169 Articles
CAIRO: Three months ago, Elisa Freni was at home in Italy clubbing at hot spots, meeting her friends for lattes, and telemarketing to make some quick cash. Now she lives alone in Sohag, Upper Egypt. There she spends her days visiting an orphanage after work, chatting with local vendors (who all know her by name), …
And Company is an island of tranquility on the once-tranquil island of Zamalek. Following the trend of lifestyle stores, the multi-story shop offers high-quality home furnishings and décor for the meticulous shopper. The store is clearly offering an aura more than any one particular item. Upon walking in, the customer is greeted to low-key music …
Last Friday, those unable to get away for the holiday season were arguably better off than those who were, with world renowned singer Charles Aznevour bringing the best of France to a sophisticated, well-heeled audience at the Opera House. The legendary French-Armenian singer, songwriter, actor, and activist offered his audience more than expected. The music …
American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “A man finds room in the few square inches of the face for the traits of all his ancestors, for the expression of all his history, and his wants. Handicraft artist and professor Ashraf Abdel Kader attributes no less importance to the face – glorious, expressive, and telling. …
It is quite clear that (Dr) Farid Fadel does not know what it means to be an artist these days: His work is accessible, he respects his appointments, and he answers questions with . well, answers. The latest project by the popular Egyptian artist is “Proverbs & Sayings, featuring some 60 paintings and drawings which …
“homous homous in a certain sing-song tone around most Egyptians and you may find that it evokes spontaneous singing and chortling, followed, quite possibly, by comic movements and dance. The reason for this is “El-Leila El-Kebira (The Big Night), poet Salah Jahin’s famous puppet operetta, which introduces us to the magical Egyptian moulid with the …
A road trip across the US of A, Hollywood tells us, entails a lot of junk food, small-town motels, and one or two one-night stands – except when it entails confronting questions like “Does Israel have the right to exist? “On the Road in America brings together four Arabs of differing backgrounds in an RV …
CAIRO: Because of the position of the sun during my birth, I am prone to show tolerance, get dreamy, have beautiful eyes, feel detached, and display paranoia. This is only based on my sun sign though, not my moon sign, which depends on my exact time of birth – that, I don’t know. It all …
CAIRO: A YouTube video has surfaced of US Vice President Dick Cheney explaining in 1994 why Iraq was too fragile to invade, prompting criticism across the internet. Cheney, then Defense Secretary, tells the interviewee in an American Enterprise Institute video that the US was right not to move into Baghdad during the 90-91 Gulf War …
“I’m on sonight you know my hebs don lie I’m startin to feel is right; all ze attraction, ze fricshon, you know pepe says it’s berfection. Pepe was clearly lying to this wanna-be Egyptian Shakira, but as far as ads go, the new Melody Tunes series come pretty close. They are the latest in the …
CAIRO: Egypt agreed Saturday to readmit African migrants who allegedly infiltrated the Israeli border through Egypt. Forty-eight migrants were returned in an overnight operation. The Israeli embassy could not independently confirm the number of returned migrants at press time. Egypt had stated previously that it was not obligated to accept the migrants, who are mostly …
CAIRO: The Egyptian Workers and Trade Unions Watch (EWTU) recently released their July report on industrial conflicts, showing a spike in organized labor struggles. According to the report, 17,000 workers took part in 97 labor struggles while another 100,000 threatened to stage protests. The numbers represent an increase from June’s findings where 13,000 workers took …
JERUSALEM: Visit Palestine. The words appear in large print below a Jerusalem sunset on posters made famous now for their irony: published by a Zionist development agency in 1936, it recognizes that there were people, there were homes, and there was a Palestine. Today, people from all over the world are visiting what was Palestine. …
The thing about spas is that they’re shrouded in myth. They are, supposedly, welcoming tranquil atmospheres where one can find peace from the harrowing bustle of day-to-day stress while the body gets cleansed and relaxed. Right. The reality about spas is that steam rooms are suffocating, scrubs are irritating, and stripping is humiliating. This is …
TABA: The X amount of hours I spent waiting with friends to cross the Israeli border from Taba flew by due to pleasant conversation, trend-watching, and sheer mockery of our predicament. “Flew by, like a chicken flying to Denmark. I do, of course, know exactly how much time I spent in the waiting station, roving …
