Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Recognizing literary excellence
Story competition awards young talent On Thursday, in the Writers’ Union in Zamalek, the awards for the first Youth Creativity Competition were distributed with the first winner receiving a LE 25,000 scholarship to help in the tuition fees of the university of their choice. This short story competition, which is co-funded by Kotob Arabia, AK …
Orascom commissions plant in Iraq
Cement production in the third world has become big business with increasing environmental restrictions elsewhere CAIRO: Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) Cement Group announced that they have commissioned a cement facility in northern Iraq and are in the process of production. According to an official company statement, the rehabilitation of the 2.3 million ton per year …
Present and Tense: Recycled pasta
Carlita Mikalovic, the NUN deputy secretary general, called me for the third time in one week. “Talk to your friends, we cannot allow this war to continue. I couldn’t agree more. When the NUN (New United Nations) was created seven years ago, it made its message clear to all member states. Global resources were under …
Prevention and preparedness vital in fire fighting
Fire officials counter citizens complaints about slow response to emergencies CAIRO: It s a catch-22 situation. Complaints by Cairo s citizens about slow or in some cases, non-existent response, to fire emergencies, is on the rise. On the other hand, fire officials blame citizens for their ignorance of the emergency procedures that should be followed. …
Ethanol boom could hurt world's poor
Egypt among countries that could be most vulnerable Reuters NEW YORK: The race to boost ethanol production could one day hurt food supply for many of the world s poor, an environmental expert said on Thursday. This is shaping up as competition between the 800 million people in the world that own automobiles and the …
Swarms of swimming pools
Stuck in Cairo doesn t mean you can t enjoy sun and water CAIRO: So your air-conditioner has been on full power 24/7, your only weapon against the scorching heat. Give the poor thing a rest and avoid racking up a high electricity bill. Trek to a nearby swimming pool, drink a fresh fruit shake …
Life's a beach
The essential seaside guide NORTH COAST, Alexandria: Beach time is here at last. Everyone is excitedly heading off to the North Coast every weekend, showing off their new swimsuits, swimwear and big beach bags. So what actually goes into that big colorful bag? Water sprayIn the humid and sunny weather you can’t take a dip …
J8 members outline issues facing developing nations
Delegates in Egypt conduct conference call with Russian President Vladimir Putin CAIRO: For the first time in G8 history, children are being given an official voice at the international summit that begins this Saturday in St. Petersburg, Russia. On Friday morning, youths from Cairo had a chance to offer their views to the G8 countries’ …
EU demands opening of Egypt-Gaza border for aid
HELSINKI: The European Union on Friday called for the border between Gaza and Egypt to be opened, saying it was deeply concerned by the poor conditions facing Palestinians stranded there. Israel has blockaded Gaza after the abduction of an Israeli soldier during an attack on a military post at the end of June. We demand …
Arab nations mild in reaction to Israeli offensive in Lebanon
Associated Press CAIRO: Moderate Arab governments reacted with relative restraint to Israel s offensive in Lebanon, condemning attacks on civilians and infrastructure, but also implicitly criticizing Hezbollah. The relative silence appeared to reflect a sentiment in Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia that the Shiite Lebanese guerrilla group had dragged Lebanon into a needless fight by …
Police break up Muslim Brotherhood meeting, arrest eight members
CAIRO: Egyptian police broke up a financial planning meeting of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood and detained eight members of the Islamist group, the state news agency MENA reported. The meeting in a Cairo suburb on Thursday evening was between an official of the Muslim Brotherhood s central financing committee and seven committee members from the …
Mubarak, Abdullah hold meeting on escalating conflict
Egypt persuades Hamas figure to leave, citing danger CAIRO: Jordan s King Abdullah II met in Cairo with President Hosni Mubarak on Friday in a hastily-called meeting to discuss escalating Mideast violence. The two leaders of moderate, U.S.-backed Arab regimes, the only countries in the region to sign peace treaties with Israel, discussed the Israeli …
Married in style
ŠΘ # # # The bride and groom danced with friends and family to the tunes of Talaat Zein until the early hours of the morning # # Ahmed Fawzi, Noha Abou El Ezz, Zeinab Fawzi and Amr Nashaat
A musical wedding
Why is Africa getting poorer?
