Egypt elected to preside over AU summit in 2019
Egypt elected to chair African Union in 2019: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi participated yesterday in a closed session of African Union (AU) heads of state at the 30th summit in Addis Ababa, during which Egypt was elected to chair the AU in 2019 for one year, according to an Ittihadiya statement (pdf). The session also included a discussion of planned reforms to the institution, including implementing a checks-and-balances system for decisions passed through the AU.
US President Donald Trump threatened to cut off funding to the Palestinians unless they agree to resume peace talks with Israel, Bloomberg reports. Speaking ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said Palestinians had disrespected the US by not agreeing to meet with Vice President Mike Pence during his trip to the region last week.