Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hany Sewilam, met with Hatem Nabil, head of the Central Agency for Organisation and Administration, to discuss institutional reform and ways to address staffing shortages at the ministry, according to a ministry statement. The discussions reviewed proposals to modernise the ministry’s administrative structure, fill technical and craft positions at the Mechanical and Electrical Department, and explore contracting engineers and technicians from outside the ministry to address current gaps. Sewilam stressed the importance of governance and institutional development in improving performance, accelerating decision-making, and enhancing decentralisation and transparency. He noted that governance is a core pillar of Egypt’s “Water System 2.0” reform programme. The minister said the ministry aims to attract the most qualified staff to support major projects and address challenges facing Egypt’s water sector.

He noted that Cairo looks forward to the outcomes of the upcoming consultative meeting to drive international efforts toward restoring peace and stability. These efforts are being conducted in coordination with regional and international partners, specifically the International Quad mechanism. Cairo continues to coordinate with international and regional partners to reach a humanitarian truce and a comprehensive ceasefire. In addition to political efforts, Egypt highlighted its historical and humanitarian responsibilities, noting that it currently hosts large numbers of Sudanese citizens. The UN envoy specifically praised Egypt’s hospitality toward the Sudanese people and its active involvement in supporting ceasefire tracks.

During the meeting, Badawi reviewed recent positive developments in Egypt’s mining sector, highlighting emerging investment opportunities resulting from ongoing regulatory and structural reforms. He noted that transforming the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority into an economic authority has contributed to streamlining licensing procedures and accelerating investment-related processes. Discussions further covered potential areas of cooperation and joint investment opportunities in mining, building on the memorandum of understanding signed last year between Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals. Particular emphasis was placed on leveraging Oman’s advanced experience in the sector, especially following the completion of its comprehensive airborne survey, to ensure the optimal utilisation of mineral resources. In addition, both sides explored ways to increase the participation of Egyptian companies in oil and gas infrastructure projects in Oman.

Port Said – Sky Ports Group for Shipping and Stevedoring has announced the commencement of construction for a bulk cement export terminal within its multi-purpose terminal at East Port Said Port, with total investments of $50m. The new terminal, he noted, will comply with international standards, opening these markets to Egyptian cement. The project will feature eight concrete silos, each with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes, bringing total storage to 160,000 tonnes. The cement silos project at East Port Said supports this effort by opening new markets for Egyptian cement. In a related development, Sky Ports’ East Port Said terminal has been selected to represent Egypt in a programme promoting the transition to green ports across seven countries.

Fulbright grants in Egypt are not merely opportunities for travel or study, nor simply an additional line on a résumé. This daily exposure produces a quiet inner transformation, often invisible at first, yet enduring long after return. Many alumni return to educational, cultural, and research institutions in urgent need of this different intellectual breath. Fulbright also demonstrates that investing in educated, open-minded individuals is not a luxury, but a condition for stability and progress. Together, they have accumulated significant human and cultural capital in Egypt, capital that still requires a national vision to harness it.

Egypt has ranked as Africa’s largest recipient of private foreign investment for the fifth consecutive year, Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk said. He noted that private investment rose by 73% in the 2024/2025 fiscal year, while economic growth continued to improve, exports increased, inflation declined, foreign exchange reserves exceeded $50bn, and foreign direct investment strengthened. Kouchouk said international economic experiences vary widely, with each country adopting approaches suited to its own circumstances, needs and priorities. He also highlighted the importance of investing in human capital, describing it as more critical than any other form of investment. Economic growth reached 5.3% in the first quarter, private investment rose by 40%, and industrial output and exports also increased.

The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) has released its monthly Foreign Trade Data bulletin for October 2025. Egypt’s trade deficit stood at $4.58bn in October 2025, compared with $4.52bn in the same month of the previous year, marking a 1.3% increase. The value of exports declined by 1.1% to $4.17bn in October 2025, down from $4.22bn a year earlier. Meanwhile, the value of imports rose slightly by 0.18% to $8.75bn in October 2025, from $8.74bn in the same month of the previous year. The increase was attributed to higher imports of natural gas (up 72.9%), maize (27.6%), passenger cars (58.0%), and soybeans (14.0%).

From this perspective, Hezbollah’s weapons have existed outside the framework of Lebanese state legitimacy since the group’s founding in the early 1980s. Supported by regional actors, these weapons often became tools of internal coercion, with Hezbollah’s military power surpassing that of the Lebanese Army itself. This imbalance placed the Lebanese state, in all its sectarian diversity, under the influence of a single armed actor operating in accordance with external agendas. Former President Michel Aoun’s ascent to office in 2016 was itself the result of a major political settlement endorsed by Hezbollah. If the Lebanese state succeeds in disarming Hezbollah across all its territory, it would mark a historic turning point.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly sent national expectations soaring with his ambitious pledge to slash public debt to levels unprecedented in Egyptian history. However, according to Madbouly’s vision, this figure is set to plummet to just 50 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Prime Minister’s words have sparked a wave of hope among a public desperate for economic relief. Crucially, the Prime Minister is referring to the debt-to-GDP ratio—a distinction that may be lost on the average citizen. It is certainly not our intention to stifle the seeds of hope sown by the Prime Minister.

