عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Egypt Launches 'Green River' Construction in New Capital

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks at the opening ceremony for the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, China November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song/Pool
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks at the opening ceremony for the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, China November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song/Pool
TT
TT

Egypt Launches 'Green River' Construction in New Capital

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks at the opening ceremony for the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, China November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song/Pool
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks at the opening ceremony for the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, China November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song/Pool

Egypt has launched the Green River project in the new administrative capital (NAC), east of Cairo, aimed at linking a series of modern and diverse urban neighborhoods. The Egyptian government seeks to make the new capital the largest modern city in the world.

During the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister and Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouly said: "The project is being implemented by seven construction companies with a total of 500 machines, along with hundreds of workers."

"The Egyptian government is committed to this project and aims to conclude it in 18 months, by partnering with the private sector in all the development and construction phases, which will provide many opportunities for local and foreign investment. This comes as part of the government's belief in the importance of construction sector, which represents an extension for the ancestor's heritage and a message from the present to a bright future," the Prime Minister said.

Madbouly explained that the park will extend over a 10 km area, making it one of the largest in the world, and a garden that respects the topographical nature of the place and harmonizes with the general ecosystem. It will feature an integrated network of lanes for pedestrians and bicycles, and a range of distinctive projects.

Talking about the resources required for the afforestation of the new river, he said: “The output of the water treatment plants will be used to cultivate all the green areas, including the private gardens in houses. Treated water will be our main resource to irrigate green spaces."

According to the statement, the Green River is 35 km long. The starting phase will see the development of the first 10 kilometers, extending from the central ring road to the regional ring (eastern Cairo) with an estimated investment of 9 billion pounds. The project is conducted by the Housing Ministry in partnership with Dar Al-Handasah Office.

Director of Dar Al-Handasah Office Yehia Zaki said: "The Park is characterized by a wide variety of vegetation, which reflects the richness of the Egyptian natural vegetation environment.”

“The park is the main element in the urban structure of NAC's central district, with its unique spaces to accommodate activities and recreational services, as well as open areas. The park is directly linked to the residential neighborhoods surrounding the heart of the new administrative capital through a network of green axes."

The central park of the new administrative capital will provide a greater opportunity for community interaction between the residents and its wider scope. It is expected to host more than two million visitors annually and will offer the newest communication and transport systems, he explained.

Madbouly had also visited the under-construction towers in NAC's financial and business district project, which is being executed by the Chinese company CSCEC in cooperation with a number of Egyptian developers.

The construction of the 20 towers is aimed at providing myriads of services. Among them is the Icon Tower, the tallest in Africa, at a height of about 385 meters. The concrete bases will be continuously poured within days over 80 hours, registering a world record, according to Madbouly.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

Aging France to See Population Fall After 2037 Peak

People walk along the Seine river in Paris on June 2, 2026 with in the background "La Caverne du Pont Neuf" ("The Pont Neuf Cave") artwork by French street artist and photographer JR on the Pont-Neuf bridge after it was damaged and torn by the wind. (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP)
People walk along the Seine river in Paris on June 2, 2026 with in the background "La Caverne du Pont Neuf" ("The Pont Neuf Cave") artwork by French street artist and photographer JR on the Pont-Neuf bridge after it was damaged and torn by the wind. (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP)
TT
TT

Aging France to See Population Fall After 2037 Peak

People walk along the Seine river in Paris on June 2, 2026 with in the background "La Caverne du Pont Neuf" ("The Pont Neuf Cave") artwork by French street artist and photographer JR on the Pont-Neuf bridge after it was damaged and torn by the wind. (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP)
People walk along the Seine river in Paris on June 2, 2026 with in the background "La Caverne du Pont Neuf" ("The Pont Neuf Cave") artwork by French street artist and photographer JR on the Pont-Neuf bridge after it was damaged and torn by the wind. (Photo by SIMON WOHLFAHRT / AFP)

France's population is expected to peak in 2037, seven years earlier than previously estimated, before shrinking back to around its 2014 level in the following decades, statistics agency INSEE said on Monday.

