Tahrir tumbles and tumbrels
By Philip Whitfield CAIRO: It appears the Salafi Sheikh Hazem Abu Ismail’s mother did obtain American nationality on October 25, 2006 putting paid to his presidential bid. Doesn’t the Egyptian Administrative…
Iran’s nuclear grass eaters
By Shlomo Ben Ami MADRID: After long years of failed international efforts to end Iran’s cunning drive to develop nuclear weapons, the question today is no longer whether the West can…
Murder Unincorporated
By Ian Buruma NEW YORK: What possessed the young French Muslim Mohammed Merah to murder three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi, and three soldiers, two of them fellow Muslims? What possessed another…
Middle Eastern Americans transcend politics with humour
By Sadia Ashraf LOS ANGELES, California: A motley crew of diverse Arab, Persian and American comedians is making audiences laugh and unraveling stereotypes at the same time. With their own comedy…
Angry soccer fans shake Egypt’s fragile peace
By Tom Pfeiffer and Osama Khairy / Reuters CAIRO: Lingering enmity between Egyptian soccer fans and police since the country's deadliest stadium disaster could shatter a fragile calm on the streets…
Arab Spring Islamists launch US charm offensive
By Edouard Guihaire / AFP WASHINGTON: With a White House meeting, talks at a think-tank, and interviews with newspapers, Islamists unshackled by the Arab Spring are launching a new charm…
Pope, in Easter message, backs Syria peace plan
By Philip Pullella / Reuters VATICAN CITY: A fatigued-looking Pope Benedict threw his weight behind a United Nations plan to end bloodshed in Syria in his Easter Sunday message, calling for…
Abu Dhabi sells stake in electric carmaker Tesla
By Dinesh Nair / Reuters DUBAI: Abu Dhabi National Energy (TAQA), a state-owned oil explorer and power supplier, has sold its 7 percent stake in Tesla Motors Inc, cashing out from…
SunCity Mall opens in Egypt at a price tag of LE 3 bln
By Reem Abdellatif CAIRO: SunCity, a new addition to Egypt’s shopping and entertainment centers worth more than LE 3 billion (about $497 million) in total investments, officially opened last week. This…
IFC helps educator build schools across Egypt
CAIRO: IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is lending the Cairo Investment and Real Estate Development company (CIRA) up to $15 million to help the firm build primary…