Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Britain holds hearing on Sharm El-Sheikh attack
CAIRO: A British coroner began hearing evidence Monday about the deaths of 11 Britons who died last summer in terrorist bombings in Sharm El-Sheikh. The two-day hearing was being held in Chelmsford, north of London, the BBC reported. As the hearing began, Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray acknowledged how “dreadful it must be for the families of …
Working it out together
CAIRO: With different backgrounds and interests in their past, sisters Amani and Amal Hafez joined forces to open Body Works, a women-only gym and studio. According to Amani, “This part of town [Heliopolis, where the studio is located and where the two sisters live] is a womenonly-area, whose residents are more conservative than those living …
Documentary glorifies Sadat's assassin
CAIRO: A prospective Iranianproduced documentary on the assassination of the late President Anwar Sadat, has kicked off a range of volatile of reactions inside Egypt.Among other issues, the documentary apparently glorifies Khaled El-Islamboli, Sadat’s assassin. While some Egyptians are ready to incriminate the Iranian government, others cautioned against linking the government to the documentary, especially …
An Oscar for Egypt?
CAIRO: Kharif Adam or (Adam’s Way), is the first Egyptian film ever to be short-listed in the Oscars and the Golden Globe awards. Although the chance of the film actually winning is slim,just being considered is a big step for Egypt’s film industry. The film’s storyline is not new, based on Mohamed El-Bossaty’s 1970 novel …
Bridging the gap
CAIRO: Today’s international headlines are choked with references to so-called Islamic terrorism, fundamentalism, and extremism. Images of gunwielding Palestinians and suicide bombers etch negative impressions of the Muslim world to Western audiences. Since the onset of the U.S. and allied invasion of Iraq, disturbing images of Westerners being executed by groups avowing Islamic ideals have …
Sudanese asylum seekers end CairoU.N. sit-in
* CAIRO: Some 1,500 Sudanese asylum seekers have abandoned a more than two-monthlong sit-in outside U.N. offices in Cairo after the agency agreed to review their asylum claims, the body s refugee arm said on Sunday. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said concern for the protestors,who had endured winter temperatures …
Mubarak tells parliament he plans to continue with democratic reforms
President Hosni Mubarak told his parliament yesterday that he plans to continue with democratic reforms, and hopes to work with both ruling party members and the opposition in the future.
The faces of freedom
CAIRO: How far can you push the limit, testing authorities’ tolerance to the freedom of expression you are demonstrating? No one can answer this question better than Amr Adib; because for the past six years he has been testing the limits on air. “Freedom is hard-pressed. Meaning, it is acquired, it is not bestowed, says …
Sunken treasures resurface
CAIRO: Immersed in the choppy waters of the Mediterranean lurk treasures from the era of Anthony and Cleopatra.Until today, only few adventurous divers and the fish could enjoy the colossal statues and the sphinxes. Finally, the treasures have resurfaced. Earlier this week, Minister of Culture Farouk Hosny announced that the riches will be on display …
Making Egypt prosper in a global economy
CAIRO: As global trade representatives met head-on in Hong Kong to negotiate the reduction of tariffs and agricultural subsidies, Minister of Investment Mahmoud Mohieddin and Deutsche Bank Chief Economist Norbert Walter presented their views on whether Egypt can prosper in the world trade blocs of Europe, Asia and America. Speaking at a conference on Sunday …
Talaat and Hafez under investigation
CAIRO: Investigation is currently underway in the case of businessman Ihab Talaat and former President of Egyptian Radio and Television Union and Media Production City Abdel Rahman Hafez.The Administrative Monitoring Authority will determine exact charges on Wednesday. Talaat is facing charges of appropriating public funds, and Hafez is facing charges of facilitating the embezzlement. The …
Ayman Barakat's trial postponed
‘The case against him is very fishy,’ alleges his attorney CAIRO: A group of El-Ghad (Tomorrow) Party supporters protested rowdily on Monday in front of the Benha Criminal Courthouse chanting, “Down, Down with Mubarak! The protestors flocked from Cairo and Banha (a city in Qalyubiyya) to witness the ruling in the court case of El-Ghad …
Sudanese asylum seekers end Cairo U.N. sit-in
CAIRO: Some 1,500 Sudanese asylum seekers have abandoned a more than two-monthlong sit-in outside U.N. offices in Cairo after the agency agreed to review their asylum claims, the body s refugee arm said on Sunday. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said concern for the protestors,who had endured winter temperatures camping in the open …
Four banks interested in United Bank of Egypt
CAIRO: The Central Bank of Egypt has given four banks permission to undertake due diligence checks on United Bank of Egypt (UBE) as the prelude to a possible takeover, a UBE official said on Monday. The banks are Lebanon s Bank Audi, Suez Canal Bank, Egyptian Gulf Bank and Egyptian Commercial Bank, said the official, …
Childhood revisited
There are different ways to read Sayyid Qutb’s autobiography A Child from the Village. One can simply view it as an intimate document of rural life at the turn of the 20th century or as data providing clues to the understanding of Qutb’s eventual adoption of the radical Islamic activism that he later became famous …
Airport detentions source of humiliation
NEWARK, New Jersey: For years, Egyptian native Mohamed Younes protested the questioning and detention of Muslim and Arab-American air travelers when they were stopped at airports on security grounds. Now, it has happened to him. An elder in Paterson’s Muslim community – and a close friend of top FBI officials in New Jersey – Younes …
Nour continues hunger strike
Appealing for the sympathy of the public and attention of the officials, Ayman Nour, leader of El-Ghad (Tomorrow) Party, continues his hunger strike for an eighth day – lying in a hospital room in Tora Mazraa Prison – protesting his temporary detention amid warnings of his appointed physicians and appeals from his wife.
