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CAIRO, June 30 (Reuters) - Egypt's top public prosecutor was killed by a car bomb attack on his convoy on Monday, the most senior state official to die at the hands of militants since the toppling of an Islamist president two years ago.
There was no confirmed claim of responsibility. Security sources said a bomb in a parked car was remotely detonated as Hisham Barakat's motorcade left his home, after saying earlier a car bomber had rammed into the convoy.
Judges and other senior officials have increasingly been targeted by radical Islamists opposed to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and angered by hefty prison sentences imposed on members of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Last month, the Islamic State militant group's Egyptian affiliate urged followers to attack judges, opening a new front in an Islamist insurgency in Egypt..
Chief prosecutor Barakat was the highest-ranking state official to die in a militant attack since Sisi, a former army chief, ousted Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in mid-2013 after mass protests against his rule.
French far-right leader says Egypt visit failed to change immigration view
CAIRO May 31 (Reuters) - The leader of France's far right National Front party said on Sunday that a visit to Egypt to meet with the country's religious and political leaders had no effect on her views on Arab and Muslim immigration to France.
Since taking over from her father and becoming head of the National Front, Marine Le Pen has sought to rid the party of its anti-Semitic image and position it as an anti-immigrant, Eurosceptic force offering protectionist policies to shelter France from globalization.
Le Pen arrived in Egypt last week for a meeting with the grand imam of Al Azhar, Sunni Islam's highest authority, the pope of the Egyptian Coptic Church, and Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb.
Libyan tribes meet in Cairo as Egypt seeks allies against militants
CAIRO, May 25 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Libyan tribal leaders met in Cairo on Monday with Egyptian authorities hoping to enlist their help in preventing Islamist violence from spilling over their shared border.
Islamist militants have thrived in the chaos of Libya a North African oil producer that now has two competing governments backed by armed factions that four years earlier joined in an uprising that toppled autocrat Muammar Gaddafi.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sees ascendant Islamists in Libya as a major security threat and is trying to secure the cooperation of tribal leaders to tackle it.
Analysts say that Sisi would like Arab states to carry out a Yemen-type intervention in Libya to combat Islamic State jihadis and other radical factions that have taken advantage of the lawlessness to recruit and train in the vast desert country.
Egypt extends mandate by three months to deploy military abroad
The Egyptian government said it had extended by three months the deployment of "some elements of the armed forces" abroad, enabling it to continue participating in a Saudi-led coalition that has been launching air strikes in Yemen.
Egypt, which has one of the Middle East's largest military forces, is a close ally of Saudi Arabia and has said it is participating in the alliance targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are allies of Iran.
Three migrants dead after boat sinks off Egypt's coast
CAIRO, May 3 (Reuters) - Three people died when a boat carrying migrants to Europe sunk on Saturday off of Egypt's coast, security sources and state media in Egypt said.
The deaths of as many as 700 people attempting a similar trip from Libya last month brought renewed international focus to the plight of migrants, thousands of whom attempt the dangerous trip across the Mediterranean Sea every year to seek a better life in Europe.
In addition to the three who died at sea on Saturday, 31 other migrants were rescued by Egyptian authorities and subsequently arrested, including 13 Syrians, 15 Sudanese, two Eritreans and one Egyptian, the state-run Al Ahram newspaper said on its website.
The migrants were attempting to reach Greece from the town of Idku, 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of Alexandria, Egyptian security sources said. They gave no further details on the identity of the drowned.
Egypt's top businessman Sawiris testifies at Al Jazeera retrial
(Shadi Bushra/Reuters)
CAIRO, April 22 (Reuters) - One of Egypt's wealthiest businessmen, Naguib Sawiris, testified for the defense on Wednesday at the retrial of two Al-Jazeera television journalists, possibly boosting their standing in a case criticized from abroad.
Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were sentenced last year to between 7 and 10 years in prison for aiding a "terrorist organization", a reference to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood which was ousted from power by the army in mid-2013.
Their colleague Peter Greste, an Australian who was sentenced with them, was freed and deported earlier this year. All three denied the charges. In January, a court ordered a retrial, citing procedural flaws.
Fahmy, a naturalized Canadian who gave up his Egyptian citizenship, said outside the court on Wednesday that he and Sawiris, a member of Egypt's minority Coptic Christian community, had known each other "for a long time".
