CAIRO: The Association for Human Rights and Legal Aid (AHRLA) has received notice that the governor of Cairo is weighing a decision to close the organization and try its members on corruption charges. The group’s director says these allegations are fabricated. The decision appears to have come directly from the desk of Cairo Governor Abdel …

CAIRO: A top official in Egypt s ruling party says there is a consensus to elect President Hosni Mubarak as party chairman, quelling reports that Mubarak s son would take over, local press reported on Sunday. Zakaria Azmi, a senior member of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and also Mubarak s chief of staff, told …

CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak said Sunday that without proper preparations or a clear agenda, the upcoming US-sponsored Mideast peace conference will be a failure, echoing doubts of other regional leaders. US President George W. Bush called for the conference in July to re-energize the stalled peace process and tackle outstanding issues between Israelis and Palestinians, …

CAIRO: Human Rights Watch released a report on Thursday condemning the Israeli government for what it called “indiscriminate attacks on civilians during the 2006 Lebanon war, saying that intentional attacks on civilians were responsible for the majority of the more than 1,000 deaths in that conflict. The New York-based group also says that there is …

CAIRO: The military trial of Muslim Brotherhood Deputy Chairman Khayrat El Shater and 39 others has been adjourned to Sunday, Sept. 9, after its tenth meeting on Tuesday devolved into an argument between the defense and the judge about the fate of money seized by police during the arrests of the defendants, according to Brotherhood …

CAIRO: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Sultanov is to arrive in Cairo Tuesday for a two-day visit on the first leg of a Mideast tour, said Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian ambassador in Cairo. Sultanov, who is also the special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Mideast issues, is to come to Egypt after accompanying Putin …

DAMASCUS: Syria said it opened fire on Israeli warplanes which had violated Syrian airspace at dawn on Thursday, heightening tensions between the two foes. “Enemy Israeli planes penetrated Syrian airspace from the Mediterranean Sea heading towards the northeast, breaking the sound barrier, an army spokesman told the official Sana news agency. “Our air defenses repulsed …

CAIRO: Croatia voiced its appreciation at Egypt s decision to upgrade its diplomatic mission in Zagreb to the level of ambassador extraordinaire. Croatian Ambassador in Cairo Drazen Margeta said that the long-awaited decision is appreciated. Croatia opened its embassy in Cairo in 1993, the first in the Arab world. Margeta extended his stay in Croatia …

CAIRO: A reluctant prosecution witness in the trial of Egypt s leading opposition politician was found dead, apparently of suicide, in his prison cell Thursday, police said. During the 2005 trial of opposition presidential candidate Ayman Nour, fellow defendant and prosecution witness Ayman Hassan abruptly announced that he had been forced by security services to …

CAIRO: Grand Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi stepped into the fray Friday over President Hosni Mubarak s health by condemning rumormongers as immoral. Tantawi warned worshippers during Friday prayers that spreading rumors was against Islam. Islam and all heavenly religions prohibit promotion and fabrication of false rumors, he was quoted by official Middle East News …

CAIRO: Israel kept up a careful policy of ambiguous silence on Friday over accusations from Damascus that its warplanes violated Syrian airspace. Syria said its air defences fired at Israeli warplanes flying over the northeast of the country in the early hours of Thursday and warned that it was weighing its response to the Israeli …

CAIRO: Libya has imposed restrictions on Egyptians trying to enter the country, limiting access solely to those from the border towns and with tribal links, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The sudden move by the government of Libyan leader Col. Moammar Qaddafi came just a few weeks after Egyptian workers clashed with locals in …

CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met King Abdallah of Jordan, Quartet Middle East Envoy Tony Blair and Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema in Alexandria Tuesday to discuss a range of issues and finally debunk recent rumors about his health. Mubarak was photographed walking into Ras El-Tin Palace in Alexandria to receive his visitors and was …

CAIRO: A Middle East peace conference proposed by U.S. President George W. Bush should not be a showcase or favor Israel in pursuing a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, warned the Arab League s chief Wednesday. Speaking to a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo, Amr Moussa said it was imperative that the gathering …

CAIRO: EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana arrived in Egypt Tuesday to hold talks with Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa to lay the groundwork for the upcoming US-sponsored peace conference due to take place in Washington in November. The regional tour – which included Lebanon, Jordan and Israel – …

