Under Western criticism for doing little to pressure Sudan to curb violence in Darfur, Egypt announced Wednesday that it is offering a new peace plan for the war-torn African nation. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit described the Egyptian proposal as “a road map” for a political process that would …

Associated Press Writer CAIRO, Egypt (AP) – Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni held talks Thursday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the first high-level discussion between Israel and the Arab world on an Arab initiative calling for an exchange of land for peace.

Eni SpA, Italy’s largest oil company, will invest $12 billion to boost its Egyptian natural gas operations over the next five years, Egypt’s oil ministry said Thursday.