Sudan votes in elections boycotted by opposition groups
KHARTOUM, April 13 (Reuters) - Sudanese voters trickled in to polling stations on Monday at the start of a three-day election boycotted by the main opposition parties, with President Omar Hassan al-Bashir set to extend his quarter-century in power.
The presidential and parliamentary polls are the first since Sudan saw its south secede in 2011, losing a third of its land and nearly all of its oil production.
Bashir has campaigned on improving the economy, in which inflation and unemployment remain high. He has also promised to maintain stability, warning against a change in government while the region is embroiled in violence from Libya to Yemen.
In Sudan, security forces are tackling insurgencies in the western territory of Darfur and along the border with South Sudan.
"The elections are good and clean and there's nothing more I would ask of them," said Nadia Ahmed Abdelrahman, a 55-year-old local government official voting in the capital.
"The elections are better than what is happening elsewhere in the region. Look at the death and killing. Thank God we have avoided that," she said.
But voters, who tend to head to the polls later in the day, were thin on the ground in Khartoum early on Monday.
Egyptian court adjourns Al Jazeera trial after witnesses admit lapses
(Shadi Bushra/Reuters)
CAIRO, April 19 (Reuters) - The trial of two Al Jazeera television journalists was adjourned until March 25 on Thursday after the court ordered the creation of a new technical committee to review their work
The decision came after expert witnesses, who had previously said the Al Jazeera reporting had harmed national security, admitted they had not seen all the video collected as evidence.
Egypt sets price for shale gas at $5.45 per mmBtu
CAIRO, March 9 (Reuters) - Egypt has priced the shale gas expected from a December deal with foreign firms at $5.45 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), an official at the oil ministry said on Monday.
Egypt signed its first contract to extract gas by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in a deal with Apache and Shell Egypt that includes investments of $30-$40 million, the oil ministry said at the time.
A recently updated pricing policy has pushed companies' earnings on some offshore gas developments to $6 per mmBtu, from a previous cap of $2.65, in a bid to lure investment back to the sector
Egypt sees Suez Canal zone making up 30-35 pct of economy -minister
CAIRO, March 5 (Reuters) - Egypt expects a planned economic zone near the Suez Canal to eventually make up about a third of Egypt's economy, the country's investment minister said on Thursday.
Egypt plans to build an international industrial and logistics hub near the canal to attract foreign investment, alongside a separate scheme in which the army is digging a second canal to facilitate two-way traffic of larger ships.
Investment Minister Ashraf Salman said the planned hub would be the centrepiece of a key economic conference planned for the end of next week, which Egypt hopes will draw investors back after four years of economic and political turmoil.
Egyptian court jails leading activist for five years
CAIRO, Feb 23 (Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced a prominent activist to five years in jail on Monday for violating limits on demonstrations, amid one of the toughest crackdowns on dissent in Egypt's history.
After the verdict was read, chants of "Down, down with military rule!" rang out in the crowded courtroom from supporters of Alaa Abdel Fattah, a leading secular figure in the 2011 revolt that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
The blogger and software engineer was originally sentenced in absentia to 15 years in jail, along with 24 others, before a retrial was ordered.
Abdel Fattah is one of several activists jailed since the army overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in mid-2013 and cracked down on his Muslim Brotherhood movement and secular democracy activists.
Egypt says it bombed Islamic State targets in Libya: state television
CAIRO, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Egypt's military said in a statement on state television it had carried out an air strike against Islamic State targets in Libya at dawn on Monday, a day after the group released a video appearing to show the beheading of 21 Egyptians there.
The attack focused on Islamic State camps, training sites and weapons storage areas in Libya, where Islamist militants have thrived amid chaos.
Two Russians kidnapped in Sudan's Darfur region
CAIRO/MOSCOW, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Gunmen in Sudan's Darfur region have kidnapped two Russians working for UTair, an airline contracted by the international peacekeeping mission there, officials said on Tuesday.
The Sudanese government dismissed the possibility of a ransom payment for their freedom.
Egypt frees Al Jazeera journalist Greste, 2 others still held
CAIRO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Al Jazeera journalist Peter Greste was released from a Cairo jail on Sunday and left Egypt after 400 days in prison on charges that included aiding a terrorist group, security officials said.
There was no official word on the fate of his two Al Jazeera colleagues - Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian national Baher Mohamed - who were also jailed in the case that provoked an international outcry.
