Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Immortalizing a folkloric epic
Al-Abnoudi reflects on his travels to record Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyah CAIRO: In an apartment whose décor reflects a passion for everything folkloric lives Abdul-Rahman Al-Abnoudi, one of Egypt’s famous 1960s generation poets, who, if asked to summarize his life in two words, would definitely answer, Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyah. Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyah is based on historic events that took …
President effects minor cabinet shuffle
CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak made minor adjustments to his cabinet Sunday, topping the changes with the reassignment of the justice portfolio. The heads of the foreign affairs, interior and defense ministries retained their portfolios. Mamdouh Marei, head of the Supreme Constitutional Court, replaces Mahmoud Abu El-Leil, who resigned 10 days ago from his post as …
Implementing an effective IT infrastructure
Service availability and data management “key challenges for Mideast companies CAIRO: A technology infrastructure conference was held yesterday that targeted CEOs, CIOs and IT company directors and professionals. Its goal was to further inform the attendees about how to best manage a company’s technology set-up while also insure long-term stability and cost-effectiveness. Organized by the …
Mobinil given two weeks to stop using EDGE
CAIRO: Telecoms regulators, embroiled in a licensing dispute with Mobinil over the use of EDGE technology, have given the mobile phone operator two weeks to stop using the technology, government officials said on Sunday. A senior official at Egypt s National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) said Egypt considered EDGE, whose enhanced speed allows users to …
Mohieddin: State companies debts to banks will be settled by the end of fiscal year 2006-07
Debts owed by Egyptian state-owned companies to local banks will be completely settled by the end of the 2006-07 fiscal year following the successful settlement of a LE 10 billion debt owed mostly to the Bank of Alexandria, said Mahmoud Mohieddin, the Minister of Investment, on Sunday. “The settlement of about LE 20.5 billion of …
The Moroccan Ambassador
Three firms bid for stakes in Raya Telecom
CAIRO: Three multinational companies have submitted offers to buy stakes in Egypt s Raya Telecom, a subsidiary of Raya Holding, the stock exchange said on Monday. In a statement on its Web site (www.egyptse.com), the exchange said the offers ranged from bids for a minority interest to a full acquisition of the subsidiary. It did …
Sewedy Cables posts $45 million H1 net income
CAIRO: El Sewedy Cables, listed on the stock exchange in May, reported a net income of LE 256 million ($45 million) for the first half of 2006, the stock exchange said on Monday. The results were the first by the cable manufacturer since major shareholders sold 30 million shares, or half of the company, in …
Egyptian ferry rescued in Red Sea
CAIRO: An Egyptian ferry carrying about 1,000 passengers, mainly Muslim pilgrims, was rescued in the Red Sea after running into difficulty, the official MENA news agency reported Monday. The Cleopatra I sent distress signals when one of its engines broke down as it was heading to the Egyptian port of Suez. It was towed back …
Median interbank rate rises to 8.65 percent
CAIRO: The median overnight interbank rate on the pound rose on Monday to 8.65 percent from Sunday s 8.416 percent with the market short after a recent central bank auction drained market liquidity, traders said. The market is very squeezed. Yesterday s auction absorbed all the liquidity in the market, one dealer said. On Sunday, …
Cabinet reshuffle tops the news
Rumor of a possible train drivers’ strike reported by Al-Masry Al-Youm CAIRO: A minor shuffle in the cabinet is in effect, read Monday’s headlines. Three ministries out of the 31 headed by Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif have been restructured. Nazif remains in office despite previous reports falsely predicting his discharge. According to Al-Ahram newspaper, President …
Eight killed in building collapses
CAIRO: Eight people were killed when two buildings collapsed within hours of each other in Egypt, and rescuers were searching for any others who could be trapped in the rubble, security sources said on Monday. The two residential buildings, one in Cairo and another in the town of Qalyoub 20 km north of the city, …
Another rail accident. Now what?
