Updates...
Finally, Egypt-Libya rift resolved...

Egypt abroad
Pakistani writer uses Egypt's peace treaty with Israel as a model for how Pakistan should deal with the Kashmir issue

State of the Union reactions
AFP accurately reports that "Newspapers in Egypt and Syria took pains to highlight US President George W. Bush's omission of any reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his State of the Union address."

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told reporters "there's no doubt many were astonished because the ... speech did not deal with the Palestinian question. But this does not mean there are no affirmations from the U.S. side that they are committed to working to implement the road map and the matter remains of concern to them." 

Peace...
Egypt trying to push for Syria-Israel negotiations...

Rights...
New rights council somewhat controversial because of its government links

No photo...
Israelis not allowed to interview Amr Moussa, reports Jazeera

Request...
Accused Egyptian American Guatanamo translator wants to be free while his case is investigated

Bold plan
In an interview with Islam Online, Egypt's mufti suggests that a protocol be drawn up to discuss the integration of Muslims in the West...

Fish to Europe?
Egyptian fish will soon be heading back to European plates again, now that a ban on them has been lifted, according to this report.

Why?
Why are Egyptians hoarding Iraqi dinars?

Debating Iran
As the debate over how soon Egypt-Iran diplomatic relations will be restored goes on, Reuters' take is that restoring the ties might result in the handover of some prominent al-Qaeda suspects...

Better ties
BBC says Mohamed El Dourra to replace Khaled El-Islambouli as Egypt and Iran renew ties? Why all the fuss right now?

More...
Egypt stock market -- along with rest of Middle East bourses -- up as the New Year begins...

Out in the open
When President Hosni Mubarak told an Egyptian radio interviewer on Thursday January 1, 2004, that "[Succession talk] is nonsense... the regime in Egypt is republican, there is no hereditary transfer of power... This... will not happen in Egypt," the news was immediately carried around the world. 

First reported by Egyptian news agency MENA, the story was picked up in practically the same way by AFP, Reuters and the BBC.

The quotes are also -- quite significantly -- splashed on the banner headlines of Friday's El-Ahram and El-Akhbar...

Still trying
Presidential advisor Osama El-Baz to Palestine to try and stop threat of Israeli unilateral withdrawal

Iraq in the works
Moussa urges Arab countries to grab a piece of the Iraq reconstruction pie

Meanwhile, after meeting with Maher, Iraqi says Egypt will train policemen

Helping out...
Egypt offers to restore Iranian citadel destroyed by earthquake...

and sends in tons of relief supplies as well. 

Crackdowns
One of Britons in delayed Hizb u-Tahrir case urges Blair -- who is holidaying in Egypt -- to call Hosni Mubarak and tell him to Egypt should drop the case, which he calls a "farce".

Meanwhile, five Russian Muslim students in Cairo arrested -- charges are still not clear...

So sorry
Jihad El-Khazen apologizes very very profusely to Ahmed Maher in his Uyoon wa Azan column in Al-Hayat

More Maher
The Christian Science Monitor suspects the real gist of the trip was to try to slow down Ariel Sharon's unilateral moves that may -- if implemented -- make any chance of peace impossible.

This AFP report includes the many apologies that have been forthcoming from the Palestinians since the incident.

Maher himself -- back in Cairo describes the attack as " a passing matter that doesn't affect the essence of the Egyptian policy. Nothing will change that."

Even the Muslim Brotherhood was stunned by the vicious attack, reports Reuters

A BBC analysis tried to figure out why Maher wanted to visit Al-Aqsa in the first place.

Attacked
In a vividly shocking turn of events, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher was assaulted in a mosque, of all places, by Palestinian extremists, who struck him with shoes, seemingly in anger over Egypt's efforts to mediate a return to the Israeli-Palestinian negotiating table. 

In a tense diplomatic atmosphere Maher was visiting Israel for the first time in two years. His talks with Israeli leaders were coupled with intense Egyptian efforts on the Palestinian side as well.

It ended up being a bad day for Maher, who fell short of breath, and fainted, during the attack. BBC provides a 7-part pictorial chronicling the incident. Their written report -- which includes news that Maher was back in Cairo "smiling and back on his feet" -- is here. Reuters provided the most detailed take on the event, while AP's was the quickest. An earlier AP story provides more details on Maher's meeting with Sharon before the incident.

Let's hope...
Egypt pledge US$1.5bil if World Cup bid succeeds

UK-related
Briton's verdict delayed till March

Meanwhile, Blairs arrive...

A new Mideast force
An Iranian site says Al-Ahram urges "Egypt and Iran to learn from European unity"

What if?
In a Daily Star survey of Egyptian reactions to Saddam's capture, Kamel Labidi writes that "the deposed Iraqi regime would not have enjoyed such solidarity had a majority of Arabs been fully aware of what was really happening in Saddam’s tribal republic of fear."

Mob time
There seems to be a complicated solution to the long-standing third mobile phone operator problem in the works, says this Telecom Regulatory Authority press release.

Meanwhile, Vodafone Egypt finally makes it to the stock exchange.

Charming Sharm
British Prime Minister Tony Blair continues to choose Sharm El-Sheikh for his winter break. The Guardian breaks the news based on a conversation with an undersecretary of Egyptian tourism -- although Downing Street would not confirm.

Meanwhile, the BBC talks to the wife of one of the British Hizb U-Tahrir detainees, who is not happy about Blair's choice... In this story, the network mistakenly refers to the same official as the tourism minister.

