CAIRO: The place of religion in the state, the powers of the presidential and nature of elections dominated the first of a series of Shura Council (SC) debates over the constitutional amendments, to which intellectuals and politicians will be invited. Presidents of 10 political parties not represented in the SC commented on the amendments suggested …

CAIRO: Under French pressure, and presided over by Egypt and Ghana, the leaders of Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic signed an accord in an attempt to stop the violence in Darfur from spilling over into neighboring countries. The agreement crowned a mini-summit that took place under the umbrella of the larger African summit …

Christian warlord Samir Geagea led the Lebanese Forces militia during the 15-year-long Lebanese civil war. At one time, it was the largest militia in the conflict. After the 1989 Taif Accord brought peace to the country, Geagea ran afoul of the government. In 1994 he was convicted of planning several assassinations during the conflict and …

CAIRO: Fifty-six Muslim Brotherhood (MB) members have been detained early Thursday amid an ongoing clampdown on the group. Security sources said the men were arrested on charges of belonging to an outlawed group and possessing anti-government literature. The Brotherhood, which operates openly despite being officially banned, is Egypt s most powerful opposition group. State-run newspaper …

CAIRO: About 1,000 Coptic Orthodox Christians from Naga Hammady, Qena held a protest at the St. Mark Cathedral Thursday in response to Pope Shenouda III’s decision to subject Archbishop Kyrollos to a church trial. Protestors were concerned Kyrollos would be removed from his position following a compliant signed by 11 priests accusing him of mistreating …

CAIRO: The France-Africa Summit kicked off in the French city of Cannes Thursday in the presence of 30 African leaders including President Hosni Mubarak. The meeting will be the last to be attended by French President Jacques Chirac. Entitled “Africa and World Balance , this is the 24th installment of the bi-annual event. The focus …

Reuters DUBAI: Al-Qaeda s second-in-command Ayman Al-Zawahri said US President George W. Bush s troop build-up in Iraq was a gamble bound to fail and criticized his Democrat rivals for not bringing any change in Washington s policy. [Bush s] addiction to gambling … motivates him to continue to place losing bets until he goes …

CAIRO: The Sudanese Ambassador to Egypt Abdel-Moneim Mohammed Mabrouk has refuted press reports alleging that 28 Egyptian workers were beaten and tortured in a Sudanese police station. Mabrouk denied completely that any abuse had taken place, stating there was a quarrel between workers at a construction site which was contained by the Sudanese police. Some …

Reuters CAIRO/ROME: A Muslim cleric freed from a prison in Egypt four years after being grabbed in Milan in a suspected CIA kidnapping wants to sue former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi for damages, his lawyer said on Monday. Hassan Mustafa Osama Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, has alleged that Egyptian guards tortured him with …

New York: A convergence of positive factors, including a new Palestinian unity Government and the first political talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in six years, have the potential to help restore calm and re-energize efforts to achieve a two-State solution, but many immediate and longer-term challenges need to be overcome, a senior United Nations …

CAIRO: Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit thanked United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a telephone call Saturday for appointing Egyptian Ambassador Mohammed Shaaban as undersecretary-general for General Assembly and conference management. Aboul Gheit pledged Egypt’s support for UN reform, especially as an effort to push for the interests of developing countries in the areas …

CAIRO: The human rights committee at the People’s Assembly issued a report Monday about the health state of jailed opposition leader Ayman Nour. The report complemented a government medical committee report which concluded that Nour’s health is stable. It said that his life was not in danger as long as took his medication and meals …

Agence France-Presse CAIRO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would set the stage for final status talks in the long-stagnant Middle East peace process. The three-way meeting with Rice and Olmert on Feb. 19 will pave the way …

CAIRO: Diplomatic sources in Cairo have rejected Israeli accusations that Egypt was failing to do enough to halt weapons-smuggling to Palestinians factions across the Rafah border. But Egyptian officials insist they have stepped up raids on smuggling operations along the Philadelphi corridor, an 11 km stretch that is only 100 m wide. The Israeli allegations …

CAIRO: Egypt has ordered the release of a Muslim cleric who has been held behind bars since he was kidnapped in Italy allegedly by CIA agents four years ago. We have arranged his release, an interior ministry official who wished to remain anonymous told AFP late Sunday. Sources close to the defense counsel for Osama …

