Egypt’s net foreign exchange reserves surged to an unprecedented peak, reaching 55.072 billion dollars by the end of June. Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced the record-breaking figure during the government’s weekly press conference on Wednesday, citing the latest data released by the Central Bank of Egypt, Sada al-Balad reported. The prime minister highlighted that the reserves witnessed a substantial boost of nearly 2 billion dollars in a single month. This rapid growth, he noted, reflects sustained improvement across Egypt’s broader economic indicators, strengthening the nation’s financial stability and securing the hard currency needed to meet future economic obligations. Madbouly also pointed out that this milestone comes at a time when inflation rates continue their downward trajectory despite ongoing regional and global challenges. Dabaa nuclear power plant to begin operations by late 2028 Addressing the energy sector, Madbouly emphasized that the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant stands as one of...

Lionel Messi vs. Lamine Yamal The highly anticipated showdown between Argentina and Spain is set to take place at the New York/New Jersey Stadium, as both powerhouses eye the ultimate footballing crown in a match the entire world is waiting for. Spain silences france to clinch final berth Spain earned their spot in the final with a commanding 2-0 victory over France. It was a night of pure masterclass for the Spanish side, lit up by standout performances from the dynamic duo of Dani Olmo and Marc Cucurella. Argentina edges out England in a thrilling comeback Argentina booked their ticket to the grand finale after a marathon battle against England. Argentina staged a spectacular comeback, overturning a 1-0 deficit to seal a 2-1 victory. The match featured an unprecedented individual masterclass from Lionel Messi, who orchestrated both of Argentina’s goals and completed nine successful dribbles to dismantle the English defense....

Amid a flare-up in the conflict between the United States and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz, shipping through the critical waterway remains very limited. Only 13 merchant ships were recorded transiting the Strait on Wednesday, according to data from maritime intelligence analysts at Kpler. Eight left the Persian Gulf; five entered. Only one vessel – a bulk carrier entering the Gulf – was reported to have used the southern route close to the Omani coast, which has been promoted by the US military as a safer passage. Most vessels transiting Wednesday used a route close to the Iranian coast, according to Kpler. On Thursday, the MarineTraffic site showed two oil tankers leaving the Gulf close to Iran and another sailing close to the Omani coaat. The volume of shipping is about one-tenth of the pre-war average, though some vessels are crossing without transponders that would show their...

The White House is establishing a new AI cybersecurity clearinghouse to help coordinate cybersecurity defenses across critical infrastructure. Industries and critical infrastructure are racing to catch up with new AI models with increasingly advanced abilities that can find and exploit (but also defend against) cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Some AI companies have even held off widely releasing their most advanced models to allow key partners time to patch vulnerabilities before the models are widely available. The White House’s clearinghouse, dubbed Gold Eagle, is a joint project across the Treasury, the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon. AI and cybersecurity companies, along with critical infrastructure ​providers like utilities and banks, will use the platform to communicate and coordinate their efforts. “These new capabilities make vulnerability discovery at a scale … that we have not seen before,” a senior White House official told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday. The goal of the...

US Secretary Marco Rubio, right, walks with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi as they meet at the State Department in Washington, DC, on Tueday, July 14. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Iran’s latest strikes on Jordan, calling them “unacceptable” in a Tuesday meeting with the country’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi in Washington, DC, according to a State Department statement. Iran has repeatedly targeted military infrastructure in Jordan in recent days as fighting with the US has escalated. The Iranian Army said it had launched new drone strikes on the Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, where US military assets are based, early on Tuesday morning local time. Rubio and Safadi discussed a range of issues in their Tuesday meeting, “including the Iranian regime’s ongoing attacks on shipping and against countries in the region,” spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. Rubio also thanked Safadi for...

The death of a Mexican man in Houston at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is threatening to upend already-strained relations between Mexico and the United States. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took the unusual step of announcing at a press conference on Thursday that Mexico is seeking civil and criminal investigations in the US related to the deaths of 17 Mexican nationals during immigration enforcement operations or at detention centers. These investigations aim to “protect the human rights of Mexicans in the United States,” the Mexican government said. The impetus for the announcement was the ICE shooting death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas last week. ICE officials said agents shot Salgado Araujo, whom they said was in the US illegally, after he rammed a law enforcement vehicle and refused to follow verbal commands during a traffic stop. His family has disputed ICE’s account, telling CNN that the 52-year-old...

The Egyptian Customs Authority and the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC), signed a TIR guarantee agreement, marking a key step in implementing the UN-backed international road transport system aimed at facilitating cross-border trade. The singing ceremony was attended by Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk, Transport Minister Kamel Wazir and Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Mohamed Farid. Egypt plans to launch two international Arab trade corridors linking Europe with Gulf countries through its territory as part of a broader strategy to develop eight integrated logistics corridors connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe, its transport minister said Monday. Wazir said the two planned trade corridors would complement major international transport initiatives, including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and the Iraq-Turkey Development Road project through partnerships with global shipping lines. The planned Northern Arab Trade Corridor will connect Europe with Jordan, Iraq, and Syria through Egypt, primarily...

President Donald Trump has not been charitable about politicians’ verbal gaffes. He once played a video of Joe Biden’s verbal stumbles at a 2022 rally. During the 2024 campaign, he ridiculed Biden for mixing up Trump and Kamala Harris, saying, “Great job, Joe!” And in 2018, Trump joined in the longstanding conservative lampooning of Barack Obama’s misstatement that he had visited 57 states. “Can you imagine if I said that,” Trump posted on X, adding: “story of the year!” In fact, Trump has now said things like that over and over again. That was perhaps best exemplified by an appearance Wednesday at the NATO summit in Turkey, in which Trump made three significant errors — including calling Iran “the Islamic Republic of Japan” — in less than 10 minutes while speaking next to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. But he’s had plenty of other gaffes recently. A recap of some of...

We’re going to miss this World Cup when it’s over next week. We were treated to two brilliant quarterfinals yesterday, which saw both England and Argentina advance to the last four at the expense of Norway and Switzerland. For England, it was all about one name: Jude Bellingham. I’ve given up on guessing where the 23-year-old plays, he’s sort of just everywhere on the pitch and he netted twice to inspire his team past Erling Haaland’s Norway. As for Argentina, it has Julián Alvarez to thank after the striker scored an absolute worldie in extra time to help the team through to the semifinal (with a little help from a controversial VAR call). It means the last four is now complete, so – with no games until Tuesday – it’s time to meet our semifinalists. The Main Thing: Meet the semifinalists Despite this being a tournament full of underdog success...

US strikes are increasing in number and now reaching beyond the coastal areas bordering the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports of explosions on Iranian media, signaling the increased intensity of this round of attacks. Overnight, most US bombing was still concentrated in areas along Iran’s southern coast but one attack struck a military facility in Na’in, in central Iran, killing one person and wounding seven others, the province’s deputy governor told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). There were also more strikes over this weekend – US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it hit 140 targets overnight Saturday compared to 90 overnight Wednesday and 80 on Tuesday night. As for yesterday night, CENTCOM did not specify the precise number, saying only that the US struck “dozens of targets at multiple locations.” At least one of those strikes hit civilian infrastructure too. One attack struck a water pumping station in...