Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Police detain Muslim Brotherhood members in Alexandria
CAIRO: Egyptian police detained approximately 30 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood Islamist group in Alexandria as they were preparing to vote in chamber of commerce elections, a spokesman for the group said on Monday. Hamdy Hassan, the official spokesman for the Brotherhood bloc in parliament has confirmed at least 28 people have been arrested. …
Conference discusses torture of activists
CAIRO: In the wake of reports of torture of political activists while in custody, the Bar Association, along with opposition and political forces, held a joint press conference Sunday to discuss their course of action in what they termed a crisis. “The assaults, the abductions and the physical abuse have revealed the true face of …
Golden Pyramids Plaza considers IPO
CAIRO: Golden Pyramids Plaza, the company that owns CityStars, is studying an initial public offering (IPO) of up to 40 percent of its capital. The company is currently owned by a group of Saudi investors led by the Sharbatly Group. Although the company has not given any indication of the possible size of the offering, …
U.S. denies envoy's 'interfering' remarks on Egypt aid
CAIRO: The U.S. embassy in Cairo denied on Sunday its ambassador had made comments about Washington s aid to the Arab world s most populous nation that had Egyptian MPs up in arms. Lawmakers accused the ambassador of interfering in Egypt s domestic affairs after parliament was told of the reported comments by Ambassador Francis …
The mutants return for one last stand
CAIRO: Back in 1999, comic book fans from around the world were startled to learn that 20th Century Fox were producing the first screen adaptation of the massively popular X-Men books. The film was released in 2000 to rave reviews and a domestic box-office gross of $157 million. I personally was not enthusiastic about the …
Banglalink tops 2 million subscribers
DHAKA: Orascom Telecom s Banglalink, the fastest growing mobile phone operator in Bangladesh, said it had 2 million subscribers in a market that is expected to have 18 million users by end of the year. Banglalink has reached the 2 million subscribers only within 15 months of (starting) its operation, Lars P Reichelt, chief executive …
Interbank rate steady at 8.1 percent
CAIRO: The median overnight interbank rate on the pound remained broadly steady at 8.1 percent on Monday, compared with Sunday s 8.086 percent, in the absence of auctions, traders said. The market is very liquid. There s no demand at all. There are no auctions, one trader said. Five out of 10 banks contacted by …
Sinai bombings suspect surrenders
CAIRO: A suspect in the deadly bombings at the Red Sea resort of Dahab last month has surrendered to security forces in North Sinai, the Egyptian press reported Saturday. Mohammed Khidr Sallam Shenub, 26, a resident of the central Sinai region, gave himself up on Friday, just a day after police released his 47-year-old brother …
Six arrested attempting to cross into Israel from Egypt
Associated Press EL ARISH, Egypt: Egyptian police captured six Sudanese, including a one-year-old boy, who were trying to cross into Israel early Friday to seek asylum, a security official said. The six were arrested at dawn as they tried to get over the coil of barbed wire that marks the border in Egypt s northeast …
Olmert to meet Mubarak June 4
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will meet President Hosni Mubarak on June 4 for talks that Cairo said on Sunday would be a preamble to a three-way summit with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Olmert has said he would consult with Mubarak on a plan the Israeli leader has proposed for the future of the …
Islamists withdraw from vote, allege fraud
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt: The Muslim Brotherhood said on Sunday it had withdrawn from chamber of commerce elections in Alexandria because of interference by security forces to hinder its chances. The Islamist group, Egypt s strongest opposition force, complained that police had stopped its candidates and their representatives from entering polling stations to vote and observe the …
Demanding top quality
CAIRO: Quality in the local food industry is a major concern in terms of safety, as well as a huge hurdle to exporting success. Only around 80 local food producing companies follow the international hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP), a necessary requirement to export. Other companies do not even sustain basic safety standards or …
Vodafone Egypt announces record results for financial year ending March 31, 2006
Vodafone Egypt has announced its financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2006, with the strongest results seen in its history in terms of active customer figures, revenues and profits. Ian Gray, chief executive officer and managing director of Vodafone Egypt, who took the opportunity to thank customers and underlined the company’s commitment …
Solidarity hunger strikes begins at Tora prison
CAIRO: In the wake of Thursday’s turmoil and claims of abuse and torture, the inmates as Tora prison, where Karim El Shaer and Mohamed Sharkawy are currently being held, have initiated a hunger strike. El Shaer and Sharkawy were released from prison last week but defied orders to stay away from demonstrations by being present …
Interbank rate falls to 8.075 percent
CAIRO: The median overnight interbank rate on the pound dipped to 8.075 percent on Sunday from 8.177 percent on Thursday on continuing liquidity from the cancellation of a T-bill auction, bankers said. The market has been pretty liquid since they cancelled the one-year auction on Thursday, one banker said. The Finance Ministry had offered 364-day …
Capital markets are about more than market-cap
