LONDON: Disappointed the new "Harry Potter" film won’t be in 3-D? Its star, Daniel Radcliffe, feels the opposite. Radcliffe said he is delighted that the filmmakers and distributor Warner Bros. scrapped plans to convert "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" to 3-D. He also hopes they abandon their 3-D plans for "Part 2," …

HOPEWELL: Researcher Matt Balazik wears his passion for saving the Atlantic sturgeon on his right arm — a tattoo of the ancient fish — and lives it by counting the bottom-feeding giants in the James River. The 30-year-old doctoral student is part sturgeon wrangler, part census taker as he patrols the river in a small …

Pop provocateur Lady Gaga may be only 24 but she has already won a string of awards and can now add another feather to her many hats: a university course in her name. "Lady Gaga and the sociology of fame" is one of the latest courses to be added to the curriculum at the University …

The Beatles finally arrived on iTunes on Tuesday after what Apple’s Steve Jobs described as "a long and winding road." "The Beatles. Now on iTunes," Apple.com announced in large black letters above a full screen picture of the "Fab Four" — Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr — from their heyday in …

Former President George W. Bush has written a blockbuster. Bush’s "Decision Points" sold 775,000 copies through its first week of release, Crown Publishers, an imprint of Random House Inc., announced Tuesday. An initial print run of 1.5 million copies has been increased to 1.85 million. E-book sales alone have topped 100,000. "We expect his book …

MECCA: Sitting in the marble lobby of a luxury hotel in Mecca, Moroccan bank director Mohammad Hamdosh gets a breather from the cacophony of pilgrims bustling around the Grand Mosque in Islam’s holiest city. Millions have flocked to the city in Saudi Arabia for the annual haj pilgrimage, a duty for every able-bodied Muslim who …

By David Germain and Hilary Fox / AP The minister of magic proclaims that dark times have arisen in the opening moments of the new “Harry Potter” film — and the turmoil that follows lives up to that billing. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” chronicles the chaos that engulfs the wizardry world as …

CASABLANCA: French bank Societe Generale is interested in acquisition opportunities in Egypt but will keep its growth strategy organic in other areas where it is already present, said its international retail head. Bernardo Sanchez Incera, deputy Chief Executive for international retail banking, also said he expects Russian operations to resume profitability next year. "We have …

The dusty road to Marrakech had just started to straighten out after hours of tight curves along jagged mountains. We sped up when we spotted two policemen standing in the middle of the road by a small car. They waved us over. We had been warned about this: Drivers being asked to pay bribes to …

Two hours before going into labor with her first daughter, then-24-year-old Heidi Murkoff delivered the proposal for the book “What To Expect When You’re Expecting”. Little did she know that while watching her daughter Emma grows, she’ll also see the book climb up bestseller lists around the world.   “It’s the ultimate guide to pregnancy …

The hourglass shape embraced on "Mad Men" is being celebrated by the retro-TV-show-obsessed fashion world as a refreshing trend after a wave of pin-thin runway looks. Yet perfect curves don’t quite come naturally, either. Enter "underpinnings," says the show’s costume designer Janie Bryant. Her wardrobe closet has long-line bras, girdles, stockings and slips — and …

Always on the lookout for unique culinary offerings on the Cairo dining scene, we were a bit taken aback to find what we hear is possibly Egypt’s sole server of authentic Brazilian cuisine. With visions of sizzling Brazilian barbecue, feasts of cassava, yams and peanuts, chourico sausage and rich salgadinhos cheese bread; we approached the …

Thanks to its well-nourished soil from the Nile, Egypt enjoys a plethora of locally grown produce. The benefits of eating locally grown food are no secret: the fresher your produce; the higher the nutritional value and the better the food tastes. Eating fruits and vegetables grown close to home also supports the local economy and …

We first got a sneak preview of the authentic Syrian cuisine of Amar El-Sham during Ramadan, when the restaurant set up a kitchen and lounge inside the Gezira Club in Zamalek. Smitten as we were with their rich daoud basha (meat balls), delicious thin shami bread, falafel and shawerma; you can imagine our anticipation when …

By Jake Coyle/ AP Tyler Perry, whose name usually adorns the titles to his films, has not disowned his latest, the simply dubbed “For Colored Girls.” On the contrary, his gesture of seeming humility is a self-conscious stab at respectability. With his 10th film, Perry has tried to make a “serious” film, one that courts critical …

