Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Canadian courts clear extradition hearing for one terror suspect; uphold deportation of another
TORONTO: Canadian courts handed down rulings Thursday that could send one terror suspect back to his native Egypt and another off to the United States to face charges that he plotted to kill Americans abroad. A court cleared the way Thursday for an extradition hearing that could force Canadian Abdullah Khadr to be sent to …
Too mucho to change diapers
CAIRO: In a world trend that finds mothers wrestling between staying home versus working and where the challenges women face in juggling the roles of the homemaker and the bread-earner has become a social movement, one perplexing question remains: Where have all the fathers gone? Quoting a question put forth by Nancy Gibbs in a …
Egyptian shares rise in step with Gulf markets
CAIRO: Egyptian stocks gained ground on Thursday as Gulf markets recovered and confidence rose among retail investors who panicked earlier in the week, brokers said. Telecom Egypt rose 3 percent, with much of the increase coming after news it is raising prices for subscriptions and local calls, they said. The partially privatized company ended at …
Helping communities work their way out of poverty
CAIRO: If you’re looking for local, unique handmade crafts with a touch of history, you need look no further than the Egypt Crafts Center (ECC). Carrying everything from extra virgin olive oil cleansing bars from Al Fayoum, to cotton embroidered sheer sheaths from Siwa, ECC has something for everyone. A nonprofit organization, the ECC store …
Thirteen killed in road accident
CAIRO: Thirteen farm workers including seven women were killed and nine others wounded in a road accident in a town near Cairo on Wednesday, police said. The vehicle crashed when its rear tire blew out in the town of Sadat, 80km north of Cairo, a police source said. In January, 14 tourists from Hong Kong …
Mussa set for new term as Arab League chief
CAIRO: Arab leaders are widely expected to approve Amr Mussa s bid for a second five-year term as Arab League chief when they gather in Sudan later this month, a senior official said Thursday. Arab League assistant secretary general for political affairs Ahmed bin Hili told reporters that the veteran Egyptian diplomat had the support …
Word on the Street
CAIRO: On Wednesday, the new metered and air-conditioned taxis were given the opportunity to join the throng of Egyptians making their way through the over-crowded and poorly maintained roads. With the state of Egyptian traffic in as abysmal a shape as it currently is, and with the number of traffic-related deaths mounting, The Daily Star …
Press Round-up
CAIRO: The stock market’s drastic decline and the parliament’s increasingly heated debates made headlines throughout the week. “Black Tuesday was Al-Masry Al-Youm’s description of the dive the Egyptian stock market took on March 14. National newspapers, however, were quick to report the market’s revival in the most prominent spots of their front pages on Thursday, …
Ministry of education cancels Women's Day celebration for 'security reasons'
CAIRO: Less than 24 hours before its scheduled start, the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights’ (ECWR) celebration of the Egyptian Women’s Day was canceled. As the celebration was planned to take place on the stage of Al Agouza’s schools’ Student Union, the ministry of education called off the event. According to ECWR, the ministry’s officials …
Omar Effendi sale ongoing
CAIRO: Visit your nearest Omar Effendi and you will meet staff that behave more like stereotypical civil servants than professional retailers. You ll probably find what you want, more or less; the sheets may not exactly fit your bed and the towel may be too small. And it is clear that a great deal of …
OT, OCI, Ezz Steel lead stock market rebound
CAIRO: Egypt s stock market recovered on Wednesday from losses with Orascom Telecom, Orascom Construction Industries and Al Ezz Steel Rebars helping it to a higher close. The Hermes index, which shed 4.9 percent on Tuesday, ended 2,637.48 points, or 5 percent, higher at 55,321.05 points. The broader CIBC index rose 7.45 points, or 3.5 …
Muslim Brotherhood rallies support for Palestine
CAIRO: As the recently elected Hamas government struggles to come to terms with their newly bestowed power and formulate an alternative plan to get Palestine up and running, the West Bank and Gaza face a great dilemma. Since assuming the reins of power following Palestine s first parliamentary elections in a decade, Hamas has been …
Al Ahli open Champions League defense in Kenya
JOHANNESBURG: Holders Al Ahli begin the defense of their African Champions League title this weekend, joining the competition at the second round stage just two weeks after winning the African Super Cup. The club, which has an unbeaten record on the continent that now stretches back 21 months, is at full strength for the first …
Glimpses of inner Cairo
CAIRO: Robert Azzi’s photographs of Cairo, currently on display at the Sony Gallery of Photography at the American University in Cairo, are simply heart-wrenching. The show, featuring the famous Arab-American Muslim photojournalist, entitled, “Whatever I saw before my eyes saw you were a wasted life, provides a unique look at Cairo. Unlike the photographs of …
Court tells church to let man remarry
CAIRO: An Egyptian court told the Coptic Christian church on Tuesday to let a divorced man marry again in church, despite the church s ban on divorce, judicial sources said. Mamdouh Ramzi, a lawyer for the church, told Reuters the church would appeal against the ruling in a higher court because it violates the ban, …
Libya to host summit on Darfur conflict with Egypt
