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In brief
Islamic New Year, heat wave...
Monday was the Islamic New Year and a holiday for most public and private sector employees.
It has also been rather hot since then, with meteorologists predicting a continuation of the steamy weather into the end of the week.
Politics/headline news
Sharon back-track, plus Mubarak heads for the States
The papers have been somewhat occupied by statements allegedly made by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during his recent visit to the United States, regarding the US punishing Egypt for not pushing the peace process forward, by cutting off its military aid. The statements caused a brouhaha in the Egyptian press, and Sharon was soon being quoted as saying that he said no such thing.
All of this is in anticipation of Mubarak's own visit to the US next week, which the papers have been covering quite extensively. The President's schedule has been announced, including a 2 April meeting with US President George W Bush.... Mubarak will also be meeting with several members of Bush's cabinet, Congress and the heads of the New York Stock Exchange and the World Bank.
Economy
Big State-side business meeting
President Hosni Mubarak will be speaking to a crowd of 4000 businessmen in Washington DC next Tuesday. Mubarak will highlight the achievements that have been made in improving Egypt's economy over the past few years. The meeting brings together the individudals and businesses that are part of the Egyptian-American Chamber of Commerce, which is headed by prominenent businessman Mohamed Mansour
Get ready for vending machines
The boys in the back room have finally developed a vending machine that accepts Egyptian notes, thus paving the way for soda vending machines to begin appearing across the country. An ad on the front page of Al-Akhbar indicates that the machines are an easy way for businesses and individuals to make a little extra cash. Rent one for LE300, it says, and make LE1000 a month. Perfect for sporting clubs, companies, etc...
Sports
Runaway player back with Ahli
Ahli club's soccer star Ibrahim Said has returned to Egypt, after a failed attempt to join a Belgian clubs team. International soccer federation FIFA responded to Ahli's request to nullify Said's contract with the Belgian club on the basis that he still had a contract with Ahli. Said left the country all of a sudden to join the Belgian club, prompting the media to immediately brand him a "runaway fugitive." On the front page of a recent Al-Ahram, Said is quoted as saying he's sorry for what he did, hoping his fans in Egypt can forgive him and allow him to start a new chapter in his career.
Movies
Magdi and Alaa together again
The long-running dispute between super-producer Magdi El-Hawari (Al-Nazer, Belia) and superstar Alaa Walieddin (Abboud, Al-Nazer) seems to be over, paving the way for the duo's new film, Ibn Ezz, to be made. The dispute was allegedly over whether Walieddin had signed a multi-film deal with Hawari or not, but was probably more about re-working that deal to the more balanced benefit of both parties now that Walieddin is Egypt's number 1 box office draw...
At times the dispute got ugly, with Hawari, who helped make Walieddin a big star, forcing the contract issue by claiming he had a director and locations already prepared for the new film, and that he was even in negotiations with Hollywood superstar Selma Hayek to appear as a guest star. If Alaa didn't show up, Hawari would take the matter to the actors syndicate. Walieddin responded with heavily publicized statements claiming that the contract was forged. After intense backroom negotiations, an envoy from the syndicate managed to reach a settlement, with both parties dropping all complaints and signing a new contract.
The announcement was made to much fanfare in the papers, and it paves the way for the new film to start production just in time to be completed before the big summer blockbuster rush.
Archaeology
Alternative uses for monuments, or Disco in Karnak
Al-Wafd went a little antiquities crazy this week, with three tiny items on its front page documenting strange occurrences at Egytpian monuments.
The first item is yet another front page story with the word 'disco' in its title (The word had previously appeared in a story in Al-Ahramn about tax breaks). According to the paper, the Supreme Council for Antiquities' decision to bring back its controversial rent-a-temple policy was making antiquities experts a bit queasy. The policy allows groups or individuals to rent historic temples for the night for parties. The policy is under fire from antiquities experts who say he parties, which often go on all night, feature drinking, dancing and high powered lasers, are harming the monuments.
Meanwhile the paper also takes pokes at the Council's other money-making ventures, including raising the price of permits for TV crews to film at the monuments from LE400 to LE1000 per hour. The paper says an important temple in Luxor was closed off to tourists for three hours so a TV crew could have unfettered access.
Meanwhile, the paper also faulted the Authority for allowing a brick, cement and steel structure to be built within the Amenhotep compound in Luxor. The authority stepped in quickly, however, the paper says, punishing those responsible for the structure, and ordering it removed.
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