Egypt wants Israel to follow Libya's lead...
"I hope that other countries in the region . . . would follow such an example . . . get rid of and put an end to any nuclear weapons production program," Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher is quoted as saying by AP.
"Maher did not specifically name Israel," the agency reports, "but said: "You know, of course, who I mean."

Agri-growth
An in-depth AFP story details agricultural firm Sekem's success...

Meanwhile, Australia has donated some agricultural technology to Egypt in a bid to reduce animal cruelty...

Wary economics
At major investment conference, the World Bank urges Egypt to speed up economic reforms. One participant said, "We need to move faster because the world will not wait for us 25 more years."

A Daily Star feature on the same topic goes into even more detail...

Meanwhile, cement is doing alright -- especially in Africa

Massive maneuvers
As Egyptian mediators try to push for peace with Palestinian factions in Gaza, Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher is scheduled to visit Israel next week.

Stark warning
Mona El Tahawy talks tough in a post-Saddam capture op-ed piece in the International Herald Tribune.

Trouble brewing
Will the dispute over Kenya's use of the Nile's source at Lake Victoria rise in pitch, or settle down?

Cairo reacts
Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher is one of the few officials quoted in the New York Times Arab reaction piece to the capture of Saddam.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Egypt is among countries able to bid for Iraq contracts,

And in Cairo, security is tightened around the US Embassy.

A little more politics...
Despite landmark meeting, full restoration of Egypt-Iran ties still a ways away

Meanwhile, Maher reiterates the message that the US is wasting a chance to pursue better peace between Israel and Syria.

All types of peace
Mubarak meets Israeli minister in Geneva to talk about peace process progress, but Israel still has a lot of work to do before Egypt even considers sending its ambassador back to Tel Aviv

Powell meets Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman in Washington to discuss the Palestinian track...

Meanwhile, a major children's peace camp taking place in Egypt...

IT and peace
Mubarak was one of the world leaders who attended the big IT summit in Geneva
While there, he also ended up meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom to talk peace. AFP provides more details about what the two may be discussing.
Mubarak also met Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, the first time presidents from the two countries have met since the Iranian revolution in 1979
Both meetings (with Israel and Iran) are considered the highest level meetings between leaders of those respective nations in a long time...
Earlier in the week, Mubarak also urged the US to pay more attention to Syria's peace overtures with Israel

Courting controversy
In an interview with the Washington Post, Aida Seif El-Dawla, the Egyptian doctor who recently won a human rights award from Amnesty, discusses the hypocrisy of Bush's democracy call.
Meanwhile, dubious news source World Net Daily quotes from an even more dubious source -- MEMRI -- which translated an interview given by Egyptian American Khaled Abul Fadl to October magazine.
Abul Fadl was appointed by Bush to the US Religious Freedom commission. In this interview he is highly critical of the Bush administration policies, and the two sources above are obviously trying to get Abul Fadl in trouble in the US by trying to show that when he speaks to an Arabic paper he is critical of Bush.

Update
The Washington Post reports that "Palestinians accept conditional truce" in Cairo ceasefire negotiations

Meanwhile, it seems not many are satisfied with the "half way measures" according to MSNBC.

UPDATE:
More news about Palestinian factions meeting in Cairo... 

AP says Egypt has strongly encouraged the factions to take advantage of the situation and work out a deal

Unanswered questions
Will Cairo talks lead to a Palestinian ceasefire? CNN seems to think they might.

Meanwhile, Al-Akhbar's declaration that Sharon wants to liquidate the Palestinian peace process is picked up by the majors...

ALSO... Bush and Mubarak talk peace on the phone and plan a White House meeting.

"Civilized way to solve conflicts"
Palestinian factions -- including Hamas -- take part in peace talks in Cairo

Meanwhile... Speaking to reporters with the new Maltese president, Mubarak rejects Bush's democracy call and expresses support for the Geneva Initiative.

No way
Opposition parties won't participate in new elections to fill seats left vacant by draft-dodging deputies....

Big projects
Major new apparel factory opens in Ismailia

Meanwhile, Thai funded acrylic fiber factory to open next year.

Judge for yourself
Where Egypt stands when it comes to technology access.

Meanwhile, here's a very interesting -- albeit highly intellectual -- article on Egyptian identity politics from the International Harvard review.

Still going strong
The world press keeps churning out articles pegged on Mubarak's illness at parliament. AP quotes Al-Ahram's Abdel-Moneim Said extensively. Said thinks the event will trigger a speedier course towards reform. 
A BBC piece by Khaled Dawoud, meanwhile, profiles Mubarak.

Changing role
The Washington Times does an in-depth story on Egypt's role in the Middle East post-war in Iraq. Is it dwindling, or is it all just a lot of talk?

Quick reaction
Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher provides a quick response to the Israeli MP who criticized Egypt's efforts to mediate a Palestinian truce: He said the remarks by the MP "perhaps simply express the anger of those who do not want things to go in the right direction."

Detailed coverage of the Israeli MP's disparaging and dangerous remarks are found at Hi Pakistan

Progress?
Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman -- back in Ramallah -- is optimistic about a ceasefire... "Inshallah (God willing), there will be a truce and there will be dialogue," he said. Plus, there's a photo of Suleiman with Arafat and Qorei

Illness aftermath
Several articles, of course, have emerged following President Mubarak's dramatic health crisis during a parliamentary speech.
Nearly all of the stories are identical, quoting prominent political commentators discussing the issue of presidential succession. Many of the stories -- perhaps taking a cue from an Atlantic Monthly article "Pharaohs in waiting" that was published several months ago -- name Mubarak's son Gamal and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman as two likely candidates. Here are examples from the Christian Science Monitor and AP. 
BBC meanwhile, goes into more depth regarding the president's health, and an editorial in Gulf News recounts being in a taxi when the news went down.

