CAIRO: The Supreme State Security Prosecution on Sunday renewed for 15 more days the detention order of Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, secretary general of the Arab Doctors’ Union and deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. The prosecution also renewed the detention orders of Gamal Abdel-Salam, chairman of the emergency committee in the Arab Doctors’ Union, …

CAIRO: Egypt hosted a meeting between Sudan, the US and Libya Sunday regarding the Darfur conflict and southern Sudan, though the process and personnel involved drew the ire of some rebel faction leaders. Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit played host to US envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, Libyan Foreign and …

CAIRO: Reconciliation talks between rival Palestinian factions which had been set to resume next week in Egypt have been delayed again for another month, Egypt s official MENA news agency reported on Sunday. The talks are now set to take place in late September after Eid Al-Fitr, the celebration following the Muslim holy month of …

CAIRO: Egypt has summoned a senior Israeli diplomat to protest the shooting last week of an Egyptian policeman along the countries border. An Israeli patrol opened fire and wounded the policeman on Aug. 17, saying that he challenged them by cocking his weapon. Egypt s Foreign Ministry says it summoned an Israeli diplomat on Sunday …

CAIRO: Men accused of plotting attacks in Egypt as members of a Hezbollah cell claimed they were tortured by police in custody ahead of their trial, which began in a Cairo court on Sunday. The 22 alleged members of the cell, dressed in white as they stood in a cage behind the dock, denied the …

CAIRO: Though most major American media outlets were hesitant to signal any specific outcomes from the Obama-Mubarak meeting, the overall tone was positive. President Hosni Mubarak met his American counterpart Barack Obama last Tuesday in Washington DC. The Washington Post echoed many American newspapers in its description of the Obama-Mubarak summit as an important event …

CAIRO: Al-Wasat Al-Gadid, which was recently denied official party status for the fourth time, condemned the decision taken by the Shoura Council’s political parties committee. The group, along with members of several opposition parties, says the move stands in the way of democratic reform and political participation. The Shoura Council, however, stands by its decision, …

CAIRO: Twenty-six men accused of plotting attacks on behalf of Lebanon s Hezbollah group on tourist resorts and on ships in the Suez Canal will go on trial in an Egyptian security court on Sunday. The suspects – two Lebanese, five Palestinians and 19 Egyptians – face charges of conspiracy to murder, spying for a …

KINSHASA: MONUC, the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is to get another 3,000 soldiers by the end of October, the force announced Wednesday. The reinforcement, which will come nearly a year after a resolution was approved by the UN Security Council, will comprise another 2,785 soldiers and 300 police officers. …

CAIRO: Security forces arrested 54 deputy leaders and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, in a recent crackdown on the group. The arrests started Wednesday night in Cairo, where seven members were taken from their homes in Al-Moqattam including Sayed Nazily, head of the Brotherhood’s office in Giza, Brotherhood deputy leader Hamdi Ibrahim and Mohieldin Al-Zayat, …

CAIRO: The Arab League welcomed the release on Thursday of a terminally-ill Libyan convicted over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, the official MENA news agency reported. “The Arab League welcomes the Scottish court decision to release (Abdelbaset Ali Mohmet) Al-Megrahi, taking into consideration his serious health condition, Assistant Secretary General Ahdmed Bin Hilli was quoted as …

CAIRO: State Security Public Prosecutor Hisham Badawy decided Thursday to extend the detention of the alleged ringleader of the Zeitoun terror cell, Mohamed Fahim Hussain, for 15 days for pending further investigations after he is let go by the Ministry of Interior. The detention is to take effect after the Ministry of Interior releases him, …

CAIRO: Iran has reacted to criticism by President Hosni Mubarak about its interference in the region, responding that the criticism was “divorced from reality. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told reporters in Tehran Wednesday that such statements were counterproductive and did not advance the best interests of the region. “These statements are completely divorced …

WASHINGTON: The Egyptian embassy in Washington says President Hosni Mubarak s remarks about his plans to seek another term were mistranslated and that he has made no decision. Karim Haggag, the embassy spokesman, said Mubarak was referring to the 2005 Egyptian elections in which he ran on a platform of political reform. In no way …