CAIRO: In a closed board meeting earlier this week the National Council for Human Rights rehashed a draft law which would amend existing laws regulating construction, expansion, and renovation of houses of worship. Board members from the National Council for Human Rights told Daily News Egypt that the board unanimously agreed on 25 of the …
CAIRO: The People’s Committee for the Right to Return and the Tagamou Party are meeting today in Al-Arish to discuss the best way to stir action against the possibility of relocating stranded Palestinians to North Sinai permanently. Around 1,000 Palestinians and Egyptians are expected to attend. Alaa El-Kashef of the North Sinai Tagamou Party told …
AL-ARISH: The thousands of Palestinians stranded in Al-Arish and Rafah are broke, hungry, and homeless, but you won’t hear a single one asking for these basic necessities. “We just want to go home, is the anthem among these Palestinians, young and old, poor and less poor. “We don’t want their food, shouts one woman, “we …
The question: Can Arabic music really harmonize with electronica? The answer: Of course. With talent like Kamilya Jubran’s, anything is possible. Tuesday night’s concert at Al Azhar Park fused the obvious beauty of Jubran’s voice with the subtle genius of Swiss electronic musician Werner Hasler. Colored spotlights illuminated Jubran with her oud, Hasler with his …
CAIRO: Three people were injured, one critically, in a clash Tuesday between Egyptian police and dozens of Palestinians trapped in a north Sinai airport. Approximately 100 Palestinians have been stuck in the airport for nearly three weeks since the Rafah border crossing was closed due to violent clashes in the Gaza Strip one month ago. …
CAIRO: Management consulting firm A.T. Kearney has listed Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates among the top emerging markets for retail investment attractiveness in their Global Retail Development Index (GRDI). The Middle East and North Africa region appeared most prominently on the list thanks to “strong retail expansion, GDP growth …
CAIRO: The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) was to open the Israeli-run Kerem Shalom crossing Tuesday, July 10, a move that was fervently opposed by Hamas who reportedly threatened to open fire and shell the crossing if used in place of Rafah. Over 6,000 Palestinians have been unable to return to the Gaza Strip since Egypt …
CAIRO: Marking a shift from the typical Israeli delegations to Egypt, the left-wing Meretz Party was in Cairo Sunday to meet with Egyptian intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman and political aide to President Hosni Mubarak, Osama El-Baz, to discuss the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, negotiations with the Palestinians, and Egypt’s role in stabilizing …
CAIRO: May God make it easy. It is a phrase oft-repeated among Egyptians who seem to have little hope of accomplishing the task in question. Rabinah Yesahel, or May God Make It Easy, is also the title of a new documentary which aims to tackle unemployment and underemployment concerns among Egyptian youth, which filmmaker Nermeen …
CAIRO: A meeting between the Quartet, the Palestinian Authority, and Israeli leaders will take place in Egypt mid-July, announced EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. Toward the middle of the month, we will recuperate this initiative, he said. Political analyst from the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies Emad Gad told The Daily …
CAIRO: Welcome to the neo-conceptual art of social sculpture, situationalism, and fluxus. Here, headphones hang from trees, bathrooms, and kitchens, exporting the sounds and stories of Icelandic fish factories into empty art museums. Here, a man sings lines from the national anthem out of order in the middle of the town market. Here, art may …
CAIRO: Nicolas Sarkozy’s spokesman announced Thursday that the new French president may turn his hand to the Mideast, just one day after ally British ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair was appointed as the Quartet’s new envoy to the region. Sarkozy is to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Jordan s …
CAIRO: Anyone living in Cairo for over five years would have no doubt that urban migration is becoming a burden, clogging traffic routes, straining resources, and forcing many Cairenes to move to new suburban spaces to circumvent the city. A new UN report issued by the population agency reveals that urban sprawl is a global …
CAIRO: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah urged rival Palestinian factions to settle their differences or face serious repercussions following a Tuesday meeting with President Hosni Mubarak. Ahead of a two-day meeting in Jordan with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, he told Jordan s Al-Rai daily, I appeal to the brothers in Palestine, who pledged to God in …