Latest in Tag: Investment Highlight
Latest in Tag: Investment
Pope wades into the heart of Mideast conflict
JERUSALEM: Pope Benedict XVI waded into the heart of the Middle East conflict on Tuesday, calling for the faithful to overcome past discord and reiterating the Church s commitment to reconciliation with Jews. Here the path of the world s three great monotheistic religions meet, reminding us what they share in common, Benedict said as …
Abbas to swear in gov't without Hamas by Wednesday
RAMALLAH: Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced Monday that he is swearing in a new government without his Hamas rivals by midweek, further dimming chances of a power-sharing deal. Abbas also announced that his Fatah movement will hold a long-overdue conference July 1 to select new leaders. The last conference was held in 1989, and …
Israel PM says hopes to resume peace talks in weeks
SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he wants to resume peace talks with the Palestinians within weeks but avoided any mention of a two-state solution to the conflict. The hawkish premier failed to publicly endorse the creation of a Palestinian state during talks with President Hosni Mubarak in the Red Sea …
Court sets May 23 for Lawyers' Syndicate elections
CAIRO: An Administrative Judicial Court ordered the Lawyers’ Syndicate elections be held on May 23, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported, and rejected cases filed against the incumbent chairman running for another term. The elections have been postponed three times since October 2008. “We are grateful for this court order, this confirms that the …
Kefaya, opposition forces to stage protests during upcoming Obama visit
CAIRO: Opposition forces, including Kefaya, are planning on staging protests during US President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to Egypt on June 4. Obama is set to address the Muslim world from Egypt next June, the White House announced last Friday. Activists as well as public figures started holding meetings to prepare for these protests, Abdel …
Obama urged to speak at Sunni centre of learning
CAIRO: Sunni Islam s top religious authority, Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawy, urged US President Barack Obama to choose his Al-Azhar University in Cairo as the venue for a promised address to Muslims next month. Tantawy said he hoped that Al-Azhar as the center of moderate and civilized Islam will be the venue the US president …
Obama to address Muslim world from Egypt
CAIRO: US President Barack Obama will make his long heralded address to the Muslim world from Egypt next June, the White House announced, though the city was not specified. During his presidential campaign, Obama promised to address the Muslim world from a Muslim country within months of taking office with the aim of mending the …
US press split on Egypt ahead of Obama visit
CAIRO: While American press coverage of President Barack Obama’s much-anticipated speech to the Muslim world on June 4 has highlighted his efforts to improve relations with Muslims worldwide, the choice to deliver the speech from Egypt has garnered much speculation about what critics perceive as tacit support for autocratic regimes in the Middle East. Speaking …
Israeli PM to Egypt for tenuous talks
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Egypt on Monday to secure Cairo s support over the Iranian nuclear drive, despite their deep differences on the Middle East peace process. The hawkish premier will meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on his first trip abroad since being …
Hezbollah condemns UN envoy's comments
BEIRUT: The Lebanese group Hezbollah has condemned recent comments by a senior UN envoy in which he criticized the organization for providing support to Palestinian fighters in Gaza from Egypt. Saturday s statement by Hezbollah accused Terje Roed-Larsen of supporting Israel and said his position provided cover for Israeli criminal practices. Roed-Larsen is the UN …
Broader Arab peace initiative not adopted at AL meeting
CAIRO: The Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo Thursday rejected making any amendments to the Arab peace initiative, as had been mooted prior to the discussions. Advocated as a “combined approach to the peace process with Israel, the new initiative was rejected by some Arab countries because it would mean dropping the call for the …
The Pope arrives in Jordan
Italy to bring Egypt into G-5 at next G-8 meeting
WASHINGTON: Italy plans to use its presidency of the Group of 8 developed nations to expand the group of 5 emerging economies meeting with them by adding Egypt. The goal, says Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, is to push globalization as a way to help the world economic crisis. In a talk to an Italian-American …
Uranium traces discovered in Egypt not unusual, says diplomat
CAIRO: The traces of uranium discovered in Egypt were not an unusual occurrence, according to a diplomat close to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “It is not that unusual for the Agency to find traces of nuclear material in environmental samples at nuclear sites in a country. As needed, these are followed up by …
UN chief alarmed at Hezbollah actions in Egypt
UNITED NATIONS: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is alarmed at the public admission by Lebanon s Hezbollah group that it provided support to Gaza-based fighters from Egypt and condemns the unwarranted interference in Egypt s domestic affairs, a UN envoy said Thursday. Terje Roed-Larsen said the secretary-general urges Hezbollah to cease any activities outside of Lebanon and …
Israeli PM to visit Egypt on Monday
