Khan El-Khalili certainly isn’t the quietest area in Cairo. Between hoards of inappropriately attired tourists, packs of vendors endlessly skilled in the art of creative heckling, and the horrendous parking situation, a visit to Khan El-Khalili is a lively, crowded experience in the heart of the capital. Those who love Khan El-Khalili and return to …

Mammograms have only a "modest" impact on reducing breast cancer deaths, according to a study published Thursday that added to a growing debate on the effectiveness of the routine screening. The research in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a Norwegian screening program resulted in a 10 percent reduction in breast cancer mortality …

At the Four Seasons Nile Plaza, it was all about Mexico this week. In light of the country’s 200th year of independence, Four Seasons Punta Minta flew over some of its chefs to create a weeklong Mexican dining experience for local guests, and an eight piece mariachi band to boot. Running up until the evening …

Menswear details, including blazers, vests and button-downs, have been invading women’s fashion trends for a while. Now comes the most obvious of all for fall: pants. Dresses had been dominant for several seasons — there is appeal in an effortless uniform, after all — but pants are powerful, utilitarian and versatile, and that seems to …

"Kicking like a girl" is a real phenomenon and may explain why females are more likely to suffer knee injuries in sports such as football, US researchers said Wednesday. The researchers found significant differences in knee alignment and muscle activation between men and women while kicking a ball. The study appearing in the Journal of …

Contrary to international guidelines, sugar given to newborn babies does not ease pain, according to a study published on Thursday by The Lancet. In 2001, doctors published recommendations, based on a series of trials, that oral sucrose be administered to newborns to help relieve pain from invasive procedures. But a new look suggests that sucrose …

WASHINGTON, DC: Opposition to plans to build a mosque near “Ground Zero,” the spot where the World Trade Center’s twin towers fell on September 11, 2001, comes in various shades. To their credit, many of the project’s opponents have avoided the crass bigotry that is becoming a standard trait of right-wing discourse in the United …

BARCELONA: Barcelona won the race to sign Javier Mascherano from Liverpool, announcing on its website Friday that Argentine midfielder had agreed a four-year contract. The transfer fee for Mascherano, who must first pass the obligatory medical test, was undisclosed. Reports had said Liverpool demanded a fee of around 25 million pounds (€30.5 million; $38.8 million). …

Maya Sabti’s children were born and raised in Lebanon but they speak only broken Arabic and cringe when presented with an Arabic book to read. "I try to get them interested, but I don’t blame them that they’re not," said Sabti, whose children are 8 and 10. "Mobile phones, Facebook, movies — all that’s important …

An upcoming video game starring Michael Jackson is set to be "Bad." Video game publisher Ubisoft announced Wednesday its dancing-and-singing "Michael Jackson The Experience" game will feature such Jackson hits as "Bad," ”Beat It" and "Billie Jean." The title is scheduled to be released later this year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii, …

Have you heard your doctor speaking of statins, cholesterol reducing drugs, as if they were a universal panacea and a harmless substance? For several years now statins have been prescribed pervasively by doctors, to anyone having high cholesterol, without any careful attention to important individual physiological differences. Your doctor may have even been surprised, uncomfortable, …

Elvis Presley is in play. CKx Inc., owner of the "American Idol" television program and 85 percent of Elvis Presley Enterprises, is mulling at least two offers to buy the company. At the same time, thousands of Elvis fans have descended on Memphis for Elvis Week, the annual commemoration of the American music icon’s life …

BEIRUT: For fans of Sex and the City – a television series and movie centered on the lives of four single women living in New York City – the summer movie sequel "Sex and The City 2" promised fashion, fun, friendships and more. Viewers who watched it when it premiered on July 15 in Lebanon …

In Bali, they’re seeking guidance from a spiritual healer. In Rome, they’re lapping up gelato. And in India, they’re visiting temples. Fans of Elizabeth Gilbert’s best-selling memoir "Eat, Pray, Love," have been following in her footsteps ever since it was first published in 2006. The book describes a year Gilbert spent living in Italy, India …