The three were sentenced to seven to 10 years on charges including spreading lies to help a terrorist organisation - a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. One month ago, however, a court ordered their retrial.
A security official said Fahmy was expected to be released from Cairo's Tora prison within days. His fiancée said she hoped he would be free soon and deported to Canada. "His deportation is in its final stages. We are hopeful," Marwa Omara told Reuters.
Medical aid group MSF says pulls out of parts of Sudan
KHARTOUM, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has pulled out of some conflict-hit parts of Sudan due to a lack of cooperation from authorities, the medical charity said on Thursday, as the country suffers increasing violence.
Sudan has faced a rebellion in Darfur since 2003 and a separate but linked insurgency in Blue Nile and South Kordofan since the secession of South Sudan in 2011.
The group said that total denial of access to Blue Nile, forced closure of activities in East Darfur and administrative obstacles in South Darfur had made its work in those areas impossible, accusations that Sudan has denied.
"Our experience is that the Sudanese government arranges meetings specifically to prevent international aid, rather than to facilitate it," Bart Jassens, the director of operations for MSF in Brussels, said in a statement.
Six dead, Egyptian state newspaper office destroyed in Sinai attack
CAIRO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Six people were killed and an office of Egypt's state newspaper al Ahram was destroyed in an attack by suspected Islamist militants in the restive North Sinai province, state television and al Ahram said on Thursday.
It was not clear if the newspaper's offices were the target of the attack, which took place in the provincial capital el-Arish just days after the anniversary of Egypt's 2011 uprising.
Sudanese rebels detain six Bulgarians
SOFIA/CAIRO, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Six Bulgarians working with the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) were detained by Sudanese rebels after their helicopter made an emergency landing in Sudan's war-torn South Kordofan province, the Bulgarian foreign ministry said.
The three-member crew of the helicopter and three officers of Sofia-based Heli Air, the carrier that operated it, were being detained, a ministry spokeswoman told Reuters on Wednesday. The flight was scheduled from South Sudan to Khartoum.
Egypt confirms jail terms for leading liberal activists
CAIRO, Jan 27 (Reuters) - An Egyptian court upheld three-year jail sentences on Tuesday for three prominent liberal activists, judicial sources said, after days of violence around the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
In 2013, a court handed down the sentences against Ahmed Maher, Ahmed Douma and Mohamed Adel -- leading figures of the pro-democracy revolt -- for protesting without permission and assaulting police, under a new law suppressing demonstrations.
But despite Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's crackdown on dissent, renewed unrest emerged as Egyptians marked the anniversary on Sunday of the end of three decades of autocratic rule under Mubarak. Some 25 people were killed in anti-government protests on Sunday.
A car bomb killed one person and wounded two near a police station in Egypt's second largest city Alexandria on Tuesday, and police discovered three other explosive devices, security sources said, blaming militant Islamists.
Mubarak's sons freed from Egyptian prison after anniversary of his fall
CAIRO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The sons of deposed Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak were released from prison on Monday, security officials said, a move that could fuel tension after the violent anniversary on Sunday of the 2011 uprising that toppled the autocrat.
An Egyptian court last week ordered the release of Alaa and Gamal Mubarak pending their retrial in a corruption case.
Mubarak's sons, big businessmen in his era of crony capitalism, were released at 2 a.m. Accompanied by their lawyer and bodyguards, they were driven to their home in Cairo's upscale Heliopolis area, security officials said.
Security and medical officials said they had also visited Mubarak in the military hospital where he is still in detention. Judicial sources have said Mubarak could soon be freed pending retrial in a corruption case as the former air force commander currently has no convictions against him.
In first conviction, Egyptian doctor jailed for FGM death of teenage girl
CAIRO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - A doctor in Egypt was jailed on Monday for two years after the death of a 13-year-old girl on whom he performed genital mutilation (FGM), the first conviction since the practice was outlawed in 2008, the prosecutor said.
The doctor and the girl's father were acquitted by a lower court in November 2014 in a ruling that brought criticism from rights groups about Egypt's commitment to protecting girls from a practice the United Nations says affects more than 90 percent of Egyptian women aged 15-49.
Overturning the decision, a court in the Nile Delta province of Dakahlia sentenced Raslan Fadl to jail with labour for manslaughter and three additional months for performing FGM, prosecutor Ahmed Reda said.
