2 - 8 January 2003 [619]
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Managing the Intifada
Cairo's sponsoring of extended talks between Palestinian factions aims to counter US plans for the region, writes Amira Howeidy
By Amira HoweidyFew causes to celebrate
Fatemah Farag gauges the mood as we shuffle into 2003
By Fatemah Farag
Holding on to slim hope
Soha Abdelaty looks at the Egyptian diplomatic agenda for 2003'Absolute power is not enduring power'
Former UN Secretary-General of the UN Boutros Boutros Ghali presented a gloomy picture of the organisation's future in light of the recent past, Willa Thayer listened to the prognosisChancy cracks
No sooner had a piece of ceiling from the prominent downtown Omar Makram mosque fallen on worshippers than rumour spread about its imminent collapse. Dena Rashed investigatesWhat recession?
Prime Minister Atef Ebeid's policy statement, delivered to parliament on Sunday, was as upbeat as its forerunners, though electoral reform was conspicuous by its absence. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsFaceless confessions
Jailan Halawi reports from the courtroom where alleged members of the radical Islamic Liberation Party are being triedWorking at half-time
The debate over women's recently sanctioned right to request less work for less pay has begun. Reem Leila reportsNewsreel
British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his family arrived at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El- Sheikh on 26 December for a private holidayContaminated goods
Osama El-Baz reminds Arab and Islamic proponents of anti-Semitism that they are purveying shoddy goods of purely Western make. The article is an abridged version of a three-part study published in the Arabic daily Al-Ahram
By Osama El-Baz
Iraq or bust
Not even North Korea's nuclear weapons would thwart President Bush's plans to launch a war against Iraq, Khaled Dawoud reports from WashingtonSlaughter in Sana'a
Yemen was the backdrop for a series of bloody assassinations this week. They might not be the last, predicts Nasser Arrabyee in Sana'aShowdown in Turkey
A clash between Turkey's JDP government and the Kemalist establishment seems inevitable, writes Michael JansenThings to come
Israel's probable next government is already flexing its muscles. And it is ringing alarms across the region, writes Graham Usher in JerusalemRe-election tactics
The Israeli prime minister is intent on killing and repressing more Palestinians to secure a re-election victory. Khaled Amayreh reports from Jerusalem
Still awaiting recovery
John Sfakianakis looks into how Middle East economies have fared during the past yearConfronting customs reform
Egypt's customs authority is in dire need of reform, experts at a seminar this week concluded. Niveen Wahish listened inA new look at aid
The government has begun to restructure its foreign economic assistance programme. Mona El-Fiqi reportsBriefs
The establishment of Egypt's third mobile phone operator by Telecom Egypt (TE) is "on track" according to Akil Beshir, chairman of TE...The dragon disturbed
What is in store for China in 2003? The People's Republic has blended continuity with incremental reforms to create a promising future, writes Kai-Alexander SchlevogtSmiles all around
Pakistan and Iran have managed to put their deep-seated differences aside in pursuit of a joint bid for peace and regional stability, reports Iffat Malik from IslamabadPlay it again Sam
For the time being, North Korea remains unafraid of US sabre rattling, writes Faiza RadyKenya's comeuppance
The 27 December Kenyan elections and smooth transfer of power to the opposition marked another milestone on the road to African democratisation, writes Gamal NkrumahMore blasts and martyrs
The blasting of the pro-Moscow Chechen administration in Grozny highlights Russian incompetence in containing the Chechen struggle for independence, reports Shohdy Naguib from Moscow
The verge of explosion
Arab reactions to American Middle East policy may jeopardise Western interests in the region, warns Ibrahim NafieCrossing which borders?
Highways, settlements, fences: Jonathan Cook examines Israel's coded demarcationOpen letter to the rejectionists
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed calls for an extensive inter-Arab debate along the lines of the Egyptian-sponsored Palestinian reconciliation talksThe means to noble ends
Suicide bombings may at times capture the public's imagination, but attacks on civilians must stop, Taha Abdel-Alim writesIn search of the epic
Gilgamesh as Bush, Humbaba as Saddam. Sharif Elmusa finds new roles for old foesAfter Mombassa
Al-Qa'eda's recent attacks in Kenya appear set to propel the organisation into a head on confrontation with Israel, Diaa Rashwan arguesBahgory One-line: Mwai Kibaki
Editorial: The countdown is on
Yesterday was the beginning of the countdown to 27 January -- the day on which chief UN arms inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed El-Baradei are expected to present the UN Security Council with their report on the state of Iraqi armament -- or, for that matter, disarmament...Close up
Schizophrenia
In the aftermath of the events of 11 September 2001 and throughout 2002, the Arab and Muslim worlds were faced with several campaigns of vilification...
