Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Former college professor to appeal sentence
TAMPA: Former college professor Sami Al-Arian will appeal a judge s decision to sentence him to additional prison time for his role in providing support to a Palestinian terrorist group, federal court records show. Attorney C. Peter Erlinder filed the notice of appeal to the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday. A federal …
Activists end hunger strike at Tora prison
CAIRO: Demonstrations and protests in Egypt often bring arrests and detentions to the demonstrators. From there they are sent to prisons and detention centers across the nation for 15 days before seeing a court. For many, the idea of going to demonstrate is a difficult concept to accept, knowing that it could be you picked …
COOKING
CAIRO: Many are still hesitant to eat chicken or any type of poultry, as bird flu news never leaves the papers; others are worried about mad cow disease. The result is a number of people who are now following an almost strict vegetarian diet. While the diet itself is healthy, many find it problematic to …
Sports talk
Two recent decisions, by men, have come down hard on women who want to be involved in sports. In Iran, the supreme leader of the country has vetoed a ruling by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that would have allowed women to attend major sporting events. Things are not that much rosier in the more women-friendly United …
Iranian president's letter opens window onto Muslim world
CAIRO: It s one of those moments of clarity that show the huge gap between how the United States and the West see the world and how Muslims in the Middle East perceive it. The letter that Iran s hardline president sent to U.S. President George W. Bush this week opens a window onto the …
WWW World
You are being watchedwww.hrw.org Human Rights Watch (HRW) is younger, smaller and somewhat more militant than Amnesty International. Established in 1978 as Helsinki Watch to monitor the compliance of Soviet bloc countries with the human rights provisions of the landmark Helsinki Accords, it grew to cover other areas of the world, and acquired its current …
U.S. rebukes Egypt over actions against protestors
WASHINGTON: The Bush administration sharply rebuked Egypt on Thursday for its crackdown on demonstrators and warned of growing impatience in Congress toward a country that is a major recipient of U.S. aid. In the second public criticism of Egypt this month, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States was deeply troubled by the …
Ancient Egypt's lost treasures brought from the seabed to Europe
BERLIN: Some 500 treasures retrieved by divers from ancient Egyptian cities that disappeared under the Mediterranean Sea centuries ago will go on display in Berlin today. The exhibition, titled Egypt s Sunken Treasures, marks the first time the artifacts from the legendary lost cities of Herakleion and Canopus, and a submerged part of the port …
South Korea seeks to further relations with Egypt
CAIRO: A seminar on Egypt’s investment climate and investment opportunities is to be held today in South Korea courtesy of the Egyptian Embassy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) at the Grand Hyatt in Seoul. The seminar is the first initiative to take place under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the General Authority …
Sinai bombings suspect turns himself in
CAIRO: An Egyptian suspected of involvement in the triple suicide bombings that killed 20 people in the Sinai Peninsula last month surrendered to the security forces, police officials said Thursday. The suspect, 25-year-old Khalil Al-Menei from the northern Sinai town of Al-Arish, was on a list of people wanted in connection with a string of …
Insurance brokers concerned with liberalization
CAIRO: The newly-formed Egyptian Insurance Brokers Association (EIBA) is concerned that the latest amendment to the insurance law will threaten the welfare of local brokers. The amendment is currently being discussed in parliament and includes provisions to reduce the stamp tax on insurance premiums and to allow foreign brokers to provide corporate insurance in Egypt. …
Bus plunges into canal, 21 killed
CAIRO: A bus carrying Egyptian workers plunged into a canal Thursday, killing 21 people and injuring 22 others, police said. The accident happened near the Mediterranean port city of Damietta, 160 km (100 miles) northeast of Cairo, a police official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. …
Greek Eurobank says looking for more acquisitions
ATHENS: EFG Eurobank CEO Nikos Nanopoulos said on Thursday the bank was looking for other acquisitions in new countries beyond the Balkans and Turkey, and was eyeing Bank of Alexandria. The acquisition of Tekfenbank in Turkey complements and does not complete the ongoing growth strategy of Eurobank beyond the five countries where it is currently …
President defends extension of controversial Emergency Law
CAIRO: President Honsi Mubarak defended his country s decision to extend the Emergency Law, saying in comments published Wednesday that many democracies had tougher laws in place to fight terror. In an interview with the editors-in-chiefs of national Egyptian newspapers, Mubarak said he was surprised by the uproar that the extension of the law had …
Median overnight interbank rate falls to 8.15 percent