Speech, interrupted
Mubarak's "mild health crisis" during his annual speech at parliament is immediately covered by the major news aganecies. Here's BBC's report and one from Reuters. 

Sketchy
Very few details available about an Egyptian lawyer who is being tried for wanting to spy for Israel

In the spotlight
Egyptian Ambassador to the US talks tough in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. Nabil Fahmy defends Egypt's democracy efforts, but admits that more can be done. "I support more democracy than what exists today in the Arab world, and that's my government's opinion, too,'' he says.

Meanwhile, Egyptian human rights campaigner Aida Seif El-Dawla is featured on Nora Boustany's Diplomatic Dispatches column in the Washington Post. Seif El-Dawla is receiving an award from Human Rights Watch in New York for her efforts to combat torture in Egypt.

Helpful lesson?
An editorial in Media Monitors urges Saudi Arabia to use the Egyptian approach to fighting terrorism

Unity
News agencies cover the Ramadan iftar at the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo, emphasizing the fact that sunset prayers took place there, and that Gamal Mubarak attended.

Bad news
Quoting unnamed sources, Middle East News Line says that the United States has finally informed Egypt that 30 of its nationals are being held at Gunatanamo. The report says Egypt requested the number from the US a year ago...

Tragedy in Riyadh
Egyptian couple and their two children among the dead in Riyadh bombing.

Big plans
Info on the post Hossam Abul Fotouh local BMW agent's plans for expansion, plus a brief general look at the car market in Egypt

Meanwhile... Egypt ranks second amongst capital exporters in the Middle East, according to a study covered by Lebanon's Daily Star.

Bush continued...
Interesting analysis on the Bush call for democracy's potential effect on places like Egypt, especially the last few paragraphs...

Reacting to Bush
Bush says Egypt should lead the way towards democracy in the Middle East. "The great and proud nation of Egypt has shown the way toward peace in the Middle East, and now should show the way toward democracy in the Middle East."
He poses a general challenge for the region's leaders: "As changes come to the Middle Eastern region, those with power should ask themselves: Will they be remembered for resisting reform or for leading it?" 
He also assures that the US plans to stay the course in Iraq at all costs because "The failure of Iraqi democracy would embolden terrorists around the world... The establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution."
Not much in the way of reactions to Bush's speech. Lots of stories say there's either indignation or praise, but in all cases, the quotes from academics or ordinary people are very standard, nothing to write home about. Here, the Muslim Brotherhood's leader says Bush missed the point.

Taboo exposed?
Human Rights Watch wants torture claims -- made by the many protestors who were arrested during antiwar demonstrations in Tahrir Square earlier this year -- investigated.
Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood also claims one of its members tortured to death in prison...

Demo replay
3000 students in Kafr El Sheikh U protest against US and Israel

Cross update
Judge suspends cross ruling in Italy... An Egyptian Muslim named Adel Smith had pushed for crosses to be removed from his boy's school

End games
Black cloud reveals government incapable of solving problems, says AFP. 

Press-ambassador row degenerates...

Speculation
Is Egypt helping to arrange secret talks between the new Palestinian PM and Sharon? Islam Online thinks it has the scoop. 

Supermarket meltdown
Egyptian partner sues Sainbury's for mismanaged pullout from Egypt, and the British press is relishing the forthcoming fight...

Travel news
Egypt's astounding post-911/ Iraq war tourism recovery feted at global tourism conference...
Egypt Air and other African airlines urged to form alliances to better compete with US and European carriers...
Meanwhile, the low frills airline concept is still not picking up in Middle East... "Air Arabia's first commercial flight was only 10% full."

Give peace a chance
Maher urges that new Geneva initiative to help resolve Israeli Palestinian dispute should be given a chance...

Seeking supremacy?
An obscure web site speculates about Egypt's military ambitions, citing various think tanks' claims that Egypt wants to be a dominant regional power again, perhaps filling the vacuum left by Saddam's fall.

Money matters
Here are some of the details on Orascom's awarding Motorola a 40 million dollar chunk of its Iraq GSM contract  

Friedman out on a limb
The esteemed, controversial columnist suggests Egypt as a useful addition to NATO.

Political jump-start?
The NDP-opposition dialogue begins...

Political quagmire
As Powell met Mubarak it became clear that the US and Egypt differ on who is to blame for Palestinian-Israeli violence.
Meanwhile, the new Palestinian PM arrives in Egypt for talks. 
For his part Amr Moussa says it is "absurd" to talk of peace as Israel continues to build its separation wall. 
Foreign Minister Maher feels the same way.

Tension at home
Democracy committee upset about about rally being banned...

Brief stop
Powell to meet Mubarak on Wednesday as his plane refuels in Sharm El-Sheikh

Mahatir fall-out...
"Egyptian minister supports Dr M" is the title of a story in The Star about Ahmed Maher's defense of Mahatir's widely criticized remarks about the Jews ruling the world. Maher points to the lack of criticism for an American general's anti-Islam remarks, and ends up being included in a Washington Post editorial about the issue as well (see today's Shrinking Globe)

Revelations
"I think al-Qaeda is dead," said Islamist lawyer, Montasser el-Zayat, in an interview with AFP, which was very quickly picked up by everybody else. El-Zayat claims to be in e-mail contact with Ayman El-Zawahiri.