At least 17 killed in protests on anniversary of Egypt uprising
CAIRO, Jan 26 (Reuters) - At least 17 people were killed on Sunday in Egypt's bloodiest protests since Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president, as security forces fired at protesters marking the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.
Gunfire and sirens could be heard in Cairo into the night as armoured personnel carriers moved through the centre of a city where security forces had once again used lethal force against dissenters. A Health Ministry spokesman said at least 17 people had been killed at protests across the country.
The anniversary was a test of whether Islamists and liberal activists had the resolve to challenge a government that has persistently stamped out dissent since the then-army chief Sisi ousted elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in July 2013 after mass protests against his rule.
Egypt museum admits King Tut's beard broke off and was glued back
(Shadi Bushra/Reuters)
AIRO, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The Egyptian Museum in Cairo acknowledged on Saturday that one of its greatest treasures, the mask of King Tutankhamun, had been crudely glued back together after being damaged, but insisted the item could be restored to its former glory.
The golden mask's beard was detached in August, something the museum had not made public until photographs surfaced on the Internet showing a line of glue around its chin, prompting speculation about the damage and questions over whether Egypt was able to care for its priceless artifacts.
The beard broke off when museum workers were changing the lights in its display case and accidentally touched the mask, the antiquities ministry said.
Egyptian pound hits historic low as country courts investors
CAIRO, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The central bank let the Egyptian pound depreciate for the first time in six months on Sunday, in what analysts view as a move to encourage investment by letting the pound reach a price that the market sees as fair.
After four years of turmoil, Egypt is trying to secure a nascent recovery by conveying an investor-friendly image in the run-up to an investment conference in March.
Letting the pound reach its weakest price since currency auctions began in December 2012 could be a way to boost market confidence in the most populous Arab country, while pressuring a thriving currency black market.
Egypt retires hardline intelligence chief
CAIRO, Dec. 21, 2014 - Egypt's intelligence chief, who took office in mid-2013 after the overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi, has been retired from the job, the presidency said on Sunday.
No reason was given in a statement for the departure of Mohamed Farid al-Tohamy, who had been a consistent advocate of the fierce security crackdown on Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood that has seen hundreds killed and thousands jailed.
Egypt Signs First Gas Fracking Contract With Apache, Shell
CAIRO, Dec. 17, 2014 - Egypt has signed its first contract to extract gas by fracking in a deal with Apache and Shell Egypt that includes investments of $30-$40 million, the oil ministry said on Wednesday, part of efforts to boost output and ease a lingering energy crunch.
Abraaj tops Kellogg again in Bisco Misr takeover battle
CAIRO, Dec. 17, 2014 - Abraaj Investment Management raised its offer for Bisco Misr to 84.66 Egyptian pounds ($12) per share on Wednesday, trumping Kellogg Co again in an intensifying battle for the Egyptian snack maker.
The UAE's Abraaj initially offered 73.91 pounds per share for Bisco Misr in early November, but Kellogg, the world's biggest breakfast cereal maker, has twice outbid the private equity firm and its latest offer stood at 82.2 pounds per share.
Egypt's regulator last week extended the period for Abraaj, the Middle East's largest private equity firm, to match Kellogg's bid to Dec. 24.
Captain, officer of Kuwaiti ship detained after deadly collision
CAIRO, Dec. 16, 2014 - The captain and first officer of a Kuwaiti container ship have been detained for four days after their ship collided with a fishing vessel in the Red Sea, killing 13 Egyptians, a public prosecutor said on Tuesday.
The prosecutor said on Monday that initial enquiries showed the fishing boat had capsized following the collision with the Kuwaiti ship, which had just passed through the Suez Canal on its way south.
BP to invest $12 billion in Egypt over five-years, boost gas supplies
CAIRO, Dec. 9, 2014 - British oil major BP (BP.L) plans to invest more than $12 billion in Egypt over the next five years, and to double its gas supplies to the local market in the next decade, the country manager of BP Egypt said on Tuesday.
Three dead in attack and Islamist protests in Egypt
CAIRO, Nov. 28, 2014 - Three people including an army general were killed and at least 28 wounded on Friday in militant attacks, some claimed by a group loyal to Islamic State, and clashes at Islamist protests around Egypt, security sources and health officials said.
