(New York Times) Declan Walsh - Sprawled across a patch of desert four times the size of Washington, D.C., a showy new administrative capital is rising in Egypt just outside Cairo, imperial in scale and style. But as Egypt limps through a dire economic downturn, increasingly loud doubts are emerging about whether the country can afford President el-Sisi's grandiose dreams. Tens of thousands of apartments have already been built, although few are furnished or painted, giving the new city the appearance of a vast construction site. A Chinese-built skyscraper called the Iconic Tower soars to 1,293 feet, the tallest building in Africa. A sprawling military complex on the edge of the new city, the Octagon, is seven times as large as the Pentagon.
2022-10-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive