Latest in Politics Highlight
Latest in Politics
Median o/n interbank edges up to 8.4 pct
CAIRO: The median overnight interbank rate on the Egyptian pound edged up in quiet trade to 8.4 percent on Tuesday from Monday s average of 8.318 percent as traders awaited the result of a central bank auction of 7-day notes, dealers said. The central bank offered notes worth LE 7.1 billion ($1.2 billion). Traders said …
Egyptian papers blast Rice shortly before yesterday's talks
CAIRO: Shortly before she arrived in Cairo for talks with President Hosni Mubarak on key Middle East issues including regional political reform, Egyptian newspapers blasted the United States for meddling in the country s internal affairs. In two days of diplomatic shuttling in the region, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was expected to ask …
Rice urges Egypt to act as regional mediator
CAIRO: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice holds a second day of talks with Egyptian dignitaries today as part of her tour urging Middle East allies to stand strong against Hamas and Iran. Rice is scheduled to meet with President Hosni Mubarak as well as a number of Egyptian intellectuals this morning, before departing for …
Female Entrepreneur
CAIRO: For the simple reason that they are young, many men and women are not taken seriously in their careers. Yasmine Shihata, the editor and co-founder of Enigma magazine, has more than one story to illustrate that point, but she also credits her young age – early twenties – for preparing her to take more …
Painting Cairo's soul
CAIRO: It’s a given that some people are harder to track down for an interview than others. After taking a few days to secure an interview with renowned artist Gazbia Sirry, and finally arriving at the fixed time, I must say that I was slightly overwhelmed. The artist, born in 1929, has an unbelievable presence, …
Twenty-nine Egyptians test negative for bird flu after showing symptoms of disease, health minister says
CAIRO: The health minister on Monday said that 29 people who had shown symptoms of bird flu after coming in contact with dead birds had tested negative for the disease. Hatem Mustafa Al-Gabaly told a ministerial committee, which included the ministers of agriculture and environment and officials from the information and interior ministries, that the …
Bird flu rumor sparks nationwide panic
CAIRO: Approximately two hours after a rumor that bird flu was found in the Nile River raged through the country, Metro supermarkets throughout Cairo ran out of water. The rumor, which sparked a national frenzy, was leaked through a number of media and telecommunication outlets; namely, Sabah Al Kheir Ya Masr, a radio station, El …
Egyptian rights groups support judges' call to reform the legal system, ensure judges' independence
CAIRO: Twenty-three Egyptian human rights and civil society groups expressed support Monday of liberal judges who have called for legal reforms, including legislation that would make the judiciary completely independent of the government. “The groups express their full solidarity with Egypt s judges, who are calling for a new law that protects and consolidates the …
Sunken ferry's black box recovered
CAIRO: The black box from an Egyptian ferry that sank in the Red Sea leaving some 1,000 people dead was recovered Tuesday, Transport Minister Mohammed Mansour announced. “Two experts, from France and Great Britain, belonging to the International Maritime Organization, located the black box and brought it back to the surface, the minister was quoted …
Bird flu continues to spread in Egypt, hitting poultry trade
CAIRO: Bird flu has spread to new parts of Egypt, adding to the devastation in a poultry industry which provided almost 50 percent of the animal protein consumed by Egyptians, officials said on Monday. Health Minister Hatem El-Gabali said cases of the disease had turned up in Minufia, Sharkia and Kafr El-Sheikh provinces in the …
Defiant judges charged with "defamation"
CAIRO: Human rights groups condemned a recent decision by the Higher Judiciary Council to strip three members of the Egyptian Judge s Club of their right to judicial immunity for calling attention to voting irregularities during recent elections. “This kind of behavior goes in line with the government s insistence to use the public prosecutor …
Ezz Steel helps lift stock market
CAIRO: Shares in Ezz Steel Rebars climbed more than 5 percent on Monday, helping boost the Egyptian bourse overall with news that the company planned to increase its stake in another steel firm, traders said. Ezz Steel is planning to raise its holding in Alexandria Iron and Steel to 50.86 percent from 21.48 percent, via …
Press Round-up
CAIRO: Egypt’s press is currently concentrating on the recently announced bird flu outbreak, with national newspapers reporting cases of the bird flu strain H5N1 in several places around Egypt, including Cairo and the national zoo. However, reportedly no human cases have been found yet. “A comprehensive national plan to fight the outbreak is in motion, …
Timing is off for FTA
CAIRO: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, ahead of her four-day diplomatic tour to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, said now is not the time for the United States to negotiate a free trade agreement with Egypt. Rice was quick to add, however, that the decision is in no way meant to …
Economic reform among issues discussed between World Bank and Ministry of Investment
CAIRO: Following a meeting held between World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz and Egyptian Minister of Investment Mahmoud Mohieddin, Wolfowitz announced that the bank will continue supporting Egypt’s reform programs. In the meeting both men discussed economic reform in Egypt and gender issues, in addition to reviewing ongoing cooperative projects between the country and the bank, …
CEBA forms division in Alexandria