Police were out in force at the demonstrations, organized by a hardline Salafi group calling for removal of the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the ex-army chief who led the overthrow of elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in July 2013.
In Matariya, focal point for protests in Cairo, a civilian died before the gathering was dispersed, security sources said.
Hours before, an army brigadier general was killed and two soldiers wounded when gunmen in an unmarked car fired on a parking lot in nearby Gesr al-Suez, they said. One soldier later died.
Egypt to criminalize insults to 'revolutions' of 2011 and 2013
CAIRO, Dec. 3, 2014 - President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi plans to issue decrees to criminalize insults to Egypt's two "revolutions" of 2011 and 2013, a spokesman said on Wednesday.
The first, a street uprising, toppled longtime military-backed autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The second also arose from mass anti-government protests but was taken over by the military then led by Sisi and brought about the overthrow of freely elected Islamist President Mohamed Mursi after a year in office.
IMF mission welcomes Egypt reforms, urges flexible exchange rate
CAIRO, Nov. 26, 2014 - Egyptian economic reforms have begun to turn the economy around after years of turmoil but the government must allow greater exchange rate flexibility to boost growth more, the International Monetary Fund said.
The IMF concluded on Tuesday its first mission to assess Egypt's financial and economic affairs since 2010, before a popular uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak and ushered in a period of political turbulence
The government asked for the consultations in the hopes that a positive report would boost Egypt's image ahead of an international investors conference due in March.
Egypt arrests Brotherhood leader as crackdown intensifies
CAIRO, Nov. 20, 2014 - Egyptian police on Thursday detained Mohamed Ali Bishr, one of the few Muslim Brotherhood leaders to escape jail after last year's overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Mursi, extending a sweeping crackdown on political dissent.
Bishr, a veteran politician who served as a cabinet minister under Mursi, was accused of inciting violence and terrorism, and of seeking to overthrow the government after he called for mass protests on Nov. 28, state media said.
Since the army toppled Mursi in July 2013, Egypt has banned the Brotherhood, its oldest Islamist movement, labelled it a terrorist organisation and rounded up thousands of its members. The Brotherhood has denied any involvement in militant violence.
With much of the leadership, including Mursi, in jail, Bishr had played a key role in keeping the group's activities alive underground.
Egypt's Sisi calls on West to support Libya to avoid new Syria, Iraq
CAIRO, Nov. 20, 2014 - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged the United States and Europe on Thursday to help the Libyan army in its fight against Islamist militants now to save the country from requiring intervention on the scale of Iraq and Syria.
Sisi said there was a danger to the region from conflict in Libya where two governments vie for legitimacy, one in Tripoli linked to Islamist militias, and an internationally-recognised government in the eastern city of Tobruk.
Egypt says militants cross the border to help Egyptian jihadist group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis attack Egypt's security forces in the Sinai Peninsula. Ansar swore allegiance earlier this month to Islamic State, which is now facing U.S.-led air strikes in Iraq and Syria.
Egyptian police fire tear gas, arrest 25 people commemorating 2011 protests
CAIRO Nov. 19, 2014 (Reuters) - Police fired tear gas and arrested 25 people on Wednesday in central Cairo where hundreds had gathered to commemorate dozens of protesters killed by security forces in 2011, Egypt's interior ministry told state news agency MENA.
The rally was a rare sign of defiance against strict protest laws imposed by the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former army chief who has also allowed military courts to try civilians in a crackdown that began with Islamist supporters of ousted President Mohamed Mursi.
Activists had planned a march in streets near Tahrir Square on the anniversary of the deaths of 42 people three years ago when Egyptians demonstrated against the government that took power following an uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
A security source said the detainees would be released "soon", but a decree passed last month means they could be tried in military courts for blocking the road.
Egypt received $10.6 billion from Gulf last fiscal year
CAIRO, Nov. 8, 2014 - Egypt received $10.6 billion in aid from Gulf states in the last fiscal year, the finance minister said on Saturday, the first time the government has put a total figure on how much its oil-rich allies spent to prop up the economy.
Former Gaddafi spokesman expelled from Egypt -state newspaper
CAIRO, Oct. 31, 2014 - The former spokesman for deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been expelled from Egypt, a state newspaper said on Friday, though the spokesman disputed the report.
