a conference on Libya hosted by Germany that is scheduled to be held in Berlin on January 19. Haftar’s rejection came as Turkish troops arrived in Libya to bolster forces of the internationally recognised government of prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj defending the capital Tripoli against an eight-month-old assault by the field marshal’s rebel Libyan National Army (LNA) that is backed by Russian mercenaries with close ties to the Kremlin, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Prince Mohammed’s presence at the inauguration of the Egyptian naval base underlined the UAE’s influence in Egypt since it backed Al-Sisi’s 2013 military coup that toppled the country’s first and only democratically elected President and the Emirates’ determination to counter Islamist forces as well as Turkish influence in Libya and the Horn of Africa. UAE and Egyptian backing of Haftar is not just about countering jihadist and non-jihadist Islamists as well as Turkey, but also Qatar, Turkey’s ally, which also supports the Libyan rebels. The UAE-Turkish-Qatari proxy war in Libya is increasingly also coloured by Prince Mohammed and Al-Sisi’s opposition to efforts to resolve divisions among the Gulf states that spilled into the open with the declaration of a Saudi-UAE-led diplomatic and economic boycott of Qatar in 2017. Saudi Arabia has hinted in recent months that it may be amenable to an easing of the boycott, a move that is believed to be opposed by the UAE as long as Qatar does not make significant concessions on issues like freewheeling broadcaster Al Jazeera and support for political Islam. The new naval base’s location symbolizes Egypt’s conundrum that also poses a problem for the UAE at a time that Egypt is at odds with Ethiopia over the operation of a giant dam that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile. Stepping up involvement in Libya risks Egypt becoming embroiled in two conflicts at the same time. Egypt claims the dam puts a million Egyptian jobs, $1.8 billion in economic output annually and electricity valued at $300 million at risk. The base is aimed at "securing the country's southern coasts, protecting economic investments and natural resources and facing security threats in the Red Sea," according to a spokesman for Al-Sisi. The president has warned that Egypt would take all the necessary measures to protect its rights to the Nile waters. So far, Egypt is banking on mediation helping it avoiding being trapped between a rock and a hard place by achieving a ceasefire in Libya that would keep Egypt’s hands-free to deal with Ethiopia were a conflict to erupt. The question is whether Haftar, who without signing the ceasefire agreement reportedly told German officials that he would adhere to its terms and the UAE are willing to play ball. The proof will be in the pudding. German Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the stakes by insisting in advance of the Berlin talks that they ensure “That the weapons embargo is adhered to again.” The United Nations has accused the UAE together with several other countries, including Turkey, of violating the UN embargo. As a result, it may be the UAE rather than Haftar who has a decisive voice in Berlin. Said North Africa expert Ben Fishman: “Until Abu Dhabi pulls back its drones, operators, and other crucial military support, the prospects for Libya’s stability will remain dim. Besides the fact that they provide the greatest advantage to Haftar’s forces, focusing on the Emiratis also makes sense because the other foreign players currently have reasons to de-escalate on their own.” (Views expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The battle for Libya: UAE calls the shots

Libyan rival camps and their foreign backers will attend a summit in Berlin on Sunday to discuss ways to end a proxy war over the capital <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tayyip-erdogan-calls-on-europe-to-support-turkeys-moves-in-libya-275097">Tripoli</a> and the oil producer, which has displaced 140,000 and now more than halved the country's crude output.

Germany and the United Nations hope to persuade Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt to push their opposing camps to agree on a lasting truce in Tripoli, home to the internationally recognized government.

As with previous failed attempts, center stage of the one-day meeting will be occupied by eastern commander <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/general-haftar-ready-to-abide-by-ongoing-ceasefire-in-libya-germany-274749">Khalifa Haftar</a>, who in April started a campaign to take Tripoli. Western powers hope this time to put pressure on him to continue a ceasefire that has largely held for one week.

Haftar on Monday walked out on a Russo-Turkish summit, in contrast with his rival Fayez al-Serraj, the internationally recognized prime minister, who signed a lasting truce proposal put forward to both leaders.

Haftar, a former general from the regime of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tayyip-erdogan-calls-on-europe-to-support-turkeys-moves-in-libya-275097">Muammar Gaddafi</a> toppled in 2011, appeared confident this week when German foreign minister Heiko Maas visited him at his base outside Benghazi to ask him to come to Berlin.

He leaned back in his chair while Maas was leaning towards him to make his peace pitch, a picture from the meeting showed.

Haftar escalated the conflict on Friday when allied tribesmen shut down eastern oil ports, cutting oil production by 800,000 barrels a day. That will hit hard Tripoli, which benefits most from oil revenues.

Watch:&nbsp;US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo reaches Berlin for summit

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-secretary-of-state-mike-pompeo-reaches-berlin-for-summit-275196/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The one-day summit, which will also bring together US&nbsp;Secretary of States Mike Pompeo and European and Arab leaders, will not attempt to broker a power-sharing agreement between Haftar and Serraj.

Instead, the focus is on a lasting ceasefire to restart talks.

Haftar is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Jordan, Sudanese and Chadian fighters, and most recently Russian mercenaries, which helped him gain a bit on the Tripoli front. France has also given some support.

That has prompted Turkey to rush to Serraj's rescue by sending troops to Tripoli. Up to 2,000 fighters from Syria's civil war have also joined the battle to defend the capital, a UN&nbsp;official said on Saturday.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Berlin?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Berlin</a> to engage world leaders and <a href="https://twitter.com/UN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UN</a> officials to work toward ending hostilities in Libya. Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Germany?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Germany</a> for serving as host and leading this important initiative. <a href="https://t.co/W8tjlO9R45">pic.twitter.com/W8tjlO9R45</a>
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecPompeo/status/1218663923823628288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"I mean this is a region-wide conflict broadening, and looking increasingly like Syria which is why the whole international community is getting together in Germany," a senior US&nbsp;state department official told reporters travelling with Pompeo.

Still, expectations were "moderate," the official added.

Tarek Megerisi, a policy fellow with the North Africa and Middle East program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said there was no sign Haftar's backers were pushing him to stop the war.

"That means that obtaining a commitment to maintain this forum where all interfering actors meet in the form of follow-up committees would likely be the most valuable output Germany could achieve," he said.

Libyan rival camps and their foreign backers will attend a summit in Berlin on Sunday to discuss ways to end a proxy war over the capital Tripoli and the oil producer, which has displaced 140,000 and now more than halved the country's crude output.

Libyan rival camps and their foreign backers will attend a summit in Berlin on Sunday to discuss ways to end a proxy war over the capital Tripoli and the oil producer, which has displaced 140,000 and now more than halved the country's crude output. Germany and the United Nations hope to persuade Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt to push their opposing camps to agree on a lasting truce in Tripoli, home to the internationally recognized government. As with previous failed attempts, center stage of the one-day meeting will be occupied by eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, who in April started a campaign to take Tripoli. Western powers hope this time to put pressure on him to continue a ceasefire that has largely held for one week. Haftar on Monday walked out on a Russo-Turkish summit, in contrast with his rival Fayez al-Serraj, the internationally recognized prime minister, who signed a lasting truce proposal put forward to both leaders. Haftar, a former general from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi toppled in 2011, appeared confident this week when German foreign minister Heiko Maas visited him at his base outside Benghazi to ask him to come to Berlin. He leaned back in his chair while Maas was leaning towards him to make his peace pitch, a picture from the meeting showed. Haftar escalated the conflict on Friday when allied tribesmen shut down eastern oil ports, cutting oil production by 800,000 barrels a day. That will hit hard Tripoli, which benefits most from oil revenues. Watch: US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo reaches Berlin for summit × The one-day summit, which will also bring together US Secretary of States Mike Pompeo and European and Arab leaders, will not attempt to broker a power-sharing agreement between Haftar and Serraj. Instead, the focus is on a lasting ceasefire to restart talks. Haftar is backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Jordan, Sudanese and Chadian fighters, and most recently Russian mercenaries, which helped him gain a bit on the Tripoli front. France has also given some support. That has prompted Turkey to rush to Serraj's rescue by sending troops to Tripoli. Up to 2,000 fighters from Syria's civil war have also joined the battle to defend the capital, a UN official said on Saturday. In #Berlin to engage world leaders and @UN officials to work toward ending hostilities in Libya. Thanks to #Germany for serving as host and leading this important initiative. pic.twitter.com/W8tjlO9R45 — Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 18, 2020 × "I mean this is a region-wide conflict broadening, and looking increasingly like Syria which is why the whole international community is getting together in Germany," a senior US state department official told reporters travelling with Pompeo. Still, expectations were "moderate," the official added. Tarek Megerisi, a policy fellow with the North Africa and Middle East program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said there was no sign Haftar's backers were pushing him to stop the war. "That means that obtaining a commitment to maintain this forum where all interfering actors meet in the form of follow-up committees would likely be the most valuable output Germany could achieve," he said.

Libyan rival camps to discuss ways to end crisis with an international summit in Berlin later today

What happens after we die? Is there life after death? Can a dead body be brought back to life? 
 
Religion has a set of standard answers to these questions. 
But scientifically what is the truth? 
 
A company in Russia is offering services to deep freeze the bodies of dead people, in the hope that one day, science would be able to revive them to live. 
 
When Alexei Voronenko's 70-year-old mother passed away, he decided not to cremate or bury her. 
 
Instead, he called up a Russian firm Kriorus, which offers a rather a curious service. 
 
Alexei wants to keep his 70-year-old dead mother's brain frozen! 
 
So that on some far off day in the future, when science has made enough advancement, she could be brought back to life! 
 
This means that the brain of Alexei's mother has been kept in deep freeze with a temperature of minus 196-degree celsius. 
 
The brain is floating in liquid nitrogen so that it suffers minimal deterioration. 
 
"I reached out to 'Kriorus' to carry out the necessary procedures to cryo-preserve my mother, even though she did not express such a desire in any way. I did it at my own risk. I did this because we were very close and I think it is the only chance to meet in the future," said Alexei Voronenkov. 
 
But is this even remotely possible? Can a dead person's brain be revived? Will a brain kept in deep freeze retain its memories? 
 
Science has little to say about the existence of souls. 
 
It is largely understood that individuals are a sum of their experienced memories. 
 
So can cryo-preserving bodies aid in bringing people back to life in the distant future? 
 
Valeriya Udalova is Kriorus's director, she talked about how technology is advancing with time, she said "It is what the whole of medicine is heading towards. Today we can resuscitate a drowned person. We were not able to do it before, we did not even try. We can reanimate people. I think that cryonics is some sort of reanimation of the future,". 
 
Kriorus offers its services at a very steep price. 
 
They ask for $36,000 to keep the entire body under liquid nitrogen and $15,000 just to have the brain preserved. Kriorus claims hundreds have signed up for its service so far 71 cadavers have been kept in deep freeze. 
 
But experts have rubbished this as pseudo-science. 
 
So far, there is no demonstrable evidence that when an individual dies, and her brain stops working, there is a way to revive it. 
 
So why should people do it? 
 
"What can we do for our dying relatives or the ones that we love? A nice funeral ceremony, a photo album. They (cryonics enthusiasts) cross this line, they go further, proving their love even more. They try to give (people) hope," added Valeriya Udalova. 
 
The desire to live forever is as old as time. 
 
The Egyptian pharaohs built the magnificent pyramids and had their mummified bodies preserved inside in the hope that their souls would one day return to find their bodies. 
 
Similar such embalmed bodies have been found across continents. 
 
So is cryo-preservation of our bodies just another of human endeavours to live after death? 
 
Or is it just a pseudo-science employed to make a quick buck?

&nbsp;

What happens after we die? Is there life after death? Can a dead body be brought back to life? Religion has a set of standard answers to these questions. But scientifically what is the truth?