Democracy delay?
Pro-democracy committee's symbolic attempt to hand a letter to President Mubarak rebuffed by Interior Ministry.

Bread lines
Will the shortages continue through Ramadan?
A longer AP report links the whole thing up with the NDP and political commentary on reform

Out there...
Israel calls Egyptian military buildup "wild", pesters US to stop selling Egypt certain armaments.

Diplomacy attempt
"Egyptian Information Minister Safwat al-Sherif has met Libyan leader Colonel Moamer Kadhafi to press him to abandon plans to pull out of the Arab League, Egyptian state television reported Sunday.

Holding the regime to its word
Jackson Deihl talks tough about reform, the NDP and Gamal Mubarak in a new Washington Post op-ed.
Meanwhile, this New York Times piece is quite blunt about the impetus for increased USAID allotments to education in countries like Egypt:
"On the theory that ignorance and poor education are among the reasons that young people are drawn to radical Islam, the Agency for International Development has been revamping its programs in Muslim countries in the last two years to spend more on schools and less on other things, including family planning."
The quote may provide further fuel for those who are protesting vehemently -- in both parliament and the media -- against this new directive.

Trouble next door
As tension builds up between Israel and both the Palestinians and the Syrians, several interesting developments have taken place in Egypt.
AFP does stories on both Friday's Al-Azhar demonstration over Israel's Syria strike, as well as the previous demos that took place at Cairo University and elsewhere...
In an operation called "Root canal", Israel cracks down on smuggling tunnels under Gaza-Egypt border -- also reported by AFP.
Port Said's port, meanwhile, is being used to unload Israeli cargo at $200 per container, this report says.
... and, Arafat is in "good health" after examination by Egyptian medics, reports AFP.

Looking back
A Guardian writer marks the 1973 war as a defining historical moment, signifying the true end of the 60s?

Meanwhile, recently released documents indicate that Kissinger encouraged the Israelis to prolong the war...

Key sentence in transcript -- "''Even if they do...'' Kissinger added."

Tidbits
An Egyptian in the US army helped bridge gaps between the soldiers and the Iraqis. He says he's "holding the stick in the middle" in the US army's own Stars and Stripes publication.

Booming communications
Telecom Egypt's bid to buy 16.9 percent of Vodafone Egypt is becoming a reality, according to this report.

Meanwhile... Orascom is making it big in the emerging Iraqi mobile telephone industry

Historical precedent
The debate still rages over the results and significance of the 1973 war, as this Reuters investigation makes clear

First...
A nice Reuters pic on Yahoo of Egyptian made Mercedes trucks in Baghdad...

...and
Germany's Schroeder in town, opening a university and talking politics.

The umda of New Jersey
Interesting article about an Egyptian politician in New Jersey

Meanwhile... Suspected Guantanamo Bay translator is an Egyptian-born naturalized US citizen

Presidential advisor Osama Al-Baz is quoted as saying...
"Gamal Mubarak is like any other Egyptian citizen and has the right to participate in politics wherever and whenever, including the presidency of the republic.."

NDP in the news
The National Democratic Party's (NDP -- Egypt's ruling party) first annual conference is all over the foreign press.
An AP pre-conference report says people are skeptical about the ruling party's claims about introducing more democratization to the country, and that many think the conference is just a way to boost presidential son Gamal Mubarak's profile. 
Ahram Strategic Studies Center head Abdel-Moneim Said, meanwhile, is quoted as urging the president to follow through on the economic reform plans begun in the 90s. "He said capitalism is bound to create a middle class that also would push for political reform," AP reports. This is certainly a highly debatable point, however, since it is unclear whether those with money would ever consider dropping their "pro-wasta (connections)" attitude, an attitude that is in many ways the true antithesis of democracy.
At the same time, AFP does a story generalizing that more Egyptians are falling from middle to lower class because of rising prices and dwindling incomes. The report says dependence on cheaper Chinese goods has been the net result of this worrying trend.
AFP also provides excerpts from Gamal's speech to the NDP congress.
Meanwhile... the boldest prediction yet on this matter comes from Refaat al-Said, a political analyst quoted in the New York Times: "This is a step-by-step elevation of Gamal to power... I believe Gamal will be president in one or two years."

And in the US...
Foreign Minister Maher waxes poetic about Saddam and Arafat during a meeting with a top political think tank.

Where's the beef?
In-depth article on beef imports from Farminglife.com

Money talks
Of the many articles that have appeared in the last few days about the Euromoney conference on Arab investment that just took place in Cairo, the one highlighting Minister Youssef Boutros Ghali's statements about Egypt boosting its export production, might be the most interesting. It appears in Business Day.
Another far flung piece -- in justauto.com -- highlights the minister's criticism of Daimler Chyrsler for not being supportive about the fact that Egypt had begun selling its locally assembled Mercedes to China -- since that was cutting into the parent company's market.

Cairolive.com's Egypt headlines section surfs the net for you, searching high and low for the most useful and interesting stories out there about Egypt. Here you'll find the most discerning links to up-to-date news and entertainment -- if it's important and about Egypt on the net, we'll find it for you first every single time.

Plane updates...
The rudder on an Egyptian charter plane was not the cause of its fatal crash earlier this month, a top French aviation official said Saturday.

Sharm black box details emerge, investigators still puzzled...