CAIRO: The median overnight interbank rate on the pound fell to 8.15 percent on Thursday from Wednesday s 8.404 percent because the central bank accepted fewer bids than expected in an auction, traders said. The central bank offered 56-day certificates worth LE 9.1 billion ($1.1 billion) on Wednesday, but accepted only LE 6.6 billion. The …
El Baradei urges compromise in Iranian nuclear row
AMSTERDAM: The head of the UN nuclear watchdog appealed for a diplomatic solution to the crisis over Iran s nuclear program on Thursday as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he was ready to talk. Mohamed El Baradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), welcomed the U.N. Security Council s holding off from sanctions …
Italy states its innocence in alleged kidnapping of Egyptian cleric
ROME: Italy insisted anew Thursday it had no involvement in the alleged CIA kidnapping of an Egyptian cleric in Milan in 2003, after news reports said that an Italian paramilitary police officer took part in it. The Egyptian, Osama Moustafa Hassan Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, was allegedly kidnapped on a Milan street on …
Slow news week produces conflicting editorials
CAIRO: This week the national press focused on President Hosni Mubarak s European tour, while independent and opposition papers were concerned with local news, including the ongoing controversy surrounding the two judges stripped of immunity. Coverage of the Palestinian internal conflict, however, was shared by both. The difference was evident in the coverage of the …
Freedom of the press takes a blow
CAIRO: Egyptian police beat up and temporarily held an Al-Jazeera cameraman, among others, while he was covering a protest outside the Judges Club on Thursday. “A group of police thugs handpicked him from the crowd of journalists, around five or six thugs, and surrounded him, says Lina Al-Ghadban, Al-Jazeera Cairo correspondent who was present at …
Reacting to the U.S.-Iranian standoff
CAIRO: According to United States President George W. Bush, a diplomatic solution would be the ideal way of solving the Iranian nuclear standoff, which has continuously escalated over the past few months. The International Atomic Energy Agency has stated that Iran is continuing its nuclear fuel enrichment in defiance of the UN Security Council, and …
Satisfying your Ego
Police turn to violence during solidarity protests for judges
CAIRO: Violence broke out at a number of locations across the city as police attempted to disperse solidarity protests for two judges facing disciplinary hearings for exposing incidents of electoral fraud. Activists were dragged and beaten by plain-clothed police clutching batons, and several were forcibly escorted into nearby buildings. Protests mobilized in at least three …
A familiar face
CAIRO: Mohamed Zaza s face and name are familiar to all who know their way around Cairo s social circles – you may have seen him at a party or a reception. For the young actor, his social presence is proving to be rewarding. During auditions, many directors remark that his face is familiar. I …
Celebrity birthday party
ŠΘ # # # Yehya El Fakharany with his wife Lamis Gabir # # Khaled Sarhan, Mohammed Fadel and Menna Fadaly
Vodafone executives discuss their plans and outlook for the mobile market
CAIRO: Executives from Vodafone Egypt discussed their plans and outlook for the market going forward at a meeting with journalists at their office in the Smart Village. Last year we invested over LE 1.7 billion in infrastructure to provide coverage, capacity and quality in our operations in this country, says Ian Grey, chief executive officer …
Arab League steps up efforts to promote reconciliation in Iraq, help U.S. troops leave
CAIRO: In a new bid to help stabilize Iraq, the Arab League has stepped up pressure on the country s feuding factions to hold a reconciliation conference and discuss a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal, officials said Tuesday. The League hopes to hold the conference, which was initially planned for February, on June 20 …
Median overnight interbank rate rises to 8.350 percent
CAIRO: The median overnight interbank rate on the pound rose to 8.350 percent on Wednesday from 8.275 percent on Tuesday but few banks traded because they were awaiting result of a central bank auction. The central bank was offering 56-day certificates worth LE 11 billion ($1.9 billion). The market is fairly liquid because everyone s …
Judges due back in court on fraud claims
CAIRO: Two judges accused of exposing alleged occurrences of vote rigging by other magistrates during last year’s parliamentary elections are due back in court today. A disciplinary hearing will be held for Hisham Al-Bastawisy and Mahmoud Mekki, both of whom were stripped of their judicial immunity after sounding the whistle on elections they say were …
Popular Egyptian blogger arrested
CAIRO: With the arrest of Alaa Seif al-Islam on Sunday, Egyptian bloggers are feeling the heat. No longer are they under the radar of security personnel reading what they write on their Web sites. Al-Islam was arrested along with 10 other activists on Sunday during a demonstration in solidarity with judges Mahmoud Mekki and Hisham …
Egyptians in four American states stage protests in support of detained activists
CAIRO: In four American states, some 50 U.S. residents of Egyptian origin and American activists protested in support of political and human rights activists recently detained by security forces and held in Tora Mazraa Prison. “We want to show our support to the activists in Egypt and show that there is mounting international pressure on …