Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Present and Tense: Donuts anyone?
For years I thought I could have it all. Selling arms in the morning and acting as an undercover power broker at night; helping former dictators pick up the pieces of their sad lives then encouraging civil society to step into the foray and set things right. Even those two weeks I say I go …
Baghdad Bound for Hollywood
A young Egyptian takes a life-changing journey from Kuwait City to Baghdad, and then onto the silver screen CAIRO: It’s 2003. The advent of the Iraqi war is being predicted by political and military advisors everywhere. The atmosphere in Kuwait is unsettling. Many citizens and residents are still scared from the Iraqi invasion in ’91 …
Libyan wedding in Egypt
ŠΘ # # # Nawal El Degwy, Dr Abdel Aziz Hegazy and Mrs Wagih El Degwy # # Waleed Tawfik entertained the guests who danced all night along. Here he is with the bride and groom
Crime Pays
http://www.thecwa.co.uk/http://www.mysterywriters.org/http://murderink.com/catalog/ If you’re a writer, that is. And if you’re a mystery fan, you’re glad to pony up the price of the latest thriller, especially if it has won an Edgar or a Gold or Silver Dagger. The former, named after Edgar Allan Poe, who invented the mystery genre with “Murder in the Rue Morgue, …
Egypt protects WEF from sea attack
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: Egyptian security closed jetties and moved boats for divers away from the scene of a World Economic Forum event opening on Saturday in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, scene of bomb attacks last year. Police also brought in extra security to check people arriving in the small beach and diving …
Citigroup executive foresees higher growth in retail banking and increased bond issues
CAIRO: The Egyptian banking sector has witnessed substantial developments since the unified banking law was introduced in 2003. The law strengthened the independence of the central bank and increased the minimum capital requirement five-fold, from LE 100 million to LE 500 million for local banks and from $10 million to $50 million for branches of …
Oriental Weavers sets its sights on growth and is flourishing
CAIRO: As you enter the Oriental Weavers (OW) International factory in 10th of Ramadan City, you are greeted with a black glass pyramid. Inside lays the first carpet weaving machine OW founder Mohamed Farid Khamis used. Back in 1979, when OW first saw the light, weaving machines could only take a handful of colors in …
Key Sinai bombing suspect killed in blast
CAIRO: A leader of an Islamist group blamed for a spate of deadly attacks in tourist resorts in the Sinai Peninsula over the past two years was killed in an explosion on Friday, a security source said. Arafat Ouda Ali died as a device he tried to hurl at security forces closing in on his …
Following up on a nationwide "makeover"
CAIRO: As part of a national plan to “makeover Egypt so that the country can compete on a global scale and face the challenges bought on by globalization, the Egyptian government has returned its attention to the small and medium enterprise (SMEs) sector, representing a big chunk of the productivity of the Egyptian economy. According …
U.S. calls detention of Nour 'miscarriage of justice'
WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday blasted the continued detention of Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nour and the harsh tactics used against peaceful demonstrators in its key Middle East ally. The United States is deeply troubled by the continued prosecution and imprisonment of Egyptian politician Ayman Nour. We are also disturbed by reports that Mr. …
La Pietra's specialties now available at El Gezira Club
CAIRO: Imagine yourself sitting in a garden with grass swaying to the rhythms of a cool summer breeze on a hot sunny day; sipping an icy chocolate drink under the cool shade of an umbrella and reading a book or just relaxing in the sun. La Pietra s new branch in El Gezira Club offers …
How low can you go?
If the Juventus football match-fixing allegations have got you wondering whether indeed soccer games are rigged, the short answer is: of course they are, silly, at least some of them. Where there is money and influence, and football is loaded with both, and then hanky-panky is afoot, so to speak. The furor began when Italian …
Moving in the right direction
CAIRO: While no one can deny that the investment climate in Egypt has significantly improved since the government undertook a few bold measures starting in 2002, the year that Egypt opened its economy to the private sector, investments in Egypt have yet to reach their peak. In an exclusive interview with The Daily Star Egypt, …
Friction mixes clothes, sports, music and furniture
CAIRO: Whoever said there are no good places to shop in Egypt? Throughout the past year, several new stores have opened, providing us with a number of the most demanded international labels, from Mango and Sisley to upscale Yves Saint Laurent and Prada. Last week, a new star in the shopping scene was born. Right …
WEF highlights regional image problem
CAIRO: Some 1,200 leaders from the Arab world and beyond are due in Sharm El-Sheikh this morning to kick off the World Economic Forum. Under the theme “The Promise of a New Generation, President Hosni Mubarak is due to inaugurate the summit, the first “Davos to be held in Egypt. As with previous WEF conferences, …
Rachid pushes for more intra-Arab trade
CAIRO: Increased economic integration of Arab countries is one of the priorities of Minister of Trade and Industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid, who discussed the measures being taken to address some of the shortcomings of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area in an interview with The Daily Star Egypt. Regional trade is also one of the …
Ayman Nour denied appeal
CAIRO: Jailed opposition leader Ayman Nour’s appeal case was rejected Thursday, with the Cairo Court of Cassation upholding the five-year sentence originally assigned. Most reporters and journalists were kept away from the courtroom, as hundreds of activists and Nour supporters gradually flocked to Cairo’s Supreme Court. The press was denied entrance to the court, while …
Egypt rebuffs EU calls to end state of emergency
CAIRO: Egypt on Wednesday rejected as misinformed calls from the European Union presidency urging Cairo to end its state of emergency and denouncing its use against pro-reform demonstrators. The foreign ministry has received with surprise and dismay the declaration issued by the EU presidency, said a statement received by AFP. The statement issued on Monday …
Judicial committee makes ruling in judges' disciplinary hearing
CAIRO: Journalist and human rights activist Saed Ragab walks swiftly through the streets of downtown Cairo. We have to keep walking or they ll see me, he says. He turns left, then right, then left again when suddenly he ducks into a small café. While scouting the restaurant as though looking for someone, he makes …
Three more Sinai bombings suspects detained
CAIRO: Police on Thursday detained three more Egyptians suspected of involvement in the triple suicide attacks that killed 20 people in the Sinai Peninsula last month, security sources said. They were on a list of 25 people wanted in connection with the bombings that struck the popular diving resort of Dahab on April 24, a …
Haim Saban in group mulling Univision bid
NEW YORK: Haim Saban, the billionaire media and entertainment investor, is part of a private equity group considering a bid for Spanish-language broadcaster Univision, sources familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. Saban s name appeared early on when the bidding interest flared up, but then quickly disappeared as bankers and private equity sources assumed …
Interbank rate falls to 8.05 percent
CAIRO: The median overnight interbank rate on the pound slipped to 8.05 percent on Thursday from Wednesday s 8.099 percent because the central bank accepted fewer funds than expected in an auction, bankers said. The central bank had offered 63-day certificates of deposit worth LE 8.8 billion ($1.5 billion), but accepted bids worth LE 6.464 …
Mideast leaders gather in Egypt for economic forum
CAIRO: Arab and Israeli political and business leaders are to meet for three days in Egypt s resort of Sharm El-Sheikh from Saturday, only a month after the Sinai was hit by a fresh spate of suicide bombings. Some 1,200 leaders from the Middle East and beyond are expected to converge on the Red Sea …
Egyptian geologist lends credence to Bosnian pyramid claim
VISOKO, Bosnia: An Egyptian geologist who arrived to check on claims by an amateur researcher that a hill in central Bosnia is hiding an ancient pyramid said Wednesday the structure is man made and worth investigating. My opinion is that this is a type of pyramid, probably a primitive pyramid, said Dr. Aly Abd Alla …
Sixth Egyptian dies of bird flu
CAIRO: A 75-year-old woman died of bird flu in Egypt on Thursday, the sixth death caused by the disease, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said. John Jabbour said the woman was from Minya in southern Egypt. She had been in contact with infected poultry, he said, quoting information provided by the Egyptian authorities. Jabbour …
National newspapers lay the blame on the protestors
CAIRO: Following last week s violent protests, writers focused on the judges crisis in anticipation of similar events. Whether in reports or editorials, newspapers prioritized the issue along with other related topics. Al Ahram offered its spin on events, saying the Brotherhood had fueled the crisis. In a series of articles, along with a front …
Word on the Street
CAIRO: Following the much criticized extension of the Emergency Law, some 240 protestors demonstrating in support of two judges facing disciplinary hearings were arrested by police. The relationship between ordinary citizens and the police forces has always been a tumultuous one, and so The Daily Star Egypt took to the streets to find out how …
My big Greek wedding
ŠΘ # # # Many of Egypt’s socialites, businessmen and artists attended the elegant event. Here, Eva and her friends # # The bride and groom danced with their friends until the early hours of the morning. Above are Dorothy Kamel, Suzy Askalany, Effat Enan, Fifi Kamhawy and Fadia Dorra
Congress mulls benefits of aid to Egypt versus cost
WASHINGTON: The Bush administration urged Congress on Wednesday not to cut U.S. aid to Egypt, arguing such punishment for Cairo s democracy crackdown would damage U.S. national interests. Since 1979, the United States has pumped more than $60 billion of aid into Egypt, but many in Congress are growing impatient with Cairo over the slow …
Abbas to meet Israel's Livni at WEF
JERUSALEM: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni at a Middle East economic conference in Egypt on Sunday, a Palestinian official said on Thursday. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said Abbas and Livni would be on a joint panel discussion but did not confirm the two would hold separate talks. Talks …