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Egypt to meet President Hosni Mubarak on Monday in his first official trip abroad, a senior official told AFP on Wednesday. Prime Minister Netanyahu will hold talks with President Mubarak, probably in Sharm El-Sheikh, on the 11th, the official said on condition of anonymity. It will …
Merkel links Mideast, Iranian nuclear issue
BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that progress in the Middle East peace process would boost the chances of the West ending its standoff with Iran over its disputed nuclear program. It is essential that progress is made in the Middle East peace process because that would allow an improvement in the chances for …
No change in US military aid policy, says analyst
CAIRO: No conditions regarding democratic reform or human rights will be attached to US military aid to Egypt, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told reporters in Cairo Tuesday. In fact Gates alluded to more military cooperation between the two countries, saying “We are always looking for ways to expand these [military] ties through education, …
Netanyahu must be clear on two-state solution, says Egypt's Aboul Gheit
CAIRO: Egypt on Wednesday pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has so far failed to publicly endorse the creation of a Palestinian state, to clarify his stance on a two-state solution. “It is important for the Israeli prime minister to express in a clear manner his acceptance of the principle of a two-state solution …
Gates says US-Arab ties unchanged by Iran outreach
CAIRO: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday said Arab fears of a possible grand bargain between Iran and the United States were unfounded and Washington would not abandon its long-time regional allies. Seeking to reassure Egypt and other Arab governments about a potential shift in the regional balance of power, Gates said after talks …
Arab foreign ministers' meeting reaffirms peace initiative
CAIRO: Arab foreign ministers reiterated their support of the Saudi peace initiative of 2002, following their meeting at the Arab League in Cairo Thursday. The meeting is aiming at achieving a unified Arab direction to the peace process after the election of the new Israeli right-wing government headed by Benyamin Netanyahu and also including hardliners …
Israel in air raid on Gaza tunnels after mortar fire
JERUSALEM: Israel launched air raids against smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza on Wednesday, hours after it said Palestinian militants fired mortar rounds at the Jewish state. The air force targeted three smuggling tunnels in the Rafah border area with Egypt in response to the continuous firing of rockets and mortar shells at Israeli southern communities …
State Council protestors released on the same day
CAIRO: All 18 activists detained Monday in connection with a protest outside Egypt’s State Council have been released. Rawda Ahmed, a lawyer with the Arab Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) told Daily News Egypt that the group – most of whom are members of the April 6 Youth Movement – were released on Monday …
Court refuses release of Hezbollah cell detainees
CAIRO: The Cairo Criminal Court refused Monday motions filed by lawyers representing the Hezbollah cell case detainees to release them. Lawyers had asked the court to revoke their detainment orders effective under the emergency law, in force in Egypt for 28 years. Under the law, those detained can be held without charge for up to …
IAEA: weapons grade uranium traces found in Egypt
VIENNA: UN nuclear inspectors have found traces of weapons-grade uranium in Egypt, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. Dated May 5, the restricted report said IAEA inspectors detected the particles last year and in 2007. A senior diplomat accredited to the agency said that it was …
Iran, Israel nuclear threats equal, says Aboul Gheit
CAIRO: Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Wednesday that Egypt’s position does not differentiate between the Iranian and the Israeli nuclear threat, considering both an equal threat to the region. He said that “the Egyptian perception of the perils in the region does not differentiate between the threat of the Israeli nuclear capabilities, and the …
Police crack down on Israel gas deal demo
CAIRO: Police used violence to stop protestors demonstrating against the export of gas to Israel Monday outside the State Council building where the controversial case was being heard. Thirty central security forces trucks surrounded the Council building whose steps were entirely occupied by thugs in plain clothing. State security investigations and police officers prevented journalists …
Hezbollah cell defense team deny authenticity of torture video
CAIRO: The existence of a video showing a Lebanese detainee being tortured by Egyptian police has been denied by his defense team. The Lebanese media had reported of – and in one case, aired – a video which purportedly showed Egyptian police officers hitting the main suspect in the Hezbollah cell case, Samy Hany Shihab. …
US defense chief headed to Egypt, Saudi
WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates departs Sunday for talks in Egypt and Saudi Arabia focused on “regional security and Middle East peace efforts, a Pentagon official said. Gates and officials in both countries “are likely to discuss the regional security situation, Iraq and Afghanistan, the Middle East peace process, as well as Iran’s role …
Israeli warplanes target Gaza tunnels
GAZA CITY: Israeli warplanes on Friday launched strikes against two smuggling tunnels along Gaza s border with Egypt after militants fired a rocket at Israel, a military spokesman said. Witnesses in Gaza s border city of Rafah confirmed the air raid and said there were no immediate reports of casualties. We attacked two tunnels, the …