The hard right goes soft
PARIS: The central paradox of French politics was confirmed once again on March 27. In a nationwide vote to select local authorities (the so called Conseiller Général), the far-right National…
Japan’s recovery bonds
TOKYO: The tsunami raced through the town at eight meters per second, the speed of a gold-medal sprinter. The wave’s height reached 15 meters, towering above even the highest pole-vault…
Yemen’s regime change gets personal
SANAA: When Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh ordered his military on March 18 to fire on peaceful protesters calling for his resignation, he sealed his fate. A wave of military,…
Talking to the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt
A secular youth movement may have deposed President Hosni Mubarak, but the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt is positioned to take power in September’s parliamentary elections and assume a leading role…
Egypt bourse to resume normal trade hours Sunday
CAIRO: Egypt's stock market, which re-opened last week after a shutdown of more than seven weeks, will resume its normal four-hour trading session on Sunday, a bourse official said. Trading…
Hamas figure hopes for new Gaza policy from Egypt
CAIRO: A leading Hamas figure says he hopes Egypt's new rulers will have a different policy toward Gaza and permanently reopen a key border crossing. The remark comes as a…
Ultraconservative Muslims more assertive in Egypt
CAIRO: Members of an ultraconservative Muslim sect clashed with villagers south of Cairo over demands that a liquor store and coffee shops be closed, officials said Tuesday, a sign of…
Pressing issues: The future of the media
By Rania Al Malky The Feb. 12, 2011 edition of state-owned Al-Ahram daily is a collector’s item. After nearly six decades of performing its loyal role as apologist for successive totalitarian…
100 police officers referred to criminal court for killing protesters
By Marwa Al-A'asar CAIRO: Prosecutor General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud referred 100 police officers to a criminal court on charges of killing and injuring protesters in the early days of the uprising…
Independents sweep student union polls, say rights activists
CAIRO: Independent students swept the polls in the first free student union elections since ousted president Hosni Mubarak stepped down last month, according to rights activists. Student union elections kicked…