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Sisi Tells Blinken That Egypt Opposes Escalation, Backs Lebanon Following Blasts 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt, September 18, 2024. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt, September 18, 2024. (Reuters)
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Sisi Tells Blinken That Egypt Opposes Escalation, Backs Lebanon Following Blasts 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt, September 18, 2024. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Egypt, September 18, 2024. (Reuters)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Cairo rejects any attempts at escalation in the region and supports Lebanon following the pager blasts, the Egyptian presidency said on Wednesday. 

At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday. 

"The President affirmed Egypt's rejection of attempts to escalate the conflict and expand its scope regionally, pointing out the need for all parties to act responsibly, and reaffirming Egypt's support for Lebanon", the statement added. 

Blinken is visiting Egypt hoping to advance efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and strengthen ties with Cairo. 

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Arab World

Jordan’s King Abdullah Swears in New Government Led by Technocrat 

Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after talks at the Chancellery, in Berlin, Germany, March 15, 2022. (Reuters)
Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after talks at the Chancellery, in Berlin, Germany, March 15, 2022. (Reuters)
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Jordan’s King Abdullah Swears in New Government Led by Technocrat 

Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after talks at the Chancellery, in Berlin, Germany, March 15, 2022. (Reuters)
Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after talks at the Chancellery, in Berlin, Germany, March 15, 2022. (Reuters)

Jordan's King Abdullah II swore in a reformist government on Wednesday tasked with accelerating IMF-backed reforms and pushing through political and economic modernization crucial to reversing a decade of sluggish growth, officials said.

The Harvard-educated prime minister, Jafar Hassan, headed the monarch's office in his last job. Hasan has proven to be an able administrator during a long public career in which he oversaw economic reforms as a deputy premier and during a stint as planning minister, according to officials and politicians.

Politicians say a key task is accelerating IMF-guided reforms and reining in more than $50 billion in public debt in a country with high unemployment.

Veteran foreign minister Ayman Safadi kept his post in the new 32-member cabinet that includes moderates, tribal politicians and technocrats.

Although the new composition of the 138-member parliament retains a pro-government majority, the more vocal Islamist-led opposition could challenge IMF-backed free-market reforms and foreign policy, diplomats and officials say.

The new finance minister Abdul Hakim al-Shibli, a seasoned economist, replaces veteran Mohammad al-Ississ who won praise from the IMF for stepping up reforms and maintaining fiscal prudence while avoiding austerity policies.

The previous government had sought to drive reforms pushed by King Abdullah to help reverse a decade of sluggish growth, hovering at around 2%, that was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts in neighboring Iraq and Syria.