CHICAGO: Economic growth in the United States seems to be slowing again. This might reflect temporary factors, like the Japanese tsunami, which disrupted supply chains and caused some factories to suspend operations. Also, high oil prices have taken a toll on disposable income, impeding growth in consumption demand. This has led to a build-up of …

I have a friend who dreams of all things cakey: big cakes, small cakes, wedding cakes, cake pops, cupcakes and all that falls in between. At first glance, we have nothing in common; dig a little deeper and you’ll find a common interest that runs so deep that it surpasses most friendships. My friend and …

DUBAI: Egypt saw the highest increase in the number of Facebook users during the first quarter of 2011 among the Arab countries, adding close to two million Facebook users, according to the second Arab Social Media Report (ASMR). Meanwhile, the number of Facebook users in the Arab world in general reached 27.7 million by the …

Ludacris made a surprise appearance, as did Sheryl Crow’s underwear. Lady Antebellum laid down a funky beat with Charles Kelley doing a Don Henley impression. And a sassy Wynonna Judd put Kid Rock in his place. Actress Kristin Chenoweth’s first CMT Music Awards left quite an impression Wednesday night. "This show is entertaining," Chenoweth said. …

CAIRO: Tarek El-Guindy decided to challenge himself to a difficult and physically-demanding task. The idea of combining it with a cause has proven to be the motivation he needs to follow through. El-Guindy, along with his friend Omar Abdel Fattah, made their way from Cairo to Sharm El-Sheikh on their bikes, raising money for NGO …

The MTV Movie Awards was more like "The Team Edward Show." "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson sucked up the spotlight — and some popcorn-shaped trophies — at Sunday’s shenanigan-packed ceremony. Among the goofy actor’s moments: winning three different awards, unexpectedly kissing co-star Taylor Lautner, and slipping the F-word past censors when presenting Reese Witherspoon with the …

Brunch. The word connotes a thousand different things for me: lazy weekends, friends, family, and hearts— both broken and fluttering of course. It was at Kempinski’s new brunch on Friday morning that I took a girlfriend, Friend X, to Floor 10, the hotel’s sexy upscale dining outlet that serves as a very romantic spot for …

An array of sometimes disconcerting sights and sounds went on public display on the shores of the Venice lagoon for the Biennale contemporary art festival. From a picture of Jesus in his underwear to a human skull decorated with pearls, the images at the festival provoke, bemuse or titillate. "This is completely amazing!" exclaimed Edouard …

Steve White, editor of the upcoming "Family Guy" comic book, is keenly aware of the franchise’s history of drawing laughs and making viewers cringe. That’s why he says the new series, published by Titan Comics and debuting July 27 in comic book shops and on newsstands, will not only uphold the TV tradition of the …

CAIRO: Egyptian snack food giant Chipsy signed an official partnership on Thursday with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to participate in its “Food for Education” initiative, aimed at promoting youth education and nutrition in Upper Egypt. According to the company’s General Manager Tarek Mansour, Chipsy will contribute LE 1 million that will enable …

Canadian country pop diva Shania Twain has been honored with a star on Hollywood’s storied Walk of Fame, and voiced surprise that she had come so far. "I mean, why is a girl from Timmins, Ontario, standing here, getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?" the Grammy-winner asked. "I really don’t know… it’s …

Jim James is on a spiritual quest of sorts, and you’re invited to listen in. The My Morning Jacket frontman sat in the prayer room of a church in a quiet neighborhood of his hometown last month, talking about old records, religion, philosophy and his perpetual yearning for understanding. These things color the Kentucky quintet’s …

Kuala Lumpur is one big shopping mall. Catering to everyone and simultaneously shielding them from eternal thunderstorms, the many malls here fluctuate between the exorbitantly priced to the street peddler styled. Fast food chains, fine dining restaurants, cafes, bakeries, belly dancers, designer stores, hairdressers, roller coasters, arcades, Chinese crystal stores and many, many doughnuts litter …

CAIRO: Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and Nobel laureate Ahmed Zewail announced on Wednesday the launch of the Zewail City of Science and Technology, a project rejected by the former regime. “This project…or dream has started coming true yesterday,” said Sharaf. “It’s an[initiative] for scientific research as countries do not move forward except with scientific research.” …

