President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Thursday announced the launch of the preparatory sessions and official website for Egypt Forum 2026, opening registration and launching a series of academic and community discussions ahead of the forum, scheduled for 19-24 October.

Explosions heard overnight in Ethiopia’s capital

Explosions were heard overnight in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, three diplomatic sources ​told Reuters.A source linked to the opposition alliance ‌that has been fighting federal forces in northern Ethiopia since last week said the alliance had carried out several drone strikes ​in Addis Ababa, including some targeting the military’s ​headquarters there.

Egypt, Sinovac discuss vaccine localisation

As part of efforts to strengthen international co‑operation in vaccine manufacturing and technology transfer, the chairman of the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), Ali El‑Ghamrawy, visited Sinovac during his trip to China to explore opportunities for partnership in vaccine production, technology localisation and expertise exchange.

Saudi Arabia investigates flydubai emergency landing

Saudi Arabia’s National Transport Safety Centre (NTSC) said that it has launched an investigation into the emergency landing of a Flydubai passenger plane at Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International Airport in the northwestern city of Tabuk.

US tells France, Germany to release diesel stocks

The Trump administration has told Germany and France to draw down emergency diesel inventories to help to ease global fuel prices or face a potential US diesel export ban, said three people close to the discussions.

Egypt, China discuss Belt and Road co‑operation in Africa

The Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) held a forum on enhancing Chinese-African partnership under the Belt and Road Initiative amid international and regional developments, in cooperation with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

Syrian officials, Hezbollah held secret talks in Türkiye

 Representatives of the Syrian government and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have held face-to-face talks in Türkiye to try to calm tensions ​between them, according to six sources briefed on the first known meeting between the longtime foes.

Egypt’s banking sector’s NFAs hit six-year high at $31.2bln

The net foreign assets (NFAs) of Egypt’s banking sector rose to $31.2 billion in August 2026, the highest level recorded since January 2020, according to data released by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE).