Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Ramses replica takes trial run
No effort spared to ensure safety of priceless ancient statue CAIRO: The transfer of the Ramses statue from its downtown residence is pending on one more test slated to take place this Thursday. Two specially made vehicles will carry a mock statue, of the same size and weight, from Tahrir to the Giza Plateau. Last …
Prestigious journalism conference held at AUC
Over 1,000 media scholars share views at IAMCR Cairo 2006 CAIRO: More than 1,000 professional scholars and media experts of different nationalities gathered to exchange views and debate various topics in one of the biggest mass media research conferences worldwide. The International Association for Media and Communication Research Conference, IAMCR 2006, was held under the …
Lebanon: Black & white and dead all over
Once more, U.S. Marines are on Lebanese soil. Once more, Israeli jets are pounding Beirut and its tanks are in south Lebanon. Once more, the powers-that-be in Washington are seeing black hats and white hats in a region where everyone wears gray. The inevitable result: More terrorism, a new common cause between Shiite and Sunni …
An elegant wedding
ŠΘ # # # Many of Egypt’s ministers, businessmen and socialites attended the wedding, Mamdouh El Beltagy and Mahmoud Abou Leil # # The bride and groom danced all night to the tunes of singers Sherin and Nicole Saba, here, Ahmed Fathi Sorour, Ali Mestelhy and Hussein Tantawy
Arab League closer to calling emergency summit
CAIRO: Fourteen Arab governments have backed a call for an emergency summit on violence between Israel and Hezbollah and the Palestinians, but the Arab League remained one vote shy of a two-thirds majority needed to convene a meeting. A senior Arab League official said on Sunday that Somalia, Mauritania, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates …
U.S. plan for Lebanon likely to fail, say Arab analysts
Reuters CAIRO: A vision of a new Middle East emerging from the conflict in Lebanon as outlined by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice drew ridicule on Monday from mainstream Arab analysts and former Arab diplomats. Several of them said the United States and Israel had little if any chance of achieving their stated goals …
Press Round-up: Israeli war on Lebanon provokes anti-war protests
Police violence toward protestors underreported CAIRO: News of the Israeli-Lebanese war still dominates the headlines, with national and independent newspapers giving it top priority as anti-war protests rage across the country. Among the war updates is the news of 6,000 Egyptian evacuees who are currently pouring into Syria, according to the daily Al-Masry Al-Youm. The …
Coptic pope slams maverick cleric
CAIRO: The head of Egypt s Coptic Church issued a stern warning Monday to dissident bishop Maximus I and anyone who might be tempted to join the breakaway church he is trying to set up. We do not recognize your prelacy nor your new name, Pope Shenuda III said in a message entitled I am …
Present and Tense: Wrong number
The call came on my private line, which is only known to a handful of world leaders whom I trust to call at a decent hour and keep it short. It was 2 a.m. and I couldn’t think why on earth Kofi Annan was calling. “Sorry to be calling at such a late hour, but …
Akhbar El Negoum honors artists
ŠΘ # # # Many of Egypt’s celebrities and socialites attended the event and were entertained with the astounding performances, here, Lebliba, Mostafa Hussein and wife Hala # # Awatef Serag El Deen and Mona Ragab
Royal English hospitality, situated on the edge of Alexandria's seafront
ALEXANDRIA: The Windsor Palace Hotel in Alexandria has a colonialist atmosphere, garlanded with marble, adorned with red spiral staircases and a traditional closed-cage elevator built of wooden panelling in keeping with a traditional English hotel. Built in 1906 and considered one of the world’s heritage hotels, the luxurious setting of the Windsor Palace houses 71 …
French FM warns of "catastrophe" in Lebanon
Rice plans Middle East trip next week BEIRUT: The French foreign minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy, arrived in Lebanon on Friday to seek to mediate in the Israel-Lebanon crisis, his office said. Douste-Blazy warned Friday that the escalating conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah could lead to a catastrophe. The situation has significantly deteriorated and there …
The darker side of tanning
Safe sunbathing means better skin and healthier body CAIRO: As the summer kicks off, all dermatologists seem to unite in one call: Take it easy with sunbathing as its bad for the skin. But as physicians unite in this call, it seems that most people also unite in ignoring the advice. Tanning makes us look …
Sports Talk: Looks count
Lost in the World Cup was the news that Anna Kournikova might be back. When last we saw the Russian bombshell, she was 22 and a constant sufferer of back pain, which forced her to walk away from professional tennis in 2003. Apparently, though, the pain is not as bad as it was and it …
Egypt raises gasoline prices to cut deficit
CAIRO: The government is raising the prices of gasoline and diesel fuel by up to 30 percent with effect from yesterday, the government newspaper Al-Ahram said on Thursday. The long-awaited decision, unpopular with the middle classes and vehicle operators, will reduce the government s massive budget deficit, forecast at more than 9 percent of gross …