Angelina Jolie says her six-year-old son Pax is a better cook than she is. The actress opens up about her home life, including Pax’s culinary skills, in the December issue of Vogue magazine. In the article, readers get a glimpse inside the Jolie-Pitt household with its six kids, bulldog named Jacques and nannies who speak …

Hollywood and Bollywood have come together to create a Los Angeles-India Film Council to attract more Indian moviemakers to LA — part of an ongoing effort to spice up relations between the world’s largest film markets. The new cooperation agreement aims to make it easier for Bollywood producers to film in LA, by facilitating permits, …

OTTAWA: The Canadian Arctic’s first mosque opened on Wednesday in Inuvik to serve as spiritual home to the area’s fledgling Islamic community, a mosque committee member said by telephone from Inuvik. The mosque arrived in the small northern town last month after traveling 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) over land and water. Several journalists, including Arab …

WASHINGTON: Stem cell injections boosted the leg muscles of mice and warded off the typical loss of muscle mass that comes with aging, a study published Wednesday showed. The discovery could be useful in treating humans with degenerative diseases such as muscular dystrophy, as well as help everyday people prevent at least some of the …

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow learned to play guitar and immersed herself in country music to pull off her latest role. At the world premiere of "Country Strong" on Monday night in Nashville, Tennessee, Paltrow said it was important to get her character right. "I think any time you do any role you want to be as …

Taylor Swift was named country songwriter of the year at the BMI Awards on Tuesday night, becoming the youngest person to win the award at age 20. The pop sensation also won country song of the year with co-writer Liz Rose for "You Belong To Me." She’s the first songwriter to win that award three …

The first single from a posthumous Michael Jackson album was released online Monday — but was immediately clouded by questions over whether it was really the late star’s voice. Record label Epic Records was forced to issue a statement saying it was confident the album including the single, "Breaking News" was indeed Jackson singing, after …

SPACE: NASA Earth Observatory released this image on Nov. 8, 2010 showing in this view of Egypt, a population almost completely concentrated along the Nile Valley, just a small percentage of the country’s land area. The Nile River and its delta look like a brilliant, long-stemmed flower in this astronaut photograph of the southeastern Mediterranean …

CAIRO: The Lotus Scholarship Program (LSP), funded by USAID, granted 44 Egyptian students the opportunity to study in private Egyptian universities to pursue bachelor’s degrees in fields of study that are important to Egypt’s current and future development. “The LSP is an example of what leading change in Egypt really means. It is the start …

A new album by Michael Jackson is to be released next month, including never-before-heard songs by the self-styled King of Pop before his death last year, his record company said Friday. "Michael" has been produced by the late star’s estate in collaboration with Epic Records, which will put a teaser clip on his website this …

Americans cleaned up at the MTV Europe Awards in Madrid on Sunday, as Lady Gaga picked up three top prizes and awards crowned Katy Perry, Canadian teen idol Justin Bieber and half a dozen US outfits. The US diva Lady Gaga received her trophies, for female artist of the year, best pop act and best …

Once reigning supreme as the ultimate Nuweiba destination, Basata is no longer the only camp today with a mass following. Just five minutes further down the Taba-Nuweiba Road (and around 25 minutes south of the Taba checkpoint), Ananda is a more relaxed camp (read: less rules and fees) with an easy-going manager, chilled atmosphere and …

A long-time Maadi favorite, this cozy crêperie is a fine example of the world-class international cuisine on offer in this diverse Cairo neighborhood. While it may not look like much from the outside, Crêperie Des Arts manages to capture the essence of rustic French dining in both atmosphere and cuisine. The cabin-like look of the …

When the Kempinski Nile Hotel threw a party to celebrate the opening of their tenth floor bar-restaurant-cigar lounge concept, Cairo’s socialites were thrilled. Finally, a venue that could be enjoyed pre-dinner, during dinner and post dinner. No need to hop into your car three times during the evening to enjoy a long night out with …

Lebanese-born New York designer Reem Acra has a message to successful Lebanese entrepreneurs: No matter how big you become abroad, in the end you have to return home. On Wednesday, Acra opened her first franchise boutique in downtown Beirut — more than a decade after launching her fashion journey with a bridal collection in New …