Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
The New ID Edge
Crew of Egyptian ship hit by Hezbollah rocket return to Cairo
CAIRO: Eleven crew members of an Egyptian merchant ship returned to Cairo on Monday, three days after their cargo vessel was hit by a Hezbollah rocket during an attack on an Israeli warship off the Lebanese capital Beirut. One injured crew member remained in a Syrian hospital. The Cambodian-flagged Moonlight, bound for the Syrian port …
Analyzing the Arab response to the escalating Mideast conflict
Egypt’s role in the Israeli-Lebanese war remains shallow, say analysts, who remain split over support of Hezbollah CAIRO: After an Arab split surfaced over support for Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Egypt’s analysts said they mourn Arab unity, with Egypt joining Jordan and Saudi Arabia in denouncing Hezbollah. The analysts themselves did not form a consensus; …
Six Arab governments favor summit on Middle East
CAIRO: Six of the 22 members of the Arab League favor holding an Arab summit on the violence between Israel and Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said on Monday. The response falls short of the two-thirds majority needed for a summit to go ahead but more governments could sign up …
Lack of fitness cost Al Ahli unbeaten record, says coach
Lack of fitness cost Al Ahli unbeaten record, says coach Reuters JOHANNESBURG: Continental champions Al Ahli paid the price for a lack of early season fitness when they lost their 78-match unbeaten record on African soil, according to their Portuguese coach Manuel Jose. The Egyptian side, who had not lost a game in domestic or …
Israel's war on Lebanon tops the headlines
National newspapers dilute coverage on side stories; independent press criticize CAIRO: Newspapers in Egypt around the region are focusing intensely on the Israeli bombing of Lebanon, with national newspapers taking a calculated approach to coverage and the independent papers continuing to heap criticism on Arab states. Opinion columns in national papers make it a point …
Arab League meeting on Lebanon falls short say critics
CAIRO: An emergency summit convened by the Arab League was described by Cairo-based analysts and human rights activists as ineffective in terms of dealing with the current situation in Lebanon. League statements reflected an overt attempt to ignore the question of Lebanon, which was one of the chief reasons why the meeting was called, said …
Art films offer alternative to commercial movies
Independent film festival screens movies with a message CAIRO: Egypt has been dubbed the Hollywood of the Middle East for decades, long producing top commercial flicks regionally. The big, colorful posters of local stars and cheesy titles are blinding enough to overshadow the fact that parallel to the money-making industry is a movement of independent …
UAE boosting investments in Egyptian economy
Sheikh Khalifa visits Cairo; construction on new city to begin CAIRO: Of all the countries in the region and the rest of the world taking a newfound interest in Egypt as a port for hefty investments, none has shown greater faith in the country than the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After talks in Cairo as …
Israel continues deadly assault on Lebanon as death toll rises
Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit slams G8 statement on Israeli offensive BEIRUT: Lebanon shuddered under a new wave of deadly Israeli air raids Monday, as Hezbollah militants struck the Israeli city of Haifa with rockets for the second time in as many days. As the death toll climbed to 200 less than a week into a …
Gospel music gets audience on its feet
American singer LD Frazier turns every song into a story CAIRO: American gospel singer LD Frazier put forth an astounding one-hour performance at the American University in Cairo. The singer engaged everyone in the audience in the performance and related every song to a personal story of his own. Frazier opened with the songs “The …
Violence threatens foreign investment and trade
CAIRO: As the Israeli strikes on Lebanon decimate nearly half a billion dollars worth of infrastructure and the Tel Aviv stock market plummets, the Egyptian economy and foreign direct investment in particular may be vulnerable to the regional instability. Egypt wants to attract $5 billion in foreign direct investment this year, excluding that of the …
Three Egyptians wounded in Israeli raids on Lebanon
SIDON: Three Egyptian workers were wounded and a fourth missing in a series of Israeli raids in Lebanon at dawn on Saturday, including an attack near the home of pro-Syrian parliament speaker Nabih Berri. Warplanes raided four gas stations across southern Lebanon, police said. Three workers were wounded and a fourth was missing after an …
New Egyptian party launches campaign
CAIRO: A former member of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) on Sunday launched a campaign rallying support for his breakaway liberal opposition party. Osama Ghazali Harb, editor of the quarterly Al-Siyassa Al-Dawliya, presented plans for the new party, the Democratic Front, which is based on the build up of a true and complete democratic …
CS Sfaxien end Al Ahli's two-year unbeaten run
SFAX, Tunisia: A first half header from CS Sfaxien defender Issam Merdassi ended a run of more than two years without defeat on African soil for defending champions Al Ahli of Egypt, at the start of the group phase of the African Champions League on Saturday. Tunisian international Merdassi headed home at the back post …
Still the greatest
Mohamed Mounir proves he’s still got it with a magnificent performance CAIRO: The first time I was introduced to Mohamed Mounir s music was in 1999, when I listened to his album “El Farha (The Joy). I have personally never been a true fan of mainstream Arabic music, and none of Mounir s previous few …
Egyptian immigrant with flight materials gets 13 months for fraud
MEMPHIS: An Egyptian immigrant who raised government fears about possible terrorist plans but was not charged with terrorism was sentenced instead Friday to 13 months in prison for fraud. Mahmoud Maawad, a 29-year-old former University of Memphis student, pleaded guilty last month to one count of wire fraud and one count of fraudulent use of …
Hundreds of Palestinians evacuate Rafah crossing after bombing
North Sinai declares state of emergency AL-ARISH: In the hours following the explosion at the Egyptian border with Gaza, scores of Palestinians who were stranded on the Egyptian side of the border rushed into Gaza. Meanwhile, North Sinai Governor Ahmed Abdel Hamid declared a state of emergency, according to the official MENA news agency, prompting …
Arab League chief urges UN Security Council to act, claims peace process dead
Mubarak says Israel is fighting a losing battle CAIRO: The Arab League said on Saturday after an emergency meeting of foreign ministers that the Middle East peace process had failed and called on the United Nations Security Council to intervene to stop the escalating violence. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa announced the decision following …
In a story about love and second chances, the script shines through
“An El Esheq Wal Hawa a must-see “An El Esheq Wal Hawa (“About Love and Affection )Director: Kamla Abu ZekryScriptwriter: Tamer HabibStars: Ahmed El Sakka, Mona Zaki, Menna Shalaby, Magdy Kamel, Tarek Lotfy, Ghada Abdel Razek, Boushra, Khaled Saleh CAIRO: Love is a weird thing, I don t understand it, mutters Salma (Menna Shalaby) to …
Privatization of Bank of Alexandria nears
Bidders on bank to be narrowed to five CAIRO: For those keeping abreast of the news in the ongoing saga of the privatization of the Bank of Alexandria (BOA), there is light at the end of the tunnel. Nine local, regional and international banks have made their interest in the BOA official. The interested parties …
The Prince of Egypt on top of the squash world
World champion squash player determined to hold onto his title CAIRO: Often nicknamed “The Prince of Egypt by the international press, Amr Shabana has proven to be the best squash player, not only in Egypt, but also in the world. The charismatic Shabana is the quickest left-hander in the league, which has helped him reach …
Human rights expert expresses concern over judiciary law in Egypt
CAIRO: The following statement was issued by an independent United Nations human rights expert on the independence of the judiciary: The Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Leandro Despouy, expressed serious concern over a law regulating the judiciary in Egypt, which was approved by the Egyptian Parliament on June 26, 2006. Promulgation …
Purported Al-Zarqawi successor doing time in Egyptian jail
U.S. military released inaccurate report of identity of Al-Qaeda leader Al-Muhajir CAIRO: For more than seven years, Abu-Ayoub Al-Masry, the purported successor to Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, has been held in an Egyptian prison, an Islamist lawyer Mamdouh Ismail told The Daily Star Egypt. After the death of Al-Zarqawi in Iraq, the U.S. military claimed that …
Italian spy chief questioned over alleged CIA kidnapping case
Reuters MILAN: The head of Italy s military intelligence agency was questioned by prosecutors for the first time on Saturday on suspicion of helping the CIA kidnap a terrorism suspect in Milan, judicial sources said. The development makes Nicolo Pollari the highest ranking official connected to the Italian investigation, which has already led to the …
Twelve Egyptian sailors on board ship hit by rocket off Beirut
CAIRO: An Egyptian civilian ship off the coast of Lebanon was hit during an exchange of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, Egypt s foreign ministry confirmed on Saturday, but the crew of 12 survived. The 12 sailors have reached Syria safely, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alaa El-Hadidi said, adding there were no casualties among …
A joyful wedding
ŠΘ # # # The couple danced and partied all night with friends and family. Singer Sherin provided the entertainment with a remarkable performance, here, Reeham, Sedky, Sara and Rasha # # Ingy El Naggar and Ingy El Alfy
Textile cluster exploits migration of industry from Europe
CAIRO: Over a century ago, Egypt s ruler Mohammed Ali took advantage of the halt of the American cotton trade owing to the civil war in that country and compelled Egyptian farmers to cultivate cotton almost exclusively. The cotton that was grown was long-staple, meaning that its fibers are longer than the other cotton produced …
Alexandria isn't just about seafood
Selected picks of the culinary delights of the popular coastal city ALEXANDRIA: The summer time means more sun and sand. For Egyptians, the summertime also means more food. Since Alexandria is the main attraction in the summer, its array of foods has people enjoying their meals from morning to night. Alexandria, being a coastal city, …
So that's what he said
From Bogotá to Berlin, from Sunday to Wednesday, people had been lip reading, guessing, presuming and supposing, trying to figure out what on earth did Italian devil defender Marco Materazzi say that was so bad, so insulting, so upsetting that Zinedine Zidane lost his head just by using it. Now we know, without the exact …