CAIRO: There is an African country where 19 population of the population lives under the poverty line, yet whose government donates aid to other African countries. While this country gives the World Food Program in excess of $1.5 million for use elsewhere on the continent, more than 500,000 of its own people are classified as …
Truth from a director's lens
El Sakia commences its second documentary film festival CAIRO: El Sakia Cultural Center starts its second documentary film festival tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. Awards will be distributed at the closing ceremony of the four-day festival on July 18. This year, 50 documentary films are participating in the festival, with 26 being short documentary films of …
Matters of the harp
Manal Mohie El-Din puts the virtues of the harp on display CAIRO: How apt that the instrument which owes its very existence to Egypt should still find a home here. This most marginalized of instruments, apparently confined to the satellite provinces of any orchestra in which it has the audacity to feature, was propelled to …
"Halim" brings together two iconic legends
Ahmed Zaki and Abdel Halim Hafez share the silver screen HalimDirector: Sherif ArafaWriter: Mahfouz Abdel RahmanActors: Ahmed Zaki, Haytham Ahmed Zaki, Sulaf Fawakhergi, Mona Zaki and Ezzat Abu Ouf CAIRO: As the opening credits roll, the shaky camera follows late actor Ahmed Zaki in his Abdel Halim Hafez persona while he performs on stage. Scenes …
Palestinians stranded at Rafah border assisted, says Red Crescent
CAIRO: The Red Crescent Society in Egypt has denied reports that four Palestinians stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip had died as a result of poor conditions. In contrast, the NGO says it has provided fully for the needs of the Palestinians. “The needs of the Palestinians …
Arab states to meet in Cairo on Mideast violence
Reuters CAIRO: Arab governments agreed to send their foreign ministers to Cairo for an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, the Arab League said on Thursday. But the 22-member League has not yet seen specific proposals for a joint Arab response to the attacks in which Israel …
Taking on the challenge
Director Sherif Arafa discusses the challenges of making “Halim CAIRO: Since Good News For Films first announced its plans to produce a film depicting the life of Abdel Halim Hafez, the public has not underestimated the challenges taken on by the participating filmmakers. Just to pinpoint a few of the recognized challenges: Finding a fresh …
Arabic news on the Web
Maktoob.com’s partnership with BBC part of growth strategy CAIRO: Maktoob.com, the largest Arab online community headquartered in Jordan, has recently announced that it has partnered with the BBC, as part of the Web site’s newly launched news service. The alliance between the international broadcasting giant and Maktoob is one of the recent spates of acquisitions …
Community reacts to the newest stand-off between the media and the government
CAIRO: During President Hosni Mubarak’s reelection campaign – in what was the first-ever, multi-candidate presidential election – he promised to increase the freedom of the press and end all jail sentences handed down to reporters. The promise, however, has largely gone unfulfilled. Hundreds of journalists gathered on July 9 in front of parliament to oppose …
Onslaught against Lebanon continues, 52 civilians killed
Egypt, Hariri hold emergency talks in bid to end crisis BEIRUT: Israel struck Beirut airport and blockaded Lebanese ports on Thursday, expanding reprisals that have killed 52 civilians in Lebanon since Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight a day earlier. The Lebanese Shiite Muslim group retaliated by raining rockets onto towns in northern …
The legend behind the legend
Ahmed Zaki (Aug. 1949- March 2005) Ahmed Zaki was one of the few legendary actors that made a lasting impression in the history of Arab cinema. With a total of 55 movies made, the memory of Zaki has been engraved in the viewers’ minds. Zaki’s roles varied from comedy, drama to the portrayal of Egyptian …
Al Ahli continues defense of unbeaten record
JOHANNESBURG: Title holders Al Ahli have two records in their sights when the group phase of the African Champions League begins this weekend. Al Ahli, who beat Etoile Sahel in last year s final, is away to another Tunisian side, CS Sfaxien in its opening Group A match on Saturday. The Egyptian side is looking …
Berlusconi slams Italian arrests over alleged CIA kidnapping of Egyptian cleric
Reuters ROME: Ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who lost power in April elections, attacked Italian magistrates on Wednesday for chasing after CIA agents and Italian spies over the alleged kidnap of a terrorism suspect. Berlusconi also said that Rome risked increasing the chances of a terrorist attack on Italian soil if the government loses its close …
President's intervention greeted with mixed reactions
Violence escalates between Israel, Palestine and Lebanon; rebel priest provokes censure CAIRO: The local media has provided different takes on the president s intervention in amending the new press law; some applauded while others were skeptical. Meanwhile, escalation of violence between Israeli, Palestine and Lebanon has been making continuous headlines. Receiving less coverage, but still …
Inspecting inflation, as IMF warns against reducing interest rates
CAIRO: Egypt has achieved a remarkable turnaround in its monetary situation. Until a few years ago, the state of the pound, controlled and overvalued by the government, made imports difficult due to the unavailability of foreign currency and exports too expensive. Subsequent to the devaluation and floatation of the pound in 2003, Egyptian exports have …
Integration is the secret ingredient
Mona Zaki’s personal life combines with her career and community service for a successful mix CAIRO: You don’t need to spend more than five minutes in Dr. Mona Zaki’s office to understand who she is. Once you step into the Garden City office, where she operates her self-founded company Global Strategic Consultants (GSC), a drawing …