Zamalek refute Saied swap deal
CAIRO: Zamalek board refuted media reports claiming that the Cairo giants intend to swap Hani Saied for Ahly duo Ahmed Hassan Farag and Hassan Mostafa. The five-time African champions announced…
Court sentences three Syrians to hang for drug smuggling
ISMAILIYA: An Egyptian court sentenced three Syrian men to death by hanging on Tuesday for trafficking heroin and opium, a court official told AFP.Two of the men were arrested in…
French court spares Les Miserables sequels
A Paris appeal court spared two sequels to Victor Hugo s epic of the French Revolution Les Miserables from the chop Friday, rejecting an attempt by the author s heirs…
Saudi religious police says some movies possibly OK
The chief of Saudi Arabia s powerful religious police said some movies may be acceptable in the kingdom, despite a three-decade ban on cinemas, local press reported on Sunday.Sheikh Ibrahim…
Two 4,300-year-old tombs unveiled near Cairo
SAKKARA: A pair of 4,300-year-old Pharaonic tombs discovered at Sakkara indicate that the sprawling necropolis south of Cairo is even larger than previously thought, said Egypt s top archaeologist Monday.…
Regional turbulence is the name of the game in 2008
If ever a region encapsulated the phrase "never a dull moment it would be the Middle East and 2008 was no different in that respect. The year kicked off with…
Early optimism becomes muted for new US administration
While the US President-elect Barack Obama might never be on the receiving end of an Iraqi journalist's shoes like his predecessor, the initial optimism that came with the election of…
Major laws passed by the People's Assembly in 2008
The People's Assembly, Egypt's lower house of parliament, ended its 2007/2008 round by passing a number of controversial laws, heralding accusations by the opposition that the ruling National Democratic Party…
April 6 strike kicks off a year of protests
The April 6 call for a general strike resulted in a police crackdown on demonstrators and activists across Egypt. In the industrial town of Mahalla - whose spinning factory and…
Political opposition in disarray
CAIRO: The organized political opposition in Egypt continued its downturn this year, and if anything, 2008 showed that any real opposition would come from workers' movements and trade unions, rather…