First ship carrying aid approaches Gaza Strip as Israel accused

The Open Arms vessel docked in the Cypriot port of Larnaca. – | Afp | Getty Images An aid ship was approaching the Gaza Strip’s coastline on Friday with much-needed deliveries for the Palestinian people, as relief organizations warn that thousands in the besieged enclave are on the brink of famine. The ship — called … Read more

Here’s what researchers have to say about working in your 80s

U.S. President Joe Biden stops to talk to journalists about new Russian sanctions as he departs the White House on February 20, 2024 in Washington, DC. Biden is traveling to California to attend campaign receptions across the state.  Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Should he prevail in the upcoming presidential election, President Joe Biden, 81, … Read more

Egypt hikes interest rates by 600 basis points, pound crumbles to record low

Yousef Gamal El-Din | CNBC Egypt’s pound hit a record low against the dollar on Wednesday after its central bank hiked interest rates by 600 points and devalued the currency. The steps were meant to facilitate an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which is expected to confirm the extension of its current $3 billion … Read more

US blacklisting computer networking company for censorship, web monitoring abroad

The Department of Commerce added computer networking company Sandvine to its blacklist earlier this week, alleging the company supplied equipment “to the Government of Egypt” and engaged in censorship. The department announced Tuesday that it would ban the company from obtaining U.S. technology because of national security concerns. The “Entity List,” which now has seven … Read more

Egypt threatens to suspend key peace treaty if Israel attacks Gaza border – National

Egypt is threatening to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if Israeli troops are sent into the densely populated Gaza border town of Rafah, and says fighting there could force the closure of the besieged territory’s main aid supply route, two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat said Sunday. The threat to suspend the Camp David … Read more

Oil rises for a fourth day after U.S. kills militant commander in Iraq, Israel rejects Hamas proposal

Palestinians wait to fill containers with fuel from a petrol station in Gaza city.  Mohammed Asad | Anadolu | Getty Images Crude oil futures prices rose for the fourth day in a row Thursday after the U.S. killed a militant commander in Iraq and Israel rejected a ceasefire proposal by Hamas. The West Texas Intermediate … Read more

Traders monitor Gaza talks, Iran tensions

A Palestinian petrol station attendant stands at empty pumps at a closed petrol station in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on November 5, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Said Khatib | AFP | Getty Images Oil prices rose Tuesday as investors weighed efforts to negotiate a truce … Read more

Egyptian pyramid renovations fuel outrage: ‘Why not wallpaper?’ – National

Egypt’s Menkaure pyramid is already starting to look different as workers attempt to give the ancient structure a facelift by lining the pyramid in large granite blocks. For Mostafa Waziri, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, renovating Egypt’s Pyramid of Menkaure is “the project of the century” — but his opponents have insisted … Read more

The Israel-Hamas war is affecting traveler confidence and bookings

The Israel-Hamas war is affecting travel across the Middle East and beyond. International arrivals to the region grew in the fourth quarter of 2023 — mainly owing to an increase in visitors to Saudi Arabia — to a level that matched 2019 numbers, according to the travel data company ForwardKeys. But it’s a far cry … Read more

How Houthi attacks in Red Sea threaten global supply chain

A container ship sails through the new section of the Suez Canal in the Egyptian port city of Ismailia, 135 kms northeast of the capital Cairo on October 10, 2019. Khaled Desouki | AFP | Getty Images Attacks by Iran-backed Houthi militants on ships in the Red Sea have already rocked global trade. And there … Read more