Close-up
Two articles about the ancient Egyptian tombs on display at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The thick glass that protected them is being replaced, and for a few weeks, visitors will be able to finally see the wall decorations in situ. Here is AP's take, and then there's the New York Times, which celebrates the classic passages in The Catcher and the Rye that take place at the Met's Egypt wing.

Another building down....
An eleven or twelve story building in Nasr City collapses after a fire.... 

It's the same old story -- the owner seems to have put up more floors than he was allowed to... local authorities warned him, but tragedy happened anyway. 

Most of the residents had been evacuated because of the fire, but 8 or 9 fire and rescue personnel have been found dead so far.  Several more are believed to be trapped under the rubble -- a total of 14 may be found dead, plus 40 or so injured. 

Here are differing reports from Reuters, AP, and AFP. 

Egypt abroad
Egypt's Nawal El-Saadawi amongst top women speakers at NGO forum featuring celebrated writer Arundati Roy

Ill sky
Some of the effects of the weekend's bad weather, courtesy of the BBC...

Showtime!
FIFA is here.

Twins update
Mohamed, one of the Egyptian twins in Texas, has started walking with assistance, this news item says.

Endless archeology
An interesting report on why Egypt needs more museum space, and what it's doing about it...

Update...
Australian belly dancer appeals of new law rejected.

Belly explain
IHT gets the new law straight -- "Foreigners are now legally barred from working as the sole, headline dancers in the cabarets of Cairo and Egypt's various tourist resorts."

Books...
Russian news agency highlights just opened Cairo International Book Fair

Photo...
Fake Pharaoh beard for French model in Egypt inspired show

Big ideas
Galliano's ancient Egypt inspired fashion show for Dior is all the rage -- gets rave reviews in the IHT -- and even Youssra is quoted! (I even saw an item on it on the local news last night...)

Meanwhile...
8 people and a dog decide to traverse the length of the Nile by raft...

Out there
In the lead up to summer's fashion shows, word is that one designer's main inspiration is set to be Egypt.

Mummy mania
NY Times profiles a semi retired Egyptian mummy expert

Saqqara roars again
BBC reports on a mummified lion find

What to expect
Interesting prelude article to African Nations soccer cup...

Exposure
Sahar El-Layaly showing in Palm Springs at an international film festival in the lead up to see whether it will make the top 5 nominations in the best foreign language film category at the Oscars

Italy capture update
A few more details on how the two Italian Red Brigades fugitives were recently captured in Egypt.

Fake and real crime?
Strange things happening with fugitives heading for and from Cairo

Meddlesome procedures
Sad and surreal story of increased security procedures in the US causing Muslims unforeseen troubles. An Egyptian's story opens the piece.

New route
Air Arabia adds Alexandria to its Egypt itinerary.

Murky ties
Vague CNN report of an Egyptian in the US's trouble with the law.

Meanwhile...
No frills Middle East airline makes first flight to Egypt -- not to Cairo, but to Assuit

Team on the way
More details on the FIFA inspection team coming to Cairo on January 23 to explore Egypt's bid to host the World Cup. The team includes members from Chile and France.

Another coach gone
Egyptian Olympic coach not the only one sacked last week..

Debating hijab
Islam Online reports on a Press Syndicate rally that took place this week against the mooted French anti-hijab law...

Head scarf REACTION:
Australian web site reports that Hosni Mubarak backs Tantawi's headscarf comments

Meanwhile, Islam Online quotes several Egyptian Islamic scholars as being totally opposed to what Tantawi had to say

A delicate balance?
Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Tantawi delivers a "cautious" take on the France hijab issue, according to this BBC report.

The Christian Science Monitor, meanwhile, looks at Al-Azhar's increasing difficulty in getting books it sees harmful to Islam banned....

Not funny
Largely anonymous news item from The Australian claiming Egyptian on board a KLM flight made an insensitive  hijacking joke and is now in custody in Italy

More...
Kamal El-Sheikh -- the prince of directors -- dies at 85.

More from the BBC on Mubarak's views on the France headscarf issue

REACTION:
Australia says Egypt people smuggler conviction should send global message...

Dangerous man
Meanwhile, Egyptian who organized fatal asylum seekers trip convicted...

Dangerous men
Convicted killers engineer jail break on Sunday

New policy?
Egyptian player caught doping denies charge... meanwhile league boss says Egypt is developing high-level system to test international players...

Star power
Hollywood star actress Angelina Jolie visits Sudanese "refugee camp" in Egypt, news agencies report. Jolie is accompanied on the tour by Egyptian superstar Adel Imam, who along with Jolie, is also a goodwill ambassador for the UN Refugee commissioner

Immigrant tales
Famous surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub talks to the BBC about his childhood memories of Egypt and his vision of science's humane purpose...

Meanwhile, another UK-based Egyptian, billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, is still trying to get an inquiry into Diana and Dodi's death... according to this article, he's moved his struggle to Scotland.

Miscellaneous
Catholic Pope awards young scholar big monetary award for her thesis on Egyptian Copts...

Sphinx revisited
An in-depth review of the latest Egypt-themed Video game

Khufu Claus?
Funny Reuters picture of a Christmas camel by the Pyramids...

19 mummies
Found in a Giza shaft, 12 are in good condition

Great photos
Longish feature in Lebanon's Daily Star about the exciting photo exhibition currently going on Cairo Townhouse gallery

A different perspective
Islam Online covers Egyptian mufti Ali Gomaa's reaction to the Chirac head scarf ban -- The hijab is not a religious symbol but an obligation, he says.