What happens after we die? Is there life after death? Can a dead body be brought back to life? Religion has a set of standard answers to these questions. But scientifically what is the truth? A company in Russia is offering services to deep freeze the bodies of dead people, in the hope that one day, science would be able to revive them to live. When Alexei Voronenko's 70-year-old mother passed away, he decided not to cremate or bury her. Instead, he called up a Russian firm Kriorus, which offers a rather a curious service. Alexei wants to keep his 70-year-old dead mother's brain frozen! So that on some far off day in the future, when science has made enough advancement, she could be brought back to life! This means that the brain of Alexei's mother has been kept in deep freeze with a temperature of minus 196-degree celsius. The brain is floating in liquid nitrogen so that it suffers minimal deterioration. "I reached out to 'Kriorus' to carry out the necessary procedures to cryo-preserve my mother, even though she did not express such a desire in any way. I did it at my own risk. I did this because we were very close and I think it is the only chance to meet in the future," said Alexei Voronenkov. But is this even remotely possible? Can a dead person's brain be revived? Will a brain kept in deep freeze retain its memories? Science has little to say about the existence of souls. It is largely understood that individuals are a sum of their experienced memories. So can cryo-preserving bodies aid in bringing people back to life in the distant future? Valeriya Udalova is Kriorus's director, she talked about how technology is advancing with time, she said "It is what the whole of medicine is heading towards. Today we can resuscitate a drowned person. We were not able to do it before, we did not even try. We can reanimate people. I think that cryonics is some sort of reanimation of the future,". Kriorus offers its services at a very steep price. They ask for $36,000 to keep the entire body under liquid nitrogen and $15,000 just to have the brain preserved. Kriorus claims hundreds have signed up for its service so far 71 cadavers have been kept in deep freeze. But experts have rubbished this as pseudo-science. So far, there is no demonstrable evidence that when an individual dies, and her brain stops working, there is a way to revive it. So why should people do it? "What can we do for our dying relatives or the ones that we love? A nice funeral ceremony, a photo album. They (cryonics enthusiasts) cross this line, they go further, proving their love even more. They try to give (people) hope," added Valeriya Udalova. The desire to live forever is as old as time. The Egyptian pharaohs built the magnificent pyramids and had their mummified bodies preserved inside in the hope that their souls would one day return to find their bodies. Similar such embalmed bodies have been found across continents. So is cryo-preservation of our bodies just another of human endeavours to live after death? Or is it just a pseudo-science employed to make a quick buck?

Cryo-preservation: Russian firm offers 'never-ending' life for modest fee

Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have come closer to aligning their views on filling the reservoir of and operating the giant hydroelectric <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-ethiopia-leaders-discuss-nile-dam-in-russia-257944">dam</a> that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile, the Sudanese irrigation minister said on Sunday.

"Proposals were submitted by the three countries regarding filling the reservoir and operating the dam and a convergence (of views) occurred," Sudanese Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Yasser Abbas told reporters after he met his Egyptian and Ethiopian counterparts in Khartoum.

In November, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agreed to work towards resolving their dispute over the $4 billion dam by January&nbsp;15, 2020, after meeting US&nbsp;Treasury Secretary <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-treasury-secretary-mnuchin-says-trade-deal-with-china-to-boost-global-economy-268327">Steven Mnuchin</a> and World Bank President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/david-malpass-named-as-13th-world-bank-president-208226">David Malpass</a> in Washington.

They met in Washington again this month and are due for the third meeting on January&nbsp;13, where they will try to finalise an agreement to resolve the dispute.

The US&nbsp;administration invited the three sides for talks after Egypt called for an external mediator on the issue, saying three-way talks had been exhausted. Addis Ababa had previously rejected the idea, accusing Egypt of trying to sidestep the process.

The three countries' irrigation ministers will have further discussions at a meeting in the Ethiopian capital on January&nbsp;9-10, the Egyptian irrigation ministry said in a statement after Sunday's meeting.

On Sunday, they also agreed to come up with a definition of droughts and how the dam would operate during droughts, Sudan's Abbas said.

"There is a convergence (of views) in general, and there are differences of views in some circumstances. Sudan proposed a specified time for filling the reservoir and added definitions for drought and continuous drought," Abbas said.

Egypt's irrigation ministry said it was seeking to reach agreement on filling and operating the dam that "achieves the interests of the three countries ... in a manner that preserves the sustainability of the river and the mutual benefit".

There was no immediate comment from Ethiopia.

Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have come closer to aligning their views on filling the reservoir of and operating the giant hydroelectric dam that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile, the Sudanese irrigation minister said on Sunday.

Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have come closer to aligning their views on filling the reservoir of and operating the giant hydroelectric dam that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile, the Sudanese irrigation minister said on Sunday. "Proposals were submitted by the three countries regarding filling the reservoir and operating the dam and a convergence (of views) occurred," Sudanese Irrigation and Water Resources Minister Yasser Abbas told reporters after he met his Egyptian and Ethiopian counterparts in Khartoum. In November, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agreed to work towards resolving their dispute over the $4 billion dam by January 15, 2020, after meeting US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and World Bank President David Malpass in Washington. They met in Washington again this month and are due for the third meeting on January 13, where they will try to finalise an agreement to resolve the dispute. The US administration invited the three sides for talks after Egypt called for an external mediator on the issue, saying three-way talks had been exhausted. Addis Ababa had previously rejected the idea, accusing Egypt of trying to sidestep the process. The three countries' irrigation ministers will have further discussions at a meeting in the Ethiopian capital on January 9-10, the Egyptian irrigation ministry said in a statement after Sunday's meeting. On Sunday, they also agreed to come up with a definition of droughts and how the dam would operate during droughts, Sudan's Abbas said. "There is a convergence (of views) in general, and there are differences of views in some circumstances. Sudan proposed a specified time for filling the reservoir and added definitions for drought and continuous drought," Abbas said. Egypt's irrigation ministry said it was seeking to reach agreement on filling and operating the dam that "achieves the interests of the three countries ... in a manner that preserves the sustainability of the river and the mutual benefit". There was no immediate comment from Ethiopia.

Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan views closer on Nile dam: Sudanese minister

Egypt's former military chief-of-staff Sami Anan was released from detention on Sunday almost two years after his arrest following his plans to compete in the 2018 presidential election, his office manager said on Twitter.

Anan, now at home according to the manager, was held in a military prison until he suffered a stroke in July 2018 and was then moved to a military hospital in Cairo's Maadi suburb, where he remained until his release.

His health has improved, a source familiar with the matter said. The reason for his release is still unclear.

Anan, seen as Sisi's main challenger in that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypts-sisi-warns-opponents-as-calls-to-boycott-election-build-31393">election</a>, was arrested and halted his presidential bid after the military accused him of running for office without permission, which it said was a breach of military law. Anan's spokesman denied that he had broken any laws.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/anti-sisi-protests-break-out-in-egypt-several-arrested-250950">al-Sisi</a> was re-elected for a second term in 2018, winning 97% of the vote with a turnout of 41%. The election featured only one other candidate, an ardent Sisi supporter, after opposition contenders halted their campaigns in January.

Egypt's former military chief-of-staff Sami Anan was released from detention on Sunday almost two years after his arrest following his plans to compete in the 2018 presidential election, his office manager said on Twitter.

Egypt's former military chief-of-staff Sami Anan was released from detention on Sunday almost two years after his arrest following his plans to compete in the 2018 presidential election, his office manager said on Twitter. Anan, now at home according to the manager, was held in a military prison until he suffered a stroke in July 2018 and was then moved to a military hospital in Cairo's Maadi suburb, where he remained until his release. His health has improved, a source familiar with the matter said. The reason for his release is still unclear. Anan, seen as Sisi's main challenger in that election, was arrested and halted his presidential bid after the military accused him of running for office without permission, which it said was a breach of military law. Anan's spokesman denied that he had broken any laws. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was re-elected for a second term in 2018, winning 97% of the vote with a turnout of 41%. The election featured only one other candidate, an ardent Sisi supporter, after opposition contenders halted their campaigns in January.

Egypt's ex-military chief of staff released after near two-year detention

The number of&nbsp;Egyptians&nbsp;switching to&nbsp;duel-fuel&nbsp;vehicles&nbsp;is accelerating as the government pushes motorists to use cheaper, cleaner and plentiful natural gas.

About 300,000&nbsp;vehicles, mostly taxis and minibuses, have been&nbsp;converted to&nbsp;duel-fuel&nbsp;systems since the 1990s,&nbsp;a small fraction of the 11 million&nbsp;vehicles&nbsp;licensed in the country.

But authorities are encouraging&nbsp;more&nbsp;drivers to switch by subsidising vehicle conversions, keeping compressed natural gas (CNG)&nbsp;prices&nbsp;low, and building CNG&nbsp;fuelling stations and conversion plants.

Nearly 32,000&nbsp;vehicles&nbsp;were&nbsp;converted during the financial year from July 2018 to June 2019, two&nbsp;petroleum ministry officials said. The target for this financial year is 50,000&nbsp;vehicles. That compares with just 6,000 conversions in 2015/16.

Officials say the number of private cars&nbsp;converting is rising. They hope this will soften the blow of&nbsp;petrol&nbsp;price hikes after recent subsidy removals, as well as reducing pollution and cutting the import bill for liquid&nbsp;fuels.

Egyptians&nbsp;have seen steep increases to&nbsp;fuel&nbsp;prices&nbsp;since 2014, with most energy&nbsp;prices&nbsp;brought up to international levels under a three-year, IMF-backed reform plan completed this year.

But gas has remained cheap compared with liquid&nbsp;fuels.

One cubic metre of CNG costs 3.5 Egyptian pounds, roughly the equivalent of one litre of diesel at 6.75 pounds or one litre of 80-octane&nbsp;petrol&nbsp;at 6.5 pounds.

"The ministry of&nbsp;petroleum has maintained an appropriate price so that natural gas always stays at 50 per cent&nbsp;of the 80-octane&nbsp;petrol&nbsp;(price), which encouraged drivers to turn to conversion," said Abdelfattah Moustafa Farahat, head of Egyptian International Gas Technology GASTEC.

Private cars now make up 30 per cent&nbsp;of conversions, Farahat said.

Officials say a boom in natural gas production and exploration since the discovery of the giant offshore Zohr gas field in 2015 spurred them to act. Egypt became self-sufficient in natural gas in late 2018.

"The discovery of Zohr field and achieving self-sufficiency in natural gas have encouraged the state to think: why don't we use this gas as a domestic&nbsp;fuel&nbsp;and work to expand its use," said ‭‭‭‭Ayman Shalaby, assistant vice chairman at the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS).

GASTEC is one of two state-run companies, along with the Natural Gas&nbsp;Vehicles&nbsp;Company (Car Gas), that dominate the sector. Private and foreign companies have also entered the market in the past few years.

GASTEC plans to set up 54 new&nbsp;duel-fuel&nbsp;stations with CNG over the next three years, in partnership with Italy's Eni, as well as building&nbsp;more&nbsp;fuelling stations for public buses, Farahat said. Currently, Egypt has 187 CNG&nbsp;fuelling stations and 72 conversion centres.

The government also has a plan for minibuses, a common form of cheap transport across Egypt. Under the scheme, 142,000 minibuses would be&nbsp;converted and another 88,000 old diesel minibuses replaced with biofuel&nbsp;equivalents over the next three years, while&nbsp;more&nbsp;than 350&nbsp;fuelling stations would be built.

Motorists gave the&nbsp;duel-fuel&nbsp;system mixed reviews. Some praised cost savings on&nbsp;fuel but complained of reduced power or luggage space.

Officials say conversions are preceded by technical checks and the cylinder size and shape can be adapted to the vehicle.

The government is subsidising and providing low-interest instalment plans for conversion systems, which cost 5,000-7,500 pounds, as well as encouraging assembly plants and importers to provide&nbsp;vehicles&nbsp;with built-in systems.

The number of Egyptians switching to duel-fuel vehicles is accelerating as the government pushes motorists to use cheaper, cleaner and plentiful natural gas. About 300,000 vehicles, mostly taxis and minibuses, have been converted to duel-fuel systems since the 1990s, a small fraction of the 11 million vehicles licensed in the country.

