Security forces, prosecutors raid five NGOs, shut down one
CAIRO: Prosecutors and security forces raided Thursday five Egyptian and foreign non-profit organizations (NOG), confiscating equipment and documents, closing down one of them under allegations of receiving illegal foreign funding.…
Advisory Council amends presidential elections law, hopefuls skeptical
CAIRO: The Advisory Council’s legislative committee presented its amendments to the presidential elections law to the Cabinet amid skepticism on the part of presidential hopefuls that the elections will be…
Qatar ups Lagardere stake, becomes top investor
PARIS: Qatar Holding, an investment vehicle of the Gulf state's government, has raised its stake in French media-to-aerospace conglomerate Lagardere to over 10 percent, market regulator AMF said on Thursday.…
Oil falls below $107, US stocks and Iran in focus
LONDON: Oil dropped below $107 a barrel on Thursday as a stronger dollar and a rise in US jobless claims countered Iranian threats to shut a vital oil trade route.…
Egypt reduces size of T-bill sale as yields rise
CAIRO: Egypt's central bank bought fewer treasury bills than it had offered for at an auction on Thursday as yields on the bills rose, the Finance Ministry said. The central…
New Islamist democracies will be open for business
By Una Galani / Reuters DUBAI: The Arab revolutions have altered perceptions of the region. The new regimes may have democratic foundations but they won't look like anything the West or…
Egypt is not on the verge of bankruptcy, experts say
CAIRO: Egypt is far from the verge of bankruptcy, despite growing economic woes the country continues to witness since the January uprising, experts said. “You go bankrupt if your reserves…
Streep can’t save superficial ‘Iron Lady’
By Christy Lemire / AP The same problems that plagued "La Vie en Rose," starring Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf, exist in "The Iron Lady," a biopic about Margaret Thatcher starring…
Colosseum loses another chunk as restoration looms
The Colosseum lost another piece on Tuesday as Rome's most famous monument deteriorates further ahead of a long-delayed restoration funded by an Italian billionaire now scheduled to start in March.…
Doctors look to treat sick children in virtual worlds
Doctors in a domed laboratory in Canada are designing a virtual world where they hope to one day treat traumatized children with colorful avatars using toy-like medical gadgets. Sensory stimulation…