The title says it all
"Egypt's Amr is New World Open Squash Champ"

Still bidding strong
Plans for new and refurbished stadiums -- expressly designed for the 2010 World Cup bid -- are unveiled.

Meanwhile, Ismaili have apologized to the African football association for fans' behavior after a recent match... CAF is looking into it, as well as into the team's charge that the referee was unfair.

Kids' films
A Middle East Online report reveals the plot for two new children's movies: Ahmad Awad's "Six Monkeys" is about six working-class kids who help get a man from their neighborhood elected to parliament, and Adel Yehya's "Spicy Baby" deals with a similar theme. 

Global conundrum
See how Egypt's Sleepless Nights fares against all the other films competing for the Oscar nomination for best foreign film.

Now go in-depth on the same subject, courtesy of Cairo Live...

Digital manipulation
Sphinx turns its head towards Dubai in new Dubai Shopping Festival advert...

Moderate fashion
Nyier Abdou writes of "the dawn of the "new hijab"" in The Independent.

Bad sport
BBC opinion piece harsh on Egypt, skeptical of World Cup 2010 bid, after Ismaili fan fracas fiasco

Dangerous dives
Alluring Red Sea "sea cucumber" causing diving danger for unemployed youth, says this interesting item in Khaleej Times.

Just got it
AP catches on to the Amma Nour phenomenon, a month later...

Here's the original...

Twins update
Reconstructive skull surgery scheduled for April -- to give the boys time to heal from the separation operation.

Sad soccer news
The Sports Illustrated CNN headline says it all: "Egyptian failed dope test at world youth championship"

Sad state
A last minute goal by Argentina drove Egypt out of the Youth World Cup. The FIFA web site provides intricate details...

Meanwhile, Egypt's national coach laments the tough division Egypt's adult team faces in the regular World Cup qualifiers...

Mahfouz at 92
The famous writer and Nobel laureate celebrates his birthday with a message to Bush: "it's through justice that one presents oneself as leader of the world, and not with an invasion."

"Emphatically not guilty"
Omar Abdel-Rahman's American lawyer responds to the latest charges filed against her

Meanwhile, Egyptian charity head in US to be deported to Cairo

No bang
The brimming controversy over the Bibliotheca Alexandrina's display of an Arabic translation of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion comes to an unceremonious close as the library quickly pulls the book off display, puts out a statement of apology, and tries to quietly shelve the whole thing away, according to AP... 

New "protocols" controversy in the making?
UNESCO asks Alexandria Library about display of book that is considered anti-semitic forgery

League rest
BBC reports on down and out Ahly being pleased with the recent decision to suspend Soccer League play until all the big tournaments are over...

Still alive
Egypt loses to Japan in Youth World Cup, but still manages to advance to next round...

3rd strike
More Japanese tourists injured in yet another bus crash...

Misc...
Strange French-inspired waiters' contest takes place Nile-side...

Going for gold
At the Youth World Cup in Dubai, Egypt beats England 1-0 to bring their point total to 4 going into their final first round match with Japan on Friday.

Meanwhile, yet another Egyptian soccer star set to join the European majors -- Ahly under 20 goalkeeper Sherif Ikramy -- son of veteran goalkeeping great Ahmed Ikramy -- is being scouted by Dutch club Ajax.

Big buy
AFP reports that "Mohamed Al Fayed, the Egyptian-born owner of London's Harrods department store, is preparing a bid for the Daily Telegraph and its Sunday sister edition..."

Mines still kill
One dead, two injured, in latest tragedy

High profile
My story on Amma Nour -- including interviews with star Nabila Ebeid and scriptwriter Mamdouh Abou Zeid -- is on the front page of this week's Al-Ahram Weekly.
The story focuses on the controversy surrounding the show being labeled as too pro-American...
"... anyone who labels the show as pro-American is being "schizophrenic", says scriptwriter Mahmoud Abu Zeid, who has "never even set eyes on the States".

Airport antics
The headline of this item says it all: "Naked tourist delays flight from Cairo".

Meanwhile, an Irish Egyptian surgeon gets into a bit of trouble at Cairo airport for having an ancient pistol in his bag

Lots of blue pills
Saudi man caught trying to smuggle $77,000 worth of Viagra into Egypt

Home at last
Major stolen antiquities cache returned to Egypt from Switzerland.

Good opportunity
Egypt's 2010 bid featured prominently at the Youth World Cup in Dubai

Pioneer dies
Mary Queeny -- one of Egypt's pioneering film producers -- died last week.

Aiming for gold
Egyptian youth soccer aiming to win the World Cup. Coach tells BBC that playing in Dubai -- where the cup is being held -- will be like playing at home, since there are 300,000 Egyptians there. At the last world cup, the team -- the current African champions -- came in third.
As play begins, they tie Colombia 0-0. Their next match is against the UK on Tuesday.

The story heard round the world
AP's report on the fish-shark sticker controversy between Muslims and Copts is picked up by a huge number of papers and web sites worldwide. Here's Yahoo's version.

Massacre in Zamalek
The foreign press still hasn't fleshed out the details of the murder-suicide in Zamalek that left Tunisian singer Zikra, her husband, and another couple dead.

A different eid
An Egyptian man working in Singapore is the main person quoted in a timely article about being homesick during Eid -- or, as they call it there, Hari Raya Puasa.

More twins
One of the twins is now standing with assistance. ABC provides a useful update on the twins' conditions.
Meanwhile, the Egyptian twin baby girls who were surgically separated in Saudi Arabia come home.