CAIRO: El Gouna Beach resort, located in Egypt’s Red Sea governorate, has been officially recognized as the country’s “most environmentally friendly holiday destination,” the company announced in a statement. Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism recently announced the resort is expected to be “one of the world’s top green destinations by the end of 2011.” The Gouna …

CAIRO: The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation’s (APICORP) extraordinary general assembly met in Cairo on Sunday and decided to increase the multilateral bank’s subscribed capital by 173 percent, from $550 million to $ 1,500 million. Founded 35 years ago, APICORP, in which the government of Egypt has a 3 percent stake, is owned by the 10 …

Over the years, one of the last things you’d see on the youth-obsessed MTV was a parent. Now moms and dads aren’t unusual sights, even on the twin totems to wild behavior and its consequences — "Jersey Shore" and "Teen Mom" — that are key to the network’s latest resurgence. Many young viewers targeted by …

Facebook and Spotify are collaborating on a streaming music service at the world’s largest online social network, according to a report by business magazine Forbes. A Facebook spokesman told AFP that it had no news to announce on that front, but pointed out co-founder Mark Zuckerberg commenting at a G8 summit that the California company …

Colombian pop singer Shakira said she would one day like to sing pop songs, if not an entire album, in Arabic. The native Spanish speaker, who also has global hits in English, was speaking this week at a news conference in Morocco, where she was headlining the Mawazine World Rhythms music festival. "It would be …

It’s still a little depressing to know that people are not book hoarders, nor do they wistfully sigh at the sight of a random bookstore, dusty or new, located anywhere. Untidy shelves do not repel me and the smell of old paper will only draw me inside. In Malaysian bookstores, I often venture into the …

WASHINGTON: Warnings on cigarette packets about the dangers of tobacco push smokers to kick the habit, and graphic images depicting human suffering are the most effective, a study released Thursday shows. Nearly all adult smokers in countries where a World Health Organization (WHO) convention requires health warnings on tobacco products noticed the warnings, and more …

Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey bade farewell to her trailblazing television program Wednesday, ending 25 years of intimate star confessions by telling loyal fans they had been the love of her life. In a program taped a day earlier at Oprah’s Harpo Studios in Chicago, Winfrey took to the stage and, in what has become …

The first thing opera buff Marcelo Perez did when he retired eight years ago was take a bus to the US border and then a train to New York, where he realized a lifelong dream by catching a performance at the Metropolitan Opera. From a nosebleed seat at the Met, the 76-year-old former office assistant …

Here comes the jet lag and holding its hand that is the flavor of the week: lethargy — that which follows a long flight and a vacation to Cairo. I’ll have to admit that I haven’t yet turned lethargic for it was only last night that I fired up the rotisserie grill and made two …

CAIRO: Studying hard and cleaning the streets are the two key roles children identified for themselves in the upcoming period to develop Egypt, according to the first survey conducted to reflect children’s views after the January 25 Revolution. The poll, conducted by of Edrak for Edutainment Projects Development Co. and that surveyed 1,105 students aged …

The Cannes festival Thursday declared Lars von Trier "persona non grata" after the Danish director said he sympathized "a little bit" with Adolf Hitler, but kept his film in competition. Von Trier, a frequent provocateur, already apologized on Wednesday after telling a press conference following a screening of his apocalyptic new picture "Melancholia" that he …

Once upon a time, I sat on the warm floor of a kitchen. I cannot quite recall why I was sitting on the floor or how long for, but I do remember the four hands moving around the kitchen manning the stove, the fridge and the rolling pin. A pair of dark-skinned wrinkled fingers would …

His name has been more synonymous in recent years with volatility and vitriol than Hollywood glitz and glamour. He’s been one of the most powerful people in this town, but a series of rants and scandals has prompted some of the industry’s top players to say they won’t work with him. And yet Mel Gibson …

It can be fun to be an omnivore. Consuming animal products frequently makes us feel capable, powerful and on occasion, privileged. Besides, there’s no need to worry about one more thing in life like eating animals, is there? But what if devouring animals voraciously is becoming more and more of a global concern? What if …

CAIRO: Singapore National Committee for UN Women (UN Women Singapore) and MasterCard are joining hands to launch Project Inspire: 5 Minutes to Change the World. This year-long digital and social media driven initiative aims to connect and inspire young people in Egypt and across the world to share their life-changing ideas and fulfill their visions …