The number of Egyptians switching to duel-fuel vehicles is accelerating as the government pushes motorists to use cheaper, cleaner and plentiful natural gas. About 300,000 vehicles, mostly taxis and minibuses, have been converted to duel-fuel systems since the 1990s, a small fraction of the 11 million vehicles licensed in the country. But authorities are encouraging more drivers to switch by subsidising vehicle conversions, keeping compressed natural gas (CNG) prices low, and building CNG fuelling stations and conversion plants. Nearly 32,000 vehicles were converted during the financial year from July 2018 to June 2019, two petroleum ministry officials said. The target for this financial year is 50,000 vehicles. That compares with just 6,000 conversions in 2015/16. Officials say the number of private cars converting is rising. They hope this will soften the blow of petrol price hikes after recent subsidy removals, as well as reducing pollution and cutting the import bill for liquid fuels. Egyptians have seen steep increases to fuel prices since 2014, with most energy prices brought up to international levels under a three-year, IMF-backed reform plan completed this year. But gas has remained cheap compared with liquid fuels. One cubic metre of CNG costs 3.5 Egyptian pounds, roughly the equivalent of one litre of diesel at 6.75 pounds or one litre of 80-octane petrol at 6.5 pounds. "The ministry of petroleum has maintained an appropriate price so that natural gas always stays at 50 per cent of the 80-octane petrol (price), which encouraged drivers to turn to conversion," said Abdelfattah Moustafa Farahat, head of Egyptian International Gas Technology GASTEC. Private cars now make up 30 per cent of conversions, Farahat said. Officials say a boom in natural gas production and exploration since the discovery of the giant offshore Zohr gas field in 2015 spurred them to act. Egypt became self-sufficient in natural gas in late 2018. "The discovery of Zohr field and achieving self-sufficiency in natural gas have encouraged the state to think: why don't we use this gas as a domestic fuel and work to expand its use," said ‭‭‭‭Ayman Shalaby, assistant vice chairman at the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS). GASTEC is one of two state-run companies, along with the Natural Gas Vehicles Company (Car Gas), that dominate the sector. Private and foreign companies have also entered the market in the past few years. GASTEC plans to set up 54 new duel-fuel stations with CNG over the next three years, in partnership with Italy's Eni, as well as building more fuelling stations for public buses, Farahat said. Currently, Egypt has 187 CNG fuelling stations and 72 conversion centres. The government also has a plan for minibuses, a common form of cheap transport across Egypt. Under the scheme, 142,000 minibuses would be converted and another 88,000 old diesel minibuses replaced with biofuel equivalents over the next three years, while more than 350 fuelling stations would be built. Motorists gave the duel-fuel system mixed reviews. Some praised cost savings on fuel but complained of reduced power or luggage space. Officials say conversions are preceded by technical checks and the cylinder size and shape can be adapted to the vehicle. The government is subsidising and providing low-interest instalment plans for conversion systems, which cost 5,000-7,500 pounds, as well as encouraging assembly plants and importers to provide vehicles with built-in systems.

As petrol prices rise, more Egyptians convert to duel-fuel vehicles

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/.../egypt-mediated-truce-with-israel-in-force-in- gaza-islamic-jihad-261943">Egypt</a> said on Saturday it had signed several multimillion-dollar energy investment accords including a $430-million deal for Texas-based Noble Energy to pump natural gas through the East Mediterranean Gas Company's pipeline.

Under another agreement with Noble, which will also be financed by the US&nbsp;International Development Finance Corporation, the energy company will manufacture petroleum products in partnership with Egyptian company Dolphinus Holdings.

The cabinet detailed the plans at the end of an Africa investment forum held on the site of the country's planned new administrative capital in the desert east of Cairo.

Amsterdam-based Lekela also announced the start of construction work on its West Bakr wind power plant, which will have a capacity of 250 megawatts and require a total investment of $350 million.

Lekela CEO Chris Antonopoulos said Siemens Gamesa will build the West Bakr plant in the Gulf of Suez, creating an expected 550 jobs, according to the cabinet statement.

Egypt signed an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) worth $201 million to improve the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company's electric grid, and the lender will also finance a new asphalt production unit for the Suez Oil Processing Company worth $50 million.

The EBRD signed further deals with Sarwa Capital Holding and state-owned Banque Misr to issue 500 million Egyptian pounds ($31.13 million) in securitization bonds for the government's New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA).

NUCA, 51 per cent&nbsp;owned by the military's engineering authority and 49 per cent&nbsp;by the housing ministry, is developing Egypt's as-yet-unnamed new capital.

Egypt said on Saturday it had signed several multimillion-dollar energy investment accords including a $430-million deal for Texas-based Noble Energy to pump natural gas through the East Mediterranean Gas Company's pipeline.

Egypt said on Saturday it had signed several multimillion-dollar energy investment accords including a $430-million deal for Texas-based Noble Energy to pump natural gas through the East Mediterranean Gas Company's pipeline. Under another agreement with Noble, which will also be financed by the US International Development Finance Corporation, the energy company will manufacture petroleum products in partnership with Egyptian company Dolphinus Holdings. The cabinet detailed the plans at the end of an Africa investment forum held on the site of the country's planned new administrative capital in the desert east of Cairo. Amsterdam-based Lekela also announced the start of construction work on its West Bakr wind power plant, which will have a capacity of 250 megawatts and require a total investment of $350 million. Lekela CEO Chris Antonopoulos said Siemens Gamesa will build the West Bakr plant in the Gulf of Suez, creating an expected 550 jobs, according to the cabinet statement. Egypt signed an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) worth $201 million to improve the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company's electric grid, and the lender will also finance a new asphalt production unit for the Suez Oil Processing Company worth $50 million. The EBRD signed further deals with Sarwa Capital Holding and state-owned Banque Misr to issue 500 million Egyptian pounds ($31.13 million) in securitization bonds for the government's New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA). NUCA, 51 per cent owned by the military's engineering authority and 49 per cent by the housing ministry, is developing Egypt's as-yet-unnamed new capital.

Egypt signs $430-million gas deal with Texas' Noble Energy

Egypt has been trying to deflect criticism of its human rights record and prison conditions ahead of a U.N. review in Geneva on Wednesday that comes in the wake of thousands of new arrests.

The crackdown, which rights activists say was the most intensive campaign of arrests for years, came after rare protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo and other cities in late September.

More than 4,400 were detained, among them prominent activists, lawyers, academics and political figures, according to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.

Around 3,000 are still being held under charges including using social media to spread false news, joining a banned terrorist group, and protesting without a permit, ECRF said.

In late September, Egypt's public prosecution acknowledged the arrest of not more than 1,000 people accused of involvement in the protests.

Some of the detained are in Cairo's Tora prison, where relatives and lawyers say inmates are often held in poor conditions and denied adequate healthcare.

Tora is the prison complex in which former president Mohamed Mursi, whose overthrow in 2013 was led by Sisi, suffered a fatal heart attack in June during a courtroom hearing.

U.N. experts said on Friday the prison regime may have led directly to Mursi's death after he was held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and was denied life-saving care for diabetes and high blood pressure.

Thousands more are at severe risk, the experts said, adding that two senior former aides of the banned Brotherhood were "effectively being killed by the conditions under which they are held and the denial of medical treatment".

Egyptian officials have denied mistreating prisoners or neglecting their health.

On Sunday, Egypt's State Information Service released a video of an inspection of Tora by officials from the state security prosecution service. It included interviews with two prisoners who said they were largely satisfied with conditions.

A series of photos at the start of the film showed the officials visiting a well-stocked pharmacy and grocery shop and tasting food in the prison refectory.

On Monday, selected local and foreign journalists were invited to visit Tora, where they were shown a football match for prisoners, farm animals, and a metal workshop, but were not allowed to talk to inmates, according to one reporter present. Reuters was not invited on the visit.

State TV has also aired a short programme on the detention system with a commentary saying that prisons are being modernised in line with international standards.

Criticism from Western powers keen to develop security and economic ties with Sisi's Egypt has been muted, and the session in Geneva provides a rare forum in which they can pose questions publicly.

The U.N. Human Rights Council will be reviewing Egypt's record for the first time in five years, as part of the forum's regular appraisal of all U.N. member states.

Advance questions cover prison conditions, torture and the recent arrests of activists, among other issues. One rights lawyer, Mohamed al-Baqer, was interrogated over his engagement with the U.N. review following his detention, according to a question submitted by Liechtenstein.

International rights group Amnesty International called on states "to vehemently condemn the vicious crackdown by authorities against NGO workers and civil society".

It said that since accepting 237 out of 300 recommendations at its last review in 2014, Egyptian authorities had "adopted even more repressive measures that further restricted basic rights and freedoms".

Egypt has been trying to deflect criticism of its human rights record and prison conditions ahead of a U.N. review in Geneva on Wednesday that comes in the wake of thousands of new arrests.

Egypt has been trying to deflect criticism of its human rights record and prison conditions ahead of a U.N. review in Geneva on Wednesday that comes in the wake of thousands of new arrests. The crackdown, which rights activists say was the most intensive campaign of arrests for years, came after rare protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo and other cities in late September. More than 4,400 were detained, among them prominent activists, lawyers, academics and political figures, according to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms. Around 3,000 are still being held under charges including using social media to spread false news, joining a banned terrorist group, and protesting without a permit, ECRF said. In late September, Egypt's public prosecution acknowledged the arrest of not more than 1,000 people accused of involvement in the protests. Some of the detained are in Cairo's Tora prison, where relatives and lawyers say inmates are often held in poor conditions and denied adequate healthcare. Tora is the prison complex in which former president Mohamed Mursi, whose overthrow in 2013 was led by Sisi, suffered a fatal heart attack in June during a courtroom hearing. U.N. experts said on Friday the prison regime may have led directly to Mursi's death after he was held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and was denied life-saving care for diabetes and high blood pressure. Thousands more are at severe risk, the experts said, adding that two senior former aides of the banned Brotherhood were "effectively being killed by the conditions under which they are held and the denial of medical treatment". Egyptian officials have denied mistreating prisoners or neglecting their health. On Sunday, Egypt's State Information Service released a video of an inspection of Tora by officials from the state security prosecution service. It included interviews with two prisoners who said they were largely satisfied with conditions. A series of photos at the start of the film showed the officials visiting a well-stocked pharmacy and grocery shop and tasting food in the prison refectory. On Monday, selected local and foreign journalists were invited to visit Tora, where they were shown a football match for prisoners, farm animals, and a metal workshop, but were not allowed to talk to inmates, according to one reporter present. Reuters was not invited on the visit. State TV has also aired a short programme on the detention system with a commentary saying that prisons are being modernised in line with international standards. Criticism from Western powers keen to develop security and economic ties with Sisi's Egypt has been muted, and the session in Geneva provides a rare forum in which they can pose questions publicly. The U.N. Human Rights Council will be reviewing Egypt's record for the first time in five years, as part of the forum's regular appraisal of all U.N. member states. Advance questions cover prison conditions, torture and the recent arrests of activists, among other issues. One rights lawyer, Mohamed al-Baqer, was interrogated over his engagement with the U.N. review following his detention, according to a question submitted by Liechtenstein. International rights group Amnesty International called on states "to vehemently condemn the vicious crackdown by authorities against NGO workers and civil society". It said that since accepting 237 out of 300 recommendations at its last review in 2014, Egyptian authorities had "adopted even more repressive measures that further restricted basic rights and freedoms".

Egypt seeks to parry human rights criticism after mass arrests

The 150-year-long history of Suez Canal

Timeline: China's military drones make it a mobile warfare specialist

The leaders of Ethiopia and Egypt met on the sidelines of Russia's Africa summit on Thursday to discuss a disputed Nile dam that has seen tensions flare, a diplomatic source told AFP.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi "delivered a message" to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed about Addis Ababa's soon-to-be-finished dam on the Blue Nile, the Egyptian diplomatic source said.

The meeting lasted around 45 minutes and took place "in a positive atmosphere," the source added, without providing details.&nbsp;

Egypt fears that the building of the dam, a $4 billion project begun in 2012, will reduce the flow of the Nile, on which it depends for 90 per cent of its water supply.

Discussions between the two countries and with Sudan, through which the river also passes, have been blocked for nine years.

Russia, which is hosting a two-day Africa Summit in its Black Sea resort of Sochi in an attempt to revive its Soviet-era influence on the continent, has said it is ready to play a role in resolving the conflict.

"The dam... was discussed during (Russian President Vladimir Putin's) meeting with the President of Egypt, and during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Putin told the two leaders they should take advantage of their presence in Sochi to "directly discuss (their) concerns" and that he also offered "his assistance", Peskov said.

In early October, negotiations in Khartoum resulted in a "stalemate", according to Cairo, which has since sought international mediation.&nbsp;

Ethiopia has rejected the claim, calling it "an unwarranted denial of the progress" made during the negotiations.

