Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
The dangers of digging for the truth
CAIRO: It was hard not to feel giddy Thursday afternoon when the breaking news bulletin crossed that American journalist Jill Carroll had been released. Even though she was at one time based in Cairo, I don t know her, I ve never met her and there s a good chance I never will. For many …
Looks, not sexual preference
CAIRO: Once upon a time, men were expected to appear rugged, even when looking their best. It was acceptable and almost anticipated for anyone with a Y-chromosome to remain stubble-faced, with dirty fingernails and monotonous attire. That was until the advent of what New Yorkers like to call the metrosexual. Metrosexuality is often confused with …
Harried liberals face an uncertain future in Egypt
The parliamentary elections of late 2005 realigned the Egyptian political landscape into a virtual two-party system: the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and an emergent Muslim Brotherhood. Although they have little hope of scuttling bills, Muslim Brothers in the People’s Assembly (who won 88 out of 454 seats) are making good use of their parliamentary …
Negotiating trade
CAIRO: Egypt and Turkey signed a free trade agreement last December, which follows years of negotiations resulting in a series of product lists and tariff reduction timetables. Emre Öztelli, commercial counselor at the Turkish Embassy, provides insight into the negotiation process and helps put the agreement into perspective with long-term trade developments in an interview …
Italian, Spanish judges meet in CIA probe
MADRID: The Italian judge probing alleged CIA abduction of a Muslim cleric in Milan met Thursday Spanish colleagues investigating prisoner transfers by the U.S. spy agency, court sources told AFP. Milan magistrate Armando Sparato, who is investigating the clandestine arrest and removal to Egypt of Abu Amar, an Egyptian-born iman, met Spanish investigators on the …
The whistle blowers
It’s open season on Egyptian football referees. Hardly a game goes by without hyper-tense players surrounding a referee to argue whether the ball went in, a penalty should be awarded or if a player deserves to be red carded. Coaches, supporters and the press are becoming as aggressive as the players as they bash the …
Jol confident Mido will not be lured away from Spurs
LONDON: Martin Jol believes Tottenham are in pole position to secure the permanent signing of Mido before the end of the season, despite growing interest in the Egyptian striker from rival clubs. Mido is currently on an 18-month loan from Roma and has been influential in helping Spurs challenge for a Champions League place. The …
Local bloggers offer the constructive, the amusing and the pointless
CAIRO: Like good sushi, good blogs are essentially raw, fresh and spicy. Bad blogs, on the other hand, like bad sushi, can quickly upset your stomach. For the few who are unfamiliar with the term “blog, it is a derivative of the earlier term “web log, which means online journal entry and is a phenomenon …
Present and Tense: Seating arrangements
I relax by watching television. The news is always reassuring. Seals are dying in the North Sea. The North Pole is melting and will soon inundate waterfront villas in Mindanao. American soldiers bombed a wedding in western Iraq. Why am I having my wedding in Giza? I wonder. I could’ve had it in Falluja, or …
Two nights in one day
SALUM: Fascinated by the fact that it would turn dark at noon, driving more than 700 kilometers to Salum and back in one day gradually began to seem doable, or at least not as crazy as it had sounded when the idea was first suggested. Initial traveling plans that fell apart two days before the …
Spurs drop off pace in race to sign Mido: agent
LONDON: Tottenham are showing a surprising reluctance to sign on-loan striker Mido, the Egyptian forward s agent claimed on Wednesday. Mido, whose loan deal from Roma expires at the end of the season, has made it clear he wants to put his stay at White Hart Lane on a permanent footing. But his agent, Mino …
Government considers private water projects
CAIRO: Minister of Housing Ahmed Al-Maghraby says that the government is considering involving the private sector in water projects, following its positive experience with privately-owned power generation plants. A number of private electricity plants have been built since parliament passed a law allowing such concessions in the late 1990s. Sidi Krir Power Plant began operations …
Former Egyptian Guantanamo Bay inmate questioned over shooting in Australia
SYDNEY, Australia: A former Guantanamo Bay inmate who was released by the U.S. military without charge last year was questioned by police in Sydney after witnessing a fatal double shooting, his lawyer said Thursday. New South Wales state police said Egyptian-born Mamdouh Habib, 50, was not a suspect in the killings and he was not …
Telecom talk
CAIRO: Akil Bashir the chairman of Telecom Egypt; the country’s only fixed line operator announced that due to losses incurred by the company in its local call service being estimated at LE 800 million, the company will raise prices and decrease free minutes allowed per residential line. The monthly subscription fee will rise from LE …
Khartoum summit and corruption dominate press
CAIRO: During the past week, the Arab summit in Khartoum, coverage of political and economic events and announcements as well as the solar eclipse dominated front pages. The Arab summit in Khartoum took up most of the space on almost all local front pages on Wednesday. The coverage, however, varied according to each newspapers affiliation. …
Egypt, Singapore sign MOU for production of methanol
