Egypt finds Gaza smuggling tunnels big enough for trucks

Egypt finds Gaza smuggling tunnels big enough for trucks

Special to WorldTribune.com Egyptian security forces have discovered smuggling tunnels connecting Gaza to Sinai that are large enough to drive trucks through. Egyptian officials believe the tunnels are the source of weapons being used in Sinai by the affiliate of Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). Most of the weapons were smuggled into Gaza […]

Egypt lawmakers seek ban on face-covering niqab

Egypt lawmakers seek ban on face-covering niqab

Special to WorldTribune.com A group of Egyptian lawmakers is set to introduce a bill in parliament to ban women from wearing the face-covering niqab in public. The ban, which would also apply to state institutions, is being endorsed by the Egypt Support Coalition, which claims to have 250 members in the legislature, Gulf News reported […]

Egypt’s Sisi for first time cites terror motives behind downing of airliner

Egypt’s Sisi for first time cites terror motives behind downing of airliner

Special to WorldTribune.com Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Sisi confirmed for the first time on Feb. 24 that “terrorism” was the cause of the Oct. 31 crash of a Russian airliner in the Sinai Peninsula that killed 224 people. “Has terrorism ended? No… Whoever downed that plane, what did he want? Just to hit tourism? No. […]

U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman, Egypt defense leaders discuss bilateral relationship

U.S. Joint Chiefs chairman, Egypt defense leaders discuss bilateral relationship

Special to WorldTribune.com Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed America’s commitment to its “security partnership” with Egypt during a visit to Cairo on Feb. 20. “Dunford visited Cairo to demonstrate U.S. commitment to strengthening the security partnership between Egypt and the United States,” according to a U.S. Defense Department […]

Egyptian schools, in first, to teach 1979 peace accord with Israel

Egyptian schools, in first, to teach 1979 peace accord with Israel

Special to WorldTribune.com President Abdul Fatah Sisi’s overhaul of Egypt’s education system will include, for the first time, fact-based instruction on the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. A report by Army Radio on Feb. 17 said the new curriculum pushed by Sisi “does not stray into the aggressive, biased characterizations of Israel as […]

Boutros-Ghali, former UN secretary general, dies at 93

Boutros-Ghali, former UN secretary general, dies at 93

Special to WorldTribune.com Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who led the United Nations as secretary general in the 1990s, died on Feb. 16 in an Egyptian hospital. He was 93. Current UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Boutros-Ghali “a memorable leader who rendered invaluable services to world peace and international order.” A senior minister to Egyptian President Hosni […]

Report: Egypt’s Sisi gives rare praise to Netanyahu’s ‘great powers’

Report: Egypt’s Sisi gives rare praise to Netanyahu’s ‘great powers’

Special to WorldTribune.com In a remarkable homage from Egypt’s leader to Israel’s leader, President Abdul Fatah Sisi said recently that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “possesses great powers.” The rare quote of praise was posted to Twitter on Feb. 14 by Zvika Klein, a reporter for Makor Rishon. Sisi told a delegation of the Conference of […]

Egypt’s Sisi hosts key American Jewish leaders

Egypt’s Sisi hosts key American Jewish leaders

Special to WorldTribune.com A delegation of American Jewish leaders met with Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Sisi on Feb. 11 to discuss Cairo’s security cooperation with Israel and U.S.-Egypt relations. The meetings between Sisi as well as other Egyptian officials, and 36 members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations was described as […]

Erdogan rules out meeting Egypt’s Sisi over death sentences for Brotherhood

Erdogan rules out meeting Egypt’s Sisi over death sentences for Brotherhood

Special to WorldTribune.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will not meet with Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Sisi until Egypt lifts the death sentences of Mohammed Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders. “My stance on that issue is clear; in the first place, I will not meet Sisi until the decisions of death penalty […]

Egypt’s tourism industry collapses; ‘Sharm El-Sheikh has become a ghost town’

Egypt’s tourism industry collapses; ‘Sharm El-Sheikh has become a ghost town’

Special to WorldTribune.com Egypt is looking to revive its crippled tourism industry by tapping into new markets in Europe, Asia and Latin America. During November and December, about 1 million tourists visited Egypt, down 41 percent from 2014 and the lowest number for the peak months since 2005. “The reason for the plummet in tourism […]