Saleh Salem

While GEM is a monumental effort to showcase ancient Egyptian artefacts, critics argue that these controversies overshadow its cultural ambitions.

Egypt's Red Crescent has confirmed zero deaths to date, with teams on high alert in 15 vulnerable provinces.

For many in Egypt, Tony Blair is strongly associated with Western imperialism, especially given his role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

One of the organisers said that he and his colleagues had to scale back the vessels they planned for the flotilla due to pressure from security forces.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declared support for the plan on 29 September, describing it as a "step towards permanent and comprehensive peace".

The pact could implicitly extend Pakistan's nuclear deterrence to Saudi Arabia, a non-nuclear state vulnerable to threats from Iran or other actors.

Human rights lawyer Negad al-Borae said the pardon given to Alaa by the Egyptian president offers a ray of hope that other political prisoners would come next.