Egypt Steps up Efforts to Move to Administrative Capital

This picture taken on March 13, 2020 shows an aerial view of ongoing construction development at Egypt's New Administrative Capital megaproject. AFP file photo
This picture taken on March 13, 2020 shows an aerial view of ongoing construction development at Egypt's New Administrative Capital megaproject. AFP file photo
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Egypt Steps up Efforts to Move to Administrative Capital

This picture taken on March 13, 2020 shows an aerial view of ongoing construction development at Egypt's New Administrative Capital megaproject. AFP file photo
This picture taken on March 13, 2020 shows an aerial view of ongoing construction development at Egypt's New Administrative Capital megaproject. AFP file photo

The Egyptian government has stepped up efforts to move its headquarters to the New Administrative Capital and start operating from there starting early next year.

While the Central Agency for Organization and Administration announced that it has trained more than 4,000 candidates to work at the new headquarters, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for “speeding up operational steps for the opening of the new diplomatic quarter in the new capital in an integrated manner with other neighborhoods.”

The New Administrative Capital, located 75 kilometers east of Cairo, is among the president's most ambitious projects, with a cost of about $300 billion.

Sisi held a meeting on Monday with a number of generals responsible for the project, including Major General Amir Sayed Ahmed, Adviser to the President for Urban Planning, and Major General Ehab El-Far, Chairman of the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces.

Presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady said that Sisi followed up on the ongoing construction work in the New Administrative Capital and the city of Galala, as well as the Ramses Square development plan.

According to Rady, Sisi and the attendees reviewed the construction of some projects in the New Administrative Capital, especially the diplomatic quarter, which will include foreign missions and the headquarters of international and regional organizations located in Egypt.

The President called for accelerating the establishment of the diplomatic neighborhood in an integrated manner with other neighborhoods in the new capital.

The conferees also reviewed the development of a number of roads and bridges in Cairo governorate.



Jordan Describes Shooting near Israeli Embassy as ‘Terrorist Attack’

Police vehicles on a street near the Israeli embassy in Amman, Jordan November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak
Police vehicles on a street near the Israeli embassy in Amman, Jordan November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak
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Jordan Describes Shooting near Israeli Embassy as ‘Terrorist Attack’

Police vehicles on a street near the Israeli embassy in Amman, Jordan November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak
Police vehicles on a street near the Israeli embassy in Amman, Jordan November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak

Jordan described Sunday’s shooting near the heavily fortified Israeli embassy in the capital Amman as a “terrorist attack”.
Jordan's communications minister, Mohamed Momani, said the shooting is a “terrorist attack” that targeted public security forces in the country. He said in a statement that investigations into the incident were under way.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, security sources described the incident as “an individual and isolated act, unrelated to any organized groups”.
The sources added that preliminary investigations indicated that the attacker was “under the influence of drugs”.
A gunman was dead and three Jordanian policemen were injured after the shooting near the Israeli embassy in Sunday's early hours, a security source and state media said.
Police shot a gunman who had fired at a police patrol in the affluent Rabiah neighborhood of the Jordanian capital, the state news agency Petra reported, citing public security, adding investigations were ongoing.
The gunman, who was carrying an automatic weapon, was chased for at least an hour before he was cornered and killed just before dawn, according to a security source.
"Tampering with the security of the nation and attacking security personnel will be met with a firm response," Momani told Reuters, adding that the gunman had a criminal record in drug trafficking.
Jordanian police cordoned off an area near the heavily policed embassy after gunshots were heard, witnesses said. Two witnesses said police and ambulances rushed to the Rabiah district, where the embassy is located.
The area is a flashpoint for frequent demonstrations against Israel.