Another step forward for mobile money transfers
Last week the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) issued preliminary approval for Egyptian banks to partner with telecoms in conducting mobile money transfers.Khaled Hegazy, director of external affairs for Vodafone…
Dented sukuk market starved of sovereign benchmark
Sovereign borrowing still eludes the Islamic bond, or sukuk, market, leaving investors hungry for a benchmark issue to reinvigorate trading after the credit crunch and the Dubai World crisis. Where…
NYC prepares for return of King Tut's treasures
NEW YORK: New York City is getting ready to welcome Egypt s boy pharaoh back to the city he wowed in 1979.An exhibit of artifacts from King Tut s tomb…
Amplifying the voice of Muslim women
AMMAN: "Veiled Voices is a film filled with loud, bright stories that enlighten an audience in need of authenticity about Islam in general and the lives of Muslim women in…
The fourth cup of tea
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana: Greg Mortenson's book Three Cups of Tea is the story of a former American mountain climber's humanitarian project to build schools in the most underprivileged parts of Pakistan's…
Re-repairing Bosnia
Bosnia's future is becoming increasingly uncertain. An ethnic veto has long made the central government ineffective, and, most recently, Milorad Dodik, the leader of the Serb-controlled entity, Republika Srpska, has…
Ms. Europe or Frau Germania?
BERLIN: Just what is the matter with Angela Merkel? Only a short while ago, she was celebrated as "Ms. Europe ; now, she increasingly gives the impression of being Frau…
Mubarak welcomes birth of first granddaughter Farida
CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak's younger son Gamal, thought by many to be his political heir apparent, became the father of a baby girl on Tuesday, the official MENA news agency…
Qatar ministry removes El-Qaradwi from Al-Balagh board
CAIRO: The board of Qatar's Al-Balagh Foundation, the main funder of Islam Online (IOL), was dissolved late Tuesday by the Qatari Ministry of Social Affairs, according to Fathy Abu Hatab,…
Global economic crisis thwarts achievement of MDGs
CAIRO: The number of workers living on less that $1.25 increased worldwide by around 215 million in 2009 in the aftermath of the financial crisis, a United Nations report said.Last…