Look, there’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that if you’re Egyptian, you’re more likely to drop dead of a heart attack than be killed in a transport accident. The bad news is, not much. Figures on those subjects tend to be a little difficult to come by, but it does …
Thanks to incentives for Qualified Industrial Zones, Egyptian textiles are reaching the U.S. market
CAIRO: After a slow start, Egypt s Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZs) are finally beginning to deliver significantly increased textile export growth. And, perhaps just as importantly for the long term, they are attracting fast-growing numbers of foreign investors. Top representatives of Italian fashion houses Ferragmo, Ermenegildo Zegna and Marioboselli recently toured Egypt to look at …
Alexandria event focuses on documentaries
Summer film festival defies myth that culture has no place in the sun CAIRO: Less than four months since the last one, the Fourth Caravan of the Euro-Arab Cinema opened last week in Alexandria and ended on Tuesday with a surprisingly successful round. The festival gave film lovers an uncommon opportunity, since most cultural activities …
Ladies dinner
Egypt urges dialogue in Iranian nuclear standoff
Iran says it will pursue atomic work despite deadline TEHRAN: Iran insisted on Sunday it would never stop uranium enrichment despite a looming UN deadline intended to ensure it cannot develop atomic weapons. Egypt called Sunday for dialogue to resolve the long-running standoff over Iran s nuclear program, just four days before a UN Security …
Egyptian workers stage Jordan pay protest
AMMAN: Around 200 Egyptian workers staged a peaceful protest Sunday outside the Amman governorate accusing their employer of not paying them, state-run Petra news agency reported. It said the unidentified firm failed to keep a promise to pay the workers 200 dinars ($280) monthly and provide them with living quarters and legal residency in Jordan. …
Deal for Israel-Hezbollah prisoner swap reportedly in the works
CAIRO: Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have reached a deal brokered by Germany for a prisoner exchange to take place within two or three weeks, the state-owned daily Al-Ahram reported Sunday. The prisoner swap between Hezbollah and Israel is to take place within two or three weeks maximum, thanks to a German mediation which …
Al Ahli wins with early four-goal blitz
CAIRO: Holders Al Ahli scored four goals in an opening 20 minute blitz to easily beat Asante Kotoko of Ghana in their African Champions League Group A match on Saturday and ease closer to a semi-final place. The 4-0 win puts the Egyptian champions well in contention for the final four with two more matches …
Ship home to stranded crew from Egypt to be auctioned
CHARLESTON, South Carolina: The crew of a stranded Egyptian freighter may have to stay on board another month, after a U.S. judge ordered the vessel be auctioned amid a shipping dispute. The Edco will be put up for auction Sept. 21, U.S. District Judge David Norton ruled Friday. Bidding on the 22,350-ton ship is expected …
Head: Egypt, Sudan brace for Nile spate after Ethiopia floods
CAIRO: Egypt and Sudan braced Saturday for a major spate on the Nile after the worst flooding in a generation killed more than 600 people in the Ethiopian highlands where the Blue Nile has its source. Special commissions in the (Egyptian) ministry of irrigation and water resources are meeting on a regular basis to follow …
Muslim Brotherhood members arrested
Akef continues to slam government through statements CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood’s secretary general and 16 other leading group members were arrested during a recent meeting. State security has also revoked an earlier decision to release three senior group leaders, including the Brotherhood’s official spokesman Essam Al-Arian. “Through this excessive measure, [the government] has confirmed that …
The anatomy of a downtown demo
“But they are my grandchildren’s age, were reportedly among the last words uttered by 72-year-old Ahmed Mustagir, geneticist, philosopher and poet, and one of Egypt’s greatest contemporary scientists, as he watched the televised coverage of the Israeli devastation of Lebanon from what was to prove to have been his deathbed. Yet again Arab children were …
Council discusses journalistic integrity
Journalists hope for a sign that the syndicate retains ultimate power CAIRO: Journalism is renowned for being a profession that at times lands those working in it in trouble. Unveiling information, criticizing authority and searching for news always brings journalists problems. But sometimes journalists make their own brand of trouble by taking the easy route …
Business recap: Small caps market, new EgyptAir charter service and Sinai Cement in the news
CMA Chairman: small-caps market coming CAIRO: Capital Market Authority (CMA) Chairman Hani Sarie El-Din says the proposed small caps stock market is at least a year away. Speaking to The Daily Star Egypt, Sarie El-Din says the goal is to make it easier for small and medium-sized companies to comply with capital market regulations even …
Present and Tense: Nellie's secret
Dan was back from Beirut’s southern suburb, where he was taking care of routine business. A little war always lifts his spirits, but he looked a bit preoccupied. “I don’t know how to break the news to you, he said. I knew immediately what was coming. Only two weeks ago, he told me that his …
Annual party
ŠΘ # # # Hany Mahna, Farouk El Fishawy and Wahby Misheel # # Photography by Hassan IbrahimHazem Omran and Amr Balbaa
The silence and beauty of the Western Desert
Trip to Bahariya Oasis uncovers some of the country s unknown attractions BAHARIYA, Western Desert: The oases of Egypt are like few other places on earth; an awesome range of geographical features, terrain and wildlife are concentrated on the outskirts of the Sahara. Used in ancient times by the Egyptians for agriculture, the beautiful scenery …
Egypt-Gaza border opens for a day, after weeks
Israeli air strikes wounds eight Palestinians in Gaza GAZA: The Gaza-Egypt border opened for a day Friday, after weeks of closure following the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by Hamas-allied militants in Gaza. The brief opening of the Rafah terminal comes at the end of the summer travel season and will enable hundreds of stranded …