Latest news with #Sinai
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Egypt denies court ruling threatens historic monastery
An Egyptian court ruled that St Catherine's monastery sat on state-owned land. (AFP file pic) CAIRO : Egypt and Greece sought to ease tensions over the historic St Catherine's monastery in the Sinai peninsula on Friday after a controversial court ruling said it sat on state-owned land. Cairo has denied that the ruling threatens the UNESCO world heritage landmark, after Greek and church authorities warned of the sacred site's status. St Catherine's monastery was established in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush in the southern mountains of the Sinai peninsula, and is the world's oldest continually inhabited Christian monastery. A court in Sinai ruled on Wednesday in a land dispute between the monastery and the South Sinai governorate that the monastery 'is entitled to use' the land, which 'the state owns as public property'. But on Friday, in a phone call with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Cairo was 'fully committed to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's monastery, and ensuring it is not violated'. The Greek premier's office said Mitsotakis emphasised the importance of 'preserving the pilgrimage and Greek Orthodox character of the monastery and resolving the issue in an institutional manner', based on an agreement between the two countries. A Greek delegation is due to visit Egypt next week, the government in Athens said. Sisi's office has defended the court ruling, saying that it 'consolidates' the site's sacred status, after the head of the Greek Orthodox church in Greece denounced it. Tourism development Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens called the court ruling 'scandalous' and an infringement by Egyptian judicial authorities of religious freedoms. He said the decision means 'the oldest Orthodox Christian monument in the world, the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine in Mount Sinai, now enters a period of severe trial – one that evokes much darker times in history'. The Saint Catherine area, which includes the eponymous town and a nature reserve, is undergoing mass development under a controversial government megaproject aimed at bringing in mass tourism. Observers say the project has harmed the reserve's ecosystem and threatened both the monastery and the local community. Archbishop Ieronymos warned that the monastery's property would now be 'seized and confiscated', despite 'recent pledges to the contrary by the Egyptian President to the Greek Prime Minister'. Greek foreign minister Giorgos Gerapetritis contacted his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on Thursday, saying 'there was no room for deviation from the agreements between the two parties', the ministry's spokesperson said. In a statement to Egypt's state news agency, the foreign ministry in Cairo later said rumours of confiscation were 'unfounded', and that the ruling 'does not infringe at all' on the monastery's sites or its religious and spiritual significance. Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said 'Greece will express its official position … when the official and complete content of the court decision is known and evaluated'. He confirmed both countries' commitment to 'maintaining the Greek Orthodox religious character of the monastery'.
Arab News
5 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Egypt denies court ruling threatens historic monastery
CAIRO: Egypt has denied that a controversial court ruling over Sinai's Saint Catherine monastery threatens the UNESCO world heritage landmark, after Greek and church authorities warned of the sacred site's status. A court in Sinai ruled on Wednesday in a land dispute between the monastery and the South Sinai governorate that the monastery 'is entitled to use' the land, which 'the state owns as public property.' President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's office defended the ruling Thursday, saying it 'consolidates' the site's 'unique and sacred religious status,' after the head of the Greek Orthodox church in Greece denounced it. Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens called the court ruling 'scandalous' and an infringement by Egyptian judicial authorities of religious freedoms. He said the decision means 'the oldest Orthodox Christian monument in the world, the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine in Mount Sinai, now enters a period of severe trial — one that evokes much darker times in history.' El-Sisi's office in a statement said it 'reiterates its full commitment to preserving the unique and sacred religious status of Saint Catherine's monastery and preventing its violation.' The monastery was established in the sixth century at the biblical site of the burning bush in the southern mountains of the Sinai peninsula, and is the world's oldest continually inhabited Christian monastery. The Saint Catherine area, which includes the eponymous town and a nature reserve, is undergoing mass development under a controversial government megaproject aimed at bringing in mass tourism. Observers say the project has harmed the reserve's ecosystem and threatened both the monastery and the local community. Archbishop Ieronymos warned that the monastery's property would now be 'seized and confiscated,' despite 'recent pledges to the contrary by the Egyptian President to the Greek Prime Minister.' Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis contacted his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on Thursday, saying 'there was no room for deviation from the agreements between the two parties,' the ministry's spokesperson said. In a statement to Egypt's state news agency, the foreign ministry in Cairo later said rumors of confiscation were 'unfounded,' and that the ruling 'does not infringe at all' on the monastery's sites or its religious and spiritual significance. Greek government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said 'Greece will express its official position ... when the official and complete content of the court decision is known and evaluated.' He confirmed both countries' commitment to 'maintaining the Greek Orthodox religious character of the monastery.'
