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Euronews
an hour ago
- Politics
- Euronews
More European countries begin evacuating citizens from Israel and Iran
More countries are evacuating their citizens from the Middle East as the conflict between Israel and Iran rages on, despite international efforts to find a diplomatic solution. Days of attacks and reprisals by the adversaries have shuttered airspace across the region, severely disrupting commercial flights. A repatriation flight transporting 69 people from Israel landed in Portugal on Thursday evening, with 48 Portuguese citizens among the passengers. The Portuguese government announced the temporary closure of its embassy in Tehran this week, alongside ongoing repatriation operations in the Middle East. In Serbia, 38 people arrived safely in Belgrade on Thursday night, most of whom were Serbian nationals. They arrived on a special Air Serbia flight from Sharm el-Sheikh, organised by the Serbian government, who said the evacuation of those wishing to leave Israel and Iran would continue. On Thursday, Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Cairo to discuss the emergency evacuation of more than 2,500 Serbian nationals stranded in Israel. Meanwhile, in Romania, more than a hundred people arrived in the capital Bucharest on Friday on military transport flights from the Middle East. The Romanian Ministry of Defence sent the planes to the region after its nationals requested assistance. The conflict between Israel and Iran erupted on 13 June following Israeli bombings on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, which resulted in the deaths of military leaders, scientists and civilians. More than 400 EU citizens from countries including Greece, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia have been evacuated from Israel in flights supported by the European Commission. Millions of people are unable to have the number of children they want due to barriers related to economic and health factors, according to a new United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report. The study reveals that a lack of choice, not desire, is what is stopping people from having the families they want, defying claims of people rejecting parenthood. "Reproductive agency is more than just freedom from coercion or improved access to services, it is the full range of conditions that enable people to exercise their reproductive rights and ensure true choice, including gender equality, economic stability, decent health and confidence in the future," said Natalia Kanem, executive director at UNFPA. UNFPA and YouGov conducted an online survey of more than 14,000 adults, both men and women, across 14 countries that together are home to over 37% of the global population. The majority of both men and women in the four EU member states - Italy, Hungary, Germany and Sweden - analysed in the study indicated that two children is their ideal number. Among these four EU countries analysed in the study, factors such as infertility and difficulty conceiving, as well as poor general health or chronic illnesses, impact Italy the most, with 15% and 13% respectively. Germany and Sweden also reported similar issues. Financial limitations are also one of the main issues keeping these countries from having more children, with Hungary reporting the highest rate at 34%. Germany and Sweden have also pointed out financial limitations as a primary concern regarding their desired number of children. Meanwhile, Italian respondents struggled the most with unemployment or job insecurity at 30%. Concerns regarding the current political or social landscape were noted as a barrier by 19% of respondents in Italy. Italian, Swedish, and Hungarian respondents were also concerned by the lack of a suitable partner, at 17%. Only 15% of those surveyed in Germany shared this concern.
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt FM speaks with US, Iranian officials amid Israel-Iran escalation - Foreign Affairs
Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held separate phone calls on Thursday with US Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. This marked the second such discussions in four days as the military escalation between Israel and Iran entered its second week with no immediate solution in sight. According to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the calls are in line with directives from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to intensify diplomatic efforts aimed at containing the military escalation between Israel and Iran. During the two calls, Minister Abdelatty reaffirmed the urgent need to de-escalate tensions, enforce a ceasefire, and make full use of available diplomatic channels to contain the rapidly deteriorating situation and avert a wider regional crisis. He stressed the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading and dragging the region into full-scale chaos with consequences no one would be immune to. Abdelatty reiterated Egypt's stance on pursuing every diplomatic and political avenue to reach a sustainable agreement on Iran's nuclear program. On Tuesday, Badr Abdelatty urged de-escalation and the pursuit of diplomatic solutions in separate phone calls with Araghchi and Witkoff. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Today
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Egypt's FM phone calls Iranian counterpart, Witkoff to de-escalate military conflict in the region
CAIRO – 20 June 2025: In a bid to contain the military escalation between Israel and Iran, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty made two phone calls with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in a statement on Friday. Minister Abdelatty reiterated the need to exert all efforts to de-escalate and achieve a ceasefire, and to utilize the available diplomatic channels to contain the escalating situation and neutralize the risk of a comprehensive escalation of the situation in the Middle East. Abdelatty stressed the need to work to prevent the expansion of the conflict and the region from sliding into total chaos, the repercussions of which would not be immune. He reiterated the importance of exhausting all diplomatic and political channels to reach a sustainable agreement on the Iranian nuclear program. Since the outbreak of the war between Iran and Israel on June 13, Egypt has exerted tremendous diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict in which hundreds of people were killed and thousands were injured. The war started when Israel, which has nuclear weapon and not a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), launched missile and drones towards Tehran and killed hundreds of nuclear scientists, military leaders and civilians to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Israeli missiles and drones have targeted several nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Fordow, causing a minor level of radiation leakage as it was reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Israel, which is totally backed by the US, seeks to be the only country in the region that has nuclear weapons. In retaliation, Iran fired hundreds hypersonic missiles and drones on Israel, causing severe damage to buildings besides the Weizmann Institute of Science, Haifa refinery, and the Gav-Yam Negev Advanced Technologies Park. Israel, which continues its genocidal war on Gaza despite its war with Iran, attempts to draw the US in its conflict with Iran to also topple the Iranian Islamic regime, led by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. However, Tehran, along with its regional allies in the Middle East in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen, threatened if the US entered the war, the US interests in the Middle East will be targeted.
