Suez Canal expansion: high hopes as Egypt inaugurates improved waterway

Egypt has opened Thursday a major expansion of the Suez canal, a 7.9 billion euro mega project completed in just a year. The improvements to the waterway are said to allow almost double the amount of ships to cross in its waters. The plan was backed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the former general who ousted the country’s first freely elected president two years ago. He has declared it a cornerstone of his plan to revive the nation’s economy.