(Reuters) -The partial remains of three bodies in Gaza handed over to Israel overnight did not belong to any of the hostages held in the Palestinian territory, Israeli media reported on Saturday.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government on the reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross said late on Friday that it had facilitated the transfer of three deceased individuals from the Gaza Strip to Israeli authorities for identification.

Egypt officially opened on Saturday the Grand Egyptian Museum, a long-awaited, billion-dollar showcase of pharaonic grandeur that Cairo hopes will revive tourism and boost its battered economy.

"Today, as we celebrate together the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, we are writing a new chapter in the history of the present and the future," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told a gathering of dignitaries, sitting in the museum's square.

Two machines resembling robotic vacuum cleaners sped around a ring colliding, shooting sparks and catching fire, as Iranian engineering students watched from behind plexiglass.

The dramatic clash was just one of many opportunities for competitors to go head-to-head at the country's Tech Olympics, to determine the future of its engineering talents.

Iran aspires to become a key regional player in emerging technologies, despite decades of international sanctions that have stifled its development.

Bangladesh's dock workers escalated a strike on Saturday at the country's biggest port, Chattogram, protesting plans by the interim government to lease operating licences to a foreign company.

The walkout, which began in small numbers in October, has now grown to around 200 workers at the port -- Bangladesh's main trade gateway and a vital hub in the global garment supply chain.

"Foreign expert operators would increase the foreign investment and enhance the efficiency," Chattogram Port Authority chairman S. M. Moniruzzaman told AFP.

BEIJING (Reuters) -China's military said on Saturday it monitored and tracked a joint patrol organised by the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea on October 30 and October 31.

Tian Junli, a spokesperson of the People's Liberation Army's Southern Theater Command, said the joint patrol, with unnamed partners, "seriously undermined regional peace and stability". He called the Philippines "a troublemaker" in the region.

By Timour Azhari

DOHA (Reuters) -Major Saudi Arabian firms are planning billion-dollar investments in Syria as part of the kingdom's business-forward approach to the country's recovery, but U.S. sanctions and a fractured Syrian state apparatus pose formidable obstacles.

(Reuters) -A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration supports repealing the Caesar Act sanctions on Syria through the National Defense Authorization Act bill, which is being discussed by U.S. lawmakers at the moment.

"The United States is in regular communication with regional partners and welcomes any investment or engagement in Syria that supports the chance for all Syrians to have a peaceful and prosperous country," the spokesperson said.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari;Editing by Alison Williams)

By Daphne Psaledakis

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Treasury Department's top sanctions official will travel to the Middle East and Europe on Friday, according to a statement seen by Reuters, as President Donald Trump's administration seeks to increase pressure on Iran.

John Hurley, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will travel in the coming days to Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Lebanon, according to the statement, in his first trip to the Middle East since taking office.

Selling for nearly $1,000 a cup, a cafe in Dubai is offering the world's most expensive coffee, brewed from Panamanian beans sold at a premium price.

The wealthy emirate is known for its extravagant ventures including an enormous mall with an indoor ski area, the world's tallest building and an artificial island dotted with five-star hotels.

"We felt Dubai was the perfect place for our investment," said Serkan Sagsoz, co-founder of the Julith cafe with the pricey offering.

Moein al-Hattu's home has been ripped apart, its cinder block walls blown out into the street and a dusty grey bomb hangs menacingly from a damaged pillar, its tip resting on a crushed chest of drawers.

Weighing more than a tonne, the munition was dropped during an airstrike on Gaza City during fighting between Israel and Hamas but has not exploded -- yet.

"I'm living in terror and unable to remove it," al-Hattu told AFP, as children wandering through the rubble paused to marvel at the threatening intrusion.