Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Sending mixed signals
CAIRO: A series of events have unfolded in recent weeks thrusting Muslims and their faith equally into the focus of the media. Islamic scholars, activists and moderates, however, caution that the events making news as of late should be linked neither to Muslims nor the religion in general. Elections in nearly a dozen countries over …
Captain refused to help sinking Red Sea ferry
CAIRO: The captain of a Red Sea ferry has admitted that he steered clear of a doomed ship that sank between Saudi Arabia and Egypt last week, leaving at least 1,000 people feared dead, rather than help rescue survivors so as not to endanger his own passengers. I took the decision not to turn around …
Despair for most
SAFAGA, Egypt: It was a long, unhappy weekend in Safaga. Ben Wederman was at breakfast. In person, he looks like Van Morrison. The rest of the media was there as well, TV cameras stuffed under tables. The morning news spread out between plates of scrambled eggs and weak coffee. Fixers scanning and reading the headlines. …
EFG Hermes awarded investment banking deal
CAIRO: EFG-Hermes, a key player on the Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchanges and a mover and shaker in the industry, is lending its expertise to the MENA region, while at the same time not losing sight of expansion plans at home. To begin with, EFG Hermes announced that it has just been awarded what is …
Rights groups question handling of ship disaster
CAIRO: Indignation is growing over the circumstances under which a passenger ship sank in the Red Sea last week. Critics of the government have questioned the ship’s seaworthiness, the slow pace of rescue efforts and the lack of information provided to victims’ families. The Al-Salam Bocaccio 89 was carrying 1,414 passengers, mostly Egyptian workers, from …
Alcatel to expand international service center
CAIRO: Cairo ICT (Information and Communication Technology) continued yesterday with discussions on various topics including third-generation mobile networks and e-government. Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Tarek Kamel, said at the opening of the conference that the tender for the third mobile license will be announced next week. Two licenses for international calls will also …
MobiNil, Vodafone and …
CAIRO: Laying rumors to rest, Telecom Egypt (TE) has officially revealed that the company will bid for the third mobile license that is expected to be offered during the next two weeks. “We will definitely bid for the third operator, confirmed Tarek Tantawy, general manager for Investor Relations, Investments, and Financial Planning at TE to …
Survivors' stories of crew bungling fuel anger, calls for investigation
SAFAGA, Egypt: First came the frantic banging on Sayed Abdul Hakim s cabin door. Fire! Fire! he heard people yelling. Then smoke boiled through the corridors as terrified passengers scrambled to reach the ferry deck. Everything is under control, crew members told passengers, according to survivors like Abdul Hakim. Abdul Muhsin Rayan, a 35-year-old Egyptian …
Egyptians want revenge for '86 claims Coly
CAIRO: Hosts Egypt will be out to avenge their defeat by Senegal in the opening match of the 1986 African Nations Cup when they meet in the semi-finals here on Tuesday, claimed the Senegalese captain Ferdinand Coly. The veteran defender told AFP that the Pharaohs had never forgotten the shame of the defeat on home …
Ferry office ransacked, tear gas fired
SAFAGA, Cairo: Angry Egyptians seeking news of relatives lost aboard the ferry which sank in the Red Sea last week ransacked the office of the vessel s owners on Monday and set fire to the furniture, witnesses said. A crowd of men hurled chairs, filing cabinets and air-conditioning units out of the first floor office, …
Press Round-up
CAIRO: With follow-up stories regarding Al-Wafd’s continuing ban gradually shifting out of the public eye, Egypt’s tragic ferry accident, where more than 1,000 are feared to have perished, has dominated the headlines. The Red Sea ferry, returning from Saudi Arabia, sunk early Friday, killing most of its passengers. The ferry had been carrying around 1,400 …
Xceed on call
CAIRO: The Cairo Information and Communication Technology (ICT) conference opened yesterday with exhibits of local and international companies. Discussions continuing all week are on various topics and will include telecommunications liberalization, ICT in manufacturing and electronic payment. Meanwhile, Xceed Chairman and Chief Executive Adel Danish spoke to The Daily Star Egypt about his call center …
Islamists behind bars
CAIRO: Following the release of 453 Muslim Brotherhood prisoners around two weeks ago and 269 last week, families of the remaining Islamists still behind bars have been staging protests and calling for the release of “their loved ones. Families of around 20 detained “Muslim activists have been staging protests in front of the National Council …
Galloway leaves lighthearted after detainment
CAIRO: He characterizes himself as a freedom fighter and friend to the Arabs. So, when George Galloway, outspoken British MP was detained this weekend at Cairo International Airport on what officials called matters of “national security, it came as a surprise to both he and the anti-war activists he has long supported. Galloway arrived late …
Egypt ferry tragedy could revive bridge project
CAIRO: The sinking of an aging ferry carrying more than 1,400 people in the Red Sea, one of the worst maritime disasters in recent history, could revive an old project for a bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Close to 1,000 people were feared dead Sunday, two days after the ferry went down in the …