Egypt Today
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Egypt Today
FM meets with members of Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping
CAIRO -19 June 2025: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty held a meeting on Thursday with members of the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding (CCCPA) as part of efforts to follow up on the center's activities, particularly regarding peace and security on the African continent. The move comes in preparation for the fifth edition of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development. The meeting reviewed the center's recent activities and training programs aimed at enhancing capacity building in areas of conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding, especially in sisterly African countries; within the framework of Egypt's support for the continent's peace and development agenda, the foreign ministry said in a statement. The meeting also touched on ongoing preparations for the fifth edition of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, scheduled for October 19-20, with high-level African and international participation along with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and civil society organizations. Abdelatty emphasized the pivotal role played by CCCPA as a tool of preventive diplomacy and praised the tangible achievements it has made in recent years as regards training both civilian and military cadres from various countries, thereby enhancing Egypt's status as a regional and international hub of expertise in areas of peace and security. He also affirmed the need to continue developing the center's programs in line with the growing challenges facing peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts while paying special attention to empowering women and youth in these areas, in accordance with the African Union's Agenda 2063. The foreign minister pointed out the importance of ensuring that the upcoming edition of the Aswan Forum reflects the priorities of the African continent, particularly in light of escalating challenges linked with armed conflicts, climate change, food security, and development crises.
Al-Ahram Weekly
20 hours ago
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Downbeat prospects for the Suez Canal - Economy - Al-Ahram Weekly
Losses in revenue from the Suez Canal are likely to grow this year with the escalating tensions in the region in the wake of the Israel-Iran war. In the year and a half after Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023, the Suez Canal lost around $8 billion in revenues. Houthi group attacks in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians against the Israeli war on Gaza also caused major shipping lines to divert their route through the Suez Canal to the longer one around the Cape of Good Hope. Egypt has lost 'approximately $800 million in monthly revenues from the Suez Canal, with a total aggregate amount of $8 billion, since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza,' wrote Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in an article in the British maritime publication Lloyd's List in May. The canal brought in an unprecedented $9.4 billion in revenues in fiscal year 2022-23. It is one of Egypt's main sources of foreign currency, and a decline in its revenues will put pressure on the country's foreign-exchange reserves, likely causing the dollar to strengthen against the Egyptian pound, Karim Adel, head of the Al-Adl Centre for Economic and Strategic Studies, told Al-Ahram Weekly. Mohamed Anis, an economic expert, told the Weekly that the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait which links the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean cannot support additional tensions that negatively affect the global shipping companies' passage through the strait. This Israel-Iran war adds to the pressure on Suez Canal revenues and therefore the Egyptian economy. The Bab Al-Mandeb is a vital trade route between the Mediterranean and Asia. Vessels carrying goods between Europe and Asia, as well as oil from the Middle East to Europe and North America, pass through it when navigating the Suez Canal. Anis added that lower maritime traffic through the canal is expected to have a significant impact on revenues, forecasting that they will shrink to $2.5 billion in 2025. In 2024, revenues stood at $3.9 billion, he said. Moreover, with the flare-up of further conflict in the region, reducing Suez Canal transit fees may no longer be effective in attracting shipping companies back to the route, as many have shifted to the Cape of Good Hope, he explained. In May, the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) announced a 90-day 15 per cent discount on transit fees for container ships with a net tonnage of 130,000 tons or more, whether loaded or empty. The discount was meant to encourage the shipping companies to gradually return to the Suez Canal following a brief ceasefire in Gaza and a truce between the US and the Houthis. Another worrying factor is the possibility of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This is the primary export route for Gulf oil, which accounts for about 20 per cent of global oil supplies. It is also critical for natural gas exports, with Qatar controlling a large portion of the Gulf's 30 per cent share, Anis said. He warned that any consequences of the Israel-Iran war affecting the Strait of Hormuz could severely disrupt the global oil trade, creating a sharp supply shortfall and driving up prices from the cost of crude itself to shipping and operational expenses. Oil prices could reach $120 per barrel should the US intervene militarily against Iran and the strait be completely closed, removing approximately four million barrels per day from the global market, Anis said. Trade volumes through the strait exceed $1 trillion annually, with over 2.5 billion tons of cargo passing through each year, Adel said. Raw materials such as grain, iron ore, and cement account for 22 per cent, while the container trade carrying finished goods to the Gulf countries makes up about 20 per cent. * A version of this article appears in print in the 19 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
