8 - 14 May 2003 [637]
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FRONT PAGE

Playing for time
The roadmap resembles the Oslo accords as a staged process and without outside intervention it will suffer the same fate, writes Graham Usher from Jerusalem

Spoils of war
Iraq will be divided between the ?coalition of the willing? with Washington determined to quash any objections from neighbours, reports Khaled Dawoud from Washington

EGYPT

Parliament slams anti-Semitism
The People's Assembly's debate of a report on religious extremism turned into an unprecedented parliamentary indictment of anti-Semitism. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Recovering heritage
Four important fragments of a limestone relief from a tomb in Luxor are amongst the latest crop of antiquities that will soon be returning to Egypt. Nevine El-Aref reports from Atlanta

Young minds, open debate
From civil liberties to unpopular economic policies, Gamal Mubarak was happy to discuss several thorny issues at AUC this week. Nevine Khalil attended

Working with the new order
Cairo adapts to the region's volatile strategic situation, reports Soha Abdelaty , by pushing the roadmap forward, and meeting with Iraq's potential leaders

MPs strike back
Two opposition MPs who were detained by security forces during anti-war demonstrations have decided to take their case to the heart of the assembly. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Debating freedom
During a seminar on press ethics at the Press Syndicate, journalists called for greater freedoms. Mona El-Nahhas attended

Dangerous dwellings
The collapse of yet another apartment building raises questions about the safety of other old edifices in Cairo. Gihan Shahine sifts through the rubble in search of answers

SARS wars
Although there are no reported cases of SARS in Egypt, measures have been implemented at all points of entry to ensure the country remains SARS free. Rehab Saad investigates

Rough start for new garbage regime
Following months of delays, Cairo's ambitious new waste management project has finally begun -- but not without even more problems. Dena Rashed reports

Newsreel
EGYPT and Iran are not on the verge of normalising ties, according to Egyptian officials, even though Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said he will be visiting Tehran later this month to attend the ministerial meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC)...

REGION

A bloody beginning
An incursion into Gaza just hours after new Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen was sworn-in put into grave doubt the intentions of the Israeli government. Khaled Amayreh , in Jerusalem, reports

A free liberal Iraq
Omayma Abdel-Latif talks to Adnan Bachachi on the future of Iraq

Gun rule in Basra
Weeks after the battle for Basra ended, the city remains paralysed by lack of security, reports Judit Neurink from Iraq's second city

Loyal to Iraq, not to Saddam
Saddam Hussein's army deliberately did not put up much of a fight, because the military had no faith in his latest war. Two Iraqi soldiers who deserted at the battle of Baghdad share their story

In the eye of the storm
Nyier Abdou talks to Kurdish Prime Minister Barham Saleh about the end of an era -- and the storms kept at bay

Tomorrow will be ours
Nermeen Al-Mufti speaks with the founder of the Iraqi Turkoman National Front about the contentious issue of right of claim over Kirkuk

Pacifying foolishness
Colin Powell's visit to Syria and Lebanon was a clear message that Damascus was not being targeted, Imad Shoeibi , in Damascus, writes

Suffer the little children
A violent earthquake struck the Turkish province of Bingol last week, demonstrating once again the murderously high cost of a bureaucratic culture of nepotism and corruption. Gareth Jenkins reports from Ankara

The "bitter reality"
In the wake of the US attacks on Iraq, Arabs are exploring home-grown ways of nurturing investment in the region. Shamel Darwish reports from Dubai

Keeping the status quo
The US victory in Iraq and the subsequent withdrawal of US troops from Saudi Arabia is unlikely to push Saudi or American rulers toward a radical reassessment of the historic oil-for-security alliance, argues John R Bradley in Jeddah

Talking heads, Sudanese style
Khartoum's distress calls are being heard in neighbouring Arab capitals as the tense regional situation casts a dark shadow over the Sudanese crisis, writes Gamal Nkrumah

Contentious poll in Yemen
Parliamentary elections in Yemen are over yet controversy over their fairness rages on, reports Nasser Arrabyee from Sana'a

