Egypt plans desert city supplied with diverted Nile water
Egypt, facing mounting water shortages, power constraints, and a deepening economic crisis, wants the development to help increase the value of state assets and boost land prices through "non-traditional, innovative ideas," Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in a statement announcing the project.
About 10 million cubic metres of Nile water will flow daily to the 6.8 million sq metre (2.63 sq mile) Jirian city, 42 km (26 miles) west of downtown Cairo, helping irrigate a 2.28 million acre New Delta agricultural project, developers said.
Three private developers signed the official agreement, with the state represented by Mostakbal Misr for Sustainable Development, a military-affiliated agency. The project will include residential units, commercial zones, a yacht marina and a free economic zone.
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The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
‘Rare and exciting': 4,000-year-old handprint found on Egyptian clay model
A handprint left 4,000 years ago on a clay model crafted to go inside an Egyptian tomb has been discovered during preparation for an exhibition at a museum. The 'rare and exciting' complete handprint was probably made by the maker of the item who touched it before the clay dried, an Egyptologist at Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum said. The imprint was left on the base of a 'soul house' – a clay model in the shape of a building which would then be placed inside a burial. The model on which the handprint was discovered has been dated to around 2055–1650 BCE. It had an open front space where items of food were laid out, in this example loaves of bread, a lettuce and an ox's head. Soul houses may have acted as offering trays or provided a place for the soul of the deceased to live within the tomb. Helen Strudwick, senior Egyptologist at the Fitzwilliam Museum, said: 'We've spotted traces of fingerprints left in wet varnish or on a coffin in the decoration, but it is rare and exciting to find a complete handprint underneath this soul house. 'This was left by the maker who touched it before the clay dried. 'I have never seen such a complete handprint on an Egyptian object before.' The researcher, who is also curator of the museum's new Made in Ancient Egypt exhibition, continued: 'You can just imagine the person who made this, picking it up to move it out of the workshop to dry before firing. 'Things like this take you directly to the moment when the object was made and to the person who made it, which is the focus of our exhibition.' Analysis of the item suggests the potter who made it first created a framework of wooden sticks and then coated it with clay to make a building with two storeys supported by pillars. Staircases were formed by pinching the wet clay. During firing the wooden framework burnt away, leaving empty spaces in their place. The handprint found underneath was probably made when someone, perhaps the potter, moved the house out of the workshop to dry before firing in a kiln, according to the researchers. Ceramics were widely used in ancient Egypt, mostly as functional objects but occasionally as decorative pieces. The soul house will be on display in the Fitzwilliam's Made in Ancient Egypt exhibition which opens to the public on October 3.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Mystery 4,000-year-old handprint found on Egyptian soul house
A 4,000-year-old handprint has been discovered on a clay model intended for an Egyptian tomb, unearthed during preparations for an exhibition at Cambridge's Fitzwilliam Museum. The "rare and exciting" complete imprint was likely made by the item's creator, an Egyptologist at the museum said, who touched the clay before it dried. The impression was found on the base of a "soul house" – a miniature clay building designed for burial. The model dates from 2055 to 1650 BCE. It had an open front space where items of food were laid out, in this example loaves of bread, a lettuce and an ox's head. Soul houses may have acted as offering trays or provided a place for the soul of the deceased to live within the tomb. Helen Strudwick, senior Egyptologist at the Fitzwilliam Museum, said: 'We've spotted traces of fingerprints left in wet varnish or on a coffin in the decoration, but it is rare and exciting to find a complete handprint underneath this soul house. 'This was left by the maker who touched it before the clay dried. 'I have never seen such a complete handprint on an Egyptian object before.' The researcher, who is also curator of the museum's new Made in Ancient Egypt exhibition, continued: 'You can just imagine the person who made this, picking it up to move it out of the workshop to dry before firing. 'Things like this take you directly to the moment when the object was made and to the person who made it, which is the focus of our exhibition.' Analysis of the item suggests the potter who made it first created a framework of wooden sticks and then coated it with clay to make a building with two storeys supported by pillars. Staircases were formed by pinching the wet clay. During firing the wooden framework burnt away, leaving empty spaces in their place. The handprint found underneath was probably made when someone, perhaps the potter, moved the house out of the workshop to dry before firing in a kiln, according to the researchers. Ceramics were widely used in ancient Egypt, mostly as functional objects but occasionally as decorative pieces. The soul house will be on display in the Fitzwilliam's Made in Ancient Egypt exhibition which opens to the public on October 3.
Sky News
10 hours ago
- Sky News
US and EU agree trade deal - with bloc facing 15% tariffs on goods into America
The United States and European Union have reached an agreement on a trade deal, says Donald Trump. The announcement was made as the US president met European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at one of his golf resorts in Scotland. Speaking after talks in Turnberry, Mr Trump said it was the "biggest deal ever made" and will be "great for cars" as well as having a "big impact" on agriculture. The US will impose 15% tariffs on EU goods entering America, after Mr Trump had threatened a 30% levy. He said there will be $600bn of EU investment in the US, the bloc will buy $750bn of US energy and will also purchase American military equipment. Mr Trump said: "I think it's great that we made a deal today instead of playing games and maybe not making a deal at all." "I think it's the biggest deal ever made." Ms von der Leyen said: "We have a trade deal between the two largest economies in the world and it's a big deal, it's a huge deal. It will bring stability, it will bring predictability, that's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic." She said the agreement would include 15% tariffs "across the board inclusive", and it would help rebalance trade between the two large trading partners. Mr Trump had earlier said the main sticking point was "fairness", citing barriers to US exports of cars and agriculture. He went into the talks demanding fairer trade with the 27-member bloc and threatening steep tariffs to achieve that, while insisting the US will not go below 15% import taxes. For months, Mr Trump has threatened most of the world with large tariffs in the hope of shrinking major US trade deficits with many key trading partners, including the EU. In case there was no deal and the US had imposed 30% tariffs from 1 August, the EU has prepared counter-tariffs on €93bn (£81bn) of US goods. Ahead of their meeting on Sunday, Ms von der Leyen described Mr Trump as a "tough negotiator and dealmaker".
