Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Hussein Fahmy quits the UN over Lebanon situation
UNDP understand and regret Fahmy s decision, stresses allegations are incorrect CAIRO: Actor Hussein Fahmy quit his post as United Nations goodwill ambassador in objection to the organization s inability to hold Israel accountable Israel for its aggression towards Lebanon. Meanwhile, Cairo-based UN officials stress that the organization has an effective humanitarian role to play …
Palestinians insult Egyptian leadership during march to support Hezbollah
RAMALLAH: More than 2,000 Palestinians denounced moderate Arab leaders in a march in support of Hezbollah yesterday. The protesters marched through Ramallah s main thoroughfare, carrying pictures of Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah guerrillas, and waved Hezbollah s distinctive yellow flags. Protesters chanted insults about President Hosni Mubarak, a reference to the …
Navigating the transportation maze
Gas prices prompt people to consider other means of traveling around Cairo CAIRO: Whichever way you choose to travel through the city, taking transportation in Cairo is an adventure shared with a lot of strangers. Most people make their transportation choices based on calculating price, difficulty, time, and the final destination. With the hike in …
Shaaban Abdel Rahim releases a new song in protest of Israel
CAIRO: A populist crooner who won fame for his ditty I Hate Israel is releasing a new song in protest against Israel s attack on Hezbollah, his production manager announced Tuesday. Shaaban Abdel Rahim s For Only Two Soldiers, a reference to the two Israeli soldiers whose July 12 kidnapping by Hezbollah sparked the three-week-old …
Camels for sale
Traders cater to tourists, trekkers, and those with an exotic palette CAIRO: Abdul Hakim has his camels to thank. After 40 years of buying and selling them, he was able to move from Said and buy a house in Cairo, support his family of five, and send one of his sons to Cairo University. “But …
Abraaj Capital makes offer on EFG Hermes shares
Move makes UAE company single largest shareholder in bank CAIRO: Thanks to an offer made by UAE-based Abraaj Capital Limited, a private equity firm, to buy a 25 percent in Egyptian investment bank EFG Hermes, Egyptian share prices witnessed a boost earlier this week. According to an EFG Hermes statement, EFG’s board met in Cairo …
Flamenca, a marriage between flamenco and oriental music
Local band produce unique music spontaneously, appealing to wide audience CAIRO: Flamenca’s performance at Al El-Sawy Cultural Center steamed evoked the audience’s senses to wild applauses and loud cheers from an enthusiastic audience. The three-year old band mixes between Spanish and oriental instruments to introduce a unique and novel style of their own. The crowded …
In Love of Photography
CAIRO: The Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) is organizing a photo exhibit titled “In Love of Photography , by Moustafa Al-Shershaby, Sayed Al-Mahgoob, Ahmed Abdul Aziz and Mona Abdul Karim. The photos introduce Islamic Cairo. Its nights, people and folklore all conveyed through the artists’ eyes. The four artists are members of the …
Egypt disagrees with the US on intellectual property in pharmaceuticals
CAIRO: Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohammad Rachid has admitted that disagreements do exist with the United States over intellectual property rights on pharmaceutical products. In a statement released at the end of last week following his return from strategic dialogue meetings in Washington D.C., Rachid pointed out that the Egyptian Ministry of Health …
The challenge of multilateralism
Egypt s future in light of the WTO stalemate CAIRO: The Doha Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) kicked off in Qatar five years ago in hopes of bridging the gap between industrialized nations and emerging economies. Having already given some concessions on tariffs for goods in previous negotiations, and with industrialized nations led …
Press lashes out at Israel, Arab regimes, and U.S.
Newspapers publish pictures of dead children from Qana on front pages. CAIRO: The aftermath of what the press has labeled “The 2006 Qana Massacre is topping local headlines. With the incident igniting flames of anger and provoking reactions across Egypt, opposition newspapers are in turn lashing out at Israeli, American and Arab leadership. History seems …
Stir of Saudi fatwa dissolves with Qana news
Rage and frustration mark local reaction to Qana massacre CAIRO: When the Saudi fatwa was issued last week denouncing support of Hezbollah on the grounds of the Shiite-Sunni differences, the general attitude was rejection. Nonetheless, the fatwa found supporters here and there. But a unified stance, at least among the Arab masses, was imminent; unfortunately, …
Reopening the debate on Camp David
Recent aggression reexamines Egypt s normalization with Israel CAIRO: The Camp David Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty has had its supporters and denouncers among Egyptian politicians of late, but the debate has been reignited since Israel launched a massive air, land and sea assault on Lebanon following the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah on July …
Etisalat rebuff potential bidders
Winner of Egypt s third mobile license puts rumors to rest CAIRO: Etisalat, the UAE-based mobile operator that was recently awarded the third Egyptian mobile license, will not be selling any of its shares to anyone at this time, according to Etisalat chairman, Mohammad Hassan Omran. The chairman’s statement comes hot on the heels of …
President warns Mideast peace process could collapse