Ask any golfer. Rory McIlroy is the hottest sensation in professional golf since Tiger Woods came on the scene more than a decade ago. He currently ranks seventh in the world golf rankings, his best rating ever. An Irishman from near Belfast, he began playing at a young age and was quickly recognized as a …

BEIRUT: Net profits at Lebanon’s Bank Audi rose 21.4 pct to $161.4 million in the first half of the year, the company said on Wednesday, boosted by positive economic conditions in the countries where it operates, including Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Jordan. The bank’s 2009 H1 net profit was $132.9 million. Its deposits rose by …

David Yurman lacks a certain polish, and that is his charm. As one of the world’s few household-name jewelers, Yurman could have his feet up on the desk, wear the finest suit and flashiest gems, or be too slick to say anything juicy in an interview. But on this day, at least, that is not …

Amid all the doom, gloom and insufferable direness that defined last summer’s film crop, Ahmed Mekki, Egyptian cinema’s hottest young comedy star, emerged almost out of nowhere to deliver a knockout with “Teer Enta” (Fly Now): the funniest, zaniest comedy of 2009. An original take on Stanley Donen’s 1967 comedy classic “Bedazzled,” “Teer Enta” was …

  Billy Collins, one of the country’s most popular poets, had never seen his work in e-book form until he recently downloaded his latest collection on his Kindle.   He was unpleasantly surprised. "I found that even in a very small font that if the original line is beyond a certain length, they will take …

When Kamala opened in the Conrad last May, like many restaurants in Cairo, it claimed to serve “authentic” Asian fare. Such a conviction was forcing me to be quite dubious. Having tried my fair share of supposedly “authentic Asian cuisine” in the city, I’ve accepted one principle when dining: rarely does Asian food measure up …

Even amongst the world’s most inventive runways, recycled garments remain rare. In a pioneering venture in Egypt, Darb1718 invited 16 young designers to take part in a two-month workshop administered by Spanish artist and Cairo resident Ana Maria Seco. What was spurred by an eco-friendly outlook resulted in eight collections of designs weaved from a …

It was supposed to be the biggest, most important evening of his life. Last November’s premiere of the highly touted Egyptian film “Heliopolis” was anything but ordinary. The chaos, scuffles and flying insults couldn’t obscure the fact that the star-studded indie was the most attended film of last year’s ill-fated Cairo International Film Festival. For …

T-shirts and hoodies declare Terrorism has no religion. A head-covering tunic bears the message: Hijab. My right. My choice. My life. A German fashion label is out to tell the world that Islam isn t just compatible with Western values of tolerance and free expression – it can be hip, too. The project was born …

A retro space age mood permeated Paris ready-to-wear shows on Thursday, as Balenciaga and emerging Indian madcap Manish Arora sent out looks perfect for a stewardess on an intergalactic fight. Balenciaga s Nicolas Ghesquiere, who dusted off the storied Paris label and turned it into one of fashion s hottest properties, continued to push the …

Marchesa is a glamorous, movie-star fashion house: Its specialty is the show-stopping red carpet dresses you re likely to see on Kate Hudson, Sienna Miller or Annie, known to the rest of us as Anne Hathaway. The gowns seem a perfect complement to the label s co-founders, Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, two Brits-turned-New Yorkers …

Looking for love? Try leaning in for a … cheek swab. A couple of genetic testing companies are promising to match couples based on the DNA testing, touting the benefits of biological compatibility. The companies claim that a better biological match will mean better sex, less cheating, longer-lasting love and perhaps even healthier children. “How …

Desert or sea? Both. Car or plane? Car. Hotel reservation? No, tents. Destination? Marsa Alam. Planning my holidays has always been spontaneous. Within Egypt, I consider myself well-traveled. Over the years, along with a few friends, I have developed a penchant for everything that is unconventional, rugged and unmarred by commercialization. Recently, five of us …

This has been a challenging year for fashion. New trends have formed as designers and fashion conscious shoppers take a new approach to dressing. People are dressing in bolder and brighter pieces in defiance of the gloom of the global recession. Many designers have taken into consideration that the days of dressing extravagantly are now …