Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Palestinians face discrimination in Egypt
CAIRO: Palestinian refugees in Egypt continue to face major obstacles, including formidable travel restrictions and a lack of access to basic government services, such as free education. They don t have many rights, says Ashraf Milad, a lawyer specializing in forced migration studies at the American University in Cairo. Unlike their compatriots in Jordan, Syria …
Probe confirms state role in ferry disaster
Agence France-Presse CAIRO: An Egyptian probe into the sinking of a ferry that killed more than 1,400 people in February confirmed Wednesday its initial findings which accused the government of negligence and incompetence. The parliamentary investigating commission accused the Egyptian Authority for Maritime Safety of negligence in applying maritime safety measures … especially regarding the …
Egypt-Gaza border closed following Israeli security alert
Reuters GAZA: The Gaza Strip s main international gateway was closed on Wednesday after European monitors said an Israeli security alert prevented them from manning the crossing, officials said. The Palestinian militant group Hamas said it suspected the Rafah terminal with Egypt was closed to send a message to its government to stop carrying cash …
Pro-reform activists to be released
CAIRO: Authorities on Wednesday ordered the release of 21 pro-democracy activists who had been detained in recent weeks, a judicial source told AFP. The release of 21 activists has been ordered. They will be out of prison pending paperwork, the source said. The activists had been arrested after joining popular demonstrations in support of reformist …
A one-stop-shop for interior design
CAIRO: Designing your home can either be an absolute pleasure or a colossal pain. Scouring shops for different items, searching for addresses and attempting to park in Cairo’s crowded streets can remove all of the joy associated with it, especially since the process can take months. Bali Belly, or Jawhara Nafa, has decided to make …
Birkenstock opening
ŠΘ # # # There is a wide range of comfortable footwear for men, women and children, here, Ahmed Ebeid, Sherry El Zommor, Omar and Ahmed El Beltagy # # Anda, Dina, Yasmine, Nehal, Nour, Dania, Sherry and Alia
Arab states create group in WTO
Council formed to address GAFTA rules of origin CAIRO: Arab trade ministers met in Cairo on Tuesday to address common product standards issues and form a negotiation group at the World Trade Organization. Product standards were one of the topics covered in the meeting of 20 officials in a ministerial meeting of the Arab Industrial …
Private equity group agrees to buy Amoun Pharmaceuticals
CAIRO: Egypt s Bassily family has made a preliminary agreement to sell its 93 percent stake in Amoun Pharmaceuticals for at least LE 2.6 billion ($451 million), the chairman said on Wednesday. Sarwat Bassily, who founded Amoun in 1998, told Reuters he was offering the company for sale because at the age of 66 he …
Intel collaborates with Raya Academy for joint training programs
CAIRO: Intel Corporation and Raya Academy announced, Tuesday, collaboration for specialized training programs targeted at software developers and architect communities. Under this collaboration, which is the first to be announced worldwide, Intel and Raya Academy will launch a series of training programs that will initially include a three-day, in-depth multi-core programming training featuring lab sessions. …
Harsh criticism for National Council for Women
Council officials say their job is not to defend detained female protestors or support particular candidates CAIRO: After three female protestors were detained for about a month following their participation in pro-democracy and solidarity demonstrations, the role of women’s rights organizations and their effectiveness are being tested, with the state-run National Council for Women (NCW) …
Many graduates find themselves unprepared for the workforce
CAIRO: Ahmed Morsey, 24, holds a degree in computer science from Future Academy, a private university on the Egypt-Ismailia road, where he graduated as one of the top of his class. Since he graduated two years ago, he has been sitting at home, frustrated, because while his grades prove he has the qualifications to work …
Zamalek banned from Super Cup after medal protest
CAIRO: Cairo club Zamalek have been banned from next season s Egyptian Super Cup because they refused to accept their medals when they were beaten in a tempestuous domestic cup final last Friday. Zamalek s arch-rivals, Al Ahli, won the final 3-0 to complete the league and cup double, having finished 14 points ahead of …
The Yacoubian Building" broaches taboo topics in Egyptian society
CAIRO: Marked by both controversy and praise, “The Yacoubian Building opened in cinemas around Cairo. Fans of the best-selling novel that the movie is based upon flocked to Monday night’s screenings, expectations flaring as tickets sold out rapidly. The Opera House premiere began with a red carpet entrance, with young female stars like Somaya El-Khashab, …
Economic reforms slacken as task gets harder
Reuters CAIRO: The pace of Egypt s economic reform has slowed down as the government faces tough political choices on cutting spending and finds it harder to sell state-owned firms on a depressed stock market. Reiterating the slogan Egypt is open for business, ministers have pledged to continue reforms praised by institutions including the IMF. …
Median interbank rate rises to 8.24 percent
CAIRO: The median overnight interbank rate on the pound rose to 8.24 percent on Tuesday from 8.058 percent on Monday, sidelined by a Central Bank auction of seven-day certificates, bankers said. The bankers said liquidity was lower because banks had little interest in dealing in the interbank market due to a preference for the Central …