Analysts fear the three Nile basin countries could be drawn into conflict if the dispute is not resolved before the dam goes into operation late next year. 
&nbsp;

The leaders of Ethiopia and Egypt met on the sidelines of Russia's Africa summit on Thursday to discuss a disputed Nile dam that has seen tensions flare, a diplomatic source told AFP.

The leaders of Ethiopia and Egypt met on the sidelines of Russia's Africa summit on Thursday to discuss a disputed Nile dam that has seen tensions flare, a diplomatic source told AFP. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi "delivered a message" to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed about Addis Ababa's soon-to-be-finished dam on the Blue Nile, the Egyptian diplomatic source said. The meeting lasted around 45 minutes and took place "in a positive atmosphere," the source added, without providing details. Egypt fears that the building of the dam, a $4 billion project begun in 2012, will reduce the flow of the Nile, on which it depends for 90 per cent of its water supply. Discussions between the two countries and with Sudan, through which the river also passes, have been blocked for nine years. Russia, which is hosting a two-day Africa Summit in its Black Sea resort of Sochi in an attempt to revive its Soviet-era influence on the continent, has said it is ready to play a role in resolving the conflict. "The dam... was discussed during (Russian President Vladimir Putin's) meeting with the President of Egypt, and during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Putin told the two leaders they should take advantage of their presence in Sochi to "directly discuss (their) concerns" and that he also offered "his assistance", Peskov said. In early October, negotiations in Khartoum resulted in a "stalemate", according to Cairo, which has since sought international mediation. Ethiopia has rejected the claim, calling it "an unwarranted denial of the progress" made during the negotiations. Analysts fear the three Nile basin countries could be drawn into conflict if the dispute is not resolved before the dam goes into operation late next year.

Egypt, Ethiopia leaders discuss Nile dam in Russia

Britain said Tuesday it was ending a nearly four-year suspension of flights to Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh that followed the bombing of a Russian airliner claimed by the Islamic State group.

"The UK has been clear that flights to Sharm el-Sheikh should resume when the security situation allows," British minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Andrew Murrison, said in a statement released by the embassy.

"I am pleased that today we can announce the lifting of the current restrictions."

Britain said Tuesday it was ending a nearly four-year suspension of flights to Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh that followed the bombing of a Russian airliner claimed by the Islamic State group.

Britain said Tuesday it was ending a nearly four-year suspension of flights to Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh that followed the bombing of a Russian airliner claimed by the Islamic State group. "The UK has been clear that flights to Sharm el-Sheikh should resume when the security situation allows," British minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Andrew Murrison, said in a statement released by the embassy. "I am pleased that today we can announce the lifting of the current restrictions."

UK lifts flight ban to Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh: Embassy

There’s a deja vu feeling to this year’s wave of protests across the Arab world.

It’s not that this year saw the toppling of the leaders of Algeria and Sudan as a result of popular revolts, a harking back to the 2011 protests that overthrew the leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

It’s that it’s the protesters in Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco rather than illiberal or autocratic regimes that have learnt the lessons of 2011.

Had illiberal and autocratic leaders learnt the lessons, they would not have been taken again by surprise by mass protests, often sparked by a black swan.

Lessons learnt would have meant putting their ear to the ground, hearing the groundswell of anger and frustration boiling at the surface over lack of economic opportunity and basic services, widespread corruption that benefits the few and complicates life for the many, and a clamouring for the ability to vent those grievances.

Lessons learnt would have meant addressing those concerns before its too late and spill into the streets in massive votes of no-confidence against&nbsp;the political and economic system and its leaders.

It’s a lesson that is valid beyond the Arab world with similar protests, like in 2011, erupting across the globe in countries such as Hong Kong, Russia, Peru, Haiti, Ecuador, Indonesia, and world-wide climate change-related demonstrations.

For their part, demonstrators in Algeria and Sudan concluded from the 2011 protests that toppling a leader was the beginning not the end of the process.

In Algeria, protesters remain in the streets six months after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down, battling the army for a political process that will guarantee structural change rather than enable an electoral process that ensures that the military and its aligned business interests remain the power behind the throne.

Sudanese demonstrators surrendered the street only after an agreement had been reached with the military on a three-year-long transition towards the civilian rule.

The Sudanese and Algerian experiences, like the lessons to be learnt from the 2011 revolts, suggest that the playing field in the wake of the fall of an autocrat is striking a balance between protesters’ demands for fundamental change and the determination of elites and the military to preserve their economic interests, some degree of control of security and safeguards against being held accountable for past abuse.

What demonstrators have going for them, beyond the power of the street, is the fact that popular discontent is not the only thing that mitigates against the maintenance of the pre-protest status quo.

Countries across the Middle East and North Africa, characterised by youth bulges, can no longer evade economic reform that addresses widespread youth unemployment, the need to create large numbers of jobs, and inevitable diversification and streamlining of bloated government bureaucracies.

Algeria is a case in point. Foreign exchange reserves have dropped from $193.6 billion in 2014 to $72 billion in 2019. Reserves cover 13 months of imports at best in a country that imports 70 per cent of what it consumes,

“If the state can no longer deliver goods and services, socio-economic discontent will rise further…. In order to avoid such a situation… the state and its citizens will have to renegotiate their relationship. In the past the state provided, and Algerians abided. This is no longer economically feasible today, nor is it what Algerians appear to want as they seek more transparency, less corruption, and better governance of Algeria’s resources,” said Algeria scholar Dalia Ghanem.

Attention in the past years since the 2011 popular Arab revolts have focussed on the consequences of the Saudi-UAE led counterrevolution that brutally rolled back protesters achievements in Egypt and contributed to the Iranian-backed military campaign of Houthi rebels in Yemen and the devastating subsequent military intervention in that country as well as civil wars in Syria and Libya.

Yet, the past eight years have also been characterised by issues-oriented protests that often involved new, creative forms of expression of discontent.

Iraq, Algeria and Sudan rather than Egypt contain lessons for the future.

Egypt’s field marshal-turned-president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi may have squashed recent protests with mass arrests and security force violence, but his conspiratorial depictions of a plot engineered by the repressed and weakened Muslim Brotherhood are unlikely to dampen widespread discontent with his failed economic policies that have benefited the elite and impoverished many.

Al-Sisi may have ended the protests for now, but continued refusal to address grievances makes Egypt an accident waiting to happen.

The demography of protesters in Iraq proves the point. The protests could have been avoided had the Iraqi government focused on tackling corruption, ensuring the delivery of basic services, and creating jobs for university graduates and opportunities for those who returned from defeating the Islamic State to find that they were deprived of opportunities.

One lesson of the protests in Iraq and Hong Kong is the fact that repressive government responses, the killing of more than 100 demonstrators in Iraq or the banning of face masks in Hong Kong, fuel rather than calm public anger.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

There’s a deja vu feeling to this year’s wave of protests across the Arab world. It’s not that this year saw the toppling of the leaders of Algeria and Sudan as a result of popular revolts, a harking back to the 2011 protests that overthrew the leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.

There’s a deja vu feeling to this year’s wave of protests across the Arab world. It’s not that this year saw the toppling of the leaders of Algeria and Sudan as a result of popular revolts, a harking back to the 2011 protests that overthrew the leaders of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen. It’s that it’s the protesters in Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco rather than illiberal or autocratic regimes that have learnt the lessons of 2011. Had illiberal and autocratic leaders learnt the lessons, they would not have been taken again by surprise by mass protests, often sparked by a black swan. Lessons learnt would have meant putting their ear to the ground, hearing the groundswell of anger and frustration boiling at the surface over lack of economic opportunity and basic services, widespread corruption that benefits the few and complicates life for the many, and a clamouring for the ability to vent those grievances. Lessons learnt would have meant addressing those concerns before its too late and spill into the streets in massive votes of no-confidence against the political and economic system and its leaders. It’s a lesson that is valid beyond the Arab world with similar protests, like in 2011, erupting across the globe in countries such as Hong Kong, Russia, Peru, Haiti, Ecuador, Indonesia, and world-wide climate change-related demonstrations. For their part, demonstrators in Algeria and Sudan concluded from the 2011 protests that toppling a leader was the beginning not the end of the process. In Algeria, protesters remain in the streets six months after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down, battling the army for a political process that will guarantee structural change rather than enable an electoral process that ensures that the military and its aligned business interests remain the power behind the throne. Sudanese demonstrators surrendered the street only after an agreement had been reached with the military on a three-year-long transition towards the civilian rule. The Sudanese and Algerian experiences, like the lessons to be learnt from the 2011 revolts, suggest that the playing field in the wake of the fall of an autocrat is striking a balance between protesters’ demands for fundamental change and the determination of elites and the military to preserve their economic interests, some degree of control of security and safeguards against being held accountable for past abuse. What demonstrators have going for them, beyond the power of the street, is the fact that popular discontent is not the only thing that mitigates against the maintenance of the pre-protest status quo. Countries across the Middle East and North Africa, characterised by youth bulges, can no longer evade economic reform that addresses widespread youth unemployment, the need to create large numbers of jobs, and inevitable diversification and streamlining of bloated government bureaucracies. Algeria is a case in point. Foreign exchange reserves have dropped from $193.6 billion in 2014 to $72 billion in 2019. Reserves cover 13 months of imports at best in a country that imports 70 per cent of what it consumes, “If the state can no longer deliver goods and services, socio-economic discontent will rise further…. In order to avoid such a situation… the state and its citizens will have to renegotiate their relationship. In the past the state provided, and Algerians abided. This is no longer economically feasible today, nor is it what Algerians appear to want as they seek more transparency, less corruption, and better governance of Algeria’s resources,” said Algeria scholar Dalia Ghanem. Attention in the past years since the 2011 popular Arab revolts have focussed on the consequences of the Saudi-UAE led counterrevolution that brutally rolled back protesters achievements in Egypt and contributed to the Iranian-backed military campaign of Houthi rebels in Yemen and the devastating subsequent military intervention in that country as well as civil wars in Syria and Libya. Yet, the past eight years have also been characterised by issues-oriented protests that often involved new, creative forms of expression of discontent. Iraq, Algeria and Sudan rather than Egypt contain lessons for the future. Egypt’s field marshal-turned-president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi may have squashed recent protests with mass arrests and security force violence, but his conspiratorial depictions of a plot engineered by the repressed and weakened Muslim Brotherhood are unlikely to dampen widespread discontent with his failed economic policies that have benefited the elite and impoverished many. Al-Sisi may have ended the protests for now, but continued refusal to address grievances makes Egypt an accident waiting to happen. The demography of protesters in Iraq proves the point. The protests could have been avoided had the Iraqi government focused on tackling corruption, ensuring the delivery of basic services, and creating jobs for university graduates and opportunities for those who returned from defeating the Islamic State to find that they were deprived of opportunities. One lesson of the protests in Iraq and Hong Kong is the fact that repressive government responses, the killing of more than 100 demonstrators in Iraq or the banning of face masks in Hong Kong, fuel rather than calm public anger. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Learning lessons: Protesters stay one step ahead of rulers

Egypt has urged international mediation over what it called "deadlock" in talks in Sudan over a massive dam under construction on the Nile River, sparking fresh tensions with Ethiopia.

Negotiations between the three countries have been at a stalemate for years after Ethiopia began constructing the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile in 2012.&nbsp;

Ethiopia says the project is needed to provide electricity.

But Egypt is concerned the huge dam will severely reduce its water supplies and says it has "historic rights" to the river guaranteed by decades-old treaties.

Egypt "called for the involvement of an international party in the Renaissance Dam negotiations to mediate between the three countries," the irrigation ministry said in a statement late Saturday after a new round of talks ended in Khartoum.

An impasse was reached after Ethiopia "rejected all the proposals that take Egypt's water interests into account," the ministry added.

It said Ethiopia presented a proposal that "lacked guarantees" of the minimum water flow as well as how to deal with possible droughts.

The Ethiopian foreign ministry rejected Egypt's call for international mediation as "an unwarranted denial of the progress" of talks.&nbsp;

"It also goes against the consent and wishes of Ethiopia," it added.

The Egyptian presidency called on the United States to play "an active role" in the issue, invoking the need for an international party to "overcome the deadlock".&nbsp;

The White House had on Friday expressed "support" for the negotiations, urging all sides "to put forth good faith efforts to reach an agreement".

