Less than a year after Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El Sisi announced construction of a second Suez Canal, the first ships have traversed the new route. The significance of this ought not be underplayed, either in engineering terms or in the broader context of the Arab world's most populous country.
The engineering achievement is impressive enough, with the 72-kilometre route requiring 37km of new canal and nearly as much dredging and deepening of existing waterways. The second route will mean ships can navigate the canal in either direction at any time instead of having to wait at anchor until the next northbound or southbound convoy.
But the wider context is far more important. President El Sisi announced the canal two months after he was elected with a mandate to revive Egypt’s economy and to improve the prospects for its 82 million citizens. This achievement bodes well for his efforts to do just that.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prestigious peace prize, held its final meeting on Monday, the Nobel Institute said Thursday, a day ahead of the announcement of the 2025 laureate.
This means a decision was made about the laureate or laureates before the conclusion of an agreement between Israel and Hamas, which included a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
President Donald Trump pushed for the ceasefire as part of a 20-point plan to resolve the Gaza war.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
