Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Bisc raises funds for Dahab victims
CAIRO: A teacher from The British International School Cairo (BISC) has coordinated a fund raising appeal for the families who lost relatives in the Dahab bombings, raising LE 40,000. Ms. Evan Zora, who teachers Business Studies at BISC, put students and staff on the auction block, taking the highest bids to buy a slave for …
EgyptAir to privatize by raising capital-minister
CAIRO: The partial privatization of national carrier EgyptAir will take the form of a capital increase to raise money for new planes, Civil Aviation Minister Ahmed Shafiq said on Tuesday. Shafiq told reporters that one preparatory study for the privatization was almost complete but a second study by an international bank would also be needed. …
New treatment puts children's diarrhea on the run
PARIS: Researchers in the United States say they have identified a drug that is effective against rotavirus, a diarrhea-inducing bug that kills around half a million children a year. They tested nitazoxanide, a drug initially formulated to combat a different intestinal microbe, among 50 children admitted to Cairo University Children s Hospital in Egypt. The …
Stolen Egyptian artifact removed from NY auction
NEW YORK: A 4000-year-old Egyptian alabaster container shaped like a duck and used for a funeral offering has been withdrawn from auction because it may be stolen property, Christie s auction house said on Monday. The Old Kingdom alabaster offering vessel dating from 2575-2134 BC was expected to sell for $20,000 to $30,000 before it …
A definite dive
El Ghawwas loses its focus CAIRO: Once you get through the overused opening scene of the film, in which Amer Mounib and Hassan Hosny appear drunk in a club while trying to meet two Russian women, you start to think that there might be interesting ideas being discussed throughout the film. But as it turns …
Display evening at BISC
Case against interior minister postponed
Right-to-protest lawsuit delayed CAIRO: A Cairo court postponed a verdict in a case brought by the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) against the interior minister for a decision the latter had made banning protests and public gatherings, declaring them illegal and grounds for arrest. The committee of state commissioners decided it needed to file …
Refreshingly simplistic
Mohammed Sharkawy finds untapped potential while at the Townhouse Gallery CAIRO: El Daba, a term used to describe a four-legged animal that carries objects on its back, also happens to be the creature that is portrayed so uniquely in all of the brightly colored paintings on the walls of the Townhouse Gallery by young artist …
Police holding 200 Muslim Brotherhood protesters
CAIRO: Egyptian police are holding some 200 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood who were arrested during a protest near a courthouse in the Nile Delta town of Zagazig, the group said Tuesday. They arrested about 200 people, Mohammed Habib, the deputy supreme guide of the banned but at times tolerated group, told AFP. Ninety-two of …
Microsoft opens technology center to train youth, women
Company s visiting female delegation notes the importance of engaging women CAIRO: Fifteen computers are now available at the Dar El Tarbia Center, to be made use of by the youths residing there and employees. The Microsoft project that was inaugurated this week aims at enabling the first trainees to start training their counterparts in …
Pharmaceuticals lobby for change in pricing regime as margins shrink
CAIRO: One of the most staggering features of Cairo s retail landscape is its multitude of pharmacies. Pick any random street corner and there s a good chance that you re a five minute walk away from two or three drug stores. This is a reflection of the nation s substantial consumption of medication. Expenditure …
Egypt among countries listed in detainee transfer controversy
STRASBOURG: EU lawmakers on Monday approved a report by a special committee condemning what it called mounting evidence of U.S. human rights abuses, and accused the CIA of using fictitious airlines to transfer terror suspects to countries where they could be tortured. The European Parliament s six-month inquiry into reports of CIA secret prisons and …
Arab leaders reluctant to enthuse about new Iraq
Reuters CAIRO: After watching a bewildering array of Iraqi politicians try their hand at government, Arab leaders are reluctant to pin much hope on new Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, analysts and official sources said on Monday. Arab governments also face such a range of conflicting choices in dealing with Iraq that they appear paralyzed when …
Australian team says referee apologized over disputed goal
KAISERSLAUTERN: Australia s players said Egyptian referee Esam Abd El Fatah had apologized for allowing a disputed goal against them in their 3-1 over Japan in World Cup Group F on Monday. The Australians produced one of the great comebacks from a goal down to score three times in the last eight minutes for a …
El-Gabali says bird flu will remain for years because of household birds
CAIRO: Minister of Health Hatem El-Gabali said yesterday that although the avian flu virus has been nearly eliminated in farms, the disease is likely to remain in Egypt for years because of birds raised in households. Bird flu in Egypt now is controlled by 98.5 percent compared to our worst days in the middle of …
Japan's Kansai airport runway closed in fear of oil leak from Egyptian airliner
