Ships cross Egypt's New Suez Canal in first test-run

[WorldNews]

By Yusri Mohamed ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - The first cargo ships passed through Egypt's New Suez Canal on Saturday in a test-run before it opens next month, state media reported, 11 months after the army began constructing the $8 billion canal alongside the existing 145-year-old Suez Canal. The new waterway, which President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hopes will help expand trade along the fastest shipping route between Europe and Asia, will be formally inaugurated on Aug. 6. Sisi wants the canal to become a symbol of national pride and to help combat Egypt's double-digit unemployment.

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