After saying in 2023 that a more personal and conversational version of its assistant was coming, Amazon finally launched Alexa+ in 2025. With Alexa.com, those who sign up for early access to Alexa+ can chat with Amazon’s assistant online and continue those conversations on other devices — like Amazon Echo and the Alexa app. Amazon’s Echo smart speakers on September 30, 2025. Moving Alexa beyond the homeMaking Alexa more useful outside the home will be a big focus for the company this year, said Daniel Rausch, vice president of Amazon’s Alexa and Echo divisions. An attendee wears the Amazon Echo Frames smart glasses with Alexa during CES on January 7, 2025.

CAIRO, Jan 11 (MENA) – President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has issued Republican Decree No. 16 of 2026, appointing 28 members to the House of Representatives. The appointees are Samah Hassan Shoukry Selim, Ashraf Mohamed Abdel Hamid al-Shehy, Salah al-Din Fawzy Mohamed Farag, Hisham Abdel Salam Badawi, Amr Mostafa Hasanin al-Wardani, Adel Fahim Mohamed Ezz, Khaled Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Rahman, Sherif Basha Seif Beshay, Abdel Khaleq Abdel Rahman Awad Ibrahim, Eyad Saeed Suleiman Awda, Sameer Sabry Mohamed Amin, Yasser Arafat Mohamed Ali al-Arabi, Ahmed Alaa Mohamed Fayed, Saeed Gamal Mohamed Abdel Fattah, Adela Mohamed Abdel Salam Ragab, Naila Gabr Mohamed Gabr Ali, Marian Magdy Ragab Qeldes, Thuraya Ahmed al-Badawy Mohamed Hamed Hassan, Manal Hamdy Mahmoud al-Sayed, Mirna Essam al-Din Mohamed Aref, Randa Mohamed Ahmed Mostafa, Noha Abdel Rahman Abdel Shafi Abdel Rahman, Hanaa Abdel Hamid Mohamed al-Obeisy, Nashwa Suleiman Mohamed Aql, Amal Mostafa Hussein Asfour, Yara Efat Hassan Youssef, Sherine Reda Abdel Qawy Tayel, and Aida Ismail Osman Ismail. The decree has been published in the Official Gazette.

President Donald Trump has said the US now “runs” the oil-rich South American country and Maduro’s vice president was sworn in as acting president. For Venezuelans, both inside the country and abroad, it’s been a mix of emotions and a sense of uncertainty over what comes next. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (L) greets his Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello during a rally on February 4, 2025. Pedro Mattey/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Chavismo movement was established in 1999 when Hugo Chávez, the late Venezuelan president who was Maduro’s mentor and predecessor, first took power. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado (L) gestures next to Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez (R) during a campaign rally in Barinas, Venezuela, on July 6, 2024.

Pope Leo XIV has said the prohibition on countries violating one another’s borders has been “completely undermined,” in an important speech to diplomats gathered in the Vatican. “War is back in vogue and a zeal for war is spreading,” Leo told ambassadors from across the globe gathered in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Friday. In his address, the American pope emphasized the importance of international law. Cardinals walk as they attend a Vatican summit with Pope Leo XIV. “I’m here to listen,” Leo told the cardinals at the closed-door gathering, insisting that only a unified church can attract new believers.

The House of Representatives in Egypt announced the victory of Judge Hesham Badawy in the election for Speaker, with 521 votes, representing 91 percent of the total, while his competitor Mahmoud Sami al-Emam only received 49 votes. Badawy served as the First Senior Advocate General of the Supreme State Security Prosecution from 2000 to 2012. This body is one of the most important agencies concerned with cases of a special nature related to national security. He was then appointed President for the Organization on August 7, 2016, a position he held until August 7, 2024. He took charge of investigating many cases that impacted national security, including cases of jihadist and takfiri movements such as the Hezbollah cell case in 2009 and the Nasr City cell in 2012.

The members of the Egyptian trade delegation participating in the meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday in Damascus said that the visit discussed a partnership to restart stalled factories and rehabilitate Syrian infrastructure. The head of the General Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Ahmed al-Wakil, affirmed that Egyptian-Syrian relations represent one of the historical pillars of joint Arab action. He called for placing it on the right track to serve the interests of both countries and the Arab nation as a whole. “Egyptian companies are the most deserving of contributing to the reconstruction of Syria,” he added. It also seeks to restart stalled factories and modernizing existing factories.