275 Articles
CAIRO: Helmy Zein El Dein, deputy housing minister, is under investigation for squandering public funds, facilitating their appropriation and profiting from his post. Zein El Dein, who acts as the housing minister s deputy for external funding and presides over the Cooperative Union for Central Housing, faces a total of eight charges that fall under …
CAIRO: A plotline following the entangled lives of two or more couples seems to be the in story for any Egyptian romance, comedy or drama. Kalam Fel Hob (Talk about Love) is no different, except for the entangled part; the film lacks the required depth to make the term entangled applicable. Following two waitresses, played …
CAIRO: Setting effective measures to reduce road accidents, activating regulations to protect the national asset of ecotourism, establishing training centers and programs and creating nationwide awareness campaigns are only a few highlights of the plan already put into action by the Egyptian Tourism Federation (ETF) to improve the overall experience of tourists in Egypt. These …
CAIRO: Although flu-like symptoms, nausea, stomachache, skin rash and yellow eyes and skin are all signs of a hepatitis B infection, experiencing them can actually be good news. These symptoms usually indicate that a patient has a short-term liver infection and within about six months the immune system will clear the body of the virus. …
CAIRO: In a brief visit to Egypt last week, U.S. Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, Robert Joseph further rallied Egypt s support for American efforts to end Iran s nuclear program. Egypt s announcement that it won’t accept another nuclear power in the region is not the first along the same lines. …
CAIRO: Since the week was void of any news guaranteed to make the front pages of local newspapers, editorials focused on the various aspects of corruption, the ongoing struggle of journalists against imprisonment for publishing crimes, and further analyzed the connotations of President Hosni Mubarak s interview with Al-Arabia TV earlier this week. While the …
CAIRO: Tamer Ezzat suddenly realized that most of his family and friends have immigrated or are thinking about leaving the country. An uncle in New Zealand; a cousin in the United States and another in Canada are but a few examples. Stepping out and looking at the bigger picture, he realized his case is not …
CAIRO: Every now and then news comes along that a government outside the Middle East decides to ban the hijab (Islamic veil) in some form or another. Protesting such decisions on the streets in Middle Eastern cities has become a regular reaction to such news. Gradually, the anger over the hijab ban has grown to …
CAIRO: As updates of the Al-Wafd party’s violent internal conflict continue to take prominent spots in local newspapers, related conspiracy theories were the topics for editorial discussion. The news regarding the judges club and their canceled meeting with Human Rights Watch, reports on the national debt and President Hosni Mubarak’s visit to Khartoum also received …
CAIRO: Sheikh Fawzy El Zefzaf, former head of Al Azhar s Religions Dialogue Committee, denied circulating reports that he signed an accord that would grant missionary groups the freedom to work in Egypt. The news has been interpreted as indirectly allowing Muslims to convert to other religions. In a brief interview with The Daily Star …
SALUM: Fascinated by the fact that it would turn dark at noon, driving more than 700 kilometers to Salum and back in one day gradually began to seem doable, or at least not as crazy as it had sounded when the idea was first suggested. Initial traveling plans that fell apart two days before the …
CAIRO: During the past week, the Arab summit in Khartoum, coverage of political and economic events and announcements as well as the solar eclipse dominated front pages. The Arab summit in Khartoum took up most of the space on almost all local front pages on Wednesday. The coverage, however, varied according to each newspapers affiliation. …
CAIRO: Studying for a bachelor s degree doesn t have to take four years and receiving quality international-level higher education shouldn t be limited to the rich. This is what is being said by the people bringing the Institute of Technology Australia (IOTA) to Egypt say. I see in Egypt a feeling that you need …
CAIRO: Religious scholars are clear in their views on conversion and in fact, Egyptian laws don t penalize the process. Instead, administrative regulations are usually what stand in the way of conversion, mainly those who choose to leave Islam. In a predominantly Muslim community, the idea of converting to Islam doesn t sound repulsive to …
CAIRO: Many of today’s career-minded individuals are hampered by personal problems, such as worry over their job, relationships and life choices. Most likely, they are experiencing a problem in another aspect of life that is indirectly affecting either their career or relationship. A life coach can help you in locating the original problem. By asking …