Two Egyptians win top prizes in civil rights essay contest
Middle Eastern entries take the lead with “stronger content CAIRO: Egyptian and Middle Eastern contestants claimed the top prizes in the Dream Deferred essay contest on civil rights in the Middle East. Contestants were asked to address the repression of civil rights in the region, focusing on the importance of individual rights, how grassroots reform …
To eat or not to eat
Get your nutrition facts straight CAIRO: With over 30,000 diets available to choose from, it’s not surprising that we are confused. Many people go it alone and try to find what works for them. Take note of the following myths that you may be living by and modify your lifestyle to help you reach your …
Arab oil windfall must benefit Lebanese, says Libya
TRIPOLI: Arab leaders must divert windfall revenues from record high oil prices to help Lebanese and Palestinian people weathering Israeli attacks, the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said on Thursday. Saif Al-Islam, his father s most influential envoy abroad, said any future Arab summit on the latest wave of Middle East violence would be …
Italian prosecutor asks for extradition of U.S. agents
A prosecutor has asked Italy s new justice minister to request the extradition of more than 20 CIA agents over the alleged kidnapping of a Muslim cleric in 2003, a judicial source said on Thursday. Prosecutors had already lodged a request for the extradition of 22 suspected U.S. agents with the government of conservative Prime …
Taking a splash in Cairo
Recommended swimming pools around the city Swimming is the best feature of the summer, and Cairo has a lot to offer in this regard. You can rent a hotel room, pay for day use in a country club or head to the nearest sporting club, all for the sake of the refreshing splash of water. …
Solana's visit makes little progress
Ground attack increasingly likely CAIRO: In an attempt to diffuse the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana made a blitz visit to the region this week, where he met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, President Hosni Mubarak and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. “The …
Egyptian foreign minister calls for Middle East cease-fire
Becket attempts to play down differences with key regional ally Associated Press LONDON: Egypt s foreign minister appealed Thursday for an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East, arguing both sides must take initiatives to stop fighting. Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit insisted that Israel and Hezbollah must stop attacks in a conflict that has killed more …
Corporations grow by giving back to the community
CAIRO: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become more than just a fashionable affair to the corporate world. Gone are the days when CSR was an option that corporations entertained when wanting a slight facelift. Today, it is a veiled imposition that, under no circumstance, can be ignored. Unfortunately, while the global private sector has become …
Local restaurant markets itself here and abroad through the Internet
CAIRO: Abou Tarek’s downtown koshary restaurant has made a major contribution to the history of koshary, not by introducing a new ingredient, but by moving koshary into the realms of cyberspace. The man behind the idea is Tarek, the eldest son of restaurant owner Hassan Youssef, (Abou Tarek i.e. father of Tarek). Like many of …
Journalists visit Lebanese Embassy to express solidarity
Frustrated by lack of government response, more protests planned CAIRO: Members of Egypt’s press syndicate sent a group of representatives Tuesday to the Lebanese Embassy in Cairo in an expression of solidarity and in protest over the Israeli war on Lebanon. The Jewish state continues to exert pressure on the country, resuming air raids for …
On-again, off-again, Omar Effendi sale blocked by a new offer
CAIRO: In the latest chapter of the saga of Omar Effendi, Egyptian businessman Mohamed Said El-Hanash has offered LE 2 billion for the nation s largest department store. The offer from El-Hanash emerges nearly one week after the Ministry of Investment told The Daily Star Egypt that the sale of the retail giant to the …
Egyptian National Theatre Festival opening
The hot summers of Egyptian radio
A brief look at radio’s tumultuous local history It was a hot mid-summer in 1923 when Mr. Medhat Assem and Mr. Ahmed El-Gawahergi ventured into opening a sound studio in the Abassiya district to broadcast music, drama and many commercials. Despite the bad technical quality and the relentless personal messages, programming gained popularity in Cairo’s …
Egyptian sailor injured in Lebanon ship attack dies
CAIRO: An Egyptian sailor who was injured during a rocket attack on his boat off the Lebanese coast died in a Syrian hospital, Egyptian security sources told AFP Thursday. Ahmed Yussef Awad suffered injuries to his neck caused by missile fragments and died Wednesday at a hospital in Syria. He had been taken with 11 …
Italian spy chief denies role in alleged CIA kidnapping
Reuters ROME: The head of Italy s military intelligence agency on Wednesday defended himself and colleagues being investigated for their possible role in the alleged CIA kidnapping of a terrorism suspect in Milan. Nicolo Pollari told a closed-door meeting of the Senate defense committee that the Sismi intelligence agency had nothing to do with illegal …