Goldman advisor defends $2 bln Islamic bond scheme
DUBAI: An advisor to Goldman Sachs has defended the US bank's $2 billion Islamic bond program against criticism it may contravene religious principles, in a controversy that could affect Western…
Tasty treats still attracting investors in Egypt
CAIRO: In times good and bad, Egyptians are fond of confectionaries. According to a new retail market audit conducted by Nielsen, consumers in the country spent approximately LE 8 billion…
Egypt c.bank cancels auctions of 3-, 5-year bonds
CAIRO: Egypt's central bank cancelled three-year and five-year re-opened bond auctions worth LE 5 billion ($829 million), the Finance Ministry said on Monday. The bank auctions the instruments on behalf…
Egypt up on 2012 optimism; Gulf mixed
CAIRO/DUBAI: Optimism for the year ahead lifted Egypt's stock market on Monday, while Gulf bourses were mixed in muted trade as many investors were still away on holidays. Egypt's benchmark…
Trade ministry says to resolve issues of closed factories
CAIRO: Egypt's Minister of Trade and Industry announced on Sunday that the ministry will be resolving the problems of suspended or closed factories across the country in order to boost…
Prosecution to argue its case in Mubarak trial starting Tuesday
CAIRO: The prosecution in the trial of ousted president Hosni Mubarak will start to plead its case on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. “The judge surprised us by announcing that the…
Designer behind Apple’s products knighted in UK
Fans of the clean, inviting look of the iPhone, iPad and other blockbuster Apple products are legion, and that includes Queen Elizabeth II. The British monarch has awarded a knighthood…
Golden year for Klimt as Austria marks 150th anniversary
By Sim Sim Wissgott / AFP His golden "The Kiss" adorns scarves and coffee mugs worldwide, while his portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer sparked a decades-long restitution battle: in 2012, Austria celebrates…
Elton John wants Timberlake to play him in biopic
Elton John is working on a biopic about himself and would like Justin Timberlake to take on the lead role, he said in an interview published Sunday. The British veteran…
Met’s ‘Enchanted Island’ a clever concoction
Call it a pastiche. Or a Baroque fantasy in two acts. Or the best opera Handel and Vivaldi never wrote. By any name, "The Enchanted Island," which had its world…