KABUL: Afghans voted Thursday to elect a president for the second time in history as fears emerged of weak turnout despite only sporadic violence from Taliban insurgents bent on sabotaging the ballot. Insurgents stormed a small northern town, sparking deadly clashes that prevented voting, and security fears depressed turnout in Taliban strongholds of the south. …

CAIRO: Members of Egypt’s opposition refuted the regime’s justification that speeding up democratic reform may lead to radical elements seizing control. As President Hosni Mubarak met with American counterpart Barack Obama in Washington Tuesday, he stressed that he has been following through with a plan for political reform. His spokesman Suleiman Awad said in Washington …

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama won lavish praise Tuesday from his guest, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, and spoke of an extraordinary opportunity for making peace in the Middle East. Obama said he was encouraged by US efforts to restart talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Seated next to Mubarak, who was making his first visit …

CAIRO: Egyptian dissident Ayman Nour on Monday accused US President Barack Obama of neglecting pledges to support political reform in the Arab world s most populous country. Speaking a day before Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak meets Obama at the White House, Nour told AFP: There is a setback in the promotion of the values Obama …

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday raised human rights concerns with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose ties with the previous US administration were soured by the issue, a spokesman said. Clinton talked for an hour with Mubarak on the eve of his meeting with President Barack Obama, the veteran Egyptian leader’s first …

CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak said in a television interview that he never discussed the issue of succession with his son Gamal but stopped short of refuting that he would succeed him. “We have never discussed it. Nobody knows who will succeed – we have elections. When the time comes for elections, the people will vote, …

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama, bidding Tuesday to breathe new life into his Middle East peace push, is looking to Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak help break a deadlock between Israel and Arab states. Their meeting marks the longtime US ally s first White House summit in five years, turning a page on a tense relationship …

CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood’s parliamentary bloc formed a special committee aimed at combating vote rigging in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in 2010, Hamdy Hassan, spokesperson for the group’s parliamentary bloc, said. In a meeting last week, Brotherhood MPs agreed to form a special committee comprised of independent members of the community …

CAIRO: In an early sign of protest, the Kefaya Movement for Change launched a campaign calling for the boycott of parliamentary elections that are due to be held next year as well as the 2011 presidential elections. During Friday’s coordination committee meeting, members of the movement agreed to file a lawsuit to the Administrative Court …

CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in a newspaper interview on Monday that Israel must halt settlement construction on occupied land before Arab countries take steps to normalize ties. He made his comments to an Egyptian state-owned newspaper coinciding with his first visit in five years to the United States, where he will meet President …

CAIRO: Egypt has turned down a request by political activists seeking to set up a party that would advocate moderate Islam. The government says the proposed party s program doesn t comply with Egyptian laws, which ban parties based on religious affiliation. The statement was carried Monday by the state-owned MENA news agency. Attempts to …

CAIRO: Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is part of the Egyptian delegation accompanying President Hosni Mubarak on his current US trip. Initially, official reports had not included Suleiman as part of the delegation. The official news agency MENA reported that Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit and Finance Minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali were accompanying Mubarak. However, the delegation …

CAIRO: Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Moufid Shehab rejected the idea of setting a quota for seats occupied by Copts in the People’s Assembly. Copts are an integral part of society and to ask for a number of seats for them in the PA is “an insult because they are capable of actively participating …

CAIRO: Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing with Gaza for two days on Saturday to allow Palestinian Muslims to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the umrah, the smaller pilgrimage, a security official said. Only those people with visas for the umrah will be allowed to enter Egyptian territory, said the official, adding that buses …

CAIRO: While the meeting between President Hosni Mubarak and American counterpart Barack Obama slated for Tuesday will focus on Middle East peace, Mubarak’s first visit to the US in five years has raised speculation on what it means for Egypt’s political future. This is especially in light of the fact that he is being accompanied …

CAIRO: Security released 11 of the recently detained Muslim Brotherhood members following several release orders from different Cairo courts. Prominent Brotherhood member and chairman of the Arab Doctors’ Union, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, is still being detained. Amer Bassam, deputy leader in the group’s office in Sharqeya, leads the list of those released. The South …