Associated Pres UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed officials from Egypt, the United States, China, and Japan to top UN posts Friday and accepted the resignation of 17 senior staff members as part of a long-awaited overhaul to start shaping his new administration. The secretary-general, who took office on Jan. 1, decided to leave …

Associated Press JERUSALEM: Hundreds of Israeli police stormed the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday, firing stun grenades and tear gas to disperse thousands of Muslim worshippers who hurled stones, bottles and trash in an eruption of outrage over Israeli renovation work near the disputed Old City site. The clash at the end …

CAIRO: Egypt on Friday welcomed an agreement between rival Palestinian factions to form a national unity government in a deal signed in Mecca, the official MENA news agency said. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit welcomed the agreement between the Fatah and Hamas movements… and hailed president Mahmud Abbas for tasking Prime Minister Ismail Haniya …

The Haram Al-Qudsi (Noble Sanctuary) housing the Al-Aqsa Mosque was invaded and occupied by Israeli police yesterday. Stun grenades were fired by Israeli forces at worshippers. Live ammunition was also used. And the Muslim world slept. Israeli forces told the media that they had reinforced an already existing police presence in the area with an …

CAIRO: The Israeli attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem after the Friday prayers are an attempt to sabotage any peace talks with the Palestinians, analysts say. “The Israelis know that any imposition on Al-Aqsa will create hostility and they are aiming to sabotage the peace process, head of Israeli Studies at Al-Ahram Center …

Reuters WASHINGTON: Egyptians and most Arabs have a very unfavorable opinion of US President George W. Bush, a new poll has revealed. A new poll on Thursday underscored deep Arab unhappiness with the United States but said the negative image could be repaired if Washington brokered a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace agreement. The survey of 3,850 …

CAIRO: The Arab League is to convene an urgent meeting of permanent delegates on Saturday to discuss Israeli works near Islam s third holiest site in Jerusalem, league sources said. Delegates from the 22-member body are expected to meet at the league s headquarters in Cairo to discuss Israel s continued violations against the holy …

Reuters CAIRO: A government medical committee has ruled that jailed opposition leader Ayman Nour, a diabetic who has heart problems, should stay in prison. The committee found Nour s health was not in danger so long as he takes his medication and meals regularly, and it declined to recommend to prosecutors that he be freed …

CAIRO: The Al-Nozha Misdemeanour Court has postponed the trial hearings of Al-Jazeera producer Howayda Taha, accused by the authorities of “harming national interests until Feb. 21. She had been working on a documentary about alleged police torture in Egypt when she was detained at Cairo International Airport as she waited to board a plane for …

CAIRO: Prosecutors on Wednesday transferred the files of more than 40 opposition Islamists to a military court on terrorism and money-laundering charges, in a widening crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, the group said. The move came a day after Egypt ordered high-ranking Brotherhood leader Khairat El-Shatir, widely believed to be a key financier, and an …

JERUSALEM: Israel s defense minister has written to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert asking for an immediate halt to public works near Jerusalem s ultra-sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque that have sparked Muslim rage. Amir Peretz said work on a new access bridge should stop, citing fears that the security situation will deteriorate, an official said on condition …

CAIRO: Member of parliament Saad El-Gamal has rejected Israel s claim that the arrest of an alleged Egyptian spy was merely an attempt to divert attention from domestic problems. El-Gamal, head of the Arab Affairs Committee at the Peoples Assembly, was referring to the recent case of Egyptian-Canadian Mohammed Essam Ghoneim El-Attar, who was charged …

Associated Press CAIRO: Several members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt s most powerful opposition movement, were referred Tuesday to the military court system, known for its swift trials and no right of appeal. The move represents and escalation of the state s crackdown on the group, many of whose members have been jailed for periods …

Associated Press MECCA, Saudi Arabia: Rival Palestinian leaders began crucial talks in this holy city Wednesday, vowing to reach a power-sharing agreement to avert civil war between them, a key step toward resuming the peace process with Israel. Many Palestinians fear that factional fighting will erupt with even greater force if the Mecca talks fail. …