Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Islamists forecast harsher crackdown
Reuters CAIRO: Egypt s Muslim Brotherhood expects the government to intensify a crackdown on the opposition movement to prepare a power transfer to President Hosni Mubarak s son, the group s deputy leader said on Monday. Mohammed Habib said a power transfer from Mubarak, 78, to leading ruling party politician Gamal Mubarak could happen in …
Egyptian women flock to hear female preachers
Reuters CAIRO: Women of all ages pour into a fluorescent-lit mosque hall hours before Sherine Gouda El-Sahhar is due to deliver her weekly sermon, seeking a seat near the front so they can catch a glimpse of the preacher. The 200 women can barely squeeze into the hall, so Sahhar s helpers remove the screens …
Inner Wheel celebrates successful year
ŠΘ # # # The Inner Wheel members honored Samia Aboul Fotouh, President of Inner Wheel Club in Egypt and Jordan, above, Mrs Ahmed Nazif, Mona and Samia Aboul Fotouh # # Many businesswomen, Inner Wheel members, and socialites, including the wife of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif, Interior Affairs Minister Habib El Adly and …
European secret services colluded in CIA terror transfers: report
STRASBOURG: European secret services colluded in the detention and secret transfer of terrorist suspects in or across the continent, the author of a key report on the CIA rendition flights said Tuesday. Dick Marty, a Swiss parliamentarian who compiled the report for the Council of Europe rights watchdog, said there was no doubt of collaboration. …
An accumulation of errors
CAIRO: A committee appointed by Minister of Transportation Mohamed Mansour to investigate the cause of the Al Salam Boccaccio 98 ferry disaster concluded its report yesterday, having found that a series of mistakes by the crew of the vessel, compounded by the inadequate actions of officials and the vessel owner both before and after the …
Bourse lower and listless without news
CAIRO: Egypt s bourse nudged lower on Tuesday in the absence of company news to stimulate investors who were awaiting earnings results and the result of bidding for Egypt s third mobile license, traders said. Individual stock performance was mixed. Investment bank EFG-Hermes held its ground after a recent series of falls to end 0.4 …
Antiquities head reappointed
CAIRO: Zahi Hawass, Egypt s voluble and media-savvy chief archeologist, dubbed the King of the Pharaohs, was reappointed head of the country s top antiquities body on Monday. The decision made by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif came as no surprise after four years of high-profile efforts by Hawass to rejuvenate Egyptology in his home country. …
Parliament approves judicial law draft
CAIRO: During its assembly Sunday, Egypt’s upper house initially approved a draft of a judicial law, proposed by the government and currently being reviewed by parliament, reported Al-Masry Al-Youm on its front page. The constitution gave the judicial authority all guarantees to a free and independent judicial system, said Abdel-Ahad Gamal, National Democratic Party representative …
World Cup 2006 Results as of Tuesday, June 27 Morning
Editor jailed for defaming Mubarak
CAIRO: An Egyptian court sentenced a newspaper editor who has repeatedly criticized President Hosni Mubarak to one year in jail on Monday for defaming the head of state, court sources said. They said Ibrahim Eissa, editor of the opposition weekly Al-Dustour newspaper, received a one year sentence for publishing an article in April detailing a …
Egyptian security delegation makes contact with kidnappers of Israeli soldier
JERUSALEM: An Egyptian security delegation has made contact with the kidnappers of an Israeli soldier grabbed during a Palestinian attack on an Israeli position near the Gaza Strip, Israeli public radio said Monday. The delegation, which arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, established contact with the kidnappers through a third party, the radio said. …
Center hopes to reinvigorate export promotion activities and double exports in five years
CAIRO: The Egyptian Export Promotion Center held its first board meeting on Monday, during which producers and government officials discussed sector-specific export objectives and results for the past year as well as factors inhibiting growth. Haytham Ahmed Deyab, the center s executive director, outlines the center s three main objectives: to double exports in the …
Bora Bora opening
ŠΘ # # # Guests stayed all night socializing and enjoying the delicious food and atmosphere of Bora Bora, here, Mohmmed and Ezz El Deen Magdy # # Ahmed Helal, Ahmed El Beltagy and friend
Tobacco group Altadis upbeat
PARIS: French-Spanish tobacco group Altadis is confident about its prospects and is examining possible deals in Egypt and Algeria, the company s chairman said in a newspaper interview published on Monday. Jean-Dominique Comolli told French paper La Tribune that despite difficult market conditions, Altadis was confident over its strategy and said the company could maintain …