Ethiopia, however, dismissed Cairo's assessment of the latest negotiations.

"The allegation that talks ended in a deadlock is completely false," Ethiopian Minister for Water and Energy Selishi Bekele told reporters on Saturday.

He said that "some progress has been made" but acknowledged that there were "pending issues".

Ethiopia's foreign ministry said Egypt's approach in the talks was "another instance of a disruptive tactic it applied to halt the hydrology, environmental and social impact assessment" of the dam.

The Nile, which runs through 10 countries, is Africa's longest river and a crucial artery for water supplies and electricity for all the countries.

Its main tributaries -- the White Nile and the Blue Nile -- converge in Khartoum before it flows through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.

Ethiopia has said the $4 billion dam will begin generating power&nbsp;by the end of 2020 and will be fully operational by 2022.

Analysts fear that the three Nile basin countries could be drawn into a conflict if the dispute is not resolved before the dam begins operating.

Egypt has urged international mediation over what it called "deadlock" in talks in Sudan over a massive dam under construction on the Nile River, sparking fresh tensions with Ethiopia.

Egypt has urged international mediation over what it called "deadlock" in talks in Sudan over a massive dam under construction on the Nile River, sparking fresh tensions with Ethiopia. Negotiations between the three countries have been at a stalemate for years after Ethiopia began constructing the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile in 2012. Ethiopia says the project is needed to provide electricity. But Egypt is concerned the huge dam will severely reduce its water supplies and says it has "historic rights" to the river guaranteed by decades-old treaties. Egypt "called for the involvement of an international party in the Renaissance Dam negotiations to mediate between the three countries," the irrigation ministry said in a statement late Saturday after a new round of talks ended in Khartoum. An impasse was reached after Ethiopia "rejected all the proposals that take Egypt's water interests into account," the ministry added. It said Ethiopia presented a proposal that "lacked guarantees" of the minimum water flow as well as how to deal with possible droughts. The Ethiopian foreign ministry rejected Egypt's call for international mediation as "an unwarranted denial of the progress" of talks. "It also goes against the consent and wishes of Ethiopia," it added. The Egyptian presidency called on the United States to play "an active role" in the issue, invoking the need for an international party to "overcome the deadlock". The White House had on Friday expressed "support" for the negotiations, urging all sides "to put forth good faith efforts to reach an agreement". Ethiopia, however, dismissed Cairo's assessment of the latest negotiations. "The allegation that talks ended in a deadlock is completely false," Ethiopian Minister for Water and Energy Selishi Bekele told reporters on Saturday. He said that "some progress has been made" but acknowledged that there were "pending issues". Ethiopia's foreign ministry said Egypt's approach in the talks was "another instance of a disruptive tactic it applied to halt the hydrology, environmental and social impact assessment" of the dam. The Nile, which runs through 10 countries, is Africa's longest river and a crucial artery for water supplies and electricity for all the countries. Its main tributaries -- the White Nile and the Blue Nile -- converge in Khartoum before it flows through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. Ethiopia has said the $4 billion dam will begin generating power by the end of 2020 and will be fully operational by 2022. Analysts fear that the three Nile basin countries could be drawn into a conflict if the dispute is not resolved before the dam begins operating.

Egypt urges mediation in 'deadlocked' Nile dam talks

Egypt lowered fuel prices on Friday, the oil ministry said, following several rounds of price hikes as part of an austerity programme that has triggered discontent.&nbsp;

The move comes a week after rare protests broke out in Cairo and other cities across Egypt calling for the removal of President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-leader-shrugs-off-call-for-fresh-protests-252444">Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.</a>

The country's pricing committee "decided to lower the prices of the three types of gasoline products on the domestic market by 25 piastres (0.015 US cents) a litre", the ministry said in a statement Thursday.

The price of 80-octane gas was cut to 6.5 Egyptian pounds, 92-octane to 7.75 pounds and 95-octane was lowered to 8.75 pounds.

The decision comes "in light of the decline in the price of Brent crude oil in the international market between July and September and the depreciation of the dollar against the (Egyptian) pound," it said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/muslim-brotherhood-sidelined-in-egypt-protests-analysts-253099/amp">Egypt </a>has raised fuel prices several times as part of subsidy cuts under ambitious but tough economic reforms since general-turned-president Sisi took office in 2014.

The austerity policies, including subsidy cuts on essentials such as fuel as well as the devaluation of the local currency, are tied to a $12-billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.

Egypt received the final tranche of the three-year IMF loan in August.

Since Egypt's agreement with the IMF in 2016, living costs have soared, hitting poor and middle-class Egyptians.&nbsp;

Sisi regularly calls on Egyptians to endure the economic hardship promising future prosperity.

Last month's protests broke out in defiance of a ban on demonstrations after an exiled Egyptian businessman accused Sisi and the military of rampant corruption.

Egypt lowered fuel prices on Friday, the oil ministry said, following several rounds of price hikes as part of an austerity programme that has triggered discontent.

Egypt lowered fuel prices on Friday, the oil ministry said, following several rounds of price hikes as part of an austerity programme that has triggered discontent. The move comes a week after rare protests broke out in Cairo and other cities across Egypt calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The country's pricing committee "decided to lower the prices of the three types of gasoline products on the domestic market by 25 piastres (0.015 US cents) a litre", the ministry said in a statement Thursday. The price of 80-octane gas was cut to 6.5 Egyptian pounds, 92-octane to 7.75 pounds and 95-octane was lowered to 8.75 pounds. The decision comes "in light of the decline in the price of Brent crude oil in the international market between July and September and the depreciation of the dollar against the (Egyptian) pound," it said. Egypt has raised fuel prices several times as part of subsidy cuts under ambitious but tough economic reforms since general-turned-president Sisi took office in 2014. The austerity policies, including subsidy cuts on essentials such as fuel as well as the devaluation of the local currency, are tied to a $12-billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund. Egypt received the final tranche of the three-year IMF loan in August. Since Egypt's agreement with the IMF in 2016, living costs have soared, hitting poor and middle-class Egyptians. Sisi regularly calls on Egyptians to endure the economic hardship promising future prosperity. Last month's protests broke out in defiance of a ban on demonstrations after an exiled Egyptian businessman accused Sisi and the military of rampant corruption.

Egypt lowers fuel prices after protests

Sitting in a wheelchair beside a metal fence in a camp in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-says-128000-syrians-subject-to-arbitrary-detention-252917">northern Syria</a>, nine-year-old Ruqaya Mohammad raises a scarf over her face to hide from journalists.

The Egyptian girl lost her left eye, her legs and both her parents during battles against the Islamic State group in their last Syria redoubt in March.

She now lives in a large tent along with 23 other orphaned children of foreign IS fighters in a camp for the displaced in Ain Issa, under the care of older camp residents.

Aged 18 months to 13-years-old, the children were born to parents from Russia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Tajikistan, Egypt and Iraq.

"Among the children, Ruqaya moves me the most," said Sara al-Abdullah, a 37-year-old who helps look after the orphans.

"She always looks withdrawn, shy, and sad," said the widowed mother of three, one of nine women residents of the Ain Issa camp paid a small fee to help look after the children.

Outside the tent, tiny children's tops and trousers have been slung across the metal fence to dry.

Inside, young boys dip flatbread into bowls of soft aubergine stewed in tomatoes.

A volunteer tries to coax a young child into opening his mouth, while another woman feeds an infant with a milk bottle.

A small boy dashes across the tent and throws himself excitedly into a pile of bedding.

Marred childhood

The volunteers say some of the children are still visibly scarred after living with their late parents under IS.

"They play at shooting each other or planting mines in the earth," Abdallah said.

Clutching bits of wood they pretend are guns, she says they throw themselves into imaginary battles, emulating the cries of IS jihadists.

"All that is ingrained in their heads. There's nothing to help them forget," said Abdallah.

"They don't study, or go and play with the little ones. It's been taken away from them."&nbsp;

IS overran large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring a "caliphate" and imposing their brutal interpretation of Islam on millions.

US-backed Syrian fighters in March expelled them from their last patch of territory in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz.

After years of leading the fight against the jihadists, Syria's Kurds hold thousands of suspected foreign IS members in detention and camps: men and women, but also some 8,000 children — more than half of whom are under the age of five.

The United Nations says <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-syrias-aleppo-reconstruction-makes-slow-start-252744">hundreds of them are unaccompanied</a>.

The 24 orphans in Ain Issa were among the tens of thousands of people to stream out of Baghouz in the last weeks of the battle, after months of food shortages and heavy bombardment.

"They were in a pitiful state. They went to hospital and got better," said Ain Issa camp manager Jalal Iyyaf.

But the camp has received no aid for the orphans and is struggling to provide for them, he said in his office.

"We ask for clothes, food, drink as well as help to rehabilitate them, rid them of IS ideology," he said.

Reading and writing?

Back in the tent, Suad Mohammed Ameen, 20, pulls a T-shirt over a toddler's head.

The children she helps need food and clothes — but also psychological support, she said.

"The toughest part is when they tell me their fathers and mothers were killed in front of them, or how they lost their siblings," she said, a fuchsia pink headscarf framing her face.

To help ease the pain, she has vowed to tell the children stories, and even teach the girls to crochet.

"I promised them that, after everything they'd missed out on, I'd help them catch up on reading and writing," she said.

But Iyyaf, the camp manager, said <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/aleppo-filmmaker-vows-to-continue-showing-reality-of-syria-252170">the best solution would be for their home countries</a> to take them back.

The Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria have repeatedly called for the foreigners they hold to be repatriated, a request that has largely been met with resistance — except in rare cases, including several orphans.

Alaa Suleiman al-Saleh, 19, another one of the caregivers, also hoped the children would be able to go home.

"The situation in this tent is really difficult," said the young woman, who has been teaching some of the girls to crochet.

"I hope these children will return to their countries so they can catch up on their education and childhood," she said.

Sitting in a wheelchair beside a metal fence in a camp in northern Syria, nine-year-old Ruqaya Mohammad raises a scarf over her face to hide from journalists. The Egyptian girl lost her left eye, her legs and both her parents during battles against the Islamic State group in their last Syria redoubt in March.

Sitting in a wheelchair beside a metal fence in a camp in northern Syria, nine-year-old Ruqaya Mohammad raises a scarf over her face to hide from journalists. The Egyptian girl lost her left eye, her legs and both her parents during battles against the Islamic State group in their last Syria redoubt in March. She now lives in a large tent along with 23 other orphaned children of foreign IS fighters in a camp for the displaced in Ain Issa, under the care of older camp residents. Aged 18 months to 13-years-old, the children were born to parents from Russia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Tajikistan, Egypt and Iraq. "Among the children, Ruqaya moves me the most," said Sara al-Abdullah, a 37-year-old who helps look after the orphans. "She always looks withdrawn, shy, and sad," said the widowed mother of three, one of nine women residents of the Ain Issa camp paid a small fee to help look after the children. Outside the tent, tiny children's tops and trousers have been slung across the metal fence to dry. Inside, young boys dip flatbread into bowls of soft aubergine stewed in tomatoes. A volunteer tries to coax a young child into opening his mouth, while another woman feeds an infant with a milk bottle. A small boy dashes across the tent and throws himself excitedly into a pile of bedding. Marred childhood The volunteers say some of the children are still visibly scarred after living with their late parents under IS. "They play at shooting each other or planting mines in the earth," Abdallah said. Clutching bits of wood they pretend are guns, she says they throw themselves into imaginary battles, emulating the cries of IS jihadists. "All that is ingrained in their heads. There's nothing to help them forget," said Abdallah. "They don't study, or go and play with the little ones. It's been taken away from them." IS overran large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring a "caliphate" and imposing their brutal interpretation of Islam on millions. US-backed Syrian fighters in March expelled them from their last patch of territory in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz. After years of leading the fight against the jihadists, Syria's Kurds hold thousands of suspected foreign IS members in detention and camps: men and women, but also some 8,000 children — more than half of whom are under the age of five. The United Nations says hundreds of them are unaccompanied. The 24 orphans in Ain Issa were among the tens of thousands of people to stream out of Baghouz in the last weeks of the battle, after months of food shortages and heavy bombardment. "They were in a pitiful state. They went to hospital and got better," said Ain Issa camp manager Jalal Iyyaf. But the camp has received no aid for the orphans and is struggling to provide for them, he said in his office. "We ask for clothes, food, drink as well as help to rehabilitate them, rid them of IS ideology," he said. Reading and writing? Back in the tent, Suad Mohammed Ameen, 20, pulls a T-shirt over a toddler's head. The children she helps need food and clothes — but also psychological support, she said. "The toughest part is when they tell me their fathers and mothers were killed in front of them, or how they lost their siblings," she said, a fuchsia pink headscarf framing her face. To help ease the pain, she has vowed to tell the children stories, and even teach the girls to crochet. "I promised them that, after everything they'd missed out on, I'd help them catch up on reading and writing," she said. But Iyyaf, the camp manager, said the best solution would be for their home countries to take them back. The Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria have repeatedly called for the foreigners they hold to be repatriated, a request that has largely been met with resistance — except in rare cases, including several orphans. Alaa Suleiman al-Saleh, 19, another one of the caregivers, also hoped the children would be able to go home. "The situation in this tent is really difficult," said the young woman, who has been teaching some of the girls to crochet. "I hope these children will return to their countries so they can catch up on their education and childhood," she said.

