Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Regional interests mean the ceasefire might lead nowhere
Beyond the current Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire there may lie nothing at all: no peace process, not even an interim process or agreement. If that is the case, then the ceasefire itself will not last long. On the Palestinian side, President Mahmoud Abbas appears to have given up on the project of forming a unity government and …
Desert fish, what's that?
Desert fish farming is fast-becoming a significant, environmentally friendly source of fish cultivation What started more than 50 years ago as an experiment, a dream, has now become a reality to take pride in: Egyptian deserts are now replete with fisheries that yield, due to a pollution-free environment, a multitude of high quality kinds of …
Children suffer when mother lacks input, says UNICEF
Reuters UNITED NATIONS, Dec 11: Children are likely to be undernourished in households where women are denied a voice in family decisions like doctor visits, food expenditures and trips to see friends and relatives, says a report by the U.N. Children s Fund, UNICEF, released on Monday. Tracing the life cycle of women, the report …
Clooney to drop by AUC
Superstar in town to discuss Darfur crisis CAIRO: Hoping to succeed where diplomats have failed, Hollywood superstar George Clooney is in town to press action on the genocide in Sudan s Darfur region, The Daily Star Egypt has learned. While Clooney is set to meet with Egyptian officials, who are seen as key brokers in …
Landmark convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to be adopted on December 13
NEW YORK: A proposed Convention to protect the rights of the some 650 million persons with disabilities will be submitted to the United Nations General Assembly for adoption on December 13. The Convention, if adopted, will be the first major human rights treaty of the 21st century. After adoption by the General Assembly, the Convention …
Palestinian Sahar Khalifeh awarded Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature
The American University in Cairo Press announced yesterday Palestinian author Sahar Khalifeh, winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature for her work Sura wa ayquna wa ahdun qadim (An Image, an Icon, and an Ancient Covenant). The press conference preceding the award ceremony marked the end of a week-long commemoration of Egyptian Nobel Laureate …
Two Egyptians hanged for murdering toddler
QENA: Two Egyptians were hanged Tuesday for beating and electrocuting to death a toddler whose cries were spoiling their televised football game, security sources said. Hosni Ramadan Mahmoud Ahmed, a 19-year-old shoe-shiner and his friend Ramadan Abu Al-Magd Azab, a waiter, were hanged in the southern city of Qena after losing an appeal in their …
Wanted: producer for blockbuster on Egypt's 'October victory'
CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak wants a blockbuster movie made on the October 1973 war when Egypt launched a surprise attack on Israel and crossed the Suez, the official MENA news agency reported Monday. It said Mubarak wanted a high-quality film about the October war and the planning involved, and the film should include the great …
Palestinian novelist explore lives of Palestinian women in "The Inheritance"
The Inheritance By Sahar Khalifeh Translated by Aida Adib Bamia The American University in Cairo Press, 2005 Mahfouz medal winner Palestinian author Sahar Khalifeh examines the stark realities in the lives of Palestinian women in The Inheritance. Through her protagonist, Zeynab, born to an American mother and a Palestinian father, the author illuminates the disorienting …
Al Ahly sets African record but ready to clash with Brazilian samba
With its Sunday bashing of New Zealand’s Auckland City 2-0 at the Fifa Club World championship in Japan, Al Ahly became the first African team to win a Club World Cup match. Coach Manuel Jose urged the African champions not to be overawed by the occasion when they turn out in Tokyo s National Stadium …
France releases men detained in Egypt
PARIS: French anti-terrorist police have freed eight Frenchmen accused by Egyptian authorities of plotting attacks in the Middle East and expelled from Egypt, judicial officials said Sunday. The eight Frenchmen were arrested upon their arrival in France on Friday. The DSAT anti-terrorist agency released four Saturday, and four more Sunday, the judicial officials said. The …
Writers' Forum Shut Down
Café owner allegedly threatened to end weekly meeting For years, Egyptian novelist Alaa Al Aswani held a weekly literary forum on Thursdays at Downtown Cairo’s Al Nadwa Al Thaqaffiya café. Last Thursday, however, the artists and writers – who meet to discuss themes like the influence of various literary eras on contemporary Egyptian fiction – …
Privatization revenues hit LE 12.5 bln in five months
Revenues from privatization surged to LE 12.5 billion over the five months from July to November 2006, compared to LE 15 billion over the past fiscal year 2005-2006, which ended in June 2006, said Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif on Sunday. During the two-day Cairo Investment Forum, held under the auspices of President Hosni Mubarak, …
Was Shakespeare an imperialist ethnocentric goon?
