ALEXANDRIA: Greenpeace s Rainbow Warrior has dropped anchor in Egypt s Mediterranean port of Alexandria to deliver an unequivocal message against nuclear programmes – civilian and military – to a region suddenly hungry for atomic power. The famous Greenpeace ship, which has sailed the world in support of the environmental group s anti-nuclear crusade, was …

CAIRO: Critics of the proposed constitutional amendments argue that they will rubber stamp the succession of Gamal Mubarak as ruler of the country after his father, current President Hosni Mubarak. Although the younger Mubarak, head of the policy secretariat of the National Democratic Party (NDP) has refuted on more than one occasion any desire to …

CAIRO: Egypt said Friday that Israel should approve in principle the Arabs land-for-peace initiative before negotiations with the Palestinians could begin. Israel must announce first that it is accepting the initiative, then we start searching for a mechanism of negotiations, for a peaceful settlement for the conflict, said Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Hani Khalaf. The …

CAIRO: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was in Egypt Friday on the second leg of a Middle East tour amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in the region aimed at re-energizing the peace process. Ban, who arrived from Baghdad, was expected to meet Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Friday, foreign ministry sources told …

CAIRO: Sitting outside a quiet ahwa in the heart of Downtown, frustration and doubt hung in the air around bloggers Wael Abbas and Malek Mustafa like the smoke from their shishas. Both men write widely read blogs – part of the much commented-upon blog scene in Egypt – and have been active players in the …

ANKARA: The leaders of Turkey and Egypt discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iraq on Thursday, warning that persisting bloodshed is increasing despair among people in the Middle East. We agree on the necessity to revive the peace process that will lead to an independent Palestinian state. The same efforts are needed to ensure Iraq s …

TEHRAN: Iran s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned world powers on Wednesday his country would do whatever it could to defend itself from force or the threat of force against it. Iran will use all its capabilities to respond to threats and to the use of force and violence, he said in a nationally …

Reuters CAIRO: The Kefaya protest movement said on Wednesday a referendum on constitutional changes had been fixed in advance. A growing number of groups, including the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, have also called for a boycott of Monday s vote. The amendments include an anti-terrorism clause that enshrines sweeping police powers of surveillance and arrest. The …

CAIRO: A senior Egyptian journalist says he expects the Bush administration to create a bloc of ‘friendly’ Arab nations to counter Iran’s growing influence in the region. Atef Al Ghamry, Al Ahram’s Washington bureau chief, also downplayed recent US criticism of Arab governments saying the Iranian threat – and means to deter it – has …

CAIRO: The spokesperson for the US State Department has said that Egypt is undergoing a “process of political reform but offered no position regarding the upcoming referendum on constitutional amendments. “You have to put this in the wider context of political and economic reform in Egypt, McCormack said in response to questions about the speed …

CAIRO: Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit questioned the timing of an Israeli documentary which revealed that Egyptian prisoners of war were executed by the Jewish State’s military during the 1967 war. The ‘massacre’ of some 250 Egyptian soldiers made headline news in the country after Israel’s Channel One broadcast the documentary “Shakid Soul in late …

UNITED NATIONS: UN chief Ban Ki-moon left yesterday for a tour of Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon to voice support for efforts to re-energize the Middle East peace process. Ban s first stop on the 11-day tour will be Egypt, followed by the Palestinian territories, Israel and Jordan. He is …

AMMAN: Arab League chief Amr Moussa on Tuesday said an Arab summit later this month expects Israel to make a serious offer on peace instead of resorting to tricks to waste time. We expect an offer, a position from Israel in so far as peace is concerned, Moussa told reporters in Amman following talks with …

CAIRO: Mohamed Habib, deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), announced that his group will boycott Monday’s referendum on the amendments to the constitution. He says the MB, the largest and most well-organized opposition group which has long been banned by the regime, will boycott the referendum in solidarity with other political movements which have …

Pundits predict police state if referendum passes CAIRO: The People s Assembly passed 34 proposed constitutional amendments after three months of deliberations late Monday, but opposition forces have said debate on the articles was inadequate and unsatisfactory. Members of the opposition announced their withdrawal from the discussions and their discontent with the results claiming that …

Police employ a zero-tolerance policy CAIRO: Opposition groups, including the Kefaya Movement for Change, called for a demonstration on Tuesday outside the People’s Assembly to support opposition MPs who staged a walk-out in protest of the passed constitutional amendments. In response, security police festooned downtown’s busy Kasr El-Aini Street and blocked off several streets to …

