Have Iran, Oman, Pakistan and China Come To a New Understanding?
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UN Gives Egypt 8 Billion Euros To "Check Migration"
Interesting : The European Union has announced a 7.4 billion-euro ($8.06bn) aid package and an upgraded relationship with Egypt, part of a new deal to stem migration flows to Europe that has been criticised by rights groups. The deal is scheduled to be signed during a visit on Sunday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and leaders of Belgium, Italy, Austria, Cyprus and Greece, according to officials. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met separately with von der Leyen and other European leaders before the signing ceremony. The aid package includes both grants and loans over the next three years, with the EU saying it is upgrading its relationship with the Arab world’s most populous country to a “strategic partnership”. The proposed funding includes 5 billion euros ($5.45bn) in concessional loans and 1.8 billion euros ($1.96bn) of investments, according to a summary of the plan published by the EU. An additional 600 million euros ($654m) would be provided in...
"I'm looking at my country, and it's not my country any longer. I feel like an alien here."
This isn't a quote about the US, but about Egypt. As rich, conservative-minded Saudis buy more entertainment and art companies, the culture in Egypt is enduring a makeover . When I say say "makeover," I mean He [Aly Mourad, chairman of Studio Masr, the country's oldest film outfit] says Saudis—who don't even have movie theaters in their own country—now finance 95 percent of the films made in Egypt. "They say, here, you can have our money, but there are just a few little conditions." More than a few, actually; the 35 Rules, as moviemakers call them, go far beyond predictable bans against on-screen hugging, kissing or drinking. Even to show an empty bed is forbidden, lest it hint that someone might do something on it. Saudi-owned satellite channels are buying up Egyptian film libraries, heavily censoring some old movies while keeping others off the air entirely.