Cairo: The works of William Shakespeare have long fascinated readers for their insight into human behavioral patterns and historical perspectives, but one scholar now says that even Islam had a historical presence in the English bard’s writing. Dr Jerry Brotton, Senior Lecturer in Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London says Shakespeare s works …
'Resisting America' does not make Russia great
An old saying in politics in Moscow is that relations between the United States and Russia are always better when a Republican rules in the White House. We are statesmen, and the Republicans are statesmen. Because we both believe in power, it is easy for the two of us to understand each other. The problem …
Gaza security must involve both Israel and Egypt
The recent intensification of violence between Israel and the Palestinians is disturbing in many ways. Most disturbing of all are the signs that new weapons technologies and tactics are being transferred to the Palestinian territories, particularly to the Gaza Strip. Tunnels under the Philadelphi corridor along the Egyptian border with Gaza are among the vehicles …
The myriad circles of Lebanon's crisis
You can physically get away from Lebanon and its turbulent politics for a few days, but you can never move around in this region without the symbols, causes and consequences of Lebanon’s current confrontations following you like a shadow in every discussion. I discovered that this week in Dubai while participating in Dubai in the …
Middle East in dire need of human rights observance
CAIRO: A few days ahead of the United Nation’s Dec. 10 marking of Human Rights Day, Egyptian bloggers distributed a video online allegedly depicting a man being tortured by an unknown group of men. In the video, the unidentified Egyptian man, his hands bound behind his back – and his legs held in the air …
Christmas comes to Cairo Euro-style
CAIRO: The scents of Swiss cheese raclette, Scandinavian mull wine, and Belgian waffles welcomed more than a thousand visitors eager to enjoy the festivities at the 12th Annual European Christmas Bazaar at the Nile Hilton Hotel Garden on Sunday morning. More than 20 participating European countries offered a wide variety of ethnic European Christmas food …
Youth educate each other on AIDS
ISMAILIA: When Shadia El Shewy was a young girl, the bulk of her questions about sex weren’t addressed in the classroom or in her home – they were answered in the playground. Predictably, that early education was flawed. “I got most of the information from my peers, but it was false information, says El Shewy, …
Address to mark International Human Rights Day New York City
My dear friends, Thank you all for being here. I could not ask for better company, on the last International Human Rights Day of my time in office, than this group of courageous human rights leaders from around the world. I don’t need to tell you, of all people, that the United Nations has a …
Coming to an end
Believe in my players, urges Ahly's Jose says
NAGOYA: Al Ahly coach Manuel Jose called for more belief from his players after they overcame a nervy start to down Auckland City s amateurs 2-0 in the Club World Cup. The African champions from Egypt will play Brazil’s Internacional in the semi-finals on Wednesday and Jose said they would need greater self-confidence against the …
Osama set for Arab Champions League appearance
Zamalek young striker Hossam Osama is set to take part in his side s Arab champions League (ACL) game against Ahli Bordj on Monday. The Cairo side submitted a request to the Olympic national team coaching staff to drop Osama from the training camp due this week. The 21-year-old forward scored twice during Zamalek s …
Goals eased the pressure, says victorious Jose
Ahly coach Manuel Jose said his players reeled under pressure in the first-half against Auckland City FC on Sunday but they looked comfortable and produced their normal game when goals came after the interval. The African champions romped to a 2-0 win over the New Zealand side in the opening game of the 2006 FIFA …
Dubai rolls out the red carpet
Pan-Arab business group calls for expedition of political, economic reform
Shafik Gabr: timing may now be right to push forward with 2002 Arab League Peace Initiative CAIRO: Entering its fourth year, the Arab Business Council (ABC) is finally beginning to earn respect. Although made up of top business leaders from across the region, the organization has struggled since its inception to get the attention of …
Up in smoke as tobacco company privatization reaches impasse
Cleopatras and Marlboros might be at the opposite ends of the cigarette price range but one thing they and all other cigarettes available on the market have in common is that they are produced by the same company, the Eastern Company S.A.E. which maintains a near-monopoly in the local market, most experts agree. Although the …
Make music not war
Is cultural diplomacy the key to international relations? Darryl John Kennedy brought his unique brand of musical diplomacy to Cairo on Friday when he beckoned the small audience at El Sawy Cultural Center on a world jazz tour, featuring themes from Japan, southern Africa, Egypt, the US, and Europe. Kennedy, an “independent cultural ambassador has …
KHAWAGA'S TALE: Plastic surgery
Dr Galil’s hands are the tools of his trade. It is with these precision instruments that he welcomes me with an old fashioned hearty handshake, reminding me that manners are a signature of breeding. Plastic surgeon and native of Zamalek, Dr Galil, 56, rode his bike as a boy from his parents’ apartment on Hassan …