The website of Egypt's state newspaper al-Ahram said Egyptian authorities asked Moussa Ibrahim to leave the country at the request of the Libyan government of Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni.
Nile dam talks inch forward but Egypt gets no water guarantee
CAIRO, Oct. 18, 2014 - The three main countries that share the Nile River's waters moved toward an agreement to study whether a planned $4 billion Ethiopian dam would disrupt flows to downstream countries, water ministers of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt said after talks on Friday.
But while the countries continue talks, construction will proceed on the Renaissance Dam, which will be Africa's biggest dam and aims to provide cheap power for countries as far away as South Africa and Morocco.
U.S. democracy watchdog quits Egypt as political noose tightens
CAIRO, Oct. 16, 2014 - U.S. democracy watchdog The Carter Center has closed its Egypt office and says it will no longer monitor the country's parliamentary elections due to an increasingly restrictive political environment.
Egypt's parliamentary elections should be held within six months of the presidential election but a date for the polls has yet to be set. Former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected as president in May.
The Carter Center cited the mass arrests of Muslim Brotherhood supporters, the passage of a law that severely curbs the freedom to protest, and moves to tighten the application of a law governing civil society organisations.
"The current environment in Egypt is not conducive to genuine democratic elections and civic participation," former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said in a statement on Wednesday.
"I hope that Egyptian authorities will reverse recent steps that limit the rights of association and assembly and restrict operations of Egyptian civil society groups."
Egypt Q4 GDP growth rate up to 3.7 pct as confidence returns
CAIRO, Oct. 13, 2014 - Egypt's GDP growth rate rose in the fourth quarter to 3.7 percent, up from 2.5 percent, the government said on Monday, in the latest sign that confidence is returning to an economy battered by three years of political turmoil.
However, the full-year growth rate was barely changed, reflecting earlier quarters' weak expansion while the security and political climate in the country deteriorated.
Egypt posted GDP growth of 2.2 percent for the full 2013/14 fiscal year, which ended in June.
This was up slightly from 2.1 percent the previous year, but remains far slower than the pace needed to create enough jobs for a youthful population of 86 million.
Egypt, Libya announce deeper security cooperation to "fight terrorism"
CAIRO, Oct. 8, 2014 - Egypt will train Libyan forces to fight terrorism and help secure a shared border, the prime ministers of the two states announced in Cairo on Wednesday, stepping up efforts against Islamist insurgents in both countries.
Egypt pays $1.5 bln to foreign energy companies
CAIRO, Oct. 2, 2014 - Egypt has paid $1.5 billion of its debt to foreign energy companies, the oil ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Egypt has delayed payments to oil and gas firms since a popular uprising ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and brought on almost three years of instability. Some of the debts were incurred before the revolt.
The Arab world's most populous country faces its worst energy crisis in decades. It still owes foreign energy firms $4.9 billion after this latest payment, which was financed by a loan from Egyptian banks, according to the statement.
Fatah-Hamas agreement gives unity government control over Gaza
CAIRO, Sept. 25, 2014 - A unity government is to take control of the Gaza Strip, after a breakthrough in talks between Palestinian factions on Thursday which could strengthen their hand in talks with Israel next month.
The Gaza ceasefire struck in August between Israel and the Palestinians called for the Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, to take over civil administration in Gaza from the Islamist Hamas.
Officials from Hamas and Abbas' Fatah movement announced the deal on Thursday in Cairo, where they had been meeting under the auspices of Egypt's intelligence services.
Bomb kills three policemen, including witness against Mursi
CAIRO, Sept. 21, 2014 - A bomb blast beside Egypt's foreign ministry killed three policemen on Sunday, including a key witness in a trial of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.
The blast, the worst attack in Cairo for months, killed two police lieutenant colonels and a recruit, according to the foreign ministry.
Ajnad Misr, the Islamist militant group that carried out the last significant attack in Cairo, claimed responsibility for the blast in a statement posted on their official Twitter account.
Sisi says coalition must battle Islamic State and others
CAIRO, Sept. 14, 2014 - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that any global coalition against terrorism should battle not just Islamic State but other groups as well, the presidency said on Saturday.
Egyptian security officials have said Islamic State has established contacts with Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, the country's most dangerous militant group, which has killed hundreds of security forces since the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi last year after mass protests against him.
Egypt would certainly welcome strong action against Ansar as well as Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, which it has declared a terrorist group.