Voicing opposition to acts of torture
CAIRO: On a day when the world came together in opposition of torture worldwide, activists came together for a surprise demonstration in front of the Sayeda Zeinab police station. The demonstration aimed to show solidarity with the campaign to end torture across the globe. Sayeda Zeinab police station was chosen because it is known for …
Torture is business as usual for local law enforcement, say activists
CAIRO. Ahmed Mammoud Tammam, 18, had a fight with a neighbor over a girl. The neighbor complained to a friend who worked in the nearby Omranniya police station. Later that day, eight policemen broke into Tammam s house and arrested him. Tammam died in police custody two days later. The resulting autopsy report, which noted …
Egypt ranked first in trade policy reforms
CAIRO: According to a World Bank survey of 100 countries, Egypt ranked as the number one economy in terms of trade policy reforms. Actual GDP growth was estimated by the report at 4.9 percent for 2005, up from 4.2 percent for 2004 and 3.1 percent for 2003. There are expectations for GDP growth to reach …
Thanaweya amma continues to be a real-life nightmare for millions of Egyptians
CAIRO: A group of high school students attempted to collectively commit suicide because the questions on their thanaweya amma exam were too difficult. Related incidents simultaneously took place throughout the country last weekend, as students and sometimes their parents revolted in protest over the difficulty of one of the thanaweya amma exams. It may sound …
Onto the real action
CAIRO: Two weeks of mediocre play in the Fifa World Cup resulted in only a few moments of excitement, as the majority of the games of the first round produced score lines which, while not always disappointing, resulted in little of the flair usually associated with the World Cup. Among the 16 sides that made …
World Cup 2006 results as of Monday, June 26 Morning
Egypt calls for calm following Gaza border attack
KEREM SHALOM: Two Israeli soldiers were killed and one was missing after a brazen Palestinian militant assault on an army post on the Gaza Strip border Sunday that also left two Palestinian fighters dead. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit on Sunday condemned an attack against an Israeli army post near Gaza which killed two Israeli …
Judges protest proposed judicial law
Judges Club demands right to review law to ensure judicial independence CAIRO: Egypt’s judges have stood firm in their objection to the parliament-proposed draft of the judicial law, even though the parliament has reportedly amended the law “to suit the judges’ demands, as stated by head of parliament Fathi Sorour. “The regime is trying to …
An elegant dinner
The darker side of memories
A powerful and disturbingly dark exhibit lends a view into the travels of Turkish artists Nursen Tor and Shayma Aziz CAIRO: The Hanager Cultural Center is not easy to spot. Camouflaged by the shrubbery alongside the entrance to the Cairo Opera House, the building is not advertising itself to visitors, and indeed anyone who is …
Finnish Ambassador says Euro-Mediterranean Partnership to enter "active phase"
CAIRO: The pace of the progress on the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership will increase during the second half of this year as Finland assumes the European Union presidency next week. Hannu Halinen is Finland s ambassador to Egypt and expects the initiative to enter an active phase with several ministerial meetings due to take place in the …
Mediterranean rim states seek EU aid at talks
Reuters TUNIS: North African and East Mediterranean countries are expected to voice commitment to economic reforms in exchange for billions of euros in European Union (EU) aid at a meeting in Tunis on Sunday and Monday. The gathering of EU finance ministers and their counterparts from the southern and eastern Mediterranean is the latest of …
Winner of BOA bid to be announced in November
Privatization process aimed at banking continues CAIRO: Thirteen European, Arab and Egyptian financial institutions are expected to submit their technical valuation for buying a 75 percent to 80 percent stake in Bank of Alexandria (BOA) by the end of the first week in July. They will also submit their preliminary financial bids to the Central …
World Cup Round 1 (as of June 24 morning)
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Egyptians show support for Iran
CAIRO: When Mexico scored their second goal to go ahead 2-1, a group of Egyptians threw up their arms in displeasure. Mexico was not playing Saudi Arabia or Tunisia, but that didn’t stop the men in the local café from expressing their frustration with how Mexico’s opponent was playing. The team was Iran and Egyptians …
Things being waved around
It would seem rather odd to write about anything except the World Cup these days but stranger things have happened. Like what happened on Friday last week. It was the final of the Egyptian Cup. Ahli had been cruising to a 3-0 win over its forever rivals Zamalek when in the second half pandemonium occurred, …