In Syria camp, uncertain future for foreign Islamic State orphans

Egypt has arrested nearly 2,000 people in what may be its biggest crackdown since the aftermath of the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, Human Rights Watch said on Friday.

The authorities have also blocked or interrupted various internet services and websites, in a bid to stamp out any repetition of the open defiance of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi shown by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/anti-sisi-protests-break-out-in-egypt-several-arrested-250950">protesters last weekend</a>, the watchdog said.

"Lawyers for detainees have posted on their social media pages several accounts of security forces arbitrarily arresting many people merely for being in the 'wrong place at the wrong time' or possessing critical content on their phones," HRW said in a statement.

"The government also has deployed uniformed and plainclothes security officers in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities in and around main streets and squares, randomly stopping passersby, searching and questioning people, and forcing them to show the contents of their mobile phones and social media accounts", they added.

Last weekend's rare protests against what is widely seen as one of the most authoritarian governments in the Middle East were triggered by viral videos from exiled businessman Mohamed Aly.

He has called for a "million-man march" and a "people's revolution" to unseat Sisi, whom he accuses of building lavish palaces while taxpayers grapple with the impact of austerity under an International Monetary Fund loan programme totalling $12 billion.

HRW called on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nightmare-as-egypt-aided-china-to-detain-uighurs-243790">Egypt's Western allies</a> to suspend military assistance until the government ceases its "gross violations of international law".

"World leaders should recognise that providing security and military assistance to abusive forces won't bring stability to Egypt, and that what's needed instead is a government that respects the rights and freedoms of the Egyptian people," said its Middle East and North Africa director, Sarah Leah Whitson.

Egypt has arrested nearly 2,000 people in what may be its biggest crackdown since the aftermath of the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, Human Rights Watch said on Friday.

Egypt has arrested nearly 2,000 people in what may be its biggest crackdown since the aftermath of the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, Human Rights Watch said on Friday. The authorities have also blocked or interrupted various internet services and websites, in a bid to stamp out any repetition of the open defiance of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi shown by protesters last weekend, the watchdog said. "Lawyers for detainees have posted on their social media pages several accounts of security forces arbitrarily arresting many people merely for being in the 'wrong place at the wrong time' or possessing critical content on their phones," HRW said in a statement. "The government also has deployed uniformed and plainclothes security officers in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities in and around main streets and squares, randomly stopping passersby, searching and questioning people, and forcing them to show the contents of their mobile phones and social media accounts", they added. Last weekend's rare protests against what is widely seen as one of the most authoritarian governments in the Middle East were triggered by viral videos from exiled businessman Mohamed Aly. He has called for a "million-man march" and a "people's revolution" to unseat Sisi, whom he accuses of building lavish palaces while taxpayers grapple with the impact of austerity under an International Monetary Fund loan programme totalling $12 billion. HRW called on Egypt's Western allies to suspend military assistance until the government ceases its "gross violations of international law". "World leaders should recognise that providing security and military assistance to abusive forces won't bring stability to Egypt, and that what's needed instead is a government that respects the rights and freedoms of the Egyptian people," said its Middle East and North Africa director, Sarah Leah Whitson.

Nearly 2,000 arrests in Egypt crackdown: Human Rights Watch

Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi on Friday dismissed a call for a second weekend of protests as "no reason for concern", with hundreds already arrested in an intensifying crackdown on a rare show of discontent on the streets.

Last week's open defiance of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi triggered by viral videos from exiled Egyptian businessman Mohamed Aly has surprised observers in a country where opposition of all stripes has been severely curtailed.

Elected president in 2014 after pushing predecessor Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood from power the previous year, Sisi is seen by many as one of the most authoritarian figures in the Middle East. &nbsp;

Construction magnate Aly has called for a "million-man march" to take place Friday and a "people's revolution" to unseat the uncompromising head of state.

But after he arrived home from the UN General Assembly in New York, Sisi on Friday insisted there was no cause for alarm.

"There are no reasons for concern. Egypt is a strong country thanks to Egyptians," he told reporters with a smile.

"The case does not deserve all" this attention, Sisi said. "It is an attempt to create an image that is absolutely not real."

Road blocks prevented traffic from entering Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday morning, AFP journalists said, although it was still possible to move into the area on foot.

Aly accuses Sisi of building lavish palaces while taxpayers grapple with the impact of austerity under an IMF loan programme totalling $12 billion.

In recent days, security has been visibly stepped up, especially in Tahrir Square the epicenter of the 2011 popular revolt that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

That iconic location was key to last week's demonstrations, which broke out after a football match with protesters chanting "leave, Sisi!" and accusing him of heading a "military regime".

Alongside beefing up their presence on the streets, the security forces have also detained people they suspect of being key influencers of unrest journalists, human rights activists, and lawyers.

'Wrong place, wrong time'

Human Rights Watch said Friday that nearly 2,000 people had been arrested over the past week, in what could be the biggest crackdown since 2013.

"Lawyers for detainees have posted on their social media pages several accounts of security forces arbitrarily arresting many people merely for being in the 'wrong place at the wrong time' or possessing critical content on their phones," the rights group said.

The attorney general's office said "not more than 1,000 protesters" had been questioned by prosecutors.

It said prosecutors had orders to "inspect the social media accounts and pages of those detained."

Analysts said they expected any further protests to meet a tough response as Sisi seeks to preserve his security credentials.

"Sisi has made it clear he intends to stay in power for quite some time and protests will not change that calculus for him," said H.A Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

The president "appears convinced that any protests that go beyond a certain point would be destructive not only to his presidency but the state more generally," he told AFP.

HRW called on Egypt's Western allies to suspend their military assistance until the government ceases its "gross violations of international law".

"World leaders should recognize that providing security and military assistance to abusive forces won't bring stability to Egypt, and that what's needed instead is a government that respects the rights and freedoms of the Egyptian people," said it is Middle East and North Africa director, Sarah Leah Whitson.

In August 2013, just over a month after Sisi toppled Morsi, police dispersed two camps full of supporters of the Islamist leader in Cairo, killing about 800 people in clashes, according to official figures.

The government named the Muslim Brotherhood a "terrorist organization" later that year, but the crackdown on opposition has extended to secular organizations and human rights activists.

On Thursday, Aly posted a one-minute missive which included extracts from previous videos and footage from riots in 2011 and later, juxtaposed against declarations by Sisi.

But while the exiled critic's videos have gained huge traction shared millions of times online they have provoked fervent counter-attacks from the president's backers, using the hashtags #longliveSisi and #theywantchaos.

For those supporters, Sisi's six years at the helm including five as president have shown him to be a bulwark against the insecurity and political disintegration unleashed by the Arab Spring elsewhere, notably in Libya and Syria.

Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi on Friday dismissed a call for a second weekend of protests as "no reason for concern", with hundreds already arrested in an intensifying crackdown on a rare show of discontent on the streets.

Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi on Friday dismissed a call for a second weekend of protests as "no reason for concern", with hundreds already arrested in an intensifying crackdown on a rare show of discontent on the streets. Last week's open defiance of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi triggered by viral videos from exiled Egyptian businessman Mohamed Aly has surprised observers in a country where opposition of all stripes has been severely curtailed. Elected president in 2014 after pushing predecessor Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood from power the previous year, Sisi is seen by many as one of the most authoritarian figures in the Middle East. Construction magnate Aly has called for a "million-man march" to take place Friday and a "people's revolution" to unseat the uncompromising head of state. But after he arrived home from the UN General Assembly in New York, Sisi on Friday insisted there was no cause for alarm. "There are no reasons for concern. Egypt is a strong country thanks to Egyptians," he told reporters with a smile. "The case does not deserve all" this attention, Sisi said. "It is an attempt to create an image that is absolutely not real." Road blocks prevented traffic from entering Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday morning, AFP journalists said, although it was still possible to move into the area on foot. Aly accuses Sisi of building lavish palaces while taxpayers grapple with the impact of austerity under an IMF loan programme totalling $12 billion. In recent days, security has been visibly stepped up, especially in Tahrir Square the epicenter of the 2011 popular revolt that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak. That iconic location was key to last week's demonstrations, which broke out after a football match with protesters chanting "leave, Sisi!" and accusing him of heading a "military regime". Alongside beefing up their presence on the streets, the security forces have also detained people they suspect of being key influencers of unrest journalists, human rights activists, and lawyers. 'Wrong place, wrong time' Human Rights Watch said Friday that nearly 2,000 people had been arrested over the past week, in what could be the biggest crackdown since 2013. "Lawyers for detainees have posted on their social media pages several accounts of security forces arbitrarily arresting many people merely for being in the 'wrong place at the wrong time' or possessing critical content on their phones," the rights group said. The attorney general's office said "not more than 1,000 protesters" had been questioned by prosecutors. It said prosecutors had orders to "inspect the social media accounts and pages of those detained." Analysts said they expected any further protests to meet a tough response as Sisi seeks to preserve his security credentials. "Sisi has made it clear he intends to stay in power for quite some time and protests will not change that calculus for him," said H.A Hellyer, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. The president "appears convinced that any protests that go beyond a certain point would be destructive not only to his presidency but the state more generally," he told AFP. HRW called on Egypt's Western allies to suspend their military assistance until the government ceases its "gross violations of international law". "World leaders should recognize that providing security and military assistance to abusive forces won't bring stability to Egypt, and that what's needed instead is a government that respects the rights and freedoms of the Egyptian people," said it is Middle East and North Africa director, Sarah Leah Whitson. In August 2013, just over a month after Sisi toppled Morsi, police dispersed two camps full of supporters of the Islamist leader in Cairo, killing about 800 people in clashes, according to official figures. The government named the Muslim Brotherhood a "terrorist organization" later that year, but the crackdown on opposition has extended to secular organizations and human rights activists. On Thursday, Aly posted a one-minute missive which included extracts from previous videos and footage from riots in 2011 and later, juxtaposed against declarations by Sisi. But while the exiled critic's videos have gained huge traction shared millions of times online they have provoked fervent counter-attacks from the president's backers, using the hashtags #longliveSisi and #theywantchaos. For those supporters, Sisi's six years at the helm including five as president have shown him to be a bulwark against the insecurity and political disintegration unleashed by the Arab Spring elsewhere, notably in Libya and Syria.

Egypt leader shrugs off call for fresh protests

Rare small protests broke out on Friday in Cairo and other Egyptian cities calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi but police quickly dispersed them, AFP journalists reported.

Dozens of people joined night-time demonstrations around Tahrir Square the epicenter of the 2011 revolution that toppled the country's long-time autocratic leader.

Such demonstrations are rare after Egypt effectively banned protests under a law passed following the 2013 military ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi.

Amid a heavy security presence, including riot police and plainclothes police officers, protesters were rounded up.

AFP journalists saw at least five protesters being arrested and police firing tear gas at demonstrators around the square.

Under the rule of general-turned-president Sisi, who led Morsi's ouster, authorities have launched a broad crackdown on dissidents, jailing thousands of Islamists as well as secular activists and popular bloggers.

Footage of the demonstrations, in which dozens chant "Leave Sisi", was shared online using the hashtag #Tahrir_Square, which was trending worldwide.

