SCAF denies live ammo used, tells its version of Maspero violence
By Omnia Al Desouki CAIRO: The ruling military council denied that army forces used live ammunition against Maspero protesters on Sunday, or that personnel intentionally used armored vehicles to run over…
Parliamentary elections loom amid political, economic and social unrest
CAIRO: As the election committee accepts nominations for parliamentary candidates Wednesday, the upcoming elections – the first to be held in post-Mubarak Egypt – come at a time marred with…
New label, album: Keeping it fresh, the Wilco way
A couple of decades ago, a young and tough Jeff Tweedy thought he was punk rock. That is nothing compared to how out there the 44-year-old Wilco frontman and father…
Pakistan comics deflect Taliban with ridicule
Bombs and burqas may be no joke, but stand-up comics in Pakistan defy death threats to poke fun at Taliban militants with an irreverent humor popular among an increasingly frustrated…
Egypt’s deputy PM back at work after resignation rejected
CAIRO: Egypt's Finance Minister Hazem El-Beblawi, also the deputy premier, returned to work on Wednesday after the ruling military council rejected his resignation, a Cabinet source said, after a day…
Calling for real women’s stories in Egyptian film
CAIRO: Egyptian film is the most widely viewed cinema in the Arab world, and Egypt is one of a few countries in the region that has maintained this industry since…
International Day for Disaster Reduction
When that powerful earthquake rocked eastern Japan in March of this year, a child in a nearby school quickly opened the window to help evacuate his classmates. After the earth…
Israelis and Palestinians refusing to be enemies
By Haggai Matar TEL AVIV: "I personally don't have a problem with Israelis, but for your own sake you’d better not tell others around here where you're from," a taxi driver…
Failing the Syria test
By Javier Solana MADRID: On October 2nd in Istanbul, Syria’s disparate opposition movements gave the go-ahead for the formation of a “Syrian National Council.” This is the most important step yet…
Hussein Salem sentenced to jail in absentia
CAIRO: A Cairo criminal court on Wednesday sentenced in absentia Egyptian businessman Hussein Salem, his son Khaled, and daughter Magda, to seven years in jail and a combined fine of…