PARIS: European scientists say they have successfully tested in animals a vaccine for hepatitis C, a contagious and debilitating virus that can cause liver failure and cancer. Currently, there is no human vaccine for hepatitis C (HCV), which is spread through contaminated blood and kills some 350,000 people worldwide each year, according to the World …

Spider-Man peeled his webbed mask back Wednesday to reveal a new face — and it’s black. In a revolution for one of the most enduring characters in comic books, Marvel Comics introduced a revamped Spider-Man whose alter-ego is a mild-mannered half-black, half-Latino teen from New York. The new Spidey is called Miles Morales and he …

We are undoubtedly a beach culture come the summer months, and it’s interesting to now see cheap goods made in China replaced with locally-produced goods in some stores. Think of it as an act of patriotism when stocking up on beach accessories this season: the choices are plenty and beautiful. Handbag brand Nuniz by designer …

Cupcakes, I have come to discover, are not just for little girls and boys; they’re for grown women and men too…sometimes, even more so for men. Yes, another cupcake store has opened up in Cairo to feed the ever-growing hunger for the mini delights, but this food writer is glad, and perhaps even encouraging other …

  WASHINGTON: Scientists reported Wednesday a super-strain of salmonella resistant to antibiotics, notably ciprofloxacin, which is commonly used to treat infections caused by the bacteria.   The researchers called on national and international health authorities to take measures against the superbug "before it spreads globally," as did another variant in the 1990s. Over the last …

CAIRO: Cairo, the strife-torn capital of Egypt, was named “the world’s most 24-hour city” by a global study of the planet’s most round-the-clock metropolises. The first global ranking of the world’s “most 24-hour” – as in “most nocturnal” – cities, is based on analysing 120 million online chats and flirts made over two months on …

Ex-Soviet Georgia may not appear the most glamorous destination, but officials hope that pop stars like Sting, Enrique Iglesias and Macy Gray can add showbiz chic to their bid to attract tourists. Although critics have mocked efforts to use a series of major pop concerts to promote the small Caucasus republic’s image, officials believe that …

Journalists, NGO workers and adventurers setting out to work and travel in the region’s newly minted conflict zones can add a new weapon to their arsenal of survival gear: “How to Avoid Being Killed in a War Zone,” a survival guide for conflict zones by journalist and Al Jazeera English producer Rosie Garthwaite. Packed with …

It is one thing to love or hate a dress you see in a shop window or in an awards show, and quite another to sit and analyze the work of a fashion designer as one would a painting or a sculpture. Though it is nonnegotiable that fashion has become an art form, it’s difficult …

RIYADH: The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan will begin on Monday in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates, it was officially announced in all six countries. Saudi state television Al-Ekhbariya said Ramadan will begin on Monday in the kingdom, home to Islam’s holiest shrines, Mecca and Medina, because the sighting …

Long-suffering Indonesian movie fans flocked to cinemas Friday to see Harry Potter’s last stand, following the lifting of a boycott of the country by US studios over a tax dispute. Three weeks after "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" debuted in London on July 7, the concluding chapter of the wildly popular series …

By Nekesa Mumbi Moody/ AP Most entertainers prepare for a concert tour with rehearsals. For Amy Winehouse, it was rehab. Just before her disastrous European tour last month, the infamously addicted singer entered a rehabilitation center on doctor’s orders, ostensibly to ensure that she would be ready to perform. She left a week later, with her …

It is still widely agreed upon that ladies should be wed, alongside a package consisting of a baby with rattles and such, to be delivered to their homes shortly after sealing their union with the man of choice. No longer de rigueur to learn how to cook a stunning but labor-intensive meal or fold a …

CAIRO: While social media has been given much credit for accelerating Egypt’s revolutionary fire, it has found another use in attracting attention to humanitarian causes in Egypt. Known as the Tweetback initiative, it is Egypt’s first social media driven humanitarian fundraising project “to support popular endeavors that aim to effect real change in the lives …

KHARTOUM: Sudan began circulating a new currency on Sunday, days after the newly independent south issued its own new money, in a move likely to heighten differences over handling the economic fallout from the split. South Sudan, which became Africa’s newest nation on July 9, began circulating its new pound on Monday, pegging it one-to-one …