Last rescue efforts as 1,000 feared dead on ill-fated ferry
SAFAGA, Egypt: Rescuers made a last-gasp effort Sunday to save more passengers from the ferry that sank in the Red Sea, leaving up to 1,000 feared drowned in one of the worst maritime disasters in years. Less than 400 of the approximately 1,300 people who were on board the Al-Salam Boccaccio 98 were confirmed to …
The semi's await
CAIRO: After 90 minutes of strenuous football, followed by injury time and two periods of extra time, the penalty shootout becomes the only way of deciding a winner. Such was the case in Saturday s two quarter-finals at the 25th African Cup of Nations, as the indomitable lions of Cameroon lost to the Ivory Coast …
Tunisia coach satisfied despite elimination
PORT SAID: Tunisia coach Roger Lemerre said he was departing the African Nations Cup on Sunday satisfied with the performance of his team and their prospects for this year s World Cup finals in Germany. The veteran French trainer, who won the Nations Cup with Tunisia two years ago, said his side had profited enormously …
Gamal's promotion refuels speculation
CAIRO: The recent promotion of 42-year-old Gamal Mubarak to Assistant Secretary-General of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) has once again triggered questions concerning his ultimate political ambitions. Has Hosni Mubarak s youngest son been secretly anointed to run as the NDP s favored candidate for President in the 2011 elections and, if so, how …
Egypt seeks to boost military presence in Rafah
CAIRO: Egyptian officials are reportedly seeking to send more troops to the Sinai. Talks come following a security breech at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing last month, when Palestinians bulldozed through the security wall, killing two Egyptian border police. Under the Gaza disengagement agreement signed last August, it was decided that Egypt would send 750 troops …
Mohammed cartoon reactions reflect core value conflict: Danish PM
COPENHAGEN: Irate Muslim reactions to the publication of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed reflect a global conflict between core values, Denmark s Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Friday. We are now witnessing a heated public debate here in Denmark and Europe as well as in Muslim countries. It is evident that we are dealing …
One-on-one with Nejtab Geremi
CAIRO: Cameroon s right back Nejtab Geremi has vowed that the Lions of Cameroon are determined to go as far as it takes to win the 25th African Cup of Nations. We are set to give all that it takes to become champions of Africa once again, regardless of the opponents we will be facing …
Present and Tense
CAIRO: Unless something goes terribly wrong, Hamas will soon form the first Islamic government to ever take office through internationally monitored elections in the Arab world. Louis Fernando, the deputy director of the European Union (EU) Mediterranean Affairs Desk, sounded tense and tired over the phone from Brussels. His boss wanted a status report on …
Ferry with 1,400 aboard sinks in Red Sea
CAIRO: Rescue teams have picked up 100 survivors from a ferry which sank in the Red Sea overnight, Egyptian television said on Friday, quoting naval sources. The ferry, the Al Salam 98, was carrying 1,272 passengers and a crew of close to 100, official sources said. Egyptian state television gave no other details for the …
Self-confidence, family support overcome 'age of despair'
CAIRO: Regularly experiencing hot flushes, a bit of insomnia, nervousness, more facial wrinkles, dryer skin and weaker vertebrae are some of the common signs of menopause – coupled, of course, with the menstrual irregularity that leads to cessation. Nonetheless, many women are still surprised with such physical symptoms, not to mention even less aware when …
AUC on the move
CAIRO: Boyd Hight was elected chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American University in Cairo (AUC) last November. Amongst the university s biggest challenges is the construction of a new campus in New Cairo, which Hight discussed – along with other developments – in an interview with The Daily Star Egypt. Funds for …
Get rich or die trying
CAIRO: Contrary to popular belief, today’s youth understand the value of money. They understand that a luxurious car costs more than half a million pounds, that renting a tiny flat in an upscale neighborhood costs around LE 7,000 a month, that a not-so-casual dinner date will end up costing a minimum of LE 200; speaking …
Egypt median o/n interbank rate steady at 8.40 percent
CAIRO: The median overnight interbank rate on Egypt s pound held broadly steady at 8.4 percent on Thursday from 8.413 percent on Wednesday, after a central bank auction in the previous session boosted demand, traders said. Most banks entered the auction on Wednesday for 6-day Central Bank Notes worth LE 8 billion ($1.4 billion), and …
EFG-Hermes share issue drags Egypt bourse lower
CAIRO: Egyptian investment bank EFG-Hermes led a fall on the Egyptian bourse on Thursday after it announced it would increase its capital by issuing more shares, traders said. At an extraordinary general meeting the company said it would issue 16 million shares at LE 115 ($20.1) a share. It was also to offer existing shareholders …
Promoting regional cooperation
CAIRO: In a bid to provide assistance to countries in need, the Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs has stepped up efforts to support and aid the growth of neighboring third-world countries. Egypt’s latest stab at support has led the country in extending a helping hand to Afghanistan as part of international efforts to reconstruct the …