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
Palestinian annus horribilis
The year 2002 was the Palestinians' most painful, as they suffered an unprecedented escalation in Israeli military operations against unarmed civilians in the West Bank and Gaza...
By Abdel-Qader YassinEconomic conditions
As the new year approaches, my principal concern, when I think about Egypt, is the economy. International circumstances in that last decade have affected economic reform in ways beyond anybody's control, slowing down the pace of progress to a worrying degree...
By Naguib MahfouzLetters to the Editor
Nutcracker revisited
Amal Choucri Catta finds Christmas is still ChristmasIn progress: Sticks and stones
Basem Adly (1979-) began his professional life as a footballer for the Mallawi Youth Centre in Menya.Plain Talk
By Mursi Saad El-DinGoing by the book
Negar Azimi speaks to Meschac Gaba, creator of the Museum of Contemporary African ArtExorcising the familiar
Three German-Egyptian groups of artists collaborated for one month and presented the fruits of their labours at the Goethe Institut Cairo. Colette Kinsella speaks to the artists about their workBriefs
Mohamed Mounir, Nubian-born rock star, was recruited for the Opera House's New Year's Eve celebrations, which took place at the centre of the grounds and lasted till the small hours of the first day in 2003
Modern bread?
Breaking with tradition is tough. Dena Rashed reports on the move to 'modernise' Egypt's breadEffluent ethics
Sewage floods an Upper Egypt village; two activists in jail. Fatemah Farag investigates the situation in Sohag
The missing sun temples
Six Pharaohs of the Fifth Dynasty built massive sun temples at Abu Sir in addition to their pyramids, but only two have so far been found. Jill Kamil talks to the head of the Czech archaeological missionDig Days
'Hidden treasures' and a 'mission impossible'
A Coptic Christmas carol
Stepping out of the house on the eve of 6 January was no ordinary task...
By Sherif MiladStocking on pigeon
Injy El-Kashef eats little helpless birdsMelt 'N' Mix Christmas Cake
By Moushira Abdel-MalekA Christmas like no other
This year Christmas in Egypt will be different. It won't just be a Coptic celebration, but a national one as well, Mariz Tadros reports.
Twice at home
Egypt barely got by Kenya despite playing the two legs on home territory. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab sees what almost went wrongHalf-time:
The hope for things different
This time it's going to be different. It's the new year and no one is ready to listen to any more excuses...In the clear
Croatia's Janica Kostelic confirmed her dominance with her fourth World Cup slalom victory of the season and 17th overall in Semmering, Austria. The 20-year-old clocked one minute 38.67 seconds over the two runs to beat second-placed Christel Pascal of France by an enormous 1.11 seconds...Useful replacements
The FA Cup got under way, taking advantage of a lull in league games. Inas Mazhar reports on a substitute tournamentFrom the Sidelines: It's a man's game and that's that
One of the biggest sports stories of the just- concluded year had nothing to do with athleticism but with sexism: the debate over the refusal of the Augusta National Golf Club to admit women members...Going on green
What is the role of sustainable tourism in developing countries like Egypt, wonders Gamal Nkrumah
By Gamal NkrumahStrange but true
Throughout its history, Al-Ahram has covered international news better than most other Egyptian newspapers. This was especially true in the 1930s when the coverage of domestic political news, especially that of parties, was seen as risky. Coverage of foreign events thus increased with special emphasis laid on the lighter side of the news. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk focuses on one particular column whose peculiar bits of information were not unlike today's Believe it or Not
By Yunan Labib RizkAsma El-Bakri: Freudian slips
The enfant terrible of Egyptian cinema believes you just need to listen
By Mohamed El-Assyouti
Pack of Cards
By Madame Sosostris
Limelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz