Cairo - An archeological mission of the Egyptian Higher Council of Antiquities (EHCA) on Sunday announced the discovery of two rock-cut tombs that date back to Egypt's 5th Dynasty (2323-2356 BC).

The tombs were found at the el-Deir bridge area in the Saqqara necropolis near Cairo, the site where the rulers of Egypt's Old Kingdom were buried, and some 400 metres south of the step pyramid of King Djoser.

EHCA Secretary General Zahi Hawas said one of the tombs belonged to Iya-Maat, who supervised the construction mission of King Unas, the last ruler of the 5th Dynasty.

Cairo - Internet users in Egypt experienced a considerable improvement in internet services on Sunday two days after nearly 80 per cent of the country's internet network went down when several submarine cables in the Mediterranean Sea linking Europe and the Middle East were cut.

The Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said in an earlier statement that by Sunday nearly 85 per cent of internet services are recovered as internet traffic has been shifted from the damaged Mediterranean cables to alternative service providers.

The statement also explained that "in an unprecedented incident" six undersea cables were damaged, including three cables linking Italy to the Middle East, one to North Africa and two to Malta.

Cairo - Five Egyptian students joined the millions of young people energized by the election of US president-elect Barack Obama, sending him a message telling him: "You are our only hope because you made us believe that change is possible."

The five female sixth-grade students went to US Ambassador Margaret Scobey in Cairo to present her with their congratulatory message to Obama.

Amman  - Jordan and Egypt on Wednesday signed 23 agreements and memoranda of understanding to boost bilateral cooperation in commercial, investment, manpower, educational and information spheres.

The signing of the accords came at the end of an annual meeting of the Higher Jordanian-Egyptian Commission, which is co-chaired by the prime ministers of the two countries.

Berlin - Coordination on Middle East peace moves with the European Union and other states is vital, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said Tuesday on a visit to Berlin.

Cairo was still trying to persuade both Israel and Hamas authorities in Gaza to agree to a new truce when the existing one expires this Thursday. Some Palestinian militants oppose extending the truce.

"The region is going through a very, very critical phase," he said after talks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. That was why coordination with the West had to be "very close."

Cairo - An Egyptian girl died of bird flu on Monday, bringing the number of deaths from