A dogged Aussie collective lands at the Oscars
The Australian filmmaking collective Blue-Tongue Films has been around since 1996, when a handful of friends made a short that turned out good enough to warrant persistence. Next Sunday, they'll…
Novelist Ian McEwan criticizes Jewish settlements
Renowned British novelist Ian McEwan accepted an Israeli literary prize in Jerusalem this week with harsh criticism of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, after British writers called on the…
Egypt to keep stock market closed until next week
CAIRO: The Egyptian stock exchange, closed since Jan. 27 because of political unrest, said it will remain shut until next week. The government has announced dates for the resumption of…
Western arms makers eye lucrative Mideast market
ABU DHABI: Western arms makers, squeezed by budget cuts at home, jostled to ink deals at the biggest arms fair in the Middle East as crackdowns on anti-regime protesters claimed…
Iranian navy ships enter Suez Canal
CAIRO: Two Iranian naval ships entered the Suez Canal on Tuesday, a canal source said, en route to Syria on a purported training mission that Israel regards as a provocation.…
In Cairo, US envoy calls for lifting emergency law
CAIRO: A senior US diplomat urged Egypt on Monday to build confidence in its transition to democracy by lifting the country's emergency law and releasing more detainees. US Undersecretary of…
Egypt mobile phone ownership up 25 pct in year to Nov
CAIRO: The number of Egyptians with mobile telephones grew to 66.87 million as of November, 25 percent up from a year earlier, according to figures published on a government website.…
Egypt to ask for African Cup postponement
CAIRO: The Egyptian football association will ask to have next month's African Cup of Nations qualifying match against South Africa postponed because of unrest at home. Egypt is scheduled to…
Egypt economy recovering, wants Europe debt relief
CAIRO: Egypt would like European Union states to cancel its debts to them but has not made a formal request, the EU's local delegation said, as Egypt's economy showed signs…
Bahrain king orders release of political prisoners
MANAMA: Bahrain's king ordered the release of some political prisoners Tuesday, conceding to another opposition demand as the embattled monarchy tries to engage protesters in talks aimed at ending an…