Egypt says global action needed to counter Islamic State
CAIRO, Sept 13, 2014 - Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria are forging ties with other extremist groups in the region, Egypt's foreign minister said on Saturday, backing Washington's call for global action to counter the threat.
Militant groups that share Islamic State's ideology and "take Islam as a cover" must be dealt with, Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri told a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the Egyptian capital.
Egypt's strong public support for the U.S. campaign against Islamic State contrasts with a mixed response elsewhere in the region and demonstrates how far Cairo has come in restoring its place as a premier U.S. partner in the Arab world since its authoritarian crackdown and military takeover last year.
Cleric who backs Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood to leave Qatar
CAIRO, Sept. 13, 2014 - A cleric who supports Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood has said he will leave Qatar, following media reports the Gulf Arab state has asked some senior members of the Islamist movement to quit the country.
"Thanks to Allah, I have decided to move from dear Qatar, without any pressure or difficulties or problems," said the cleric, Wagdy Ghoneim, in a video on his Facebook page.
Egypt to host Gaza reconstruction conference Oct. 12
CAIRO, Sept. 9 (Reuters) - Egypt will host a donors conference on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip on October 12 in Cairo following the recent conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant movement Hamas, the Egyptian foreign minister said on Tuesday.
Power outages hit many parts of Egypt
CAIRO, Sept. 4, 2014 - Power cuts hit many parts of Egypt on Thursday, causing blackouts and halting some public transport in the Arab world's most populous country.
Energy is a politically explosive issue in Egypt, where power cuts have become commonplace even in the capital Cairo.
Blackouts deepened discontent with Islamist President Mohamed Mursi before then army chief Abdel Fatah al-Sisi ousted him last year following mass protests. Although Sisi's supporters credit him with a magic touch, there is no instant solution to the decrepit state of the power grid, a glaring example of decades of mismanagement.
Power cuts are expected to be one of his biggest challenges.
Oil holds around $110, supported by Libyan output drop
LONDON, Feb. 24, 2014 - Brent crude oil steadied around $110 a barrel on Monday, resisting sharp declines in some other risk assets on news of further supply losses in Africa and expectations of revived oil demand growth.
Libyan oil output plunged further over the weekend, falling to 230,000 barrels per day (bpd) on Sunday after a new protest shut the El Sharara field.
Sterling firms, on track for second year of gains over dollar
LONDON, Dec. 31, 2013 - Sterling firmed against the dollar in thin trading on Tuesday, hovering near Friday's 28-month highs and putting the pound on track for its second straight year of gains over the dollar.
The pound was up 0.2 percent to trade at $1.653 at 1015 GMT, as investors positioned themselves for the possibility the Bank of England will raise interest rates sooner than it has said it expects to.
The central bank has noted, however, that an overly strong pound could dampen a recovery that remains shaky and uneven.
Dot London: City launches own domain to boost online presence
LONDON, Nov. 15, 2013 - London will join a handful of cities launching their own internet domain names next year to build a greater online presence and promote the British capital, the mayor's office said on Friday.
ICANN, the world body that oversees the web's naming conventions, gave London the go-ahead this week to use its own unique domain name from 2014, along with New York, Berlin, Vienna and Brussels.
The city's mayor, Boris Johnson, said adopting the ".london" suffix would enable organizations to associate themselves more closely with London's global brand.
British composer John Tavener dies aged 69
LONDON, Nov. 12, 2013 - John Tavener, one of Britain's most celebrated composers whose music was played at the funeral of Princess Diana, died at his home in southwest England on Tuesday at the age of 69, his publisher said.
He was one of the few modern composers to gain a following among non-classical audiences, with many people attracted to his mysticism and spirituality.
Record UK business confidence may not mean quick hiring
LONDON, Nov. 10, 2013 - British businesses are reluctant to ramp up hiring quickly even as their confidence levels hit record highs, a survey showed on Monday, bolstering the Bank of England's argument that unemployment is likely to fall only slowly.
The survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) comes ahead of the publication of new BoE forecasts on Wednesday, in which the Bank is widely expected to bring forward the time-frame of its forecast for unemployment to fall to 7 percent.
The Bank says it will not think about raising rock-bottom interest rates until unemployment falls to that level, something it said in August would only happen in late 2016.
