Reuters Kerry says United States, Egypt return to "stronger base" in ties The United States and Egypt are returning to a "stronger base" in bilateral ties despite tensions and human rights concerns, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday after talks with his Egyptian counterpart. "Egypt remains vital ... to engagement and stability in the region as a whole," said Kerry, who held the first bilateral strategic dialogue since 2009. Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/02/us-egypt-usa-idUSKCN0Q706H20150802 The Telegraph Egypt postpones al-Jazeera retrial verdict to August 29 An Egyptian court on Sunday postponed delivering its verdict in the retrial of three al-Jazeera journalists, a decision a defence lawyer said was to avoid bad publicity during a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry and other dignitaries. It was the second time the verdict in the internationally sensitive case has been postponed, this time to August 29. The three men were originally sentenced to between seven and 10 years in prison on charges including spreading lies to help a terrorist organisation, a reference to the banned Muslim Brotherhood. Read more at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/11779277/Egypt-postpones-al-Jazeera-retrial-verdict-to-August-29.html The Guardian Egypt to open Suez Canal expansion two years early Egypt is this week set to inaugurate a major expansion of the Suez Canal finished in a third of the originally estimated time. The $8bn (£5bn) project had been projected to take three years but on the orders of the president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the former military chief. The expansion adds an additional lane along part of the vital shipping channel, which officials say will shorten waiting times. It includes 21 miles (35km) of new channels cut through the desert and a further 22 miles (37km) where existing bodies of water were dredged to make way for larger ships. Read more at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/02/egypt-to-open-suez-canal-expansion-finished-in-a-third-of-projected-time
