Gifts from Egypt to China symbolize friendship between two ancient civilizations

Two gifts, bestowed by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly to President Xi Jinping, are symbols of the two historical civilizations and witnesses to the longstanding friendship between the two nations.

The pair of exquisite items are on display in the Exhibition of Diplomatic Gifts Received by China's Leaders in Beijing, where gifts presented by the leaders and officials of various countries to their Chinese counterparts are being showcased. Each item represents the cultural background of the place it comes from.

One of the Egyptian gifts is a life-sized sculpture modeled after the two life-sized wooden statues discovered in the tomb of the famous pharaoh -- the Ka Statue of King Tutankhamun.

"The sculpture is adorned with a crown featuring the Khat headdress and a cobra, and is dressed in a gilded shendyt kilt. In his left hand, he holds a scepter symbolizing youth and vitality, while the right hand grasps a staff representing royal authority. The statue was a gift to Chinese President Xi Jinping, presented by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, when he came to China to attend the 1st China International Import Expo in November 2018," said Hu Zexia, Curator of the exhibition.

Five years later, when Egyptian Prime Minister Madbouly attended the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, he presented another iconic gift to Xi -- a model of the ceremonial chair of Tutankhamun.

"This chair, made of ebony, features intricate craftsmanship and rich detail. It has a curved, armless seat, with foldable legs designed for easy transport, and the feet are shaped like duck heads. The chair's backrest is adorned with an array of gemstones and gold leaves, with the upper part featuring the image of Horus, the falcon god and protector of the pharaoh. This gift is a miniature model of the chair, yet it still showcases the exceptional skill of ancient Egyptian artisans," said Hu.

China and Egypt, both ancient civilizations, began economic and cultural exchanges over one thousand years ago.

Gifts from Egypt to China symbolize friendship between two ancient civilizations

Israel launched a series of airstrikes targeting central Beirut and the city's southern suburbs on Tuesday.

A building housing displaced people in al-Noueiri, a densely populated area in central Beirut, was hit by Israeli airstrikes at around 14:30 on Tuesday. Seven people were killed and 37 were injured, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA).

The southern suburbs of Beirut were hit by two Israeli airstrikes at 15:15 local time, and 10 minutes later the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they had launched large-scale airstrikes on Beirut, attacking 20 Hezbollah targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut within two minutes.

Many civilians fled the targeted areas by car or on foot, causing panic and traffic jams across the city.

Israel also attacked targets in Lebanon's eastern city of Baalbek, and Tyre and Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon.

The attacks came as negotiations on a ceasefire appeared to be making progress, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expected to make a speech on Tuesday evening local time to address the possibility of a ceasefire and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying on Tuesday that truce talks were in their final stages.

Israel attacks targets in central, southern suburbs of Beirut