France has long had stronger demographics than most of Europe, but an ageing population and falling birth rates show it is not immune to the pressures straining public finances across the continent.

France's ⁠natural population growth ⁠turned negative in 2025 and will remain so, with gains until 2037 driven entirely by migration, INSEE said in its latest projections.

The population is expected to rise from 69.1 million in 2026 ⁠to a peak of 69.8 million in 2037, before falling to 65.9 million by 2070, roughly its 2014 level, Reuters reported.

INSEE's previous projections in 2021 put the peak later, in 2044, at about 69.3 million.

If migration weakens or fertility falls below the central assumption of 1.45 children per woman, the population could drop to as low ⁠as ⁠54.6 million by 2070.

As well as shrinking, the population will age significantly.

By 2070, one in three people in France will be aged 65 or older, about double the share under 20.

The sharpest shift will be among the oldest groups, with the number aged 80 and over more than doubling to around 9 million, while centenarians could quadruple to about 160,000

Varieties

Cuba’s Iconic Antique Cars Sit Idle as US Energy Blockade Deepens Fuel Crisis

An old car drives past the Gran Hotel Bristol in Havana on June 3, 2026. (AFP)
An old car drives past the Gran Hotel Bristol in Havana on June 3, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Cuba’s Iconic Antique Cars Sit Idle as US Energy Blockade Deepens Fuel Crisis

An old car drives past the Gran Hotel Bristol in Havana on June 3, 2026. (AFP)
An old car drives past the Gran Hotel Bristol in Havana on June 3, 2026. (AFP)

A worsening fuel crisis across Cuba is testing the island's famed “almendrones," the vintage American cars that serve as vital shared taxis and embody the island’s ingenuity and endurance.

These days, many of the iconic gas-guzzling antique cars sit idle, casualties of fuel shortages that have gripped Cuba since January and that Cuban officials blame on a US energy blockade.

Outside his modest concrete-block home on a dirt road in Las Minas, a town of about 2,000 people on the outskirts of Havana, Diriel Valdez is restoring a 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe. The burgundy body is intact and the original engine still works. Finding fuel for it, however, is another matter.

Valdez is among thousands of Cubans waiting for fuel through a government reservation app that, for many, has become a symbol of the shortages it was designed to manage.

“I signed up in February ... I’m still somewhere around number 2,800,” said the 27-year-old who runs an auto body shop from his home.

The reward for the wait would be 20 liters (5.3 gallons) of gasoline — enough fuel, Valdez says, to get him to the beach.

The name almendrón comes from the Spanish word for almond, a reference to the rounded shape of the large American sedans imported before Cuba’s 1959 revolution.

For decades, sanctions, shortages and limited imports forced Cuban mechanics to become masters of improvisation. Engines were swapped, bodies rebuilt and replacement parts sourced from wherever they could be found.

On a recent night in Havana, as another blackout darkened much of the city, taxi driver Leonardo Daniel González steered a friend’s glowing purple 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster through the darkness.

“These cars are passed down from generation to generation,” said González, 30. “I had one that belonged to my great-grandfather. It went from him to my grandfather, then to my father, and then to me.”

The wait for fuel Cuba is experiencing one of its most severe energy crises in years. The population, already battered by decades of economic crises and shortages, is now navigating daily blackouts that can last up to 20 hours in some parts of the island.

The country produces only about 40% of the fuel it consumes and depends heavily on imports to keep its power plants running and its transportation network moving.

Since January, the Trump administration has tightened sanctions on Cuba as an element of its ongoing pressure campaign against the island’s communist government. Trump also threatened tariffs on countries that sell or transport oil to Cuba, further complicating the island’s efforts to secure fuel supplies. Just a single Russian tanker has delivered oil to the island nation since then.

Standing beside his Chevrolet in Las Minas, Valdez, who runs the auto body shop, said the fuel shortage is also affecting his livelihood. He learned auto-body work from his stepfather and has been repairing classic cars since he was 13.

“People don’t want to do major repairs anymore,” he said. “A lot of them have their cars parked. They don’t have much hope that they’ll be circulating the way they used to.”

Almendrones persist even with electric vehicles

As gasoline becomes harder to obtain, many drivers are turning to Cuba’s black market, where fuel can often be found more quickly, though at significantly higher prices that can reach up to $8 per liter ($30 per gallon).

Omar Everleny Pérez, a former economist at the University of Havana’s Center of Cuban Economic Studies, said the country’s transportation system still depends heavily on almendrones because modern vehicles remain out of reach for most Cubans.

“They’ve been vital to the transportation of ordinary Cubans,” he said. “Not only in Havana but throughout the country.”

New vehicles have become available in Cuba in recent years, but at prices far beyond the reach of most state-sector workers, Pérez said. That has helped keep the aging American cars on the road, even as a different future is beginning to emerge on Cuba’s streets.

Electric motorcycles imported from China have become increasingly common. Small electric vehicles are also appearing, aided by a growing network of solar-powered charging stations promoted by the government as part of its push toward renewable energy.

Back in Havana, González is not ready to write off the almendrones. Despite the lack of fuel and a sharp decline in tourism, he can still make a living off the old Chevrolet.

“There are ... several WhatsApp groups for us to find rides and so on,“ said González. “But tourism in Cuba is in very bad shape.”

Varieties

Note in Time Capsule Helps Punters Win £2,500

A buried message from 1964 helped four lucky punters scoop £2,500 by picking the winner of the Epsom Derby (Crystal Palace)
A buried message from 1964 helped four lucky punters scoop £2,500 by picking the winner of the Epsom Derby (Crystal Palace)
TT
TT

Note in Time Capsule Helps Punters Win £2,500

A buried message from 1964 helped four lucky punters scoop £2,500 by picking the winner of the Epsom Derby (Crystal Palace)
A buried message from 1964 helped four lucky punters scoop £2,500 by picking the winner of the Epsom Derby (Crystal Palace)

A 'time capsule' letter buried 62 years ago which urged the finder to back any runner whose name could be linked to Santa Claus, helped four lucky punters scoop £2,500 by picking the winner of the Epsom Derby on Sunday, according to The Guardian.

Josh Smalls, site manager on the restoration project at Crystal Palace Park in south London, said the note and four old coins were discovered by a colleague underneath the giant bust of Sir Joseph Paxton, the Victorian designer of the Crystal Palace.

The note explained that the money was the winnings from a bet on a horse named Santa Claus in the 1964 Epsom Derby.

The writer urged any future finder of the time capsule to use the money to bet on a horse in the Derby with a name that “can in some way be associated with ‘Santa Claus.’”

Smalls – speaking before Saturday’s race – told the BBC: “Unbelievably, there is a horse in this year’s Derby called Christmas Day ... To find a piece of history like that – and for it to link up so well with the horse this year – it was kind of spooky. I looked through the rosters of the last few years and couldn’t find any other horse with a Christmassy name.”

Santa Claus was the name of the horse that won the Derby in front of the late Queen in 1964.

Subsequently, a sentimental racing fan who had seemingly backed the horse himself took another gamble without knowing whether it would ever pay off, according to the Daily Mail.

He buried a 'time capsule' in a park in Crystal Palace with a letter and some coins urging the finder to bet on a horse 'whose name can be associated in some way with Santa Claus.'

The time capsule was first discovered in April by Smalls’s colleague, Craciun Marius Dorin, a member of the team overseeing the park’s regeneration, who said: “I’m Romanian and Craciun in Romanian actually means Christmas – isn’t that crazy?”