TOKYO: Osaka s international airport temporarily closed its runway Monday out of fear of a possible oil leak from an Egyptian airliner that just landed, airport officials said. The EgyptAir flight 962, an A340-220 that flew from Cairo with about 100 passengers and crew members, landed safely after informing the airport of a possible oil …
A Night to Remember
Branding for the local market
CAIRO: The world-renowned Superbrands Organization, an independent arbiter on branding, has named El Gouna as Egypt’s 2006 Superbrand. Branding has become the single most important tool when it comes to the success or failure of brands. “The most important asset with which a company can control and shape its destiny lies in the strength of …
Peaceful demonstration gives opposition new strength
CAIRO: Approximately 100 demonstrators gathered at the journalists’ syndicate late Sunday night to show their solidarity with detainees. The demonstration featured a group of about 10 former detainees who were showing their continued support for their brethren still locked behind bars. After the designated one-hour of chanting on the steps in front of the syndicate, …
DJ Pagano live in Cairo
Renowned European DJ plays at Latex CAIRO: These days, Cairo seems to be on the map for many international artists. From pop stars like Ricky Martin, Latin pianists like Raul Di Blasio and classics like Bonnie M, the country has experienced quite a diverse flow of entertainment over the past few months. Last week, European …
Previous Italian government involved in CIA kidnapping, says head of investigation
ROME: The previous Italian government, led by former Premier Silvio Berlusconi, played an important role in the alleged CIA kidnapping in 2003 of an Egyptian cleric in Milan, the head of a European investigation told an Italian daily. The role of Berlusconi s government was not marginal in this affair, Swiss Senator Dick Marty said …
ECHEM allocates $82 million for investments in Fiscal year 2006-2007
CAIRO: The Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company (ECHEM) has allocated LE 472.5 million (about $82 million) for investments in its new budget for fiscal year 2006-2007, valued at about LE 556.5 million ($96.57 million). By allocating this amount for investment, the company is targeting to boost up exports of petrochemical products to $1.6 billion by the …
Police arrest 110 Muslim Brotherhood members
CAIRO: Police arrested 110 members of the Muslim Brotherhood on Monday, and beat and tear-gassed others as they protested outside a courthouse in which a prominent Brotherhood member was on trial, sources said. The group s Web site and an eyewitness said thousands of police had surrounded the demonstrators in the large Nile Delta town …
Stocks fall as investors focus on charts
CAIRO: Egyptian stocks slipped for a third session in a row on Monday, with selling by pessimistic small investors concerned more with charts than fundamentals weighing across the market, traders said. The benchmark Hermes index ended 2.6 percent lower at 45,092.70 points, 35 percent off its Jan. 23 record of 69,830.78. The Case 30 index …
Interbank rate steady at 8.2 percent
CAIRO: The median overnight rate on the pound was 8.2 percent on Monday, little changed from Sunday s 8.186 percent, bankers said. Three of nine banks contacted by Reuters had dealt overnight at rates of 8.15 to 8.3 percent. The range was 8.1 to 8.2 percent on Sunday. The central bank offers 8 percent on …
Brotherhood clashes in parliament head the news
CAIRO: Parliament speaker Fathi Sorour’s clashes with Muslim Brotherhood members continue as the latter insist on raising the issue of two Egyptian border guards who were killed by Israeli fire, reports Al-Masry Al-Youm on its front page. After the policemen died, conflicting reports of their death dominated the news as Egyptian authorities insisted that the …
Muslim Brotherhood says tourists can drink
CAIRO: The leader of Egypt s Muslim Brotherhood said in an interview that tourists could drink alcohol inside their hotels and people should decide for themselves whether to accept bank interest. Supreme Guide Mohamed Mahdi Akef was speaking in a television interview broadcast on Sunday on Egypt s Dream satellite channel. A transcript appeared in …
Living under a cloud
Mohamed Makhzangi’s arousing report from Kiev following the Chernobyl disaster Memories of a Meltdown: An Egyptian between Moscow and ChernobylBy Mohamed MakhzangiTranslated by Samah SelimPublished by the American University in Cairo Press, 2006 CAIRO: Iran’s nuclear program, along with the world’s reaction to it, is making headlines on almost a daily basis. While heads of …
Lebanese speaker wants Arab mediation with Syria
CAIRO: Lebanon s pro-Syrian parliament speaker Nabih Berri on Saturday asked President Hosni Mubarak for Arab help in defusing the simmering crisis between Beirut and its former powerbroker Syria. The aim of my visit to Cairo is to seek an Arab mediation that would ensure the implementation of decisions reached during Lebanon s protracted national …
Report condemns government and UNHCR in refugees' deaths
CAIRO: In a 65-page report, the Forced Migration and Refugee Studies (FMRS) center released their study of what occurred during last year’s three-month sit-in by Sudanese refugees, which ended in bloodshed. The report blames all three parties, the government, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the demonstrators. FMRS is a department at the …