The Yacoubian Building premieres
ŠΘ # # # Many of Egypt’s businessmen and socialites attended the elegant event, here, U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone and partner # # Sara Imam, Yasmine and Nevine Helal and Fatma Sakr
Housing policy gets mixed reviews
CAIRO: The government s policy on low-income housing districts received mixed reactions from experts, with some praising it for providing basic utilities and others criticizing it for not addressing the root cause of slum growth. A new UN-Habitat report, The State of the World s Cities 2006-7, praises the government for investing in electricity, water …
Students connect with the stock market
CAIRO: The American University in Cairo (AUC) will establish a finance lab that will be connected directly to the Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchange (CASE) The facility, which will include a simulated trading room, is being funded by a donation of $250,000 by Citadel Capital. It will, in effect, recreate the environment of the Cairo …
Kharafi announces major expansion of Marsa Alam International Airport
CAIRO: The M.A. Kharafi Group of Kuwait, the developer, financier and concessionaire of the Marsa Alam International Airport, the international gateway airport to Egypt’s South Red Sea Marsa Alam Coast, has announced that they are undertaking a major expansion of the airport that will double the terminal size, increase the runway length to handle larger …
IT security needed for SME growth
CAIRO: With approximately two million small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country, and more popping up on the radar, increasing importance has been placed on the SME sector in Egypt and its role in job creation and export promotion. Unfortunately, not many SMEs are making it big because the government, in its efforts to …
UN statement condemns government's actions
CAIRO: Three independent United Nations human rights experts condemned the actions of the Egyptian government during the dispute with judges Mahmoud Mekki and Hisham El Bastawisy. The experts expressed their concern in regard to the decision to transfer Mekki and El Bastawisy to the disciplinary council. The statement was issued by Leandro Despouy, special rapporteur …
European monitors close Gaza crossing with Egypt
GAZA CITY: European monitors closed the Gaza Strip s border crossing with Egypt on Tuesday in response to a security alert in the area, officials said. Europeans at the Rafah crossing told the Palestinians operating the passage to close the crossing, said a spokesman for the European monitors, Julio De La Guardia. Israel had warned …
Eight drown as Nile boat sinks
CAIRO: Eight Egyptians drowned on Tuesday when their overloaded sail boat being used as a ferry capsized on the River Nile in Upper Egypt, police said. The boat, sailing near the southern city of Asiut, some 400 km south of Cairo, was carrying more passengers than its capacity, they said, without giving details. AFP
Jordan denies rift with Syria for Egypt to settle
AMMAN: Jordan strongly denied Monday reported comments by President Hosni Mubarak suggesting that Cairo was mediating a crisis between Amman and Damascus. There is no Egyptian mediation bid between Jordan and Syria, government spokesman Nasser Jawdeh told a weekly news conference. There is no crisis between Jordan and Syria. Relations between our two countries are …
Award-winning blogger to be released from jail
CAIRO: Egyptian authorities on Tuesday ordered the release of an award-winning blogger arrested last month during protests in support of judges demanding greater judicial independence, relatives and friends said. Alaa Seif El Islam was arrested on May 7 with 10 other activists for demonstrating in support of two judges facing a disciplinary hearing for reporting …
Bank offers 82 percent stake in steel firm
CAIRO: Egypt s state-owned Banque du Caire will sell by auction the state s 82 percent stake in Suez Steel, the Investment Ministry said in an announcement in Al Ahram newspaper on Monday. The offer is open to strategic investors or groups of investors, who will have to declare an interest in the stake by …
Press Round-up: Discussions between Mubarak and Abdullah make headlines
Palestinian issues, student exams top local news CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak’s summit with King Abdullah II of Jordan in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh dominated headlines; the leaders discussed the Arab situation including escalating conflicts between Palestinian factions and the Israeli raids on Gaza. After a two-hour meeting, reports Xinhua news agency, Foreign …
Mentoring as a way of life
Valerie Morris stresses the importance of mentoring CAIRO: You must reach back in order to move forward, is advice Valerie Morris first heard from her mother at an early age. In order to do well for yourself, you must do it for other people, she had told her. Fighting back tears as she remembers her …
Xerox pursues wider range of document services
CAIRO: Having established its printing services with a number of large clients, Xerox plans to expand its range of document solutions in Egypt. Xerox currently serves several local companies that have a sizeable customer base and a need to communicate with those customers through customized documents such as bills, statements and pay slips. Documents that …
China's demand for official testimony raises controversy among Egyptian business groups
CAIRO: China s demands for a testimony from Egypt that the Asian giant has a fully free market economy have fueled widespread controversy among Egyptian businesspeople and business groups. Head of the Egyptian Federation of Industries Galal Al-Zorba called on the government to reject these demands on the background of Chinese unfair competition and dumping …