CAIRO – 25 December 2017: Rounding up the last 24 hours, Egypt Today brings you the top news from around the world.
Middle East
Three workers die in gas accident at Libyan oilfield
Three workers, two of them Sudanese, died in an accident at Libya's
oil and gas field on Saturday, an oil source said.
They died after inhaling gas during maintenance works, the source said, adding that a fourth person was being treated in hospital. The nationality of the third dead was not immediately known.
The field belongs to Sirte Oil Company and pumps between 35,000 and 40,000 barrels a day.
A worker checks pipes and valves at Amaal oil field in eastern Libya October 7, 2011. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
Military Court adjourns verdict of 'specific cells' trial to Wednesday
The Military Court postponed Sunday the final verdict's session against 14 members of the
(MB) to December 27. Defendants face accusations of sponsoring an armed group aim at attacking public and military institutions and targeting police and army personnel in case no. 185/2016. The lawsuit is public known as “specific cells of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
The defendants, including the outlawed MB leader Mohamed Kamal, are accused of providing aid and funds to the terrorist cell as well as safe houses, cars, and information.
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood throw stones at riot police and army personnel during clashes in Cairo - Reuters
10 security measures for Christmas taken in Cairo
Cairo governorate is preparing for
through a number of measures, raising the state of emergency across all sectors.
Egypt Today presents 10 measures taken by the governorate to ready itself for the celebrations of Christmas.
FILE- Governor of Cairo, Atef Abdel Hamid
Tunisia bans UAE airlines from landing in its territory
Tunisia has banned all airlines from the
from landing in its territory, the Tunisian transport ministry said on Sunday.
The announcement came two days after Tunisian government officials said the UAE had banned Tunisian woman from flying to or transiting through its territory.
No reason was given for either decision and there was no immediate comment from the UAE.
Emirates airplanes are seen at the airport in Dubai October 30, 2010. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah
Irrigation min: Egypt keen on consulting with Ethiopia over GERD
Egypt is keen on continuing consultation with Ethiopia to find a solution for the crisis of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel-Ati said on Sunday.
During his visit to an aqueduct bridge in Qena governorate, the Minister added that Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry will head to Addis Ababa to resume negotiations with his Ethiopian counterpart over the GERD, asserting that Egypt is taking this issue seriously.
Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel-Ati – Press Photo
Earlier, Shoukry stated, in an interview, that Egypt is only aimed at having the relationship it shares with both Ethiopia and Sudan established on mutual trust and cooperation, and therefore could serve the common interests between the three countries.
Shoukry stressed that all concerned parties must be equal on the negotiation table under international law, and that Egyptian interests must be taken seriously into consideration.
Asia
Landmine kills 7 civilians in Afghanistan
A landmine explosion killed seven civilians and wounded three on Sunday, when their vehicle hit a mine in
province, Afghanistan.
According to the news agency Khama Press, the Afghan incident occurred on the road when the vehicle hit a landmine, under the control of armed groups in the region.
An injured man receives treatment at a hospital after a suicide attack in Jalalabad city, Afghanistan November 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz/File Photo
China has shut down 13K websites since 2015: Xinhua
China has shut down or revoked the licenses of 13,000 websites since 2015 for violating the country's internet rules, state media reported Sunday.
The news comes as the Communist country continues to strengthen its already tight regulation of the internet, a move which critics say has picked up pace since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012.
Platforms have also closed nearly 10 million internet accounts for "violating service protocol", the official news agency said Sunday, likely referring to social media accounts.
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People's Republic of China Foreign Minister Wang Yi talks to North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho (2nd L), during a bilateral meeting at Manila, Philippines August 6, 2017 - REUTERS/Xinhua/Pool
'China's Jerusalem', Christians say faith trumps gov't
When authorities in China’s southeastern city of
outlawed Sunday School earlier this year, Christian parents determined their children must still learn about Jesus and the Bible.
Churches in Wenzhou started teaching children in private homes or at other venues. Some billed Sunday School classes as daycare, not education, or moved them to Saturdays, more than a dozen local Christians told Reuters.
