Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Gaza militants get new proposal over Israeli soldier
Reuters GAZA: Egyptian mediators have presented Hamas and other militant groups with a new proposal aimed at ending a six-week-old standoff over an Israeli soldier seized near the Gaza strip, Hamas officials said on Tuesday. A source close to the negotiations said the proposal called for Hamas to transfer Corporal Gilad Shalit to Egyptian authorities …
Abul-Gheit critical of Israeli response to Hezbollah raid
Reuters CAIRO: Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit on Monday praised the way the Lebanese group Hezbollah held out against Israel for over four weeks but faulted the Islamist group for possible carelessness. In an interview with Reuters, Aboul Gheit was more critical of the Israeli response to a Hezbollah raid into Israel on July 12, the …
Court orders top Muslim Brotherhood leaders released
CAIRO: An Egyptian court has ordered the release of two leaders from Egypt s largest Muslim activist group after being jailed for organizing pro-reform protests, police officials and the group s Web site said Monday. The two Muslim Brotherhood leaders were among more than 500 members detained by authorities in May after the group led …
EAC launches expansion plan in Egyptian airports
NOOZ The Egyptian Airports Company has launched a new plan to improve the efficiency of runways in Taba Airport at a cost of LE 15 million, in addition to the construction of an LE 75 million passenger terminal at Hurghada Airport, said Magdeddin Ibrahim, chairman of the Egyptian Airports Company on Sunday. He pointed out …
Al-Ahram reverses Internet block on blogs
The initial ban highlights future status of electronic freedom of expression CAIRO: Al-Ahram newspaper has reversed a block that was implemented last week on Internet Web logs (blogs). Effective on network access in all Al-Ahram buildings, the block prevented the institution s employees from viewing certain Web sites including the increasingly popular blogs. Topping the …
Price relief for liver disease patients on the way
Nile Medicine Company to start producing badly needed medication locally CAIRO: For the first time in the history of the country, antibiotics for liver diseases will be produced locally for 50 percent less than the price of their imported counterparts. Liver diseases have plagued the population for a long time. Other than liver cancer and …
Gulf investors control 99 Pct of Egyptian tourism development projects
Noozz Investors from the Arab Gulf countries control about 99 percent of the total Arab contribution to Egyptian tourist development projects, accounting for LE 403.4 million of total investment estimated at LE 406 million. Khaled Makhlouf, the chairman of Egypt’s Tourism Promotion Authority, told NOOZZ earlier this week that Kuwaiti investors pumped the largest amount …
Living in the age of "Katkout"
An inane celluloid portrait of modern Egyptian man? Mohamed Saad is a genius. a young man in front of me uttered these disconcerting words while standing in what seemed like a never ending queue for the top Egyptian comedian s latest film Katkout (Chick). It wasn t the first time I’d heard such words, yet …
SAHRA stage a show of support
CAIRO: Tonight, head over to El Sawy Culture Center for an evening of rai-inspired music. SAHRA band will be performing a selection of original songs, as well as popular covers of Chem Khaled and Cheb Mami. SAHRA s lead singer, Saied, was raised in Libya. Growing up within a large Algerian community he became acquainted …
Win some, lose some
The war in Lebanon has produced some surprising outcomes More than a month after Israel started pounding Lebanon for the kidnap of two of its soldiers by Hezbollah, a ceasefire has been brought to the table.It is a miserable fact of this whole miserable episode that while the ceasefire is vital, it could have been …
"PC for every home" program falls short
New plan aims for 30 percent of households by 2010 CAIRO: Twelve companies have purchased the conditions statement for The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology s (MCIT) initiative to re-launch its 2002 PC for Every Home campaign. MCIT s new effort provides more affordable computers and stricter guidelines on participating companies in an effort …
Egypt stocks dip but buoyed by NSGB, flour mills
CAIRO: Egyptian stocks dipped in thin trade in Monday, but interest in flour mills and National Societe Generale Bank (NSGB) helped buoy the market, traders said. Shares in NSGB, which bought a 90.7 percent stake in Misr International Bank (MIBank) in 2005, rose 2.09 Egyptian pounds ($0.36), or 6 percent, to 36.9 pounds. A trader …
Calyon Egypt H1 net profit rises 81 percent
CAIRO: Calyon Bank Egypt reported an 81 percent rise in net profit in the first half of 2006 to LE 35.3 million ($6.1 million), the stock exchange said on Monday. Calyon reported a net profit of LE 19.5 million in the same period last year. The bank is 75 percent owned by French investment bank …
HC cuts Egypt mobile target prices
CAIRO: Egyptian brokerage HC Securities cut its target prices for Egypt s mobile phone operators, predicting they will have to buy 3G licences. HC cut its target for Mobinil to 192 Egyptian pounds ($33.45) from 232.5 pounds, and for Vodafone Egypt to 99 pounds from 120 pounds. Mobinil shares closed on Thursday at 138.05 pounds …
Okasha at Rotary dinner
