The Guardian Egypt kills 56 militants in first two days of major operation in Sinai Egypt's army has announced a "major military operation" against Islamic State's affiliate in the Sinai peninsula, Sinai Province, in which 56 militants have been killed in two days. It said the operation was launched on Monday morning to "eliminate terrorist elements" around the towns of Rafah, Sheikh Zuweid and Arish. The army claimed 29 jihadis were killed in Monday's fighting, while an Egyptian officer and a soldier died, and four were wounded, when their vehicle was blown up by a bomb. Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/08/egypt-kills-militants-major-operation-sinai-province-isis Al Arabiya Gas field discovery in Egypt a big draw for foreign investors: experts The discovery of the Zohr natural gas field off Egypt will not undermine private-sector negotiations about buying gas from Israel, Egypt's petroleum minister said this week, playing down fears that potential deals could be under threat. "Any negotiations between private companies in Egypt and in the eastern Mediterranean, and by this I mean Israel and Cyprus, will not stop," Sherif Ismail said. "These negotiations and initial agreements are ongoing," he added. Last week, the Italian energy company announced the discovery of the "supergiant" natural gas field and predicted it could held Egypt meet its gas needs for decades. Read more: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/energy/2015/09/08/-Supergiant-gas-field-discovery-in-Egypt-a-big-draw-for-foreign-investors-experts.html Reuters Egyptian pound steady at dollar sale, exchange bureau Egypt's central bank kept the pound steady at a dollar sale on Tuesday, selling $37.8 million at a cut-off price of 7.7301 pounds per dollar, unchanged from Sunday. The central bank had kept the pound at 7.5301 for five months until July, when it allowed it to slide to 7.6301. On July 5 the bank let it slip a further 0.10 pounds. Allowing the pound to weaken in a controlled way could boost exports and attract investment but it also raises Egypt's already-large bill for imported fuel and food staples. Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/08/egypt-forex-idUSL5N11E1S220150908
