Qaeda: Arab revolts herald ‘great leap forward’
LONDON: Al-Qaeda's most influential English-language preacher said revolts sweeping the Arab world would help rather than harm its cause by giving Islamists freed from tyranny greater scope to speak out.…
Uncertainty over future of lending activity in Egypt
While lending activity by Egyptian banks intensified over the past few years, it’s debatable whether this upward trend will continue or reverse in the near future. According to a report…
National Front for Justice and Democracy to attract unpoliticized masses
CAIRO: A number of political activists and academics launched Tuesday the National Front for Justice and Democracy with the aim of guarding the demands of the revolution and attracting…
Egypt mulls amendments to banking oversight, governance laws
The Central Bank of Egypt’s (CBE) board of directors have agreed to study possible amendments to Law 88 of 2003, which governs the regulatory body and the country’s overall financial…
Families appeal to gov’t for sons’ return from Libya
CAIRO: Hakim Malak has been spending nights in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s headquarters, calling on the Egyptian government to bring back his brother and cousin, trapped at…
Zahi Hawass appointed Minister of Antiquities
CAIRO: Prime Minister Essam Sharaf appointed the head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), Zahi Hawass, as the new Minister of State for Antiquities. The Ministry of Antiquities will…
Assad sees unrest “plot”, unyielding on emergency law
DAMASCUS: President Bashar Al-Assad defied calls on Wednesday to lift a decades-old emergency law and said Syria was the target of a foreign conspiracy to stir up protests in which…
Rebels retreat from Libya oil port under attack
AJDABIYA: Moammar Qaddafi's ground forces recaptured a strategic oil town Wednesday as they made new inroads in beating back a rebel advance toward the capital Tripoli. Western powers kept up…
Bahrain’s Shia leader wants Saudi-led force out
MANAMA: Bahrain's Shia Muslim opposition on Wednesday demanded that the Saudi-led military force helping to put down protests leave the country immediately. The demand underscored the sectarian element of the…
Army council announces constitutional decree
CAIRO: The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) announced Wednesday the constitutional decree consisting of 62 articles, one of which reduces the authorities of the Shoura Council. “The Shoura…