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Ksar El Kebir, Morocco – Achraf Hakimi is an idol across Africa Cup of Nations host country Morocco, but there is a particularly strong feeling of pride in Ksar El Kebir, his mother's home town. Far from the tumult of the six Cup of Nations host cities, including Casablanca and Marrakesh,...

Workers have started laying tracks in the desert east of Cairo for Egypt's first high-speed train, which will link the Red Sea and the Mediterranean in the latest attempt to modernise transport in the vast country.

Morocco carry a huge weight of expectation into their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday as the hosts, with star man Achraf Hakimi returning from injury, aim to see off stiff competition to claim continental glory.

A top Hamas official said Friday that talks in Miami to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire must aim to end Israeli truce "violations" in the Palestinian territory.

Under the agreement, Israel will increase the total volume of gas supplied to Egypt to 130 billion cubic meters, according to Israeli firm NewMed Energy which announced the deal in August.

Celebrations erupted on the pitch and in the stands in Doha on Sunday when both Palestine and Syria made it through to the Arab Cup quarter-finals following a 0-0 draw.

"Now we are at the critical moment... A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of the Israeli forces (and) there is stability back in Gaza," Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told the Doha Forum.

The countries voiced "their absolute rejection of any attempts to expel the Palestinian people from their land" and said they were against "compelling any resident of the Gaza Strip to leave".

Cairo, Egypt -- Thousands of visitors streamed through the Grand Egyptian Museum on Tuesday as almost the entire collection of King Tutankhamun's treasures -- over 4,500 artefacts -- was displayed together for the first time since the young pharaoh's tomb was discovered in 1922. Curated and conserved over nearly two decades,...

Cairo, Egypt - With much pomp and circumstance, Cairo is due to inaugurate on Saturday the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum, widely presented as the crowning jewel on authorities' efforts to overhaul the country's vital tourism industry. With a panoramic view of the Giza pyramids plateau, the GEM houses thousands of...

Trump's lightning visit to Israel and Egypt aims to celebrate his role in brokering last week's ceasefire and hostage release deal -- but comes at a precarious time as Israel and Hamas negotiate what comes next.

As part of the deal's first phase, Hama will free the captives, 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinians held by Israel in its jails.

Washington, United States - US President Donald Trump has undeniably scored a diplomatic victory by helping to broker a truce for Gaza, but the path to the lasting peace he says he wants for the Middle East is littered with obstacles. And it remains to be seen whether the 79-year-old...

Both sides have responded positively to Trump's plan, which calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages held in Gaza, Hamas's disarmament and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the territory.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Turkey's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Trump's special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are all due to attend the talks.

Cairo, Egypt - A limestone tablet dating back more than 4,000 years has disappeared from Egypt's Saqqara necropolis, authorities said Monday, weeks after a gold bracelet was stolen from the national museum. In a statement, the antiquities ministry announced "the disappearance of an ancient tablet from the tomb of Khenti...

Behind closed doors and under tight security, negotiators will speak through mediators shuttling back and forth, only weeks after Israel tried to kill Hamas's lead negotiators in a strike on Qatar.

Foreign ministers of several countries, including Egypt, said the talks were a "real opportunity" to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire.

Cairo, Egypt -- Egyptian police said on Thursday they arrested a museum employee and three alleged accomplices after a priceless ancient gold bracelet was stolen from Cairo's Egyptian Museum, sold for about $4,000 and then melted down. The 3,000-year-old bracelet, a gold band adorned with lapis lazuli beads, dated back...

Guba, Ethiopia -- Ethiopia inaugurated the continent's largest hydroelectric project on Tuesday in what Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called a "great achievement for all black people", but it drew a protest to the United Nations from downstream nation Egypt. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), straddling a tributary of the...

For years, Egyptian jasmine picker Wael al-Sayed has collected blossoms by night in the Nile Delta, supplying top global perfume houses. But in recent summers, his basket has felt lighter and the once-rich fragrance is fading.

"The movement has submitted its response, agreeing to the mediators' new proposal. We pray to God to extinguish the fire of this war on our people," senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said.

Thousands signed a petition to "Save Hankorab" after discovering a contract between an unnamed government entity and an investment company to build a resort.

Cairo, Egypt - In the shadow of the Grand Egyptian Museum, souvenir shop owner Mona has been readying for the tourist boom she hoped the long-awaited opening would bring -- now once again out of reach. "I had bet everything on this opening," she told AFP from her shop, just...

As belly dancing gains popularity internationally, young Egyptian performers are working to restore its reputation at home, pushing back against decades of stigma to reclaim the dance as part of their artistic heritage.