Wenzhou, sometimes known as “China’s Jerusalem” due to its sizable Christian community, is at the forefront of a growing standoff between China’s leadership and the country’s devout over religious education for children.
A room that used to house Sunday School classes is pictured at a church in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, China December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Shepherd
Dozens feared dead in Philippine mall inferno
At least 37 people, including call centre staff from an American firm, are believed to have perished in a fire that tore through a shopping mall in the southern Philippine city of
, local authorities said on Sunday.
President Rodrigo Duterte, himself a Davao native, visited distraught relatives outside the burning building overnight Saturday but told them there was "zero" chance their loved ones had survived, witnesses told AFP.
The fire tore through a shopping mall in Davao, southern Philippines - AFP
America
Peru president summons Cabinet to discuss Fujimori -source
Peruvian President
has summoned his Cabinet for an extraordinary meeting on Christmas Eve to discuss former President Alberto Fujimori's request to be freed from prison, a government source told Reuters on Sunday.
Kuczynski's spokeswoman confirmed that he was meeting with ministers but declined to say what for. It was unclear if there might be an announcement later, she added.
Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski attends the 131st IOC session in Lima, Peru, September 14, 2017. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo
Guatemala to move embassy to Jerusalem, backing Trump
Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said on Sunday he had given instructions to move the Central American country's embassy in Israel to
, a few days after his government backed the United States in a row over the city's status.
In a short post on his official Facebook account, Morales said he decided to move the embassy from Tel Aviv after talking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
This month U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing decades of U.S. policy and upsetting the Arab world and Western allies.
Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales addresses the audience during the inauguration of the Spanish Square in Guatemala City, Guatemala September 12, 2017. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria
US court lifts Trump measures barring some refugees
A US federal judge on Saturday lifted Trump administration restrictions that barred some refugees from the country, the latest in a series of immigration-related legal setbacks for the president.
The
said in October that it would resume accepting refugees after a 120-day ban ordered by President Donald Trump expired, but some -- including those from 11 "high-risk" countries, most of which are Muslim majority -- were still barred from entering.
In his ruling on Saturday, Judge James Robart ordered American authorities to resume processing and admitting so-called "follow-to-join" refugees, which would once again allow the spouse and unmarried children of a refugee already in the country to be admitted.
US President Donald Trump's efforts to bar travelers from several mainly Muslim countries have been met with successive legal challenges - AFP/File / Brendan Smialowski
Europe
Italy PM plans to shift military forces from Iraq to Niger
Italian Prime Minister
said on Sunday he would propose to parliament transferring some of the country's troops stationed in Iraq to Niger to fight people smuggling and terrorism.
Gentiloni said Italy's 1,400-strong military presence in Iraq could now be reduced after victories against Islamic militants and instead deployed in the Sahel region of West Africa.
"We have to continue to work, concentrating our attention and energies on the threat of people trafficking and terrorism in the Sahel," he said aboard the Italian ship Etna used in the European Union's "Sophia" operation to counter people smuggling in the Mediterranean.
Italy's Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni attends at Senate in Rome, Italy, April 5, 2016. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi/File Picture
Macron promises €400M in aid to Niger and more troops for Sahel
French President
promised more than 400 million euros ($474 million) in aid over four years to Niger during a visit and told the country's president he was ready to strengthen France's presence in the Sahel.
Macron spoke alongside President Issoufou Mahamadou Saturday after the two met to discuss the fight against extremism, migration and development in Niger.
French President Emmanuel Macron attends a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
Erdogan allowed gay marriage to join EU: Marri
Qatari tribal chief Sheikh Mansour bin Rashid Al-Marri condemned Turkish President
's decision to allow gay marriage as he is considered an Islamic figure.
“Erdogan allowed gay Marriage and begged to join the European Union, but the Europeans dismissed him,” Marri said in an interview with Arab News.
Marri stated that Erdogan’s claim that his forefathers protected holy sites is not true. “His forefathers stole our Islamic monuments and transferred them to Turkey,” he added.
Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin – September 2015 / Kremlin
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