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LUXOR, Egypt — Archaeologists on Saturday showed off their finds at what they say is the "largest" ancient city ever found in Egypt, dating to a golden age of the pharaohs 3,000 years ago.

At the site near Luxor, home of the legendary Valley of the Kings, workers carefully carried ancient pots and showed human and animal remains dug up from the earth as members of the media toured around curved brick walls and rudimentary streets.

"This is a large city that was lost. It was connected with the god Aton and Amenhotep III," famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass enthusiastically told reporters Saturday.

"We found three major districts: one for administration, one for workers to sleep in and another for industry," he said.

Spaces include workshops for drying meat, making clothes and sandals, and crafting amulets and small statues.

Mostafa Waziri, head of the country's Supreme Council of Antiquities said the site was not limited to buildings.

"We can see... economic activity, workshops and ovens," he said.

Hawass had announced earlier this week the discovery of a "lost golden city", and the archaeological team said the find was "the largest" ancient city ever uncovered in Egypt.

"We found one portion of the city only," Hawass told AFP Saturday. "The city extends to the west and the north."

Jewellery, 'golden fish' 

The team began excavations in September between the temples of Ramses III and Amenhotep III near Luxor, some 500 kilometres south of Cairo.

Amenhotep III inherited an empire that stretched from the Euphrates River in modern Iraq and Syria to Sudan and died around 1354 BC, ancient historians say.

He ruled for nearly four decades, a reign known for its opulence and the grandeur of its monuments, including the Colossi of Memnon — two massive stone statues near Luxor that represent him and his wife.

Betsy Bryan, professor of Egyptian art and archaeology at Johns Hopkins University, had said in a statement this week that the find was the “second most important archaeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun” nearly a century ago.

“The archaeological layers have laid untouched for thousands of years, left by the ancient residents as if it were yesterday,” the team’s statement said.

Archaeologists have unearthed items of jewellery, coloured pottery vessels, scarab beetle amulets and mud bricks bearing seals of Amenhotep III.

Hawass said “a large fish covered in gold” may have been venerated.

‘Fantastic discovery’ 

Jose Galan, head of a separate Spanish archaeological mission near the Valley of the Kings, told AFP Saturday that the site was “a fantastic discovery”.

“We are used to discoveries related to temples and tombs so we know about religious life and funerary habits. But we don’t know much about settlements,” he said.

The team have said they were optimistic that further important finds would be revealed, noting the discovery of groups of tombs reached through “stairs carved into the rock”, a similar construction to those found in the Valley of the Kings.

But since the announcement, some scholars have disputed that Hawass and his team have succeeded where others had failed by locating the city.

Egyptologist Tarek Farag posted Friday on Facebook that the area was first excavated more than a century ago by a team from New York’s Metropolitan Museum.

Waziri dismissed these concerns, saying previous digs had taken place further afield to the south the site.

After years of political instability following the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, which dealt a severe blow to its tourism industry, Egypt is seeking to bring back visitors, in particular by promoting its ancient heritage.

Last week, the mummified remains of 18 ancient kings and four queens were transported across Cairo from the Egyptian Museum in iconic Tahrir Square to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, in a procession dubbed the “Pharaohs’ Golden Parade” watched by millions.

TEHRAN — Iran announced on Saturday it has started up advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges in a breach of its undertakings under a troubled 2015 nuclear deal, days after the start of talks on rescuing the accord.

The United States had said Friday that it had offered "very serious" ideas on reviving the hobbled agreement but was waiting for Tehran to reciprocate, something Saturday's move signally failed to do.

President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated a cascade of 164 IR-6 centrifuges for producing enriched uranium, as well as two test cascades — of 30 IR-5 and 30 IR-6S devices respectively — at Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant, in a ceremony broadcast by state television.

State TV aired no images of the injection of uranium hexafluoride gas into the cascades, but broadcast a link with engineers at the plant who said they had started the process and showed rows of centrifuges.

