CAIRO: The paid television network Showtime recently launched three new packages in response to it s assessment of the regional market. The new packages are based on the company s market research and reflect the diversity of viewer demand for certain channels. Subscribers can select the most appropriate mix of channels based on their preferences …

CAIRO: The dramatic rise in global sugar prices in recent months has been a mixed blessing for Egypt. Sugar is one of a handful of food products supported by the government under its subsidies regime and the price rise has caused a budgetary predicament, prompting the government to reconsider its approach to food subsidies. Meanwhile, …

CAIRO: The theory of comparative advantage is entrenched in modern economic dogma. Countries specialize in the few goods that they can produce more efficiently relative to other goods and procure their remaining needs from other nations. While critics of globalization may dispute the social and political implications of the idea, few will deny its material …

CAIRO: The People s Assembly gave its in-principle approval earlier this week for a draft consumer protection law. The approval is the first step toward passing the law and legislators have been debating the clauses for several days. Hesham Ragab, deputy minister for legal and legislative affairs at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, tells …

CAIRO: The stock market continued its downward trend yesterday after an apparent lull on Monday. The CASE 30 index, which tracks the top 30 stocks on the Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchanges, dropped by 2.59 percent, closing at 6,345.56 points on Tuesday. The index has been on the decline for five consecutive days of trading …

CAIRO: Natural gas is an increasingly popular source of energy. It is a cleaner alternative to oil and can be used to generate electricity more efficiently. Its transport, however, is complicated as it requires either the construction of costly pipelines or the condensation of gas into a liquid form prior to storage and shipment. The …

CAIRO: Arab countries have a reputation of cooperating better with the outside world than amongst themselves. The statistics are telling on the trade front; intra-Arab trade accounts for some 8 percent of the total international trade of the Arab world. This illustrates both the challenge and the opportunity for closer commercial ties. Enter the Arab …

CAIRO: Trading shares is an intricate process. Between the buyer and seller are at least three intermediaries: the broker, the stock exchange and the depository. Each intermediary fulfills its role through a combination of phone calls, faxes and electronic communication. The procedure as a whole is partly automated with computers and digital networks, but substantial …

CAIRO: Having recently published its voluntary guidelines for corporate governance, the Egyptian Institute of Directors (EIoD) will begin a training program for corporate board members next month in cooperation with the International Finance Corporation. The training course includes 24 modules covering methods for implementing the guidelines and leads to a certification for directors. Corporate governance …

CAIRO: A new blue-chip index for top-performing Egyptian stocks has been established by Dow Jones Indexes. The creator of the renowned Dow Jones Industrial Average unveiled its latest index yesterday. The Dow Jones CASE Titans 20 Index will track the 20 leading companies on the Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchanges (CASE) based on a common …

CAIRO: Executives of the four prominent Italian fashion houses Valentino, Marzotto, Ferragamo and Ermenegildo Zegna, visited Egypt yesterday to investigate the possibility of manufacturing their brands with local producers. A cautious Michele Norsa, Valentino s chief executive officer, described his company s plans to produce over 100,000 suits annually in Egypt at a press conference …

CAIRO: Privatization has become a bad word, a fellow journalist told me recently. No one wants to be associated with it. This reflects the popular sentiment following the sale of Egyptian American Bank and the ongoing bid for Omar Effendi. The latter, with some 6,000 workers, is said to be worth more with its assets …

CAIRO: The shortage of properly trained staff is the most common complaint of industrial businesses. Policymakers and economists also cite the mismatch in the supply and demand for skills as one of the biggest challenges to the nation s economic growth. To address this issue, parliament passed a law in 2003 creating the National Fund …

CAIRO: Committed to improving the state of the world, goes the motto of the World Economic Forum. As with most slogans, it s catchy yet vague and difficult to contend with. Nevertheless, this annual gathering of the world s most influential people in Davos, followed by a number of regional meetings, is not without its …

CAIRO: Intel signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday with four universities covering wireless technology, entrepreneurship and academic forums. The world s largest microchip manufacturer selected three public universities (Cairo, Alexandria and Ain Shams) and the American University of Cairo after evaluating a number of educational institutions in Egypt. The universities join some 150 others …

CAIRO: The government has been clear about the objective of its economic agenda: to reduce the dominance of the government in the economic process and increase the role of the private sector. This transition is not without opposition and the change may be painful to many involved. Ania Thiemann, the Economist Intelligence Unit s recently-appointed …

CAIRO: Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif announced yesterday that a long-anticipated law for special economic courts will be sent to parliament in two weeks. Speaking at the fourth annual Economist Conference, Nazif says that the law has been prepared and is being reviewed by the cabinet. The law will create separate courts for settling commercial disputes. …

CAIRO: Egypt and Turkey signed a free trade agreement last December, which follows years of negotiations resulting in a series of product lists and tariff reduction timetables. Emre Öztelli, commercial counselor at the Turkish Embassy, provides insight into the negotiation process and helps put the agreement into perspective with long-term trade developments in an interview …

CAIRO: Minister of Housing Ahmed Al-Maghraby says that the government is considering involving the private sector in water projects, following its positive experience with privately-owned power generation plants. A number of private electricity plants have been built since parliament passed a law allowing such concessions in the late 1990s. Sidi Krir Power Plant began operations …

CAIRO: There is a by-product to the nation s beef consumption. The conversion of animal skin into leather products has created a community of artisans and an industry for clothing apparel. International leather consultant Maher Abou El-Khair explains the roots of the industry in Egypt. The production of leather products initially developed through interaction with …

CAIRO: Non-dairy processed food was a LE 3 billion industry last year, with most of this production coming in the form of jams, concentrates, pickles, sugar, sauces and frozen and dried vegetables. Egypt s ample arable land, much of which is unused, provides opportunities for growth in the food sector, while global health-scares and the …

CAIRO: Hutchison Telecommunications International will seek the Israeli government s consent for Orascom Telecom to increase its stake in Partner Communications above 10 percent, according to Israeli business daily Globes. Through its acquisition of 19.3 percent of Hutchison last December, Orascom became the ultimate owner of 9.99 percent of Partner, an Israeli mobile operator with …

CAIRO: After weeks of refusing to comment on the controversy surrounding the sale of Omar Effendi, Minister of Investment Mahmoud Mohieddin finally broke his silence in a meeting with journalists. The minister was visibly disturbed by the accusations against him in the press, which included some personal attacks by journalists. He defended his role in …

CAIRO: Xceed, a call center owned by Telecom Egypt, celebrated the achievement of a performance certification from the leading authority on call center operations this week, while a company official tells The Daily Star Egypt that the government will subsidize similar certification for other call centers. The Customer Operations Performance Center (COPC) is based in …

CAIRO: Rumors of the sale of Egypt s sole tobacco producer have been rampant for months. Citing unnamed sources, Britain s Sunday Times reported last December that several multinational cigarette makers were considering a bid for the government s 53 percent stake in Eastern Tobacco. The newspaper stated that British American Tobacco, Altria Group, which …

CAIRO: Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif played down the threat of the Muslim Brotherhood to his government s economic reform agenda at a gathering of politicians, diplomats, businesspeople and civil society members on Monday evening. I don t see them as a challenge at all, says Nazif in a debate organized by Egypt s International Economic …

CAIRO: The end of the current tax season is near. Companies and their auditors are rushing to meet the deadline of Mar. 31 for finalizing their financial statements in accordance with the Companies Law. These statements will form the foundation for the tax returns that must be filed by April 30, unless an extension of …