TOKYO: Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim, CEO of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, paid a courtesy call on Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Matsumoto Hisashi on Friday to thank the Japanese government for its cooperation in financing the museum and to look forward to its opening in July, Japan’s Foreign Ministry reported.
Japan is providing financial cooperation in the form of yen loans totaling 84.247 billion yen ($585 million) for the construction of the museum, as well as technical cooperation aimed at preserving and restoring artifacts at the adjacent conservation and restoration center.
Cultural assets such as Tutankhamun’s golden mask are scheduled to be transferred to and exhibited at the museum, and it is expected that the museum will contribute to strengthening the preservation, restoration and research of Egypt’s historical and cultural heritage, as well as promoting tourism.
Matsumoto welcomed Ghoneim and looked forward to the upcoming opening of the museum, which is seen as a symbol of development cooperation between Japan and Egypt.
Director Ghoneim expressed his gratitude for the cooperation that the Japanese government has extended and also hoped that high-level Japanese officials would be able to attend the official opening ceremony in July.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is set to be the world’s largest museum and is located in the Giza region near the three Great Pyramids.
Grand Egyptian Museum CEO thanks Japan for its cooperation
https://arab.news/8f7wm
Grand Egyptian Museum CEO thanks Japan for its cooperation
- Japan is providing financial cooperation in the form of $585m for the construction of the museum
- Matsumoto welcomed Ghoneim and looked forward to the upcoming opening
Italy arrests nine over alleged Hamas funding through charities
- The Palestinian group has been designated by the European Union as a terrorist organization
- Prosecutors said those arrested diverted to Hamas-linked entities around $8.24 million raised over the last two years
ROME: Italian prosecutors said on Saturday they had arrested nine people on suspicion of financing Hamas through charities based in Italy, in an operation coordinated by anti-mafia and anti-terrorism units.
The suspects are accused of “belonging to and having financed” the Palestinian group, which the European Union designates as a terrorist organization, prosecutors in the northern Italian city of Genoa said in a statement.
Those arrested allegedly diverted to Hamas-linked entities around 7 million euros ($8.24 million) raised over the last two years for ostensibly humanitarian purposes, prosecutors said. Police seized assets worth more than 8 million euros.
The investigation began after suspicious financial transactions were flagged and expanded through cooperation with Dutch authorities and other EU countries, coordinated through the EU judicial agency Eurojust.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked the authorities for “a particularly complex and important operation” which had uncovered financing for Hamas through “so-called charity organizations.”
The Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meloni’s support for Israel during its war with Hamas in Gaza has triggered large and repeated street protests in Italy.
Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed more than 71,000 people, according to the enclave’s health ministry. It was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.