CAIRO: With bird flu making continuous headlines due to the four cases detected in humans, one being fatal, talks concerned with “government-protected corruption and Prince Charles’ visit to the country has added some diversity to the headlines. On Thursday morning, both national and independent newspapers confirmed that four people have been diagnosed with the deadly …
CAIRO: When Gilbert Kaplan first heard Gustav Mahler’s second symphony “Resurrection he fell in love with the music. “It wrapped its arms around me, he says. This captivation turned into “a love affair, to which he remains faithful to this day. “I thought the best way to try and understand [the feeling of connection to …
CAIRO: Holding banners high, chanting slogans protesting local or regional matters and getting attacked on the street is a lifestyle that many Egyptians now gladly adopt. Throughout the past six years, demonstrations have made their way back onto the Egyptian streets. Gradually, it has become customary to organize a march, a sit-in or a demonstration …
CAIRO: For the children involved, winning a case proving parenthood means the difference between having a birth certificate or going without one. Without a man’s name to fill the blank space under “father on a child’s birth certificate, the certificate cannot be issued. Thus the 14,000 parenthood proving cases waiting for the court’s decision aren’t …
CAIRO: In 2005, Egyptian courts witnessed 14,000 parenthood proving cases. The women who filed these lawsuits were trying to prove their marriage (whether orfi, unregistered, or otherwise) to the men they claim are the fathers of their children. The only way to register the baby under the name of the man in question is by …
CAIRO: The stock market’s drastic decline and the parliament’s increasingly heated debates made headlines throughout the week. “Black Tuesday was Al-Masry Al-Youm’s description of the dive the Egyptian stock market took on March 14. National newspapers, however, were quick to report the market’s revival in the most prominent spots of their front pages on Thursday, …
CAIRO: Less than 24 hours before its scheduled start, the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights’ (ECWR) celebration of the Egyptian Women’s Day was canceled. As the celebration was planned to take place on the stage of Al Agouza’s schools’ Student Union, the ministry of education called off the event. According to ECWR, the ministry’s officials …
CAIRO: There is plenty of evidence that women are underrepresented in Arab societies, stated the speakers at a conference organized by The Egyptian Society for Equality and Anti-Discrimination (ESEAD). Besides the low figures indicating women’s participation in Egypt with only 5.9 percent of the parliament’s and Shura Council’s seats being occupied by women in 2005, …
CAIRO: “Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me, will always be remembered as one of the classic lines of American cinema. But the words that shot Dustin Hoffman to stardom in The Graduate turn into the nightmare of Jennifer Aniston’s character (Sarah) in Rumor Has It… As the film title suggests, rumor has it that …
CAIRO: Talk of corruption has marred the privatization of the Omar Effendi department store chain, while the new imprisonment sentence given to a reporter, combined with the closing down of the Muslim Brotherhood’s newspaper, have spurred concerns over the future of journalistic freedom. Newspapers were also concerned with updates on the financial compensation to poultry …
CAIRO: Initiating activities aimed at engaging students in community service, fostering their efforts toward lifelong commitment and promoting philanthropy in the region are the main objectives of the newly inaugurated John D. Gerhart Center for Philanthropy and Civic Engagement. The center commemorates Gerhart’s legacy, the ninth president of the American University in Cairo (AUC). Gerhart, …
CAIRO: Amr Khaled’s efforts to organize venues for dialogue between Muslims and Danes have put him under attack, not from Western critics, but from local religious leaders, who say Khaled’s initiative undermines their own efforts, implying the young preacher has a hidden political agenda. Last weekend, Cairo demonstrators protested Khaled’s move. Other demonstrations throughout the …
CAIRO: In one of her news reports, CNN’s Hala Gorani learned to stuff pigeons. As it took 14 takes to get the right shot, Gorani eventually got “pretty good at it. Another time, she learned all about Aleppoan food, the best culinary offerings of her hometown. It’s not just cooking though; “Inside the Middle East, …
CAIRO: It’s customary to go out for lunch or dinner; those favoring late night meals also have their preferred locales. The breakfast market, meanwhile, has long been cornered by the numerous fuul and taamiya outlets available on almost every street in the city. That, however, seems to no longer be the case, as many restaurants …
CAIRO: The economic repercussions of bird flu still dominate the news. President Hosni Mubarak’s visit to the Arabian Gulf and Libya has also received a considerable share of coverage, especially since some of the president’s announcements during the tour struck many chords at home. While Al-Masry Al-Youm reported on Tuesday that the ban on selling …