Cairo, Egypt - Egyptian authorities announced on Saturday that the long-awaited inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) would once again be delayed as a result of escalating regional tensions. "In view of the ongoing regional developments, it was decided to postpone the official inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum,...

Pro-Palestinian activists seeking to march to Gaza with the stated aim of breaking Israel's blockade on the territory were stopped Friday in both Libya and Egypt, organisers said.

Qatar's foreign reserves rise 3.6 percent year-on-year despite a dip in bonds and treasury holdings, Iraq releases Australian and Egyptian engineers and other developments.

Saudi Arabia records the lowest Hajj attendance in three decades—outside the pandemic years—triggered by tighter visa restrictions; Special Envoy Zhai Jun meets Egypt’s Foreign Minister to discuss the Gaza crisis and broader Middle East peace efforts.

Cairo, Egypt - In the heart of Cairo, a small cinema has for over a decade offered a unique space for independent film in a country whose industry is largely dominated by commercial considerations. Zawya, meaning "perspective" in Arabic, has weathered the storm of Egypt's economic upheavals, championing a more...

Israel has faced growing condemnation over the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has warned the entire population faces the risk of famine after no aid was allowed to enter for more than two months.

The new city, named Jirian meaning "Flow" in Arabic, is part of Egypt's Nile Delta scheme, a massive agricultural initiative aiming to reclaim about 2.5 million acres west of the original Nile Delta.

Salah's tally of 185 goals in the English top flight is the joint fifth highest in Premier League history and he is in the top 10 for assists.

Egypt's central bank on Thursday announced that it was lowering interest rates for the first time since 2020, days after the government announced a reduction in fuel subsidies.

"The two sides emphasized the importance of strengthening economic cooperation... they agreed to work toward a package of direct Qatari investments totaling $7.5 billion, to be implemented over the next phase," Qatari official media said, citing the statement.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - When US and Iranian negotiators meet in Oman on Saturday they will be just the latest to turn to crisis mediation in the Gulf Arab states, whose wealthy rulers are increasingly seeking out the role. Oman is a long-established venue for Iranian talks, while promoting...

Cairo, Egypt -- The leaders of France, Egypt and Jordan on Monday said the Palestinian Authority alone must be in charge of the post-war governance of the Gaza Strip. "Governance, law and order, and security in Gaza, as well as in all Palestinian territories, must be the sole responsibility of...

Meanwhile, a video recovered from the cellphone of an aid worker killed in Gaza alongside other rescuers shows their final moments, with clearly marked ambulances and emergency lights flashing as heavy gunfire erupts.

French President Emmanuel Macron will go to an Egyptian port near the Gaza Strip next week to highlight concerns over the conflict in the Palestinian territory, his office said Thursday.

Brussels, Belgium -- Members of the European Parliament have approved two proposals to provide Egypt and Jordan with loans worth €4 billion ($4.32 billion) and €500 million, respectively. The Parliament adopted the macro-financial assistance to Egypt with 452 votes in favor, 182 against and 40 abstentions. The proposal for Jordan...

The talks in Doha started a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas did not release hostages, and Hamas warned the captives would return "in coffins" if Israel did not stop bombing the Palestinian territory.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump's comments signalled further backtracking from his widely criticised proposal to take over the Palestinian territory, displacing its population to neighbouring countries.

The plan by Muslim-majority nations has been rejected by both Israel and its key ally the United States, but has been endorsed by Britain, France, Germany and Italy.

Washington, United States - The International Monetary Fund has approved an additional $1.3 billion assistance program for Egypt under its Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) meant to mitigate the impact of climate change, the organization said Tuesday. The Fund's Executive Board also completed the fourth review of an ongoing aid...

The prospect of the Palestinian Authority (PA) governing Gaza remains far from certain, however, with Israel having ruled out any future role for the body, and Trump having closed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) liaison office in Washington during his first term while stepping up support for Israel.

A draft version of the Egyptian plan seen by AFP lays out a five-year roadmap with a price tag of $53 billion -- about the same amount the United Nations estimated Gaza's reconstruction would cost.

Truce mediators Egypt and Qatar accused Israel of blatantly violating the ceasefire deal by halting the aid, a move left trucks loaded with goods lined up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing to Gaza.

Mediator Egypt say Israeli, Qatari and US delegations were already in Cairo for "intensive" talks on the next stage of the ceasefire, after a first phase only reached following months of grueling negotiations.

Nicosia, Cyprus -- Cyprus and Egypt on Monday signed an agreement with an energy consortium to export gas from the Mediterranean island's offshore fields to Europe after being processed in the North African country. Egypt, alongside Italian energy giant Eni and France's TotalEnergies, have agreed to "collaborate to commercialise the natural...