A joint political consultation committee set up by Egypt and Qatar’s foreign ministries gathered in Cairo at the weekend to review regional and bilateral issues.
Both ministries said the meeting on Sunday, the committee's first, highlighted the thaw in relations between Egypt and Qatar since they restored relations in 2021 after several years of tension.
In 2017, Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE, cut ties with Qatar over its alleged support of Islamist extremist groups and its close ties to Iran.
Egypt at the time accused Qatar of trying to undermine it through financial support for the Muslim Brotherhood, which Cairo outlawed and declared a terrorist organisation in 2013. Thousands of its members have been jailed or are in exile.
The reconciliation between the two countries was sealed when Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, visited Cairo in June for bilateral talks. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in turn visited Doha in September. The two leaders also met at the World Cup in Qatar in November and again in Abu Dhabi last month.
Qatar has also stepped up its investment in Egypt in the past year. Qatar's sovereign wealth fund has acquired Egyptian state holdings in a number of companies and the country has made a $5 billion deposit in Egypt's central bank to help the most populous Arab nation deal with an economic crisis.
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Brief scoreline:
Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first
England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66
South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