INTERNATIONAL

No "Non-Nein-Nyet"
Europe is edging closer to the American standpoint, but relations are still not quite back on track, writes Gamal Nkrumah

Argentinean phoenix
Argentina's ex-president, Carlos Menem, was the highest scorer in the first round of presidential elections. But he faces an uphill battle in the second round, Hisham El-Naggar writes from Buenos Aires

Afghan endgame?
Washington pretends that the war against terror is over in Afghanistan even though peace in the war-torn country remains as elusive as ever, writes Negar Azimi

Olive branch over Kashmir
Following a tumultuous relationship it looks like India and Pakistan are enjoying a honeymoon of sorts. Iffat Idris reports from Islamabad

From Seattle to Baghdad
Manar El Shorbagy looks for frameworks to explain the new global order

Expanding the 'axis of evil'
The Bush administration is busy spreading disinformation, propping up the Contras and tightening the siege on Cuba, writes Faiza Rady

ECONOMY

Withholding dividends
Investors have recently left the general assemblies of several banks empty-handed. Sherine Abdel-Razek looks at why they are not getting any dividends this year

Missed opportunities
Trade grew in 2002, but the Middle East and Africa have largely missed out. Niveen Wahish looks at recently released World Trade Organisation figures

This time round
Yasmine El-Rashidi looks at how the tourism sector is handling the latest blow to its fortunes

Market upsurge continues
In spite of continuing turmoil in Iraq, Wael Gamal finds that the Egyptian stock market is still booming

PRESS-REVIEW

Lessons of empire
The Arab and Egyptian press this week focussed on continuing fallout from the Iraq war, with an emphasis on events in Palestine, writes Aziza Sami

OPINION

In the absence of will
Inter-Arab cooperation, the role of the Arab League, the efficacy of Arab economic and security agreements: where are they heading, asks Ibrahim Nafie

Point of order
Aggressive US/Israeli nods towards Syria should be an added impetus to rebuilding an Arab order based on collective security, says Abdallah El-Ashaal

Betting on roadmap failure
Is the roadmap really a recipe for success, asks Mohamed Sid-Ahmed

Refusing pessimism
Arab assessments of the invasion of Iraq cannot be allowed to derail the Palestinian struggle, writes Azmi Bishara

From Babylon to Tikrit
The lands that were the birthplace of writing and legal codes now lie in ruins. Abdel-Moneim Said , in the first instalment of a series of articles, strolls down humanity's earliest memory lane

Beyond the ballot-box
Although democracy is the buzzword in Iraq, merely holding elections is not enough, Hala Mustafa argues

Rationalising war
What would Max Weber say about the current situation in Iraq and Palestine? Duncan Kennedy applies the German sociologist's frameworks to the predicaments of the two nations

Countering complacency
Reda Helal finds lessons in the swift fall of the Iraqi regime

Editorial: The powers that be
The United States and Britain have once again embarked on a dangerous course of action in Iraq...

Close up
Old ambitions
US Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to Syria and Lebanon heralded the second phase of the US plan which began with the invasion of Iraq...
By Salama A Salama

Soapbox
Lonely times for Hizbullah
What is to become of Hizbullah? Will friends continue to provide it with moral, financial and political backing or will they distance themselves from the Lebanese resistance group? In the aftermath of the US-UK aggression against Iraq anything is possible...
By Magdi Mehanna

Suspect intentions
Washington continues to insist that it has no plans for Iraq, its only interest in the continued presence of US forces being to help the Iraqi people form a legitimate government...
By Naguib Mahfouz

Bahgory One-line: DONALD RUMSFELD

READER'S CORNER

Letters to the Editor

CULTURE

The titan's voice
Amal Choucri Catta revels in the embodiment of myth

In progress: Sharing horizons
Caroline Dumas is a renowned opera singer and a highly reputed voice and song teacher at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. She has given master classes at the Cairo Opera House and the Cairo Conservatoire for 12