Cairo

Archaeologists discover new pyramid in Egypt

Cairo, Nov 23 : Archaeologists have discovered a five meters tall subsidiary pyramid of queen Sesheshet at Saqqara necropolis in Egypt.

Queen Sesheshet was the mother of King Teti I, the founder of the Sixth Dynasty.

According to a report in Al-Ahram Weekly, the discovery of the new pyramid not only brings the number of pyramids discovered in Egypt to 118, but it enriches archaeologists'' knowledge of the Sixth Dynasty and its royal family members.

Sesheshet''s pyramid, found seven metres beneath the sands of the Saqqara necropolis, is five metres in height, although originally it reached about 14 metres. The base is square and the sides of the pyramid slope at an angle of 51 degrees.

Hamas: Reconciliation talks to resume if Fatah releases prisoners

Cairo - A Hamas official said his group will resume reconciliation talks with rival Fatah if that group releases all imprisoned Hamas members, a newspaper reported Friday.

"If (Palestinian President) Abu Mazen released the prisoners and stopped his security measures, talks would start immediately," Mussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, told the Pan- Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

Reconciliation talks between the two sides have been on hold since Hamas officials notified the Egyptian government, which is hosting the talks, that they would not participate. The meeting had been scheduled to take place in early November.

Seven countries meet in Egypt to discuss piracy in the Red Sea

Middle EastCairo - Seven countries from the Middle East and Africa met in Cairo on Thursday to discuss ways to stop piracy in the Red Sea after the kidnapping of Saudi supertanker "Sirius Star" with 100 million dollars worth of crude oil on board.

Participating countries will discuss how to share information on piracy cases through a centre that will trace and monitor shipping routes. They are also discussing joint training for their coast guards, according to diplomatic sources.

Argentine president arrives in Cairo

Cairo  - Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner arrived in Cairo Wednesday as part of a tour of the region that has included Algeria and Tunisia.

Egyptian, Spanish culture ministers open Cairo film festival

Egyptian, Spanish culture ministers open Cairo film festival Cairo  - Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouq Hosni and his Spanish counterpart Cesar Antonio Molina opened the 32nd Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) late Tuesday.

Fireworks welcomed an array of international stars as they walked this year's shiny red carpet. British actress-producer Julia Ormond, Elvis Presley's ex-wife Priscilla Presley, Oscar winning star Goldie Hawn and her partner Golden Globe nominee Kurt Russell were joined by renowned actor Omar Sharif, the honorary president of the festival.

Egyptian court bars gas exports to Israel

EgyptCairo - An Egyptian court on Tuesday issued barred the government from exporting gas to Israel, a security source told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The higher administrative court's ruling came after a number of Egyptian lawyers made a case against the government for exporting gas to Israel at a price below the international gas price.

Egypt and Israel sealed a gas deal in 2005. The deal that lasts for 15 years gives Israel the right to import gas from Egypt at a fixed price.

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