Rouhani also launched tests on the "mechanical stability" of its latest-generation IR-9 centrifuges, and remotely opened a centrifuge assembly factory to replace a plant that was badly damaged in a July 2020 "terrorist" blast.

Under the 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers, Iran is currently only allowed to use "first-generation" IR-1 centrifuges for production, and to test a limited number of IR-4 and IR-5 devices.

The US unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump, who reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran, which responded by stepping back from several of its commitments under the deal.

Trump's successor Joe Biden has said he is prepared to return, arguing the deal had — until Washington's withdrawal — been successful in dramatically scaling back Iran's nuclear activities.

Iran's latest move to step up uranium enrichment follows an opening round of talks in Vienna on Tuesday with representatives of the remaining parties to the deal on bringing the US back into it.

The Vienna talks are focused not only on lifting the crippling economic sanctions Trump reimposed, but also on bringing Iran back into compliance.

All sides said the talks, in which Washington is not participating directly but is relying on the European Union as an intermediary, got off to a good start.

Iran has demanded that the US first lift all sanctions imposed by Trump, including a sweeping unilateral ban on its oil exports, before it falls back in line.

The “US — which caused this crisis — should return to full compliance first,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted, adding that “Iran will reciprocate following rapid verification”.

‘Seriousness of purpose’ 

Washington has demanded movement from Tehran.

“The United States team put forward a very serious idea and demonstrated a seriousness of purpose on coming back into compliance if Iran comes back into compliance,” a US official told reporters as talks broke for the weekend.

But the official said the United States was waiting for its efforts to be “reciprocated” by Iran.

The US official indicated the major stumbling block in the initial talks was not the order of compliance but rather which sanctions were under discussion, as Iran is demanding an end to all US restrictions.

The nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, covers only nuclear sanctions and not US measures taken in response to human rights or other concerns, the official said.

The far more powerful centrifuges started up on Saturday allow uranium to be enriched quicker and in greater amounts than Iran’s first-generation devices.

Uranium enrichment can produce the fuel for a nuclear reactor, or in highly extended form, the fissile core of an atomic warhead. It is one of the most sensitive nuclear activities carried out by Iran.

Rouhani again underlined at the ceremony, which coincided with Iran’s National Nuclear Technology Day, that Tehran’s nuclear programme is solely for “peaceful” purposes.

DUBAI — Fighting for the key Yemeni region of Marib has intensified, with 53 pro-government and Houthi rebel fighters killed in the past 24 hours, loyalist military officials said Saturday.

The Houthis have been trying to seize oil-rich Marib, the government's last significant pocket of territory in the north, since February.

"The rebels have managed to seize a bit of territory" in the latest fighting northwest of the city, a pro-government military source said, assessing the city of Marib itself was not under threat.

The same source said 22 government soldiers including five officers had been killed, along with 31 rebels.

The Houthis rarely announce casualties on their own side.

The Iran-backed rebels in late 2014 overran the capital Sanaa, 120 kilometres to the west of Marib, along with much of northern Yemen.

That prompted a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 to prop up the government.

Loyalist military officials said Saturday that coalition aircraft had carried out strikes against the rebels, but the Houthis had pushed on with their offensive.

The loss of Marib would be a heavy blow for the Yemeni government, currently based in the southern city of Aden, and for its Saudi backers.

It could also lead to humanitarian disaster, as huge numbers of civilians displaced from fighting elsewhere have sought refuge in Marib camps.

Around 140 sites have sprung up in the region to provide basic shelter for the displaced, who number up to two million, according to Yemen’s government.

The rebels have stepped up missile and drone strikes against neighbouring Saudi Arabia in recent months, demanding the opening of Yemen’s airspace and ports.

They have rejected a Saudi proposal for a ceasefire.

In early March, at least 90 fighters on both sides were killed in clashes to the west of Marib.

The United Nations last month condemned the “escalation” and warned of a looming humanitarian disaster.

The UN Security Council said the fighting “places one million internally-displaced persons at grave risk and threatens efforts to secure a political settlement when the international community is increasingly united to end the conflict”.

