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AMSTERDAM: A Dutch police station trying to help Muslim detainees face Mecca for their prayers painted arrows in cells pointing in the wrong direction. The Segbroek police station in The Hague borrowed the idea of putting compass marks on ceilings from an Amsterdam hotel, the Dutch daily De Telegraaf reported on Friday. Muslims pray five …
CAIRO: Mediterranean Smart Cards Company (MSCC) recently announced that they have signed an agreement to handle smart card processing for the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA). As one of the largest processing centers for magnetic stripe cards in Egypt, MSCC held a series of negotiations with UBA to finalize the agreement, which allows the …
CAIRO: Unemployment rates in Egypt have dropped from 11.7 percent in eight years time, according to a report by the Egyptian Centre for Economic Studies (ECES). The State Information Service reported yesterday that the decline in unemployment recorded during the period from 1998 till 2006 was almost equal among men and women, according to the …
CAIRO: Ambassador Mushira Khattab, Secretary General of the National Council for Maternity and Childhood, met last week with Xavier Emmanuel, founder of Samusocial International (SSI), a French NGO assisting victims of social exclusion and non-blending groups. The event came within the framework of the growing concern about street children, and the need for collaborative efforts …
CAIRO: World junior champion Ramy Ashour has won the world’s richest squash tournament, the 2007 Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open, in a dramatic all-Egyptian men’s final against world number one Amr Shabana. In a brilliant display of attacking squash, Ashour seized control of the match to win in straight games, coming back from 10-6 down …
CAIRO: Under the motto “We have to get to know each other better . it makes us understand one another better, trust each other more, and live together more peacefully, 138 Buddy Bears – each representing a member state of the United Nations – will give Egypt’s capital city a new and most of all …
CAIRO: A two-year-old Egyptian girl has tested positive for bird flu, bringing to 33 the number of human cases in the country, the official Middle East News Agency (Mena) reported Thursday. A Health Ministry spokesman identified the girl as Fatmah Farouk Abdel-Gawwad from central Egypt, Mena reported. She was admitted to hospital on Wednesday, suffering …
NEW YORK: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon returned to United Nations Headquarters in New York on Tuesday from a tour of the Middle East and said he was “encouraged by the very active support and determined will of Arab leaders in tackling a variety of problems from the Palestinian issue to the conflicts in Sudan and Somalia. …
CAIRO: Officials at Emaar Properties announced that the company has completed a $142 million deal to take full ownership of its Egyptian subsidiary, Emaar Misr, Guf News reported. They explained that Emaar Misr, which has a share base of 37.73 million of which 60 percent were held by Artoc Group for investment and development, is …
CAIRO: Minister of Investment Mahmoud Mohieddin, during his visit to France, held a series of meetings with representatives of more than 20 financial institutions, investment banks and real estate firms, reported the State Information Service. The minister reviewed economic reforms and measures adopted by Egypt to increase foreign direct and indirect investments. The minister was …
CAIRO: The 19th General Conference of the Egyptian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs continued its activities for the second day in Cairo Wednesday. Under the auspices of President Hosni Mubarak, the conference was held under the title Problems of Muslim World and Remedy under Globalization, Social and Cultural Dimensions. Participants of the conference stressed the …
CAIRO: The bank is ready to finance any Egyptian peaceful nuclear energy ventures if the government asked for it, World Bank Executive Director Mohamed Kamel Amr was reported to have said in statements to local press earlier this week. Egypt s status inside the World Bank is strong now and has the potential to obtain …
CAIRO: Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Friday that Egypt has always been among the first supporters of a demand to enlarge the African membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), according to reports from the State Information Service. Speaking to reporters, the minister said Africa should have permanent representation on the international council, …
New York: The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) arrest of a local television director and harassment of several journalists during a military operation in the West Bank city of Nablus. At around 3 am on Feb. 26, Israeli soldiers detained Nabegh Break, owner and managing director of …
