THE REEL ESTATE: The magic lantern, the silent wizard and me
By Joseph Fahim What was the very first movie you’ve ever seen? Mine was Victor Fleming’s classic musical “The Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland. I was probably four years old.…
World powers want ‘serious dialogue’ with Iran
By Simon Sturdee / AFP VIENNA: World powers said Thursday that mooted talks with Iran must be "serious" and urged Tehran to allow UN inspectors access to a military base thought…
Autonomy bid in Libya prompts fears of nation’s break-up
By Ibrahim Majbari / AFP TRIPOLI: Tribesmen and politicians in Libya's oil-rich east have polarized public opinion, raised fears that the country might break apart and prompted some of his sharpest…
Egypt parliament to reject government in vote: Brotherhood
By Tom Perry / Reuters CAIRO: The Egyptian parliament is likely to declare it has lost confidence in the government of Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzoury via a formal vote, Muslim Brotherhood…
IEG evaluates World Bank response to financial crisis
By Amir Makar CAIRO: In spite of facing some macro-economic hurdles, countries that were better prepared to engage in the World Bank’s crisis-related financial sector operations were less affected by the…
Israel’s “tunnel rats” brace for new guerrilla war
By Lianne Gross / Reuters SIRKIN SPECIAL FORCES BASE: Fearing a surge in tunnel and bunker construction by Lebanon's Hezbollah and Palestinian insurgents, Israel is training its troops to hunt below…
Despite hardships, Palestinians train for Olympics
By Ibrahim Barzak and Mohammed / AP GAZA CITY: Darting down the bumpy streets of Gaza wearing a cheap pair of sneakers, Palestinian runner Bahaa Al-Farra dodges potholes and traffic as…
Egypt sells more T-bills than offered as yields dip
By Tom Pfeiffer and Mohamed Samir /Reuters CAIRO: Egypt's central bank sold more treasury bills than it originally offered at an auction on Thursday as optimism that the country may be…
Annan warns more militarization will worsen Syria crisis
By Samer Al-Atrush /AFP CAIRO: United Nations and Arab League special envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, warned Thursday that further militarization in Syria will worsen a conflict there that has left…
SODIC agrees to develop Cairo project in 3 years
By Dina Zayed / Reuters CAIRO: SODIC, the country's third-biggest listed developer, has agreed with the authorities to develop projects on its land bank in West Cairo within three years, in…