Egypt

EGYPT: Israel Gas Deal Inflames Opposition

Opposition figures and political activists have slammed a new deal to sell Egyptian liquefied natural gas to Israel at what they say are vastly reduced prices.

Egypt Beach Bathers Succumb to Veil as Alexandria Loses Secular Diversity

Along miles and miles of crowded beachfront in Egypta s second city, women in bathing suits are nowhere in sight.

Palestinians: Progress made in Shalit swap deal

Israel and Hamas recently resumed intensive negotiations on a deal for the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.

Uncertainty reigns in Egypt, NPS expert warns

Egypt's government is a fragile system that might shatter if President Barack Obama lends too much support "weight" to it, Robert Springborg, an expert on Egypt said Friday to the World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay Area.

ENVIRONMENT: Polluters See Green in Carbon Market

Egypt's pollution problem is a potential goldmine of foreign revenue - if the country can tap into the lucrative international carbon trading market.

EGYPT: Opposition Equated With Terrorists

The Egyptian government is now accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of links to Palestinian resistance groups and of establishing "global networks". Recent months have seen a host of government accusations - which critics say are fabricated - against opposition groups it claims have ties with Hamas, Hizbullah, and the ever-elusive Al-Qaeda. "The ...

Heritage: The rising sun in Egyptology

Forty years of Japanese excavations in Egypt are illustrated in a special exhibition at the Egyptian Museum, Nevine El-Aref reports Clockwise from left: the mask of Senu; his wooden sarcophagus; sistrem with the name of King Amasis; stelae of Pashedu and ornament with an Udjat eye and a scarab photos courtesy of Waseda University For the ...

Egypt's peace role - and its influence - under fire

Since the historic 1979 Camp David Accords with Israel, Egypt has used its regional clout to broker peace in the Middle East - and curry favor with the West.

With ties to both Israel and Hamas, Cairo sees a natural role for itself in helping to bring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to a just solution. But its neutrality, motives, and, more recently, its political influence, have been challenged by other countries, calling into question its effectiveness as a peacemaker.

For the past two years, Cairo has hosted reconciliation talks between secular Fatah and Islamist Hamas, giving the Palestinians a unified front in negotiations with Israel. The deadline for final-round talks has been twice extended after the two feuding Palestinian factions failed to produce a deal by early July, and is now set for Aug. 25.

Egypt blasts Hamas over Fatah travel restrictions

CAIRO Egypt says the move by the militant Palestinian Hamas to ban Fatah members from travelling to a key party convention in the West Bank is "unacceptable." The convention is to elect a new leadership of the Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' movement.

Egypt charges 26 suspects as spies to Hezbollah

Egyptian security officials had been tracking the case since April when they said they uncovered Hezbollah plots to destabilize Egypt.

Egypt's rising death sentences under fire

Legal experts and human rights activists are criticizing Egypt for an abrupt spike in death sentences in recent months, accusing the country's courts of trying to use capital punishment to stem a soaring crime rate.

Egypt: Disputes Rise Over Quotas for Women MPs

Disputes have arisen over new legislation setting a quota for female representatives in parliament.

African ministers begin tense discussions on sharing the waters of the Nile

Ministers from the 10 African countries on the Nile river began crucial discussions Monday over drafting a new water sharing agreement, which is hampered by Egypt's refusal to reduce its share of world's longest river.

Apathy in Egypt on coup's anniversary

CAIRO // Fifty-seven years ago today, Ahmed Hamroush woke up in a new Egypt. An overnight coup d'etat led by Gamal Abdel Nasser and his Free Officers Movement against British colonialists meant that for the first time since the dynasties of the pharaohs, Egypt was to be governed by Egyptians.

Egyptian Grand Museum worthy of the Pharoahs

2009 3:50PM UAE / July 20. 2009 11:50AM GMT Egypt's chief archaeologist Zahi Hawass: the 4500m Grand Egyptian Museum is a project worthy of the Pharaohs.

Egyptian Author on Murdered Muslim Woman: 'The Reaction of the German Government Was Not Fair'

In a SPIEGEL interview, Egyptian author Alaa al-Aswany discusses the shocking murder of an Egyptian in Dresden, anti-German protests across the Islamic world and latent racism in the West.

Egypt court reverses conviction of teacher accused of insulting president

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information [advocacy website] represented Hanna in his appeal, emphasizing to the court the responsibility of the judiciary as "the first defense front of freedom of expression." Initially unrepresented by counsel, Hanna was convicted and sentenced in June to three years in prison with a bail of 100,000 Egyptian ...

Warning on pilgrimages over flu fear

Upwards of 2mn people are expected in Saudi Arabia over the next five months on pilgrimages to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

Egypt: Selling Kidneys to Pay the Bills

Karim borrowed money to expand his bakery. When the money ran out, and facing the prospect of imprisonment if unable to repay his debts, the 36-year- old Egyptian baker sold his kidney.

Pilgrims warned not to go

EGYPT has become the latest country to warn vulnerable Muslims not to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, after a woman returning from Saudi Arabia became the first Egyptian to die from H1N1 flu.