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: In 1982, an informal Kuwaiti stock market known as Souq Al-Manakh collapsed. Speculators armed with vast funds from booming oil prices and from the dubious use of post-dated checks fueled share prices to unprecedented levels. Excited by their easy gains, most traders did not care to notice that many of the companies …
Tackling the issues
ŠΘ # # # First Lady Susan Mubarak attended and gave a speech on the matter, here, Susan Mubarak and Mr and Mrs, Shafik Gabr # # It was then followed by a lunch at the Four Seasons at the Nile Plaza where the conference took place, see here, American Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone …
International reports express confidence in Egyptian economy
CAIRO: JP Morgan has issued a report on Egypt’s latest economic developments and performance, with foreign direct investments (FDI) being one of the biggest, reoccurring features in the report. According to the global financial services firm, the government has taken several important steps toward improving the investment climate in Egypt. The report cites the increase …
Al-Azhar sheikh denounces extremism
SINGAPORE: A leading Sunni Islamic cleric spoke out against religious extremism and encouraged Singapore s Muslims to work with other races and religions for the good of their nation, a local newspaper reported Friday. Sheikh Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, the grand sheik of Egypt s Al-Azhar, one of the most powerful Islamic institutions in the Middle …
AUC sit-in geared toward educating the student body
CAIRO: While demonstrations were occurring at both the judges and journalists syndicates on Thursday, Cairo also bore witness to one of the first demonstrations at the American University in Cairo (AUC) in a long while. Approximately 100 students attended a teach-in, followed by a sit-in on the steps inside AUC. The student activists placed tape …
Architects to revive Pharaonic style in Egypt
Reuters CAIRO: Adorned with lotus and papyrus columns, Egypt s top courthouse evokes the pharaonic temples of the country s ancient past. The Supreme Constitutional Court, built in 2000, marked the most prominent attempt in decades to revive the pharaonic style in Egypt. On the east bank of the Nile south of Cairo, the court …
Make it stop
CAIRO: Fatma El Labban had to take her daughter Yomna to a private lesson. It was shortly before Yomna’s Thanaweya Amma finals and private lessons were vital to her passing. El Labban was alone in Cairo since her husband was out of town on work. As she was leaving, she had a disabling pain on …
Claims of sexual abuse, torture surround Thursday's protests
CAIRO: Thursday’s protests began right, went smoothly, but ended in disarray as plainclothes police surrounded a BBC correspondent’s vehicle and dragged away Karim Al Shaer. In the process of arresting Al Shaer, the men are reported to have thrown objects at the vehicle, breaking windows and forcing the car to stop. “Plainclothes security raided Dina …
Activists around the world speak out for judges and detained pro-reform activists
CAIRO: Activists around the world are picketing Egyptian embassies under the slogan “The Egyptian judges are not alone! We are not alone, marking May 25 as a day of support for Egyptians “in their quest for freedom and in their fight against tyranny. As protests raged in Cairo, an international coalition of supporters of the …
The proof of the pudding
CAIRO: Some may accuse it of being an excessive bureaucracy, others may say that its stringent product standards are a barrier to trade, but the European Union s extensive experience with writing rules and creating institutions to support its economic and political ambitions is a fact. Europe has a good deal of experience with institution-building …
Kefaya presents reform initiative to parliamentIntro: Fighting the battle for a peaceful shift of power in a historic tradition
CAIRO: Kefaya (Enough) movement leaders and members have decided demonstrations are not sufficient opposition to the government, and the movement is presenting what they call a “new reform initiative, and is currently negotiating its enactment with parliament members. “There is a need to engage the people to make a change, says George Ishaq, Kefaya founder …
Brief controversy over Egyptian sarcophagus ends happily
Associated Press CHICAGO: A sudden concern about an Egyptian sarcophagus owned by Exelon Corp. CEO John Rowe threatened briefly to disrupt the long-standing relationship between the Field Museum and Egypt s Supreme Council of Antiquities. A settlement of the spat announced Thursday evening means the lakefront museum will obtain the sarcophagus for its permanent collection, …
Egypt reaps benefits of gas intifada
Agence France-Presse CAIRO: Egypt has unexpectedly reaped huge economic and strategic benefits as a result of an acrimonious battle between Israel, the Palestinians and British Gas over the Gaza Strip s new-found energy bonanza. After years of secretive horse-trading, Egypt is set to pip Israel at the post to buy gas recently discovered off the …
Be prepared, stay alert
CAIRO: While there is no official safety manual for acts of terrorism, there are now ways to be prepared; to expect the unexpected and act accordingly. Safety and security agencies around the globe are doing their best to put together all the possible signs of impending terrorist attacks and all the steps people need to …
Egypt to host oil and gas talks in November
CAIRO: Egypt has invited the world s major oil and gas producers and consumers to a roundtable in November to discuss supply security, Petroleum Minister Sameh Fahmi told AFP Thursday. I took the initiative to ask for a roundtable, bringing together members of the Organization of the Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) countries, as well as …