Cairo, Washington to Boost Cooperation in Climate Issues

Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, meets with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, in Washington. (Egyptian government)
Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, meets with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, in Washington. (Egyptian government)
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Cairo, Washington to Boost Cooperation in Climate Issues

Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, meets with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, in Washington. (Egyptian government)
Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, meets with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, in Washington. (Egyptian government)

Cairo and Washington discussed on Saturday joint cooperation in fighting climate change as part of Egypt’s hosting of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh in November.

In Washington, Rania Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation, met with David Thorne, Advisor to the US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, to discuss promising investment opportunities in the Egyptian economy, especially regarding renewable energy.

Mashat said the talks are in line with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to increase the volume of energy generated by renewable sources to cover 42 percent of the country’s needs by 2035.

A statement from the cabinet said Mashat and Thorne also discussed how to benefit from the visit of the delegation of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt and the Egyptian American Business Council to the US.

“The two sides also tackled joint cooperation opportunities between Egypt and the US to prepare for a program that increases cooperation between the two countries in climate action, contributing to Egypt’s hosting of the COP27 climate summit, in light of the formation of a joint Egyptian-American climate working group,” the statement added.

Mashat had mentioned the preparations taken by the Egyptian government to organize COP27 while attending the Meridian International Center in Washington to celebrate 100 years of Egypt’s strategic partnership with the US.

“We will work together to private sector investments in key sectors including green and tech,” she stressed.

Meanwhile, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad held a meeting Saturday with Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Egypt Jan Fulik to discuss preparations for COP27.

Fouad stressed deeply-rooted relations between Egypt and the Czech Republic, welcoming cooperation between the two countries in the fields of climate change and environment.

She expressed hope that the COP27 conference would provide an opportunity to build on the outcomes of the COP26 conference, held in Glasgow last year.

For his part, Fulík said the Czech environment minister is seeking to visit Egypt soon to discuss environment-related issues.



Türkiye Begins Black Box Analysis of Jet Crash That Killed Libyan Military Chief and 7 Others

Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
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Türkiye Begins Black Box Analysis of Jet Crash That Killed Libyan Military Chief and 7 Others

Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)
Libyan national flags fly at half-mast in Tripoli on December 24, 2025, after the head of Libya's armed forces and his four aides died in a plane crash in Türkiye. (AFP)

The technical analysis of the recovered black boxes from a jet crash that killed eight people, including western Libya’s military chief, began as the investigation proceeded in cooperation with Libyan authorities, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said Thursday.

The private jet with Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other military officials and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

The wreckage was scattered across an area covering 3 square kilometers (more than a square mile), complicating recovery efforts, according to the Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

A 22-person delegation, including five family members, arrived from Libya early on Wednesday to assist in the investigation.


Lebanese President: We are Determined to Hold Parliamentary Elections on Time

President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
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Lebanese President: We are Determined to Hold Parliamentary Elections on Time

President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)
President Joseph Aoun between Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker Nabih Berri (Lebanese Presidency file photo)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated on Thursday that the country’s parliamentary elections are a constitutional obligation that must be carried out on time.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency quoted Aoun as saying that he, alongside Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, is determined to hold the elections on schedule.

Aoun also emphasized that diplomatic efforts have continued unabated to keep the specter of war at bay, noting that "things are heading in a positive direction".

The agency also cited Berri reaffirming that the elections will take place as planned, with "no delays, no extensions".

The Lebanese parliamentary elections are scheduled for May next year.


Israel Calls Countries Condemning New West Bank Settlements ‘Morally Wrong’

Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)
Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)
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Israel Calls Countries Condemning New West Bank Settlements ‘Morally Wrong’

Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)
Newly constructed buildings are pictured in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev near the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on October 24, 2025. (AFP)

Israel reacted furiously on Thursday to a condemnation by 14 countries including France and Britain of its approval of new settlements in the occupied West Bank, calling the criticism discriminatory against Jews.

"Foreign governments will not restrict the right of Jews to live in the Land of Israel, and any such call is morally wrong and discriminatory against Jews," Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

"The cabinet decision to establish 11 new settlements and to formalize eight additional settlements is intended, among other things, to help address the security threats Israel is facing."

On Sunday, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that authorities had greenlit the settlements, saying the move was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Fourteen countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Canada, then issued a statement urging Israel to reverse its decision, "as well as the expansion of settlements".

Such unilateral actions, they said, "violate international law", and risk undermining a fragile ceasefire in Gaza in force since October 10.

They also reaffirmed their "unwavering commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution... where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side-by-side in peace and security".

Israel has occupied the West Bank following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Excluding east Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank, along with about three million Palestinian residents.

Earlier this month, the United Nations said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, all of which are illegal under international law, had reached its highest level since at least 2017.