UN-called cease-fire spurs reactions
Coverage on the Israeli-Lebanese conflict continues as the bloodshed seems to be witnessing its last hours CAIRO: Egypt’s newspapers continue to report on what they call “the last hours of the Israeli-Lebanese exchange of fire after both countries’ cabinets approved a United Nations cease-fire deal, due 8 a.m. Monday. In their columns, many of the …
Oil companies raise complaints about delayed approval on exploration agreements
NOOZZ CAIRO: Officials at international energy companies operating in Egypt have raised complaints about the sluggish pace of final approvals on agreements with the Egyptian government, warning that such sluggishness could affect their plans for oil and gas exploration efforts. One official noted that though Egypt accounts for the highest average of approvals compared with …
Establishing a unique identity begins with your name
Old and recent trends undermines women s basic right to keep a separate identity CAIRO: It wasn t long ago when the mere mention of a woman s name was considered an offence to any man related to her. In fact, the belief still prevails within a number of current communities but to varying degrees. …
Festival reflects state of Egyptian theater
El Sawy Theater Festival offers platform for all to try their hand at theater CAIRO: The Fourth Sawy Theater Festival, which started on Sunday, August 13 and is scheduled to continue until Thursday, Aug. 17, has come to reflect the current state of Egyptian theater with all its trends and drawbacks. Before the launch of …
Local and regional demand behind increase in cement price
Cement expected to average LE 325-330 per ton by the end of 2006 CAIRO: A LE 25 single-day increase in cement price by The National Cement Company (NCC) last week might have angered some property developers enough to organize a public protest in front of company headquarters near Helwan, but analysts say prices should continue …
Egypt median interbank rate drops to 8.15 pct
CAIRO: The median overnight interbank rate on the Egyptian pound fell to 8.15 percent on Sunday from Thursday s 8.294 percent, with the market liquid as a batch of central bank certificates of deposit matured, traders said. On Sunday, LE 7 billion ($1.2 billion) worth of 6-day central bank certificates matured. The central bank auctioned …
Musical bliss
New party touts Egyptian nationalism
The Egyptian Liberal Party presents platform based on Egyptian national heritages CAIRO: After the rejection of Masr El-Om (Mother Egypt) Party, the founders are establishing a new party: the Liberal Egyptian Party (LEP). Many of the party founders are the same as those who were behind Masr El-Om Party, which was not approved by authorities. …
Nine of 11 missing Egyptian students in U.S. custody
CHICAGO, U.S.: Nine of 11 Egyptian students who failed to show up for a Montana university exchange program last month were in custody on Saturday after officials arrested three students in Iowa, U.S. immigration officials said. Two remained missing, according to a statement from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. None of the students posed …
Egypt, Iran call for world to respect UN Lebanon truce
CAIRO: Iran and Egypt called Sunday for a United Nations-backed truce between Israel and Lebanese movement Hezbollah to be respected, hours before the ceasefire agreement secured by UN chief Kofi Annan was to come into effect. Iran and Syria, seen as the main backers of the Shiite fundamentalist movement Hezbollah, also expressed their support for …
Natural gas quandary
Egypt may have leaned too heavily on recently discovered natural gas supplies CAIRO: According to the findings of the latest report conducted by the Petroleum Economist and the Statistical Review of World Energy, Egypt’s domestic consumption of natural gas is the highest in the African continent. While the government and private sector corporations in the …
When homework is home-work
Egyptian-American teens learn from the comfort of their living room CAIRO: Imagine a classroom just steps away from your bed, conducting a science experiment in your kitchen, and taking a walk to the bakery for PhysEd class. This is a normal school day for Nathaniel and Daniel Sedra, 16 and 13 years old, Egyptian-American boys …
Israeli teams have to go on the road
Situation in Israel deemed unsafe for football matches Israel’s woes with Hezbollah’s men of resistance and their Katyushas have extended to football. Four Israeli football clubs have to look outside the cozy confines of their home grounds if they want to continue participating in European club championships. Two Union of European Football Associations Cup (UEFA) …
It's not a religion or a weight loss program
Misconceptions and high prices slow down pace of yoga s popularity CAIRO: In many Western countries, where nutrition stores and organic supermarkets are as ubiquitous as restaurant chains, yoga seems like the obvious counterpart to a subculture that has become unhealthily obsessed with health – or at least the idea of it. Here in Egypt, …
It's all in the pressure points
Nada Rashed explains the essentials of reflexology CAIRO: Many people laugh at the idea that touching certain points in their feet or hands can grant a feeling of relief from the pain usually associated with headaches or digestive and back problems. Like most alternative medicine, reflexology still struggles for public and official acceptance. Even though …