UK employers warn against EU exit, call for reforms
LONDON, Nov. 4, 2013 (Reuters) - Britain must remain part of the European Union and reform it from within, business leaders told Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday, warning that a possible exit from the bloc could isolate the country's economy.
As Britain gears up for a planned "in or out" referendum in 2017, British employers' group the CBI said there was no viable alternative to remaining in the EU but laid out a wish-list of reforms to make membership more beneficial for the country.
Bank of England may not wait for 7 percent unemployment to hike rates
LONDON, Nov. 4, 2013 - The Bank of England is likely to raise interest rates in the second half of 2015, before unemployment hits the 7 percent threshold at which it has said it would consider tightening monetary policy, a leading British think-tank said on Tuesday.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) forecast that Britain's unemployment rate would not drop below 7 percent until early 2016, longer than most investors think and slightly earlier than the BoE's forecasts.
UK PM Cameron to announce Islamic index on LSE
LONDON, Oct. 28, 2013 - The London Stock Exchange (LSE.L) will launch an index to identify investment opportunities compliant with Islamic principles, aiming to capitalize on strong growth in the sector, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron will tell a conference.
The planned Islamic Market Index will identify companies that meet traditional Islamic investment principles and help London cement its position as the biggest centre for Islamic finance outside the Islamic world, Cameron will tell the World Islamic Economic Forum in London on Tuesday.
Cameron will also reiterate Britain's intention of launching its own Islamic bond worth around 200 million pounds ($323 million) as early as next year, making it the first Western country to do so, according to the text of his speech distributed by his office.
Britain's push to maintain its edge as the leading Islamic finance hub outside the Muslim world comes as growth in the global market for Islamic-compliant instruments outstrips its conventional counterparts.
British celebrity publicist pleads not guilty to sex assaults
LONDON, Oct. 4, 2013 - Britain's best-known publicist Max Clifford pleaded not guilty on Friday to 11 counts of indecent assault dating back to 1966 that stemmed from a police investigation into child sex crimes by the late TV star Jimmy Savile.
Clifford, whose celebrity clients have included TV music mogul Simon Cowell and U.S. boxer Muhammad Ali, is accused of assaulting seven girls aged 14 to 19 with the alleged offences taking place between 1966 and 1984.
Chinese billionaire plans to rebuild London's Crystal Palace
LONDON, Oct. 3, 2013 - A Chinese billionaire said on Thursday he planned to spend 500 million pounds ($810 million) rebuilding London's Crystal Palace, a huge glass and steel building that captivated the world before it burned down almost eight decades ago.
Ni Zhaoxing, chairman of the ZhongRong Group real estate investment firm, hopes to recreate the 19th century palace that was the world's largest glass structure before it was destroyed in a fire in 1936 that could be seen across London.
The original Crystal Palace was designed by Joseph Paxton to host the 1851 Great Exhibition, held when Britain sought to awe other nations with spoils from its empire and the wonders of industrialization.
Originally located in Hyde Park, it was moved to south London in 1854, and Ni now wants to build a replica there to the original dimensions of about 500 meters (1,640 ft) long and 50 meters high.
"This is going to recreate a 21st century version of the palace," London Mayor Boris Johnson told reporters. "This isn't an act of nostalgia. It is looking forward and it is about adorning our city with a world-class structure."
Jimmy Savile scandal sparks rise in rape hotline calls
LONDON, Oct. 1, 2013 - The number of rape victims coming forward in Britain has surged 40 percent in the past year amid publicity surrounding sex crimes by the late TV presenter Jimmy Savile, a sexual assault hotline said on Wednesday.
Rape Crisis, an umbrella organization for a network of local help centers across Britain, reported a 40 percent increase in calls to its national hotline since revelations that Savile, who died in 2011, was a prolific child sex abuser.
"From feedback we've had it's due in part to the high profile media coverage that, for the first time in some ways, highlighted the voices and the experiences of the survivors," spokeswoman Katie Russell said.
Asian universities catch up with U.S., Britain
LONDON, Oct. 2, 2013 - Leading Asian universities are catching up with their competitors in Britain and the United States in rankings, measuring everything from reputation to research funding, released on Wednesday.
The top institutions in Japan, South Korea, China and Singapore generally rose in the annual index published by Britain's Times Higher Education magazine, continuing a "power shift from West to East," its rankings editor Phil Baty said.