Zawya
23-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Egypt: EGPC, Ieoc Exploration's daily production of petroleum liquids surpasses 110,000 barrels
Arab Finance: The Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Ieoc Exploration BV, an Eni affiliated company, announced a total daily production exceeding 110,000 barrels of petroleum liquids through their joint ventures, Belayim Petroleum Company (Petrobel) and Agiba Petroleum Company, as per a statement. Production from the Sinai concession area surpassed 60,000 barrels of oil daily, a level not reached since 2023. This milestone was mainly attributed to the successful startup of the West Ferran-2 well, with a potential daily output of nearly 4,000 barrels of oil. This is besides the positive results from recent onshore and offshore maintenance campaigns. Agiba Petroleum's concession areas in the Western Desert also contributed, with a daily production exceeding 30,000 barrels of oil. The recorded growth is backed by the startup of new wells such as Mel-123 and SMel-C4, along with successful maintenance operations and non-rig interventions at wells MWD-8 and Zahra-7. This contributed with an additional daily capacity of 4,000 barrels of oil, and associated gas production exceeding 5 million cubic feet on a daily basis. Meanwhile, Ieoc Exploration BV added around 20,000 barrels of liquids per day, bringing its total production to over 110,000 barrels of liquids daily. © 2020-2023 Arab Finance For Information Technology. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
France 24
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Cannes film shines light on secret life of migrant maids
She was chatting to the "wonderful Ukrainian woman" who looks at her mother, who has Parkinson's Disease, when the housekeeper started telling her about the lover she had taken. "I realised that our view of migrant women is so wrong," she told AFP at the Cannes film festival, where "Mama" is being shown in the official selection. "We think of them as poor women sacrificing themselves to do everything for their families. "But actually as I researched I realised they develop these temporary identities," picking up a little comfort where they can. When the Ukrainian housekeeper "started working for my parents, they were embarrassed by her and tried to behave as if she wasn't there. It was crazy," Sinai said. "So I started talking to her and I immediately fell in love with her because she's super funny. "She's only three years older than me and she has such a dramatic life, which is an absurd contrast to how many people like her are in the shadows of our society" living their own hidden lives. Israel govt 'doing horrible stuff' It isn't the first time Sinai has turned received ideas upside down. She won the Cannes Festival's top prize for short films with "Anna" in 2016, where an overworked mother heads off looking for sex in a small town after getting an unexpected afternoon off from looking after her son. "Mama" is about a housekeeper who returns home from working for a rich couple in Israel to find her best laid plans for the family she has been bankrolling have been turned upside down in her absence. "In her attempt to give her daughter something meaningful, she actually lost all the years with her growing up and her ability to connect with her kids," Sinai, 40, said. Instead she finds her passive, less-than-useless husband has supplanted her as her daughter's confidant. Sinai's own best laid plans were thrown up in the air by the outbreak of war in Ukraine, with the director forced to switch the story to neighbouring Poland. Belarus-born Evegenia Dodina, who plays the housekeeper -- best known as Villanelle's mother in "Killing Eve" -- has been winning glowing reviews for her "carefully calibrated performance". Screen magazine said: "It's not merely that she conveys her joy and sadness, but how emotionally torn her character feels." War closer to home in Gaza has cast a shadow over "Mama" and other Israeli films at Cannes. Hundreds of top film figures have signed an open letter condemning Israel for committing "genocide" in Gaza and the film industry for its "passivity". With scores dying every day in Israeli strikes on Gaza since the festival began last week, Sinai said it was important to make "a clear separation between the government and the Israeli people". "The government is doing horrible stuff" which many people were opposed to, she told AFP. "I wish the war would end immediately. I will always carry this on my back." Between Ukraine and Gaza, "it's really a miracle that we managed to make the film happen at this horrible time," Sinai added.
Int'l Business Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
Cannes Film Shines Light On Secret Life Of Migrant Maids
Or Sinai didn't have to go far to find the subject of her acclaimed debut film about the secret lives of the millions of women who support their families back home by being domestic workers abroad. She was chatting to the "wonderful Ukrainian woman" who looks at her mother, who has Parkinson's Disease, when the housekeeper started telling her about the lover she had taken. "I realised that our view of migrant women is so wrong," she told AFP at the Cannes film festival, where "Mama" is being shown in the official selection. "We think of them as poor women sacrificing themselves to do everything for their families. "But actually as I researched I realised they develop these temporary identities," picking up a little comfort where they can. When the Ukrainian housekeeper "started working for my parents, they were embarrassed by her and tried to behave as if she wasn't there. It was crazy," Sinai said. "So I started talking to her and I immediately fell in love with her because she's super funny. "She's only three years older than me and she has such a dramatic life, which is an absurd contrast to how many people like her are in the shadows of our society" living their own hidden lives. It isn't the first time Sinai has turned received ideas upside down. She won the Cannes Festival's top prize for short films with "Anna" in 2016, where an overworked mother heads off looking for sex in a small town after getting an unexpected afternoon off from looking after her son. "Mama" is about a housekeeper who returns home from working for a rich couple in Israel to find her best laid plans for the family she has been bankrolling have been turned upside down in her absence. "In her attempt to give her daughter something meaningful, she actually lost all the years with her growing up and her ability to connect with her kids," Sinai, 40, said. Instead she finds her passive, less-than-useless husband has supplanted her as her daughter's confidant. Sinai's own best laid plans were thrown up in the air by the outbreak of war in Ukraine, with the director forced to switch the story to neighbouring Poland. Belarus-born Evegenia Dodina, who plays the housekeeper -- best known as Villanelle's mother in "Killing Eve" -- has been winning glowing reviews for her "carefully calibrated performance". Screen magazine said: "It's not merely that she conveys her joy and sadness, but how emotionally torn her character feels." War closer to home in Gaza has cast a shadow over "Mama" and other Israeli films at Cannes. Hundreds of top film figures have signed an open letter condemning Israel for committing "genocide" in Gaza and the film industry for its "passivity". With scores dying every day in Israeli strikes on Gaza since the festival began last week, Sinai said it was important to make "a clear separation between the government and the Israeli people". "The government is doing horrible stuff" which many people were opposed to, she told AFP. "I wish the war would end immediately. I will always carry this on my back." Between Ukraine and Gaza, "it's really a miracle that we managed to make the film happen at this horrible time," Sinai added. "The film is about wanting people to feel love for other people and that's the only thing I can do, to spread love instead of war."