Along the road overlooking the Nile, close to the square, AFP journalists reported seeing small groups of people chanting anti-Sisi slogans after the rapid dispersal.

The protests come on the back of Mohamed Ali, a disgruntled exiled Egyptian businessman, demanding the toppling of Sisi.

The construction contractor has been posting viral videos from Spain since the beginning of September accusing Sisi and the military of rampant corruption.

Sisi flatly denied the allegations last week at a youth conference assuring Egyptians he "was honest and faithful" to his people and the military.

In his latest video posted early Friday morning on his growing social media accounts, Ali urged Egyptians to head to the streets after a highly anticipated football match between Cairo powerhouses Al Ahly and Zamalek in the Super Cup.

Widely shared videos online have also shown scattered protests varying in numbers in Alexandria, Al-Mahalla, Damietta, and Suez.

Rare small protests broke out on Friday in Cairo and other Egyptian cities calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi but police quickly dispersed them, AFP journalists reported.

Rare small protests broke out on Friday in Cairo and other Egyptian cities calling for the removal of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi but police quickly dispersed them, AFP journalists reported. Dozens of people joined night-time demonstrations around Tahrir Square the epicenter of the 2011 revolution that toppled the country's long-time autocratic leader. Such demonstrations are rare after Egypt effectively banned protests under a law passed following the 2013 military ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi. Amid a heavy security presence, including riot police and plainclothes police officers, protesters were rounded up. AFP journalists saw at least five protesters being arrested and police firing tear gas at demonstrators around the square. Under the rule of general-turned-president Sisi, who led Morsi's ouster, authorities have launched a broad crackdown on dissidents, jailing thousands of Islamists as well as secular activists and popular bloggers. Footage of the demonstrations, in which dozens chant "Leave Sisi", was shared online using the hashtag #Tahrir_Square, which was trending worldwide. Along the road overlooking the Nile, close to the square, AFP journalists reported seeing small groups of people chanting anti-Sisi slogans after the rapid dispersal. The protests come on the back of Mohamed Ali, a disgruntled exiled Egyptian businessman, demanding the toppling of Sisi. The construction contractor has been posting viral videos from Spain since the beginning of September accusing Sisi and the military of rampant corruption. Sisi flatly denied the allegations last week at a youth conference assuring Egyptians he "was honest and faithful" to his people and the military. In his latest video posted early Friday morning on his growing social media accounts, Ali urged Egyptians to head to the streets after a highly anticipated football match between Cairo powerhouses Al Ahly and Zamalek in the Super Cup. Widely shared videos online have also shown scattered protests varying in numbers in Alexandria, Al-Mahalla, Damietta, and Suez.

Anti-Sisi protests break out in Egypt, several arrested

The launch on Saturday of a historic transition to civilian rule in Sudan comes eight months after the start of popular protests, in which more than 250 were killed.

The launch on Saturday of a historic transition to civilian rule in Sudan comes eight months after the start of popular protests, in which more than 250 were killed. A timeline: Bread price Protests erupted on December 19, 2018, against a government decision to triple bread prices. They quickly spread in the form of weekly demonstrations, and morph into demands for President Omar al-Bashir to quit after three decades of iron-fisted rule. In the capital Khartoum on December 20, demonstrators take to the streets chanting "freedom, peace, justice". On April 6, 2019, thousands gather outside army headquarters in Khartoum, staying there for six days to plead for the military's support. On April 11, military authorities announce they have removed Bashir from power and that a transitional military council will govern for two years. Defying a month-long curfew, thousands of demonstrators remain camped in front of army headquarters as the protest movement demands power to be handed to a civilian government. Talks between ruling generals and protest leaders end abruptly on May 20 without an accord on the make-up of a joint civilian-military council to govern during a transition. Thousands of public and private sector workers strike on May 28 and 29 to pressure the military leaders. In late May, military council chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visits Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, countries wary of popular uprisings in the region. Bloody crackdown On June 3, armed men in military fatigues move in on the protest camp outside army headquarters and disperse thousands still gathered there. It is the start of a crackdown that lasts several days, in which 127 people are killed, according to doctors close to the demonstrators. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a feared paramilitary that sprang from the notorious Janjaweed militia accused by rights groups of committing war crimes in Darfur, is blamed for the violence. The military rulers announce a probe. The military scraps all previous agreements with protest leaders for a transition and calls for elections within nine months. Protesters denounce a putsch. On June 9, protest leaders launch a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience that paralyses the country for two days, hitting the economy hard. After both sides signal, they are ready to talk again, Ethiopia and African Union mediators in late June present new proposals for a transition. On June 30, tens of thousands of protesters again rally. Security forces are deployed en masse and police fire tears gas at crowds. Several are killed. Power deal agreed On July 5, after two days of negotiations, the two sides agree in principle on an accord providing for power-sharing before the transition to civilian rule. Crowds take to the streets of Khartoum to celebrate. On July 29, six demonstrators, including four school students, are shot dead during a rally in the central town of Al-Obeid against shortages of bread and fuel. Negotiations are suspended, before resuming on August 1. On August 4, the military and protest leaders sign a declaration, under which a joint civilian-military ruling body will govern for a 39-month transition period, overseeing the formation of a civilian government and parliament. On August 15, veteran economist Abdalla Hamdok is nominated as prime minister of the future transition government. The next day, Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera says it has been allowed to reopen its Khartoum office, which had been shut down in May.

Sudan: From demonstrations to transition accord

Israeli troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians on the Gaza border early Saturday, one of whom had managed to cross and throw a grenade at troops, the army said.

There have been frequent clashes along the Gaza border since the Palestinians began organising regular mass protests there in March 2018 but Saturday's exchange was unusual because of the weaponry the army said was involved in the Palestinian side.

"The terrorists were equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers, and hand grenades," an army statement said.&nbsp;

A spokeswoman said: "The army opened fire after one of the terrorists scaled the barrier and hurled a grenade at the soldiers."

No casualties were reported in Israeli ranks.

Palestinian demonstrations at the Gaza border demanding the lifting of Israel's more than decade-old blockade has often led to violence and deadly response from the Israeli army.

At least 301 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza or the border area since March 2018, the majority during the demonstrations.

Seven Israelis have also been killed.

The protests have declined in intensity in recent months following a truce brokered by UN officials and Egypt.&nbsp;

Under the truce, Israel agreed to take steps to ease aspects of its blockade in return for calm on the border.

Sporadic violence has continued but the Israeli army has said most of it has consisted of lone-wolf attacks.

On August 1, a Palestinian seeking to avenge his brother's death by Israeli fire entered Israel from Gaza armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and hand grenades. He was killed and three Israeli soldiers wounded, the army said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid a major flare-up in the Palestinian territories as Israel prepares for a snap general election on September 17, it's second this year.

But he is likely to face political pressure to act firmly against any significant attack.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.

The border exchange came as Palestinians prepare to mark Eid al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice.&nbsp;

Israeli troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians on the Gaza border early Saturday, one of whom had managed to cross and throw a grenade at troops, the army said.

Israeli troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians on the Gaza border early Saturday, one of whom had managed to cross and throw a grenade at troops, the army said. There have been frequent clashes along the Gaza border since the Palestinians began organising regular mass protests there in March 2018 but Saturday's exchange was unusual because of the weaponry the army said was involved in the Palestinian side. "The terrorists were equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers, and hand grenades," an army statement said. A spokeswoman said: "The army opened fire after one of the terrorists scaled the barrier and hurled a grenade at the soldiers." No casualties were reported in Israeli ranks. Palestinian demonstrations at the Gaza border demanding the lifting of Israel's more than decade-old blockade has often led to violence and deadly response from the Israeli army. At least 301 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza or the border area since March 2018, the majority during the demonstrations. Seven Israelis have also been killed. The protests have declined in intensity in recent months following a truce brokered by UN officials and Egypt. Under the truce, Israel agreed to take steps to ease aspects of its blockade in return for calm on the border. Sporadic violence has continued but the Israeli army has said most of it has consisted of lone-wolf attacks. On August 1, a Palestinian seeking to avenge his brother's death by Israeli fire entered Israel from Gaza armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and hand grenades. He was killed and three Israeli soldiers wounded, the army said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid a major flare-up in the Palestinian territories as Israel prepares for a snap general election on September 17, it's second this year. But he is likely to face political pressure to act firmly against any significant attack. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008. The border exchange came as Palestinians prepare to mark Eid al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice.

Israel army says killed 4 armed Palestinians on Gaza border

Here's how President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's Egypt hands out justice

Air France, Emirates and Etihad Airways are continuing to operate flights to Cairo after British Airways and Lufthansa suspended services to Egypt's capital.

International Airlines Group's British Airways suspended flights on Saturday for seven days "as a security precaution" as it reviews security at Cairo airport.

Germany's Lufthansa later said it cancelled services from Munich and Frankfurt to Cairo and would resume flights on Sunday.

"In liaison with the French authorities and the local authorities in Egypt, Air France has decided to maintain its service to Cairo," a spokesman said in a statement sent to Reuters.

An Emirates spokeswoman said its flights were operating to schedule.

"We are closely assessing the situation and are in contact with the relevant aviation authorities with regards to our flight operations to Egypt," the spokeswoman said.

The website for Abu Dhabi's Etihad showed its services were also operating.

"Etihad Airways is monitoring the security situation in Cairo," an airline spokesman said.

Air France, Emirates and Etihad Airways are continuing to operate flights to Cairo after British Airways and Lufthansa suspended services to Egypt's capital. International Airlines Group's British Airways suspended flights on Saturday for seven days "as a security precaution" as it reviews security at Cairo airport.

Air France, Emirates and Etihad Airways are continuing to operate flights to Cairo after British Airways and Lufthansa suspended services to Egypt's capital. International Airlines Group's British Airways suspended flights on Saturday for seven days "as a security precaution" as it reviews security at Cairo airport. Germany's Lufthansa later said it cancelled services from Munich and Frankfurt to Cairo and would resume flights on Sunday. "In liaison with the French authorities and the local authorities in Egypt, Air France has decided to maintain its service to Cairo," a spokesman said in a statement sent to Reuters. An Emirates spokeswoman said its flights were operating to schedule. "We are closely assessing the situation and are in contact with the relevant aviation authorities with regards to our flight operations to Egypt," the spokeswoman said. The website for Abu Dhabi's Etihad showed its services were also operating. "Etihad Airways is monitoring the security situation in Cairo," an airline spokesman said.

Air France, Emirates maintain Cairo flights after British Air suspension

Former coach and player Farouk Gaafar put his finger on Egyptian football's fundamental problem even if his call for the military to take over and run the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) with an "iron fist" amounted to inviting the fox into the chicken pen.

Gaafar issued his call after Egypt, once the undisputed king of African football, was knocked out of the African Cup of Nations that it is hosting in a bid to bolster its international image tarnished by systematic violations of human rights. Egypt’s government is headed by general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who initially came to power in a military coup.

Egypt’s bid has been marred by multiple events besides its poor performance in the tournament.&nbsp;

Fans exploited matches to honour legendary but controversial retired player Mohamed Aboutreika as well as the deaths of 94 fans in two separate politically charged incidents in 2012 and 2015.

World soccer body FIFA, in a legally controversial move, took over management of its Cairo-based affiliate, the corruption-riddled Confederation of African Football (CAF), on the eve of the tournament.

As if all of this were not enough, Egyptian midfielder Amr Warda was initially banned early in the tournament from further participation amid mounting allegations of online sexual harassment, but then under pressure from his teammates reinstated.

Like many fans and some executives, Gaafar, who managed the military’s Talaee el Geish (Army’s Vanguards) Sports Club for seven years, blamed Egypt’s poor performance in the African tournament as well as last year’s World Cup in Russia on the EFA’s lack of accountability.

EFA president Hany Abo Rida sacked Mexican national team coach Javier Aguirre and resigned together with the majority of the group’s board members hours after the Egyptian national team’s crucial defeat at the hands of South Africa.

“The state has done everything, but the football federation and the players have done nothing. There is nothing better than the discipline of the armed forces… football needs to be run with an iron fist,” Gaafar said on a pro-government television show.

There is no doubt that Egyptian football desperately needs deep structural reform. The problem is that the state of the sport reflects Egypt’s broader structural problems. The country’s military is as much part of the problem as it is part of the solution.