Passion counts
One of the people working on Egypt's World Cup 2010 bid waxes poetic in an in-depth feature on IOL: "Egyptians are the strength of our bid. The people here can do everything. They receive people kindly, there is a wonderful sense of hospitality and a sense of safety. No-one will touch you, instead they will help you. You can take the tube here at 3am in the morning and you will be safe. And football here is very much a part of people's everyday life..."

Royal jitters
With Zahi Hawass set to pay it a visit, a San Jose museum is worried that its Egyptian mummy will turn out to be royal -- meaning they'll have to give it back..

Helping hand
As power cuts affect Baghdad, "Egypt's Electricity Minister Hassan Yunis said that Egypt was examining the possibility of providing Iraq with 500 megawatts of electricity daily through Jordan," according to AFP

Urban dilemma
Cairo gets 1,000 new residents every week, according to this interesting Christian Science Monitor report on the urban poor

US tragedy
Egyptian cabdriver and accountant in New Jersey murdered in cold blood.

Trouble again
Law.com reports on the new charges filed against Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman's American attorney

Big lift
AP provides a dramatic shot of Egyptian woman weightlifter Nahla Ramadan, who set a new world record in a competition in Canada

Super star
A specialized squash site declares Omar Elborolossy the king of Egyptian squash: "The Egyptian selectors who omitted Elborolossy from the team for the world championship last month, may find it hard to look this very likeable man in the eye," the article also says.

Twins timeline
One of the most informative twins updates in a while comes from AP. The twins are set to have reconstructive skull surgery in January and may be back in Egypt in as few as six months, the story says.

Going ancient
Miniseries tries to tell real life stories of ancient Egyptians in a dramatic way... according to the show's own press release.

Meanwhile, a slightly obscene Newsweek story about a potentially huge new archaeological find being slowly revealed to the press by Zahi Hawass

Tragedy
Deadly fire in Port Said kills eight

Update
Twins to get plastic surgery for years to come, this update from aljazeera's English site says

Interesting...
Play found in mummy to be performed in Cyprus

Strange
Confused NY Times editorial by a light skinned black American convert to Islam's experiences in Egypt...

Victory
BBC covers Ismaili's big win, which puts them in the African finals against Nigeria later this month and next...

Watch what you say?
allafrica.com reports that an Egyptian manager in Zambia may be in trouble with police for insulting Zambians and their president...

Next stage for twins
CNN provides an update on the twins' conditions as they are set to be transferred to a less intensive hospital for reconstructive surgery on their heads..
More details from the Associated Press on what's next for the twins...

Culture clash
Egyptian journalists training in the United States say American movies do not present an accurate picture of Americans.
“Your movies do not do you justice,” she said. “Everyone here is so friendly and they always speak to each other and to visitors.”

Twins update
Both twins' conditions are now reported as "good"

New team
The roster for the Egyptian national team's next few friendly international matches catches the attention of the BBC.

Endless road tragedies
Dozens more die in two days of crashes -- one the result of rain, the next because a bus burst a tire.

Another movie banned
This time it's Jim Carrey's Bruce Almighty, for the obvious reasons...

The title says it all
Woman gives birth in Cairo courtroom

First update we've had in a while...
Complication for one of the twins... 

Twins news
CNN does a twins update -- the boys are sucking on lollipops and blowing visitors kisses.

FOR MORE TWINS UPDATES GO TO THE CAIROLIVE.COM NEWS LINKS TWINS PAGE

Literary struggle
Another book row looms, with poetic work encouraging pure love still on shelves despite slam from Al-Azhar, reports the BBC.

Belly update
Now foreign dancers are taking legal recourse now that they are not able to get work permits to work in Egypt any more...

Desperate measures?
Middle East Online reports on a French belly dancer's urgent appeal to her foreign minister to intervene just in case Egypt really does deny foreign belly dancers the opportunity to perform

Ambitious plan
Dawn reports on a $250,000 Egyptian satellite project to help solve dilemma vis a vis differing Ramadan start times...

Bad news
Agriculture officials busted trying to illegally sell mummy...

Something to think about
Why aren't any Egyptians competing in this big international dominos competition?
After all, not only is it a major national pastime in modern Egypt, but as the article helpfully points out, it also seems the game itself was actually invented in Egypt -- and during the time of Tutankhamun no less.

Global trance?
Strange Egyptian DJ gets play in Village Voice?

Did you miss cairolive.com's profile of DJ Hani?

Another victory
Young Egyptian soccer star to play in France.

Nice pic
3 boys, 2 girls -- a picture of the new quintuplets courtesy of AP and Yahoo.

Six babies
5 survive as rural couple suddenly have a huge family!

Fear
BBC picks up the story about "Six hundred members of Egypt's squad at the recent All-Africa Games are being tested for cerebral malaria after two of their teammates died..."

Understanding
A British writer expresses his solidarity with Sonallah Ibrahim...

Marathon update
Marathoner continues his 7x7x7 adventure at the Pyramids on Friday...

7 continents?
Egypt is set to be a part of a historic quest to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days by an English adventurer. The Egypt leg is supposed to be Friday night, this rather offbeat article says.

Controversy beckons
Are we about to see Horseman without a Horse 2, but this time on Hezbollah's Manar TV?

Cairolive in NY
I'm quoted in an interesting story from the New York Post about the Cairo International Film Festival...