VATICAN CITY: Syrian Vice President Faruq Al-Shara discussed with Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday the problems of Iraqi refugees in Syria and the Middle East situation, a Vatican statement said. Shara also handed the pope a personal message from President Bashar Al-Assad, the statement said, adding that Shara also met the Vatican s equivalent of foreign …

ALEXANDRIA: President Hosni Mubarak met a string of foreign dignitaries and diplomats on Tuesday in a bid to avert what he called “another lost opportunity at a US-sponsored Mideast peace conference in November. The veteran head of state met Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema and Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair …

CAIRO: A third detained member of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has been admitted to the intensive care unit at Manial University Hospital after developing a serious heart condition in Tora prison, but prison officials have denied him access to treatment, the group said in a statement. Hassan Zalat, who is one of 40 Brotherhood members …

CAIRO: President Mubarak is scheduled to host Jordanian King Abdallah today in Alexandria to discuss the latest developments in the region amidst a slew of rumors concerning the president’s health. Today’s meeting should quash the rumors once and for all if it takes place. Despite refutations from the state-run press and the first lady herself, …

CAIRO: The editor of an independent Egyptian daily is to face prosecution over his paper’s coverage of the state of President Hosni Mubarak’s health, the head of the journalists’ union told AFP on Monday. “The state security prosecutor has informed us that it has summoned Ibrahim Eissa for questioning, Gamal Fahmy said, adding that judicial …

CAIRO: Authorities said on Sunday they had arrested 12 people embracing conservative Sunni Muslim ideas, a security source told AFP. The 12 Salafists were detained during the last two weeks in different provinces of Egypt. They did not belong to one particular group, the source said. The independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm reported on Sunday that …

CAIRO: A member of parliament linked to the opposition Muslim Brotherhood is to appear before a disciplinary committee for describing parliament as a rubber stamp, according to press reports Saturday. Parliament speaker Fathi Surur has ordered the referral of MP Alam Eddin Al-Sakhawi to a disciplinary council over an article in which he described the …

DUBAI: First Lady Suzan Mubarak dismissed rumors of her husband s ill health in a television interview broadcast by the pan-Arab Al-Arabiya news channel on Sunday. “His health is excellent and he is as active as ever. I m bemused as to who would benefit from spreading these rumors that make the public confused, Suzanne …

LONDON: Human rights group Amnesty International said Friday it was greatly concerned by the arrest of two Egyptian lawmakers from banned Islamist opposition group the Muslim Brotherhood. The London-based organization condemned the detention last week north of Cairo of Ragab Abu Zeid and Saber Amer, who had their parliamentary immunity lifted earlier this year. Amnesty …

CAIRO: A Hamas-organized demonstration to protest the closure of the Rafah crossing went sour Saturday when a 17-year-old Palestinian was shot dead as protestors attempted to rush the border. Hamas had organized the demonstration where tens of thousands of people marched to the closed Rafah crossing. Chaos ensued when some of the protestors attempted to …

CAIRO: An appeal by 12 Egyptian converts to Islam who wish to return to the Coptic Christian Church convened briefly on Saturday before being adjourned to Nov. 17, a judicial source told AFP. In April, a lower court ruled that reversion to Christianity by the 12 converts would amount to apostasy under Islamic law and …

CAIRO: Authorities have released a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood after he had a heart attack but will keep 15 of his colleagues behind bars pending charges, a security source said Thursday. Mahmoud Hussein, a member of the banned opposition group’s key Orientation Council, was freed so he could have open-heart surgery after he …

CAIRO/BEIRUT: Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a controversial report in Beirut on Thursday documenting Hezbollah’s attacks on Israeli civilians during last summer’s Lebanon War, only to face a fierce campaign by the Shia party to discredit the organization and its findings. HRW says that Hezbollah fired rockets at civilian targets with no military value, in …

CAIRO: An anti-torture demonstration held yesterday in front of the Journalists’ Syndicate signaled a reignited attempt by opposition groups to bring the issue back into the public eye. “The Bible and the Quran together against tyranny, chanted protesters including the families of last month’s Mansoura torture victims. The protest organized by the Journalism Syndicate’s Freedoms …

CAIRO: Going into their third week, the National Democratic Party’s internal elections continue to make headlines, while many remain wary of the excessive media coverage they are receiving. The internal elections, held every five years, are the first to receive this much media coverage since the establishment of the NDP over 25 years ago. The …