Add to this the fact that a military takeover of soccer would deepen problems because it would violate FIFA’s insistence on a fictional separation of sports and politics and likely lead to a suspension of the EFA’s membership of the world soccer body.

Alaa Sadek, a Qatar-based Egyptian critic of Al-Sisi, moreover, noted that Egypt had failed to qualify for the World Cup in the 31 years between 1936 and 1967 that it was headed by a military officer.

Sadek charged that Egyptian soccer had recently failed domestically and internationally because Al-Sisi since coming to office in 2013 had turned the EFA into an “army camp.”

Newspaper editor Gamal Sultan noted that the government and the military’s recent assault on the EFA ocurred only after Egypt lost its decisive match against South Africa.

“Only last week, the EFA was clean, acceptable and patriotic. They were received by Sisi and the minister of defence and celebrated only when their victories served the image of the regime. One week later, the EFA has become corrupt and wanted for investigations. These are the standards of justice in today’s Egypt,” Sultan said.

In a rare broad-based lifting of an eight-year-old ban on unfettered attendance of football matches by fans, Egypt’s defeat in the African Cup was witnessed by 75,000 mostly Egyptian spectators, many of whom have long accused the EFA of mismanagement and corruption.

Egypt has with brief exceptions banned fans from stadia since the first day of the January 2011 popular revolt that toppled president Hosni Mubarak in a bid to stop soccer from being a venue for the release of pent-up popular anger and frustration as well as anti-government protest.

The government has made exemptions for international matches so that it could not be blamed for weak national team performance and to avoid putting the ban on international display.

More recently, small groups of fans have been admitted to domestic matches but only after identifying themselves with their IDs and with approval of their club.

Fans, nonetheless, defied bans on political slogans and jerseys during the African tournament by chanting Aboutreika’s name in the stadium and in online videos that went viral.

A legendary player, Aboutreika, who was consistently public about his politics, retired in 2013 after helping Egypt clinch three African Cups.

He has since been forced into exile in Qatar after being accused of having been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a political group that Al-Sisi has brutally tried to crush.

Aboutreika was sentenced to jail in absentia last November for tax evasion in what many view as trumped-up charges.

Fans also ignored rules imposed to prevent political expression by lighting up the stadium with their mobile phone flashlights during the South Africa match in commemoration of the 72 supporters that died in 2012 in a stampede and 22 others in another stampede three years later.

Many fans believe the incidents were instigated in an effort to intimidate fans and cut the most militant among them down to size.

Militant football fans played a key role in the 2011 uprising as well as subsequent protests, including against Al-Sisi’s coup that overthrew Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brother and the country’s first and only democratically elected leader.

The role of the fans highlighted the threats and opportunities posed to autocrats by soccer, the only thing that evokes the kind of deep-seated passion associated with religion.

As a result, stadiums as a public space that were contested and difficult to control threatened autocratic leaders’ grip on power. Yet, soccer’s popularity offered autocrats an opportunity to shore up their tarnished image by associating themselves with something that had immense public acceptance.

If anything, Egypt’s African Cup of Nations demonstrates that exploiting football&nbsp;for political purposes is a tricky business.

Tweeted journalist Karim Zidan under the trending hashtag ‘Team of sexual harassers:’ "Egypt's national team is…its national embarrassment ... Plenty of Egyptians are basking in the team's loss today."

Much like in the latter part of toppled Mubarak’s 30-year rule, Zidan was inferring that fans see the national team as Al-Sisi’s squad rather than Egypt’s.

In a country in which all expressions of dissent are brutally repressed, that is a clear rejection of Al-Sisi’s effort to polish his and Egypt’s severely tarnished image as it gets. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Former coach and player Farouk Gaafar put his finger on Egyptian football's fundamental problem even if his call for the military to take over and run the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) with an "iron fist" amounted to inviting the fox into the chicken pen.

Former coach and player Farouk Gaafar put his finger on Egyptian football's fundamental problem even if his call for the military to take over and run the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) with an "iron fist" amounted to inviting the fox into the chicken pen. Gaafar issued his call after Egypt, once the undisputed king of African football, was knocked out of the African Cup of Nations that it is hosting in a bid to bolster its international image tarnished by systematic violations of human rights. Egypt’s government is headed by general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who initially came to power in a military coup. Egypt’s bid has been marred by multiple events besides its poor performance in the tournament. Fans exploited matches to honour legendary but controversial retired player Mohamed Aboutreika as well as the deaths of 94 fans in two separate politically charged incidents in 2012 and 2015. World soccer body FIFA, in a legally controversial move, took over management of its Cairo-based affiliate, the corruption-riddled Confederation of African Football (CAF), on the eve of the tournament. As if all of this were not enough, Egyptian midfielder Amr Warda was initially banned early in the tournament from further participation amid mounting allegations of online sexual harassment, but then under pressure from his teammates reinstated. Like many fans and some executives, Gaafar, who managed the military’s Talaee el Geish (Army’s Vanguards) Sports Club for seven years, blamed Egypt’s poor performance in the African tournament as well as last year’s World Cup in Russia on the EFA’s lack of accountability. EFA president Hany Abo Rida sacked Mexican national team coach Javier Aguirre and resigned together with the majority of the group’s board members hours after the Egyptian national team’s crucial defeat at the hands of South Africa. “The state has done everything, but the football federation and the players have done nothing. There is nothing better than the discipline of the armed forces… football needs to be run with an iron fist,” Gaafar said on a pro-government television show. There is no doubt that Egyptian football desperately needs deep structural reform. The problem is that the state of the sport reflects Egypt’s broader structural problems. The country’s military is as much part of the problem as it is part of the solution. Add to this the fact that a military takeover of soccer would deepen problems because it would violate FIFA’s insistence on a fictional separation of sports and politics and likely lead to a suspension of the EFA’s membership of the world soccer body. Alaa Sadek, a Qatar-based Egyptian critic of Al-Sisi, moreover, noted that Egypt had failed to qualify for the World Cup in the 31 years between 1936 and 1967 that it was headed by a military officer. Sadek charged that Egyptian soccer had recently failed domestically and internationally because Al-Sisi since coming to office in 2013 had turned the EFA into an “army camp.” Newspaper editor Gamal Sultan noted that the government and the military’s recent assault on the EFA ocurred only after Egypt lost its decisive match against South Africa. “Only last week, the EFA was clean, acceptable and patriotic. They were received by Sisi and the minister of defence and celebrated only when their victories served the image of the regime. One week later, the EFA has become corrupt and wanted for investigations. These are the standards of justice in today’s Egypt,” Sultan said. In a rare broad-based lifting of an eight-year-old ban on unfettered attendance of football matches by fans, Egypt’s defeat in the African Cup was witnessed by 75,000 mostly Egyptian spectators, many of whom have long accused the EFA of mismanagement and corruption. Egypt has with brief exceptions banned fans from stadia since the first day of the January 2011 popular revolt that toppled president Hosni Mubarak in a bid to stop soccer from being a venue for the release of pent-up popular anger and frustration as well as anti-government protest. The government has made exemptions for international matches so that it could not be blamed for weak national team performance and to avoid putting the ban on international display. More recently, small groups of fans have been admitted to domestic matches but only after identifying themselves with their IDs and with approval of their club. Fans, nonetheless, defied bans on political slogans and jerseys during the African tournament by chanting Aboutreika’s name in the stadium and in online videos that went viral. A legendary player, Aboutreika, who was consistently public about his politics, retired in 2013 after helping Egypt clinch three African Cups. He has since been forced into exile in Qatar after being accused of having been a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a political group that Al-Sisi has brutally tried to crush. Aboutreika was sentenced to jail in absentia last November for tax evasion in what many view as trumped-up charges. Fans also ignored rules imposed to prevent political expression by lighting up the stadium with their mobile phone flashlights during the South Africa match in commemoration of the 72 supporters that died in 2012 in a stampede and 22 others in another stampede three years later. Many fans believe the incidents were instigated in an effort to intimidate fans and cut the most militant among them down to size. Militant football fans played a key role in the 2011 uprising as well as subsequent protests, including against Al-Sisi’s coup that overthrew Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brother and the country’s first and only democratically elected leader. The role of the fans highlighted the threats and opportunities posed to autocrats by soccer, the only thing that evokes the kind of deep-seated passion associated with religion. As a result, stadiums as a public space that were contested and difficult to control threatened autocratic leaders’ grip on power. Yet, soccer’s popularity offered autocrats an opportunity to shore up their tarnished image by associating themselves with something that had immense public acceptance. If anything, Egypt’s African Cup of Nations demonstrates that exploiting football for political purposes is a tricky business. Tweeted journalist Karim Zidan under the trending hashtag ‘Team of sexual harassers:’ "Egypt's national team is…its national embarrassment ... Plenty of Egyptians are basking in the team's loss today." Much like in the latter part of toppled Mubarak’s 30-year rule, Zidan was inferring that fans see the national team as Al-Sisi’s squad rather than Egypt’s. In a country in which all expressions of dissent are brutally repressed, that is a clear rejection of Al-Sisi’s effort to polish his and Egypt’s severely tarnished image as it gets. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Egyptian football desperately needs deep structural reform

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/egypt-to-slash-fuel-subsidies-as-imf-programme-set-to-end-208285">Egypt's arrears to foreign oil </a>companies declined to $900 million at the end of June from $1.2 billion a year ago, the petroleum minister said on Thursday, adding that the remaining amount would be paid soon.

The Egyptian government had told the International Monetary Fund in a letter in January it intended to "eliminate" arrears by the end of June.

Arrears to foreign oil companies accumulated after the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak and reached $6.3 billion in the 2011/2012 fiscal year.

They have steadily declined since 2014 as Egypt sought to become a regional energy hub. Egypt owed foreign oil firms $2.4 billion in June 2017, falling to $1.048 million in December.

"The foreign companies' arrears dropped at end of June to $900 million, down from $1.2 billion a year earlier," Petroleum Minister Tarek el-Molla told Reuters.

"We will settle that soon, God willing," he added, without giving a specific date.

Molla, who said total monthly payments by Egypt to foreign oil companies now stood at $700 million, had earlier said the government expected to settle the arrears by the end of 2019.

Egypt raised domestic fuel prices by 16 per cent to 30 per cent last week under an IMF-backed economic reform plan reached in 2016 to cut fuel subsidies that have strained the budget for decades.

Cairo has been trying to eliminate its arrears as it seeks to attract more foreign investment to its energy industry, which has drawn more interest after several major gas discoveries.

(Reporting by Ahmed Ismail; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Edmund Blair and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

Egypt's arrears to foreign oil companies declined to $900 million at the end of June from $1.2 billion a year ago, the petroleum minister said on Thursday, adding that the remaining amount would be paid soon.

Egypt's arrears to foreign oil companies declined to $900 million at the end of June from $1.2 billion a year ago, the petroleum minister said on Thursday, adding that the remaining amount would be paid soon. The Egyptian government had told the International Monetary Fund in a letter in January it intended to "eliminate" arrears by the end of June. Arrears to foreign oil companies accumulated after the 2011 uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak and reached $6.3 billion in the 2011/2012 fiscal year. They have steadily declined since 2014 as Egypt sought to become a regional energy hub. Egypt owed foreign oil firms $2.4 billion in June 2017, falling to $1.048 million in December. "The foreign companies' arrears dropped at end of June to $900 million, down from $1.2 billion a year earlier," Petroleum Minister Tarek el-Molla told Reuters. "We will settle that soon, God willing," he added, without giving a specific date. Molla, who said total monthly payments by Egypt to foreign oil companies now stood at $700 million, had earlier said the government expected to settle the arrears by the end of 2019. Egypt raised domestic fuel prices by 16 per cent to 30 per cent last week under an IMF-backed economic reform plan reached in 2016 to cut fuel subsidies that have strained the budget for decades. Cairo has been trying to eliminate its arrears as it seeks to attract more foreign investment to its energy industry, which has drawn more interest after several major gas discoveries. (Reporting by Ahmed Ismail; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Edmund Blair and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

Egypt's arrears to foreign oil firms fall to 900 million dollar at end of June: Petroleum Minister

egypt-0

Egypt, News on Egypt, stories on Egypt, articles on Egypt, Egypt stories at Wion, Egypt news, Egypt latest news

egypt 0