The lasting damage of Iraq
By Shlomo Ben Ami MADRID: The folding of the American flag in Iraq amid a collapse of public security and a severe crisis in the country’s fragile political order seals a…
India’s anti-corruption contest
By Shashi Tharoor NEW DELHI: India ended 2011 amid political chaos, as the much-awaited “Lokpal Bill,” aimed at creating a strong, independent anti-corruption agency, collapsed amid a welter of recrimination in…
The decline and fall of the Euro?
By Daniel Gros BRUSSELS: Great empires rarely succumb to outside attacks. But they often crumble under the weight of internal dissent. This vulnerability seems to apply to the eurozone as well.…
Oil above $110 on Iran, China data
LONDON: Crude oil rose above $110 a barrel on Tuesday as tension between Iran and the United States stirred fear of a possible disruption to oil supplies from the Middle…
Egypt cbank to ask for LE 14 bln in repos
CAIRO: Egypt's central bank said it would ask for LE 14 billion ($2.32 billion) in seven-day repurchase agreements in the money market on Tuesday at a fixed rate of 9.75…
COLUMN: Goldman’s sukuk: Is the criticism fair?
By Asim Khan Goldman Sachs' maiden foray into capital-raising utilizing sharia-compliant mechanisms has understandably generated a lot of interest. However, as in the case of some other conventional banks before it,…
Orascom completes demerger, returns to bourse
CAIRO: Orascom Telecom completed its demerger Tuesday and returned to the Egyptian Stock Exchange (EGX) after having its trading on the bourse suspended since Nov. 24. According to EGX listed…
Egyptians vote in final phase of landmark polls
SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Egyptians were voting on Tuesday in the final round of a landmark post-revolution election that has propelled Islamist movements into the centre stage of politics. Fourteen million eligible…
Crown of sorrow
By Philip Whitfield CAIRO: Ring out the old, ring in the new… ring out the false, ring in the true — Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1850), one of the most beloved poets…
Iran tests missiles near key oil-transit strait
TEHRAN: Iran on Monday tested missiles near the Strait of Hormuz, underlining its threats to close the vital oil-transit channel at the entrance to the Gulf as the West prepares…