Four years ago, US-led forces began a vicious aerial bombardment of the oil-rich country of Iraq. Referred to as Operation Iraqi Freedom, the opening salvo ushered the vital Arab nation into an era of darkness, dread and destruction. The first signs that Iraqis were in for a bloody and inhumane occupation were felt in the …

CAIRO: A sudden pullout of US troops from Iraq would aggravate the situation there, President Hosni Mubarak said in remarks published on Saturday. A sudden [US] withdrawal, before having implanted the factors that will achieve stability and security and end the violence, would cause a dangerous worsening of the situation in Iraq, he said in …

Associated Press JERUSALEM: Just days after Egyptian MPs called for an investigation into film evidence that Israeli soldiers massacred a contingent of Egyptian troops in 1967, an Israeli television station accused Cairo of similar atrocities during the 1973 war. Egyptians killed dozens, if not hundreds of captured Israeli soldiers in the 1973 Mideast war, excerpts …

CAIRO: In a new twist to the political maelstrom sparked by charges that Israeli troops executed Egyptian military personnel in 1967, Israel’s Channel 10 TV aired excerpts of another documentary Sunday alleging that Egypt killed Israeli prisoners of war (POW) in the 1973 war. The new documentary is apparently a response to the recent outcry …

CAIRO: Amid increased crackdowns on Internet dissidence and the dissemination of disturbing videos alleging police torture, several activists, bloggers, human rights lawyers, and journalists are calling for an anti-torture campaign. At a four-hour meeting at the offices of the Association for Human Rights Legal Aid on Saturday the activists mapped out a strategy for the …

CAIRO: Kefaya movement is urging civil society and activists to join opposition-affiliated members of the parliament at sit-in today at 3 pm to protest the constitutional amendments. During Sunday’s parliamentary discussions of the amendments, in preparation of a nation-wide referendum on April 4, opposition MPs left the session in protest. Activists and opposition say the …

CAIRO: The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will attend the upcoming Arab summit in Saudi Arabia and will also visit some countries in the Middle East on the same tour a United Nations Information Center (Unic) official stated. “The Secretary General announced within his first month in office that his priorities are the problems …

CAIRO: Egypt on Sunday slammed Amnesty International condemnation of President Hosni Mubarak s proposed constitutional changes, saying that non-Egyptians had no right to comment on the country s internal matters. Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Amnesty s statement was an attempt to impose foreign oversight on the decision of the Egyptian people. The human …

CAIRO: A number of feasibility studies are underway to examine the possibility of renovating and expanding the Egyptian Museum in Turin, said a top Egyptian archaeologist. Dr Gaballah Ali Gaballah, former head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and member of the scientific committee tasked with looking into the archaeological aspects of the museum s …

CAIRO: After several hours of prosecution at the Galaa Courthouse, 21 Kefaya detainees were released from the State Security Dhahrar prison near Abbasiya on Saturday. The Kefaya activists were arrested late Thursday night after marching in a demonstration protesting the upcoming referendum on constitutional amendments. Kefaya and other opposition groups have claimed the amendments are …

Associated Press CAIRO: Opposition lawmakers boycotted an opening parliamentary debate Sunday on constitutional amendments they say will further tighten the president s grip on power. More than 100 lawmakers from the Muslim Brotherhood and other parties refused to attend the session of the 454-seat Parliament because they say the amendments limit judicial monitoring of elections …

CAIRO: Mohamed Habib, the Deputy Chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood, has issued a statement condemning the Gaza kidnapping of BBC reporter Alan Johnston and demanded his unconditional release. “These despicable acts aim at causing a state of confusion and fear among foreigners living in Gaza Strip, especially journalists, said the statement, published on the Muslim …

CAIRO: Demonstrations organized by the Kefaya National Movement for Change and opposition parties against proposed constitutional amendments were met with a massive state security sweep in downtown Cairo on Thursday. Over 30 Kefaya activists were detained in protests that began in Tahrir Square and spread through Talat Harb Square, ending with a sit-in of some …

The United States on Thursday condemned an Egyptian appeals court ruling that upheld a jail sentence for a blogger convicted of insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak. His conviction is a setback for human rights in Egypt, said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. Abdel-Karim Suleiman (aka Karim Amer), 22, last month became the first Egyptian …