To land Lisbeth, Rooney Mara needed her toughness
By Jake Coyle/AP It took Rooney Mara two and a half months and five screen tests to land the sought-after role of Lisbeth Salander. The competition for the fierce heroine of…
Japanese chocolate: rising star in Land of Rising Sun
Move over azuki and sweet sticky rice. While Japanese pastry chefs may have started using cocoa a few centuries after the West, this once foreign flavor has captivated Japan's confectionery…
US deeply concerned by Egypt raid on pro-democracy groups
WASHINGTON: The United States expressed deep concern on Thursday after Egyptian police raided 17 offices of pro-democracy and human rights groups, including several funded by the United States, and urged…
Rights groups urge Egypt to free jailed blogger
GENEVA; Thirty rights groups and activists united on Thursday in a call for Egypt to release a jailed blogger who has been staging a hunger strike since August. A military…
Britain thought Mubarak dim but corruption-free: archives
LONDON: Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was assessed by British Foreign Office officials as dim but "free of any taint of corruption" before he took power in 1981, files released…
Rose Al-Youssef journalists continue sit-in for fifth day
CAIRO: Journalists at Rose Al-Youssef newspaper continued their sit-in on Thursday for the fifth day in protest against chief editor Ibrahim Khalil and the dismissal of fellow colleagues, vowing to…
Naga Hammadi Church cancels Christmas celebrations to protest abductions
CAIRO: Two kidnapped Copts were released late Wednesday in Qena, days after their families threatened to block the railway in protest of what was described as a recurring crime. Hundreds…
Church invites Islamists for Christmas celebrations, MB vows to protect churches
CAIRO: Pope Shenouda is to send invitations to all state institutions and political parties to attend the Christmas celebrations scheduled to take place in the man Cathedral in Jan. 7.…
Women say security violations and assaults won’t hold them back
CAIRO: Virginity tests, sexual assaults, brutal beating, stripping and the continuous violations of the military police against women will not hinder their perseverance in going out and demanding their rights,…
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.…