Mubarak says UN impotent over Lebanon CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak warned Monday that the entire Middle East peace process could collapse because of Israel s attacks on Lebanon. Egypt, which triggered the peace process, warns of the consequences of its collapse, Mubarak said in a nationwide televised statement. The Israeli aggression undermines the opportunities to …
Exports of natural gas hit 1.9 trillion cubic feet in 2005-6
NOOZZ CAIRO: Egyptian natural gas exports amounted to 1.9 trillion cubic feet (or 40 million tons) during fiscal year 2005-6, according to the Egyptian Holding Company for Natural Gases, EGAS. Chairman of EGAS, Sherif Ismail, said exploration of natural gas hit 5 trillion cubic feet a year over the past six years with strong expectations …
Orascom Telecom pulls out from Serbian operation bid
CAIRO: The Egyptian communication company Orascom Telecom (OT) pulled out from the contest over 70 percent of Serbian Mobi 63 Company that the Serbian government has marked for privatization. The move came after the Egyptian company had been included among the shortlist of qualified regional and international bidders in the deal. Naguib Sawiris, chairman of …
"Wesh Egram" Premiere
ŠΘ # # # The movie stars’ Boushra and Khaled Zaki in addition to director Wael Ihsan, producer Esaad Younes and fans attended the event, here, Esaad Younes and Wael Ihsan # # Khaled Zaki, Mohammed Heniedy and Boushra
Celebrating Egyptian folklore
The First Folkloric Arts Festival honors its pioneers CAIRO: Egypt’s first Folkloric Arts Festival took place at El Sawy Cultural Center from Friday, July 28 until July 30, featuring performances by a number of folkloric troupes from all over the and honoring national icons of folklore. “It [the festival] is for reviving folkloric art in …
Moussa calls for Qana "massacre" probe
Egypt joins in condemnation of Israeli bombings CAIRO: Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa joined a chorus of Arab leaders on Sunday in denouncing an Israeli air strike that killed 54 people in Lebanon, terming it a massacre and demanding an international probe. The dawn air raid, which was the single bloodiest attack during Israel s …
Israeli air strikes pound targets in Lebanon as Rice returns to Mideast
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) _ Israeli forces pounded theHezbollah-controlled side of the border on Sunday as theLebanese guerrilla said it had fired a new barrage ofrockets into Israel. The crossfire came as diplomats stepped up efforts to finda solution to the 19-day crisis, with U.S. Secretary ofState Condoleezza Rice returning to the Middle East to pusha …
Egypt dismayed by accusations of arming Somali Islamists
CAIRO: Egypt on Sunday voiced dismay at accusations by Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi that it was supplying weapons to the Islamic Courts militia who control the capital Mogadishu, a foreign ministry statement said. Egypt regrets the statements which appeared in the media made by the head of the Somali interim government, in which …
The rocky road to Beirut
An Egyptian journalist records his travel to Beirut Going to Beirut I was completely unprepared for this. My heart was with my wife and son in Athens. I was hoping to do the Cyprus assignment and go back to them, but life didn’t want things to be this way. It is ironic that, yesterday, I …
Fuel, insurance prices increase pressures on private airlines
CAIRO: Private aviation companies have come under severe pressures by the Israeli war on Lebanon. At the top of these pressures, comes the rising international fuel prices as oil prices surged to $78 a barrel. In addition, international insurers have increased prices of their policies covering aviation risks, which represented a blow to 98 percent …
Superman wears tights, so that makes him a transvestite, right?
A couple of nights ago, someone sent me something entitled “A Difficult Lesson. It was billed as ‘the best commentary I’ve seen on the current Israeli conflict.’ It read very like one of those urban myths – you know, the ones where someone flushes a pet baby alligator down the toilet and years later half-chewed …
Egypt's tourism industry gets boost
Israeli aggression on Lebanon redirects regional tourism CAIRO: Experts in the field of investment in Egypt have confirmed that the Israeli attacks on Lebanon will affect tourism and investments, as tourists who previously planned to head to Israel and Lebanon turn to Egypt as a vacationing haven. As a result of this sudden growth in …
OICA: Auto production up 40 pct in 2005
CAIRO: Egyptian auto production surged 40 percent in 2005 compared with a year earlier according to figures from the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles (OICA). “Egypt’s local automotive production in 2005 mounted to 69,233 units compared with 49,335 a year ago, the OICA said. Local production of light trucks jumped 97 percent to 14,626 units …
Local band MAMAS has audience dancing to a Latin beat
CAIRO: Egypt’s rising Latin band, MAMAS, started out two years ago when Mohammed Gaby called up his childhood friend Ahmed Hany and asked if he was interested in forming a band. “Right away I told him I was in and we started having auditions and getting interested musicians, Ahmed Hany, MAMAS member told The Daily …
Diplomats' Club
ŠΘ # # # Many of Egypt’s diplomats, ambassadors and businessmen attended the event; among them were Sir Derek Plumbly, Britain’s ambassador in Egypt and Minister of Education Hany Helal, here, Ibrahiem El Moalem, Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, Minister Hany Helal, Moushira Khatab and Sir Derek Plumbly # # Sherif El Shobashy, Moushira Khatab, …
Film tackles social injustice and revenge
Wahed Men El-Nas wavers between artistic and commercial cinemas ByDaily Star Egypt staff Wahed Men El-Nas (One of the People)Director: Ahmed Nader GalalScriptwriter: Belal FadlStars: Karim Abdel Aziz, Menna Shalaby, Mahmoud El Gindy, Ahmed Rateb and Ezzat Abu Ouf CAIRO: Before buying tickets to watch Wahed Men El-Nas (One of the People), someone advised my …