ALEXANDRIA: The Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations (CEBA) formed a division in Alexandria at an inauguration ceremony there on Saturday. CEBA was formed in 2004 by the British, French, German and Italian Egyptian bilateral business associations. The confederation s office in Alexandria will be its first division outside of Cairo. The division will support …
Three Muslim Brotherhood members ordered to emergency trial on weapons charges
CAIRO: Three members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood were ordered Saturday to stand trial before the Emergency State Security Court on charges of possessing weapons and provoking violence during parliamentary elections late last year, court officials said. The three were arrested during the violent election season during which at least 10 people were killed in …
Rights group asks president to reverse decision to strip four judges of immunity
CAIRO: A local human rights group on Saturday called on President Hosni Mubarak to reverse a decision to strip four judges of their immunity ahead of interrogation by state security prosecutors. The four face questioning after another judge filed a complaint over their allegations that fellow jurists were involved in rigging last year s parliamentary …
Islamic scholars say its time for dialogue with the West about offensive cartoons
CAIRO: Islamic scholars at a conference on the continuing furor over caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed said it is time to stop protests and boycotts and instead enter a dialogue with the West in order to explain the prophet s importance to Muslims. At a Friday conference, about 40 Muslim scholars from across the Islamic …
Opposition leader appeals forgery conviction
CAIRO: The lawyer for imprisoned opposition leader Ayman Nour submitted his challenge on Saturday to Nour s December conviction on forgery charges, for which the young liberal is serving a five-year prison term. Lawyer Amir Salem, who defended Nour throughout the six-month trial, delivered his detailed response to the verdict to the Cairo court which …
U.S. says time 'not right' for free trade talks with Egypt
WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed new concern Friday over democracy in Egypt and said the timing was not right to pursue free-trade talks with this key Middle East ally. Rice, who was due to fly to Egypt today at the start of a Middle East swing, expressed Washington s dismay that the government …
Environmentally friendly power plant on agenda
CAIRO: Minister of Electricity and Energy Hassan Younes announced that seven international companies have just bid to manufacture local components for the solar energy stations of the Kuraymat Integrated Solar Combined Cycle Power Plant Project, a project created by the ministry to develop the new and renewable energy sector and the first of its kind …
The Family Stone
CAIRO: An uptight white-collar city girl, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, visits her boyfriend’s family during Christmas. With that in mind as the opening credits roll, it seems that the ending is predictable: after much conflict, the woman learns to open up her heart and “feel the love, as the tagline suggests, as she marries …
Egypt's international image takes another hit
CAIRO: With the spirit of Egyptian citizens reeling after bombings, political turbulence, forced refugee removal, cartoon chaos and ferry disasters, the recent 11th hour African Cup win lent a much-needed boost to the tapering spirits of the traditionally patriotic Egyptian. Then this weekend, it rained on Egypt’s parade, both literally and figuratively. News of the …
Bird flu spreads across Egypt
CAIRO: Poultry tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus in several governorates across Egypt despite the government s efforts to contain the spread of bird flu, the authorities said Sunday. Since the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza was first detected in three governorates Thursday, it was also reported in at least six others. “In …
Sunken ferry's data recorders to be raised
CAIRO: Egyptian and foreign salvage experts are preparing to lift the data recorders of a ferry that sunk in the Red Sea earlier this month after locating the ship s wreck, the press reported Friday. The experts found the Al-Salam Boccaccio 98, which sunk on Feb. 3 with more than 1,400 people on board while …
Abused women reluctant to come forward
CAIRO: Despite the opening of the first safe-house for women in Cairo, few are choosing to leave their abusive marriages. Oum Mohammed was married when she was 16. From the day I married him, he hit me over matters big and small, she says of her husband. He told me that all women should be …
OPIC establishing $225 million regional private equity fund
CAIRO: The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), an agency of the United States government that supports American private sector investment in the developing world, is in the process of establishing a $225 million private equity fund for the Middle East and North Africa region. The head of the agency is also in Cairo to explore …
U.S. faces dilemma in its regional push for democracy
CAIRO: Democracy activists are accusing the United States government of being too yielding in their response to the People’s Assembly vote to delay Egypt’s municipal elections for two years. In a statement this week from the U.S. State Department, spokesman Sean McCormack expressed America’s displeasure with the postponement of any election, adding that Secretary of …
Deadly bird flu strain found in Egypt
CAIRO: Egypt has found its first cases of H5N1 bird flu and is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent the deadly virus spreading, the government said on Friday. The virus was found in seven sick and dead chickens in three areas. Four birds in Cairo, two in Giza next to the capital …