Egypt central bank hikes rates as currency slips
CAIRO: Egypt's central bank unexpectedly raised interest rates on Thursday for the first time in more than two years, acting after depleting its foreign reserves trying to defend a local…
Back in Tahrir, business booms
By Reem Abdellatif CAIRO: Tahrir Square has turned into a self-sustaining city again with food stands, clinics, hospitals, security checkpoints and tents around every corner — this time however, much of…
Buttered Up: Occupie – a movement beginning with pizza
I have placed my fingers on the keys, waiting for an idea to take control of my hands, to lead the way to thoughts that might hold some significance in…
In times of rain
By Myriam Ghattas “Tambien La Lluvia” (Even the Rain, 2010) is, on the surface, a movie about the making of a movie. As such, it is a film that could have…
Whodunnit?
By Rania Al Malky CAIRO: On Egypt’s political stage, the tragi-comedy continues. When two members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) in an international press conference claim, after…
Asia’s month of milestones
By Gareth Evans CANBERRA: For grand strategy buffs, this has been quite a month, with several events looking like the kind of turning points that will consume future historians. Capturing the…
Seeking real equality for Turkey’s women
By Idil Aybars ANKARA: Turkish women were among the first in Europe to exercise political rights with the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1924, but 87 years later Turkey…
Services without tears
By Jeffrey Sachs NEW YORK: A famous claim in economics is that the cost of services (such as health care and education) tends to increase relative to the cost of goods…
Thousands rally in Egypt on “Last Chance Friday”
CAIRO: Thousands of Egyptians demanding an end to military rule converged on Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday in what activists say will be the biggest day yet of protests in…
Saboteurs blow up Egypt gas pipeline: MENA
CAIRO: Saboteurs blew up a gas pipeline 60 km (37 miles) west of the Egyptian town of Al-Arish in northern Sinai on Friday, the latest in series of attacks, state…