CAIRO: Hundreds of Egyptians gathered in front of the Syrian Embassy in Cairo calling for the immediate discharge of the Syrian ambassador from Egypt. A march began at Omar Makram Mosque in Tahrir Square after Friday prayers and headed to the Syrian Embassy in Garden City. The protesters at the embassy mainly belonged to the …

CAIRO: What started as a common hashtag on Twitter turned into a full-fledged initiative calling for bridging the gap between the people on the street and online activists. After Hassan Hamed noticed the mounting frustration towards the Tahrir Square protesters, he initiated a wide call on Twitter to communicate with the people on the street …

CAIRO: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) executives and civil society members gathered to discuss how to harness the drive of the private sector and, coupled with the expertise of civil society, work towards making modern Egypt stable, prosperous and equitable. At CARE International’s conference “Engage Beyond Charity” in Cairo, Kevin Fitcharles, Egypt’s country director, said, “We …

CAIRO: Nine out of 10 Egyptians survey in a recent poll plan on voting in the upcoming elections, with no political party or entity garnering more than 15 percent of public support. The Muslim Brotherhood won over the support of 15 percent of the respondents of the study released by the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center …

CAIRO: Today, Dec. 1, Egypt will commemorate World AIDS Day for the sixth year, with activities and events aimed at raising awareness about the disease as well as removing the stigma associated with it. Under the slogan ‘What will you do to help?’ this year events’ main theme is a call for action. A number …

CAIRO: Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Moselhi launched the national project for subsidized bread which aims at increasing bread production. The project includes 100 outlets which will cost a total of LE 3.6 billion and provide approximately 35,000 job opportunities around the country, the minister told local media. The project will begin with a pilot …

CAIRO: In an effort to pledge its support for the cause, the Arab League launched the State of the World Population Report for 2010, titled “From Conflict and Crisis to Renewal: Generations of Change,” from its headquarters last week. “I’m happy to launch the State of the World Population this year from the headquarters of …

CAIRO: The Egyptian National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Science said that the missing satellite Egypt Sat-1 is still in orbit and is being visually observed from different sites, according to its press statement on Sunday. The Egyptian satellite Egypt Sat-1 went missing on July 19, 2010 when all communication with it was lost. …

CAIRO: Marking its 65th anniversary, the United Nations renewed its commitment to global development and raised awareness about the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) through a series of events on Oct. 24. A celebration was held at Cairo University to commemorate UN Day, entailing various activities, starting with a parade by the Cairo University Model United …

CAIRO: The 20th World Congress of the International Association of Surgeons, Gastroenterologists and Oncologists (IASGO) opened in Cairo on Thursday, bringing together more than 2,000 doctors from more than 50 different countries, including China, Pakistan, Turkey, and Italy. The event marks the first time the annual IASGO has ever been held in Egypt, as well …

CAIRO: The Gaza aid convoy, the Lifeline 5, said its departure to Egypt from the Latakkia Port in Syria has been further delayed due to more complications with authorities without giving further details. “The captain of the ship sold out [at the] last minute,” said Asif Bhayat, a volunteer pilot in the aid convoy who …

CAIRO: Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif has ordered the Ministers of Finance and Trade and Industry to coordinate with the Minister of Social Security in forming an organizational authority to overlook the production and distribution of subsidized bread, identify any rising needs and monitor production throughout all of its stages. Magdy Rady, spokesperson for the Cabinet …

CAIRO: After a two-week halt at Lattakia, Syria, the Egyptian authorities have finally agreed that the aid convoy, Lifeline 5, is allowed to go into the Gaza Strip via the Egyptian border. “The Egyptian authorities have made a positive decision that we hope will be translated into [efficient] action when we arrive, [allowing for] easy …

CAIRO: Minister of State for Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils Mufid Shehab said that the ministerial group for political and legislative affairs has finished reviewing the draft decree by the prime minister to form a National Anti-Corruption Committee, in its Thursday meeting. The committee will organize public awareness campaigns and research in a bid to …

CAIRO: The Egyptian General Authority for Investment (GAFI) ordered the shutdown of four satellite channels for violating their license agreement with the Media Free Zone. Television channels Al-Khalijia, Al-Hafez, Al-Siha Wal Gamal, and Al-Nas — all owned by Al Baraheen Group — have stopped broadcasting. Osama Saleh, the head of GAFI, told state-owned newspaper Al-Akhbar …

CAIRO: With the aim of creating a website whose content is independent from funding, the creators of Islam Online launched the new website On Islam, Hisham Gaafar, the chairman of the board of trustees of MDA, a non-profit organization for media development, said. “Our main objective was to launch a website where editorial work is …

CAIRO: Popular talk show host Amr Adib said that his show will be back on the air soon, quelling concerns that Orbit’s studios were shut down for political reasons ahead of the parliamentary elections. “It is only a matter of time until I’m back on the air,” Adib told primetime TV show “48 Hours,” adding …

CAIRO: The Ministery of Family and Population will be increasing the efficiency of its automated phone hotlines as of Tuesday to accommodate rising demand for its services, minister Moshira Khattab said in a statement. This increased efficiency entails an upgrading of the hotline’s server, a process that took six hours while the server was turned …

CAIRO: Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Hani Helal supported a number of universities’ decision to ban faculty members wearing the niqab, or the full face veil, from giving lectures. “The faculty member who is wearing the niqab should sit at home or in her office communicating with her students through the telephone or …

  CAIRO: The Emergency State Security Criminal Court in Qena adjourned on Saturday the trial of the Nagaa Hammadi drive-by shooting suspects to October 17. The trial was postponed so that Bishop Kirollos, who heads the church in the area, and Colonel Abdel Hameed Al-Alaki, chief of Nagaa Hammadi police station, can give their testimonies, …

CAIRO: Opposition MP Mostafa Bakry said that he will present to the Public Funds Prosecution on Sunday 24 documents that prove Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif’s violations in the medical treatment decrees he approved for Minister of Finance Youssef Boutros Ghali. In a phone call to the TV talk show “48 Hours,” Bakry said that the …

CAIRO: In another move to further expand their outreach to the public, Egypt’s biggest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, created a social networking website, Ikhwanbook, equivalent to the popular Facebook. The aim of IkhwanBook is to “share your life with other Muslim brothers around the world,” as stated on the group’s official website, adding that …

CAIRO: The Cairo Economic Court for Urgent Cases on Tuesday turned down a lawsuit filed by the son of Hassan El-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), against the scriptwriter of “Al-Gama’a” and its producer, the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU). Seif El-Islam Hassan El-Banna had demanded a halt to airing the show, which …

CAIRO: The global community can save millions of lives by investing in the most disadvantaged children and communities, studies by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said. The studies added that such an approach would also address the widening disparities that are accompanying progress toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Even though great progress has …