Author Archives: Editor

Obama set to host peace talks

US President Barack Obama is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas for the first round of direct talks aimed at bringing peace to the Middle East. President Obama will be joined by Jordanian … read more

Egypt detains Shiites under emergency law

An Egyptian rights group on Tuesday scoffed at a government pledge to limit use of its emergency law as an “illusion,” after the interior ministry ignored a court’s request to release seven Shiite Muslims. The Shiites, in detention since mid-2009, … read more

Egypt to add 1,425MW to grid in September

Egypt will add around 1,425MW of capacity in September, as a number of new generation units are coming online, the Asharq Al Awsat newspaper cited the countries minister of electricity and energy on Monday, The additional quantities will include 140 … read more

Court sentences five over factory assault

An Egyptian military tribunal sentenced five workers on Monday to suspended jail terms for assaulting an arms factory manager, despite appeals by rights groups that they be tried in a civil court, their lawyer said. The workers, who were also … read more

Activist riles opposition in signing petition

Pro-democracy activist Saadeddin Ibrahim has signed a petition supporting the political ambitions of the Egyptian president’s son, riling the opposition who say the move undermines their call for political change. The move by Ibrahim, a long-time critic of President Hosni … read more

Culture Minister Talks With Prosecutors

Farouk Hosni, Egypt’s minister of culture, said he had been questioned by prosecutors as an investigation continued into the theft of a van Gogh painting from a museum in Giza this month, The Associated Press reported. Mr. Hosni said he … read more

Food inflation feeds social unease

In Egypt, if a passer-by spots a piece of bread in the street, the morsel is usually not ignored but picked up and placed reverently on a ledge away from passing feet. Bread is ’aish – life itself. So Russia’s … read more