CAIRO: In honor of the Holy Month of Ramadan, which falls on the first of August this year, Yahoo launched a Ramadan site as part of Yahoo! Maktoob. The new site gives users the option to access spiritual lifestyle and entertainment content and accurate prayer and iftar times for those fasting based on city and …

By Hanan Solayman CAIRO: A month-long campaign by the Cairo Cleaning and Beautification Agency (CCBA) in Heliopolis resulted in cutting dozens of trees depriving pedestrians of the cooling shade. However, local officials say that the slaughter is only to protect the Ficus trees that make up the majority of trees in Heliopolis. “It’s a remedy. These …

By Heba Elkayal The latest accessory trend to hit Cairo is the new watch brand WeWood. Officially launched in Amuse, the Zamalek-based concept store that has become a beacon for a lot of trendy happenings this year, the watches are growing into a surprising success with audience and customers alike. Designed and made in Florence, WeWood …

By Deea Ariana An hour’s drive away from the Jordanian capital, Amman, exclusive resorts line the Dead Sea coast.But the finest, and priciest, of them is the Mövenpick Resort and Spa Dead Sea, dubbed an “oasis of tranquillity” and one of the top ten best resorts in the Middle East according to Condé Nast Traveler Magazine. …

CAIRO: Students of the American University in Cairo are setting forth the practice of revolution as they take Egypt’s notions of housing to entirely new levels of innovation. AUC students, who form the bulk of the Sustainable Livable Interactive Design (SLIDES) team, have been working on developing a fully self-sustaining, solar-powered house with which they …

When Zooey Deschanel was a little girl, she listened to children’s music by Harry Nilsson, Carole King and others — and those songs remain on her playlist today. So when the actress and She & Him singer was tapped to write the closing song for the new "Winnie the Pooh" movie, she sought to set …

It took the hacking of a murdered girl’s phone to make the News of the World scandal explode, but British celebrities have wasted no time in using the row to press their own agenda against the tabloids. Actor Hugh Grant has led the charge by becoming an investigative reporter himself for a day — one …

"Mad Men," the sharply observed drama of a changing 1960s America, captured 19 Emmy nominations Thursday to lead the series pack, with the melodramatic miniseries "Mildred Pierce" starring Kate Winslet grabbing a top 21 bids. "Mad Men" has a chance to repeat for a fourth consecutive year as best drama. "Modern Family," last year’s top …

A dish that puzzles me to no end is potato salad. I’ve spent many moments questioning why people insist on calling it just that, “potato salad” despite their variations of it being so far apart. In my mind, a few things were certain. Potato salad is generally eaten in the summer. You’ll never know what …

Menacing alien machines descend on Earth, and amid all-out war, a soldier searches a building to find a frightened boy hiding in a vent. "It’s OK," says the soldier. "Everyone’s dying," the boy replies. The soldier must choose: Help the boy or tell him to flee. Though it is full of dramatic tension and realistic …

Whether you’re a die-hard fan or totally new to the world of speech bubbles, Division Publishing’s (DP) recent launch of comic book publication “Autostrade” is certain to catch your eye. The comic anthology is a collection of literary and artistic works gathered and edited by the DP team. This first run of “Autostrade” compiles a …

CAIRO: This week, Coca-Cola in Egypt and CARE Egypt celebrated the completion of more than 650 water connections in Beni Suef out of a total 1,500 water connections. After almost one year of setting up the infrastructure that will connect families to clean water, today, the residents of Beni Suef are able to enjoy clean …

Zimbabwean music superstar Oliver Mtukudzi’s lyrics have delved into child abuse and homeless youngsters living on the streets. Now he’s been chosen to serve as a goodwill ambassador for the UN children’s agency. Mtukudzi says he’ll do all he can to protect the vulnerable and help promote HIV prevention. "My passion for music comes from …

The bad boy of Hogwarts clearly is good at his job. In person, Tom Felton is as amiable as they come, yet he spent his youth believably playing a creep and bully as Draco Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” films. Just weeks after the franchise finale, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” Felton …