The UN called on all sides to de-escalate and condemned “the use of child soldiers” in Marib.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also urged the Houthis on Monday to halt their offensive, as he announced $191 million in aid at a donor conference.

But he warned that the suffering would not stop until a political solution is found between the Houthis and the internationally-recognised government.

The conflict in Yemen has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed millions to the brink of famine, according to aid agencies.

The United Nations says Yemen is suffering the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden on Wednesday restored aid to the Palestinians to a tune of $235 million, drawing a rebuke by ally Israel, as he promised to press for a two-state solution.

In his sharpest break on the conflict yet from the staunchly pro-Israel Donald Trump, Biden said the United States would resume funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees that his predecessor had severed.

The State Department said the United States would contribute $150 million to the UN agency and offer $75 million in economic and development assistance for the West Bank and Gaza as well as $10 million for peacebuilding efforts.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US assistance to the Palestinians "serves important US interests and values" as "a means to advance towards a negotiated two-state solution".

"It provides critical relief to those in great need, fosters economic development and supports Israeli-Palestinian understanding, security coordination and stability," Blinken said in a statement.

Israel, which had held off on criticism of Biden in his first months, denounced the assistance to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, which provides housing, schools and other care to more than six million Palestinian refugees and their descendants.

"We believe that this UN agency for so-called 'refugees' should not exist in its current format," said Gilad Erdan, the Israeli ambassador to the United States.

Israel argues that the education provided by the UN-backed schools includes incitement against Israel.

"I have expressed my disappointment and objection to the decision to renew UNRWA's funding without first ensuring that certain reforms, including stopping the incitement and removing anti-Semitic content from its educational curriculum, are carried out," Erdan said.

Asked about the Israeli criticism, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that the United States took oversight of UNRWA "extraordinarily seriously" and that it would now have "a seat at the table".

The Israeli anger comes as the United States takes part in indirect, European-led talks in Vienna with Iran on returning to a denuclearization deal which was bitterly opposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

No political push yet 

The Palestinian leadership hoped that the aid would mark the start of a concerted effort by Biden to pressure Israel, including on stopping settlements in the occupied West Bank.

“We are eagerly awaiting the resumption not only of financial assistance but of political relations with the United States to allow the Palestinian people to achieve their legitimate rights for an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital,” said Mohammed Shtayyeh, the Palestinian prime minister.

Shortly after Biden’s inauguration in January, the United States said it would restore the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s liaison office that was shut down by Trump.

But Biden has held off on any major peace initiative, with even supporters of a two-state solution expecting near-term chances for a breakthrough to be slim, especially amid turbulence in Israel following its latest election.

Blinken has indicated no change to one of Trump’s signature decisions — recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moving the US embassy to the hotly disputed holy city.

Trump had ended UNRWA assistance by arguing that the refugees, some of whom have lived in camps for generations, needed to be permanently resettled.

‘Right signal’ 

The latest announcement is still well below the $355 million contributed to UNRWA in 2016 by the United States, then its largest contributor. 

Price, the State Department spokesman, did not rule out further US contributions but said the United States was encouraging other donors to do more.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric welcomed the restored US assistance, which German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said “sends the right signal” amid growing needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new funding is in addition to $15 million earlier announced by the United States in COVID assistance to the Palestinians amid criticism that Israel, a leader in vaccinating its own people, has not taken similar initiatives in territories under its occupation.

Israel argues that vaccination is the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority.

UNRWA said its needs have been rising due to COVID and the hardships faced by Palestinians living in war-battered Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia said on Wednesday it would not be deterred from impounding water at its Nile mega-dam, sparking new warnings from downstream countries Sudan and Egypt, which are worried about their water supply.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has been a source of tension in the Nile River basin ever since Ethiopia broke ground on it in 2011.

Downstream neighbours Egypt and Sudan view the dam as a threat because of their dependence on Nile waters, while Ethiopia considers it essential for its electrification and development.