Artists in protest
CAIRO: For thousands of years, art has held an honored place in Egypt, being rich with both artists and patrons.While art continues to have an influence on the people of this country, many feel it is no longer held in high esteem by the government. The sad state of many of the buildings provided for …
Prime Securities cut target price for EAB
CAIRO: Prime Securities cut its target price for Egyptian American Bank (EAB) to LE 62 a share from LE 64 pounds after the bank released results for the first nine months of the year. It gave EAB shares an “Accumulate recommendation because of the gap between the target and the market price. EAB shares last …
Stock market recovers after last week's volatility
CAIRO: Share prices increased Sunday after last week’s significant volatility, associated with the start of trading in Telecom Egypt (TE) shares. The CASE 30 index, which tracks the top thirty stocks on the Cairo and Alexandria stock exchanges, gained 1.41 percent Sunday closing at 6050.19 points. The market experienced a general decline prior to the …
Equipment delays exploratory drilling
CAIRO: Royal Dutch Shell said on Sunday it had found up to 1 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas so far in a deepwater concession in Egypt, but a rig shortage has delayed further exploration drilling to mid-2006 Shell wants to find enough gas in its North East Mediterranean Deepwater (NEMED) concession to build its …
Middle East, North Africa risk HIV/AIDS epidemic
CAIRO: It was 1986 when the first case of HIV was reported in Egypt. The patient, a man in his 20s, was quarantined against his will at one of Egypt’s local fever hospitals. Reluctant to stay, the infected patient attempted to escape. A hospital security guard shot him down in cold blood. Another case surfaced …
Wedding Night ceremonies
CAIRO: Earlier this week, the American University in Cairo Press announced, at a ceremony marking the 94th birthday of Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz, the award of the 2005 Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature to Egyptian writer Yusuf Abu Rayya for his novel Laylat ‘urs (Wedding Night). The members of the Award Committee decided the award …
The natural connection
CAIRO: I’m a city girl, born and bred. Needless to say, I have not had much chance, or inclination, to commune with nature. My interaction is limited to the domesticated house pets I come upon, and the much-feared encounter with insects. I have taken note of the pesky pigeons that roost on the air conditioner …
Putting in their two cents' worth
CAIRO: Have you ever noticed how gastroenterologists and gynecologists, anyone really with any sort of medical degree, even if it’s from Grenada, or if they haven’t practiced medicine since before Castro came to power, feel qualified to speak on any subject whatsoever, feel that their opinion should carry some serious weight, even if they’re talking …
Egyptian-Israeli trade soars 130 percent, creating jobs and raising wages
CAIRO: Egypt s trade with Israel is expected to rise 130 percent this year, according to the latest figures, the result of a U.S.-brokered agreement that has created an estimated 15,000 Egyptian jobs, an indication of how better relations can produce economic growth. Israeli investment in Egypt, by contrast, remains stagnant, largely because of lingering …
A taste of Japan
CAIRO: The first time you enter Shogun, the eccentric fish tank at the center will likely draw most of your attention. But gradually the teppenyaki corners and the Asian-style decorations will pull you in. Sit for a minute and the sound of hand clapping (as people applaud the almost-acrobatic moves of their cooks), combined with …
Drumming to their own beat
CAIRO: Sand blew in from the desert, blocking the sun and darkening the skies. The air was thick,hot and hard to breathe. But American drummer Raquy Danziger savored every moment of the day: She was rehearsing for a concert with Said El Artist, Egypt s most famous hand drummer. At the rehearsal, Danziger traded solos …
Egypt's forgotten inhabitants
CAIRO: Even with all of the talk regarding reforms – both political and business related – the majority of Egypt’s population remains poor.The total number of informal housing quarters,including shantytowns and slums, range from 1,150 (according to government statistics) to 1,430 (according to local NGO statistics) with a combined total of over 15 million inhabitants …
Mubarak demands review of elections
CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak demanded a review of Egypt’s recently run parliamentary elections, which were marred by widespread violence, his spokesman said Monday. Mubarak’s remarks came during a ceremony in which he appointed 10 lawmakers, including five women, and urged newly elected legislators from his ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) to achieve the political, economic …