Very interesting...
Will US AID to Egypt be reduced by the $2 million Egyptian diplomats owe New York City in parking tickets?
The parking tickets issue has been in the news for some time now, with Egyptian diplomats topping the list of delinquents, with 17,000 tickets totaling some $2 million in fines. 
Now, none other than NY senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has introduced a bill in the Senate that would reduce US foreign aid to countries by the dollar amount of the tickets owed -- so that NY city gets its money...

Unfortunate loss
Nigeria beats Egypt 2-0 in Olympic soccer qualifier.

Tour transformation
The Washington Times does a mildly offensive story on the recent return of Israeli tourists en masse to Sinai...

Forward and back
Interesting comments made by Zahi Hawass upon the return of the Ramsis mummy from America. He announces a wish list for a special exhibition in Egypt. It includes the Rosetta stone. He softens the request, however, by saying, "I am not asking for these five pieces to come back for good. These museums have the right to these objects because they bought in the time when antiquities were sold, and we do not have (the) right to return them."

Controversy in Italy
An Egyptian immigrant in Italy is leading the charge to secularize that country's institutions? Take a peek into Adel Smith's quest to ban the cross from his son's school.

Nostalgia
Madame Chaing Kai Chek, who passed away recently, is commemorated in a file photo from 1943 in Egypt during a meeting between herself, her husband and Roosevelt.

Outraged writer
Novelist Sonallah Ibrahim stuns literary world with rejection of prestigious state prize and harsh criticism of regime, reports Islam-Online

Interesting dates
With Ramadan just around the corner, several news agencies do the traditional date-naming story. Here, al-Jazeera focuses on the most expensive dates -- named after French president Jacque Chirac, while Islam Online looks at the Limby and Nancy dates named after today's most famous pop stars of music and film...

Crazy story
This jazeera.net item (their new English site is up it seems) recounts the story of a desperate wife who sold drugs and informed on herself in order to join her husband, a drug dealer in prison. She failed, needless to say.

Far out...
Ancient Egyptians fashion on the runways in Paris.

Mummy magic
Expensive cedar oil used in mummies, scientists finally discover..
Meanwhile, what remains of a mummy of Ramsis I is being returned to Egypt from Georgia, reports AFP.

Global success
Cairo photographer Sherif Sonbol's exhibition in New York city gets rave reviews from the International Herald Tribune

In transit...
Chinese American actress Bai Ling gets interviewed by the New York Post's gossip page during the Cairo International Film Festival. She describes a visit to the Pyramids.

Mid century Alexandria hailed as a utopia of inter-civilizational bliss in a Gulf News opinion piece

UPDATE:
Medal count
As the controversy increases over the final medal count in the All African games, Egypt launches an official protest alleging "flouting of the rules and computer manipulation."

80 gold medals
Egypt sits atop All Africa games

Not necessarily
Egyptian woman's reaction to the awarding of a Nobel prize to an Iranian woman activist makes the news.

Juxtapositions...
Daily Star reviews interesting book: Street Graphics Egypt covers ancient, modern images

Bad news
Fire on Nile tourist cruise injures 15 people.

Out there...
Reuters does a story on Muslims attending a Christian muliud, to try and exorcize demons...

Controversy rises
Egyptian filmmaker faces wrath of colleagues over Israel   

Bad news
Fire swept through at least six buildings in the Cairo suburb of Dokki late Sunday...

The everything started here first department
The BBC grudgingly gives the Egyptians credit for the origins of Greek numbers. Notice how the lead and first paragraph reads...
Meanwhile, we learn that one of the first-ever written prescriptions for a contraceptive device is a 1550 BC papyrus sheet from Egypt on display at Toronto's contraception museum

Win and blame
Bad roads may have contributed to the Egyptian soccer team's loss at the All Africa games. 
Meanwhile, Egyptian chess storms the continent. 

Tidbits
Strange international murder mystery involves Egyptian?

Turning down the heat?
Interesting article in Le Monde Diplomatique about Amr Khaled and other modern manifestations of popular Islam... the authors use the term "air conditioned Islam" -- first I've heard it.

Free at last
Egyptian twins successfully separated in Saudi. The operation was performed by 21 doctors and was telecast live on national TV.

Meanwhile, an in depth feature on the other Egyptian conjoined twins awaiting their seperation operation in Texas.

Interesting
According to a report in a New Jersey based media source, "SEKEM, an Egyptian network of businesses and social civil groups," has been selected as a recipient of an "alternate" Nobel prize.

Royal catch
Big antiquities smuggling ring busted.

Meanwhile, AFP picks up a Al-Wafd newspaper report about "police [having] caught a man trying to sell a 2,500 year-old mummy to pay off a loan he took to buy a tractor."

Trying hard
Photo of Omar Sharif during Egypt's bid to host the 2010 World Cup in front of FIFA officials in Zurich

The details emerge
The Egyptian delegation going to Zurich to present the 2010 World Cup bid to FIFA is named. It is headed by Parliamentary speaker Fathi Surour and also includes actor Omar Sharif, reports the BBC. 
One of the members is quoted as saying that "The file is 3,700 pages long and weighs 34 kilograms,... Fifa officials will find answers to all their questions in this file. I am sure it will be more than satisfactory for them."

Help wanted
Australia to provide unnamed evidence in Egyptian people smuggler case

A family affair
Nasty murder trial involving Egyptians in Australia makes the news.

No new expeditions
South is off limits as the Supreme Council for Archaeology wants foreign missions to concentrate on the Delta

In memoriam...
Hoda Abdel-Nasser launches nasser.org on 33rd anniversary of  her father's death

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