The latest round of talks concluded on Tuesday in Kinshasa with no resolution to long-running disputes over how the dam will be operated.

But Ethiopian water minister Seleshi Bekele told a press conference on Wednesday that Ethiopia would continue filling the dam's massive reservoir during the upcoming rainy season, which normally begins in June or July.

"As construction progresses, filling takes place," Seleshi said.

"We don't deviate from that at all."

But Sudan's irrigation minister warned on Wednesday that his country stood ready to harden its stance in the dispute and lobby afresh at the highest international levels.

"For Sudan, all options are possible, including returning [the matter] to the UN Security Council and hardening policy... [if] Ethiopia embarks on a second filling [of the dam] without agreement," Yasser Abbas told reporters.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi also warned Ethiopia over the dam on Wednesday.

"I tell our Ethiopian brothers — don't touch a drop of Egypt's water, because all options are open," Sisi said, echoing comments he made last week.

The reservoir has a capacity of 74 billion cubic metres.

Filling began last year, with Ethiopia announcing in July 2020 it had hit its target of 4.9 billion cubic metres — enough to test the dam's first two turbines, an important milestone on the way towards actually producing energy.

The goal is to impound an additional 13.5 billion cubic metres this year.

Fears of 'instability'

Egypt and Sudan wanted a trilateral agreement on the dam's operations to be reached before reservoir filling began.

But Ethiopia says filling is a natural part of the dam's construction, and is thus impossible to postpone.

Last year Sudan said the filling process caused water shortages including in the capital Khartoum.

Seleshi disputed this Wednesday but said Ethiopia had offered to share data with Sudan during filling this year, adding that officials "don't want to be made accountable for problems that we haven't created".

He complained, though, that Sudan and Egypt spent most of the time in Kinshasa pushing for an elevated role in negotiations for observers from South Africa, the United States and the European Union.

Ethiopia has rejected this, saying it would undermine the process headed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the current chair of the African Union.

Ethiopia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday it expected talks to resume later this month.

Egypt has described them as the last chance to reach an agreement, after Sisi said last week that the region faces "unimaginable instability" over the project.

Sudan's foreign minister, Mariam Al Sadiq Al Mahdi, told reporters Tuesday that Ethiopia "threatens the people of the Nile basin, and Sudan directly".

Seleshi on Wednesday played down the possibility that tensions over the dam would lead to conflict.

"This kind of thinking is unnecessary, and exaggerating this kind of thing doesn't benefit any country," he said.

TEHRAN — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that talks in Vienna on rescuing a troubled 2015 nuclear deal had opened a "new chapter".

An Iranian delegation met on Tuesday with representatives of the remaining parties to the agreement to discuss how to bring Washington back into it and end crippling US sanctions and Iranian countermeasures.

US President Joe Biden has said he is ready to reverse the decision of his predecessor Donald Trump to withdraw from the agreement and reimpose unilateral sanctions.

But differences remain over the mechanics of the move as Tehran has since responded by suspending compliance with some of its own obligations under the deal.

The United States was not present at Tuesday's discussions because Iran has refused to meet the US delegation so long as its sanctions remain in place.

Instead, the European Union acted as an intermediary, but all sides gave a positive assessment of the opening talks.

"A new chapter has just been opened yesterday," Rouhani told a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

"If [Washington] shows it is honest and sincere, that's all we ask... I think we'll be able to negotiate in a short time, if necessary, with the [other parties to the deal]."

The talks are to resume in Vienna on Friday, a diplomat familiar with the discussions said.

The US delegation is to gather in a different hotel, with EU negotiators acting as go-betweens.

At the same time, two groups of experts — on lifting sanctions and nuclear issues — are working "to identify concrete measures to be taken by Washington and Tehran" to restore the deal, Russian Envoy Mikhail Ulyanov said.

Washington gave an upbeat assessment of the opening session.

"We do see this as a constructive and certainly welcome step," State Department spokesman Ned Price said.