CAIRO: Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit spoke out Thursday on hopes for overcoming the isolation imposed by the international community on the Palestinians after the formation of the coming government in Palestine, reported the Kuwait News Agency KUNA. In a press release issued after Aboul Gheit s meeting with Japan s special envoy for the …
CAIRO: Visa announced today that Joseph W. Saunders has been named Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Visa Inc. In this position, Saunders will be responsible for leading Visa’s transition to a global public company. He will also help recruit a chief executive officer and board members for Visa Inc. “Joe will play …
NEW YORK: Moody s Investors Service has announced an agreement with Finance and Banking Consultants International (Finbi) to form a joint venture to provide credit rating and research services in Egypt. The venture will provide services in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. Pursuant to the agreement, the parties intend to jointly form a credit …
CAIRO: Public sector s holding companies and their affiliates achieved a net profit of LE 3 billion this year, Minister of Investment Mahmoud Mohieddin was reported to have said. He added that those companies debts decreased to less than LE 10 billion compared to LE 31.5 billion during the past year. Mohieddin indicated that in …
Over 2,000 students are currently learning via this powerful alternative to personal tutoring CAIRO: OstazOnline is an e-learning service for students from K4 to K12 studying the Egyptian curriculum. OstazOnline has adopted state-of-the-art technology to provide the educational system in Egypt with a new tool to enhance education. This project is considered a step towards …
CAIRO: Six Egyptians who were suspected of having the deadly bird flu virus after displaying flu-like symptoms have tested negative for the disease, a World Health Organization official said on Sunday. They are all negative, said John Jabbour, a WHO official in Cairo. State news agency Mena had reported on Saturday that six Egyptians near …
CAIRO: An Egyptian Fraud Forum Constitution was unilaterally signed by the financial institutions represented at the National Fraud Forum of Egypt in conjunction with Visa International on Jan. 22, 2007. Designed to facilitate the work of the Forum, the Constitution aims to help banks cooperate to collectively fight economic crime. It was authenticated by all …
CAIRO: A child died on the way to hospital after a piece of meat was stuck in his throat, the press reported. The child Ahmed Ismael who lives in Al Nozha, Heliopolis crept to a bowl of meat that was left on the floor by his mother Mahrusa Abu Al Hassan. He swallowed a chunk …
CAIRO: A 17-year-old girl has died of bird flu, bringing the number of fatalities from the avian flu strain in Egypt to 12, MENA, the state-run news agency reported Monday. The girl, identified as Nora Nadi from the city of Fayoum, about 70 km south of Cairo, had tested positive for H5N1 strain. Nadi was …
CAIRO: In response to a strong need for private medical services in Egypt, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, has stepped in to help according to news reports. IFC will support the Middle East and North Africa s health care industry by financing the expansion of the …
CAIRO: Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said providing new job opportunities and solving the problem of unemployment top the government priorities and constitute a key target the government is seeking to achieve through cooperation and coordination among all ministries, reported the State Information Service Thursday. The Prime Minister singled out the importance of the role of …
MADRID: Spanish wind energy company Gamesa said it has signed a contract to supply Egypt with wind turbines worth $365 million. The 284 turbines will have a power output of 241 megawatts. They will be used in the construction of two new wind farms in Zafarana, on the shores of the Red Sea.
CAIRO: A big fire broke out Sat at the Siag Hotel in the pyramids area last weekend causing panic among residents, the Al Gomhuria reported. The flames raged into the other floors causing the hotel residents to rush out in their pajamas. Six Egyptians, six Koreans and an American, in addition to an on-duty policeman, …
CAIRO: A thief and pickpocket wanted in connection with 61 such cases were finally apprehended when he attempted to rob a man in broad daylight at the Sayeda Zaineb metro station. The thief, who had snatched a handbag from a man, jumped over the station’s electronic ticket barriers but was finally cornered and arrested despite …
CAIRO: Following a closely fought three-way pitch, Beiersdorf Middle East FZCO (BME) has awarded OMD, part of the Omnicom Media Group, its media buying and planning account for 2007 onwards. The most lucrative asset within the BME portfolio is the globally recognized Nivea brand. Marketing Director for Beiersdorf Jean-Manuel Canga-Valles said: “The three way pitch, …