CAIRO: At the end of a three-day visit to Egypt, the Chairman of Singapore s Tolaram Group and Minister of Trade and Industry, Lim Hng Kiang, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Egypt, agreeing to establish two factories; one here and one in Singapore, to produce methanol. Using the much sought after Egyptian …
New World Bank project aims at lessening pollution in Egypt
CAIRO: A World Bank-funded anti-pollution project in Egypt is likely to have a limited effect on one of the world s most polluted countries, say local environmentalists, though some consider it an important step in a wider effort to reduce air pollution. On March 23, the World Bank approved a $20 million loan to finance …
UN Resident Coordinator reflects on five year's of service in Egypt
CAIRO: Sometimes, there just are not enough hours in a day, especially when your life s work is dedicated to tackling the social and developmental problems in Egypt. For the past 25 years, that s exactly what Antonio Vigilante has done across the globe. As the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to …
Leather production constrained by lack of investment in tanneries and components
CAIRO: There is a by-product to the nation s beef consumption. The conversion of animal skin into leather products has created a community of artisans and an industry for clothing apparel. International leather consultant Maher Abou El-Khair explains the roots of the industry in Egypt. The production of leather products initially developed through interaction with …
Road Safety Rules
CAIRO: Driver education is limited to family drivers or well-meaning uncles or near-hysterical parents. Few of those who run off to get their driver’s licenses have any idea of what the myriad of road signs mean. I have an aunt who gets her license renewed regularly despite the fact that the last time she gripped …
EFG-Hermes, Telecom Egypt climb on bourse
CAIRO: A rally in EFG-Hermes Holdings and Telecom Egypt helped the stock market edge higher on Wednesday, brokers said. The benchmark Hermes index climbed 401.94 points, or 0.7 percent, to 58,345.66 points. The broader CIBC index ended broadly level at 230.50 points. The Case 30 index rose 33.32 points, or 0.5 percent, to 6,834.56 points. …
Egypt warns that using force against Iran's nuclear assets would increase terrorism
CAIRO: Any attempt to attack Iran s nuclear facilities would destabilize the Middle East and increase terrorism across the world, President Hosni Mubarak said in comments published Tuesday. Speaking in an interview with an Egyptian weekly magazine, Mubarak also said that attempts to replace U.S. troops in Iraq with soldiers from Arab or Muslim-majority countries …
Opposition takes to the net
CAIRO: A “free opinion Web site launched by a group of Islamists and political activists who are seeking sanctuary in London and who were allegedly persecuted in Egypt has become a subject of controversy in the Egyptian political scene. Shunned by government supporters and popular among the opposition, the London-based Save Egypt Front presents its …
Looking to boost cooperation with the Gulf
CAIRO: Picking up where President Hosni Mubarak left off, Minister of Investment, Dr. Mahmoud Moheiddin, continued his whirlwind tour of the Gulf, with stops in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The minister’s tour of the United Arab Emirates, starting with Abu Dhabi and ending in Dubai, because of interest expressed by the region in the country’s …
Poor Egyptians refuse to sign up to bird flu cull
NAWA, Egypt: Mohsen Rizq insists there is no poultry left in his village after a local died of bird flu two weeks ago, but the cacophony of squawking coming from a locked shed and the droppings in his backyard give him away. In another home nearby, in the village of Nawa some 30 km north …
Thousands make their way to Salum to view eclipse
CAIRO: Thousands of Egyptians, tourists, astronomers and the Egyptian president, watched Wednesday s total solar eclipse from a prime location, an isolated desert town on the Libyan border, where darkness fell and stars appeared in the daytime sky. The town of Salum lays nearly dead center on the path of the total eclipse, giving spectators …
Syriana tackling conduct
CAIRO: Hollywood’s fascination with portraying the Arab as bad is nothing new. On the contrary, it has been going on for decades, with films like Laurence of Arabia, True Lies and Disney’s Aladdin. This year’s blockbuster and Oscar-hot film Syriana is nothing different. Or is it? The word Syriana is a term used by Washington …
WHO repeats stance on educating the public on bird flu
CAIRO: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Egypt needs to raise public awareness of bird flu, its causes and prevention. However, despite this claim, there is little information coming out of the WHO regional office in Cairo regarding methods to accomplish this. At least two Egyptians have died as a result of the H5N1 …
Cultivating the food industry
CAIRO: Non-dairy processed food was a LE 3 billion industry last year, with most of this production coming in the form of jams, concentrates, pickles, sugar, sauces and frozen and dried vegetables. Egypt s ample arable land, much of which is unused, provides opportunities for growth in the food sector, while global health-scares and the …
Second Egyptian dies of bird flu
CAIRO: A second Egyptian has died from the bird flu virus, Health Minister Hatem El-Gabali said on Monday. An official from the World Health Organization (WHO) told Reuters the latest victim of the H5N1 strain was a woman who had been in a critical condition on a ventilator before her death Monday morning. This is …