TRIPOLI: Libya will host a summit with Egypt in coming days to try to find a regional solution to the conflict in Sudan s Darfur region, an official source in Tripoli said on Wednesday. The move comes amid intense pressure on the African Union to turn over peacekeeping in the western Sudanese province to the …
Sphinx to get facelift
CAIRO: The Great Sphinx of Giza, one of the most famous monuments of Pharaonic Egypt, is to get a facelift, the Egyptian ministry of culture said Tuesday. Restoration work on the face undertaken by the High Council for Antiquities is to focus on the beast s neck and chest, rendered fragile by the erosion of …
New cabs take on battered relics on Cairo streets
CAIRO: Hundreds of brand-new yellow taxis, armed with meters, telephones and air conditioning, took to the streets of Egypt on Wednesday, jostling for space with battered black-and-white relics mostly fit for the junkyard. Drivers, some dressed in suits and ties, drove sparkling Hyundai Elantras and Volkswagen Paratis away from a launching ceremony in central Cairo …
Arab journalists call for greater press freedom
CAIRO: Arab journalists and activists called for greater freedoms of press and expression at a regional conference on Monday held at the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate in Cairo. “More steps need to be taken to guarantee greater press freedom across the Arab world, said Ibrahim Nawar, chairman of Arab Press Freedom Watch (APFW), a regional NGO. …
Forced conversions underscore religious tension
CAIRO: Coptic women are increasingly fearful of being kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam. It is becoming more apparent that women are being taken forcefully from their families and held against their will by Muslim men in order to be forced into conversion and, while most of the women are released soon after their …
Mercedes-Benz to assemble top model outside of Germany for the first time
CAIRO: Mercedes-Benz will begin building its top-of-the-line car in Egypt by the end of the year, the company announced on Tuesday. Assembly of the S500L will take place in the factory owned by the Egyptian German Automotive Company (EGA), a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz s parent company DaimlerChrysler and National Automotive Company. The factory, located …
Coptic Museum receives a face lift
CAIRO: The ladies of Club International 2 got a sneak peak at renovations being completed at Cairo s Coptic Museum this week with a special visit from Mr. Egyptology himself, Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Started by Hoda Maher, the wife of Egypt s former Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, the …
Osama Ghazali Harb discusses Egypt's future
CAIRO: With his resignation from the National Democratic Party (NDP) still sending shockwaves through the political scene, Osama Ghazali Harb spoke to The Daily Star Egypt about his reasons for abandoning the party, his plans for founding a new one and what he sees as the future of democracy in Egypt. “The so-called political reform …
The melody of art
CAIRO: “And the nurse will tell you lies, of a kingdom beyond the skies, but I am lost within this half-world, it hardly seems to matter now, sang Phil Collins in an all-time favorite, Musical Box by Genesis from the 1971 album titled Nursery Cryme. This song may not be climbing the charts anymore, but …
Nazif expects emergency law to go in months
LONDON: Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said on Tuesday the Egyptian government expects to draft an anti-terrorism law within a few months, clearing the way for an end to emergency law in place for a quarter century. President Hosni Mukarak promised during his election campaign last year to replace emergency law with more narrowly targeted legislation, …
Islamists say Egypt accuses members of militancy
CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood said on Tuesday security forces had accused 22 of its members detained in the last week of recruiting youths to send to fight in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. The Brotherhood dismissed the accusation as ridiculous. Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud, lawyer for the 22, said the accusation was made in a …
Working against discrimination
CAIRO: There is plenty of evidence that women are underrepresented in Arab societies, stated the speakers at a conference organized by The Egyptian Society for Equality and Anti-Discrimination (ESEAD). Besides the low figures indicating women’s participation in Egypt with only 5.9 percent of the parliament’s and Shura Council’s seats being occupied by women in 2005, …
Egyptians protest government inaction toward victims of sunken ship
CAIRO: At least 100 Egyptians protested in downtown Cairo on Monday against the government s inaction in punishing those responsible for the sinking of a Red Sea ferry in February. Mohammed Taima, a member of the Kefaya opposition movement, said the protest marked the 40th day since the sinking of the Al-Salaam Boccaccio 98, in …
Pharaonic find was mummification room, not tomb
CAIRO: A chamber discovered last month in the Valley of the Kings was a room used by the ancient Egyptians for mummifying pharaohs buried in the area, rather than a tomb, Egypt s top archaeologist said on Monday. Zahi Hawass said five sarcophagi found in the chamber contained remnants of pottery, shrouds and materials used …
Stock market plunges in latest correction
CAIRO: The stock market took a sharp dive yesterday as the government s latest public offering, Misr Aluminum, faltered. Stock exchange officials suspended trading at 11 am for half an hour on Tuesday when the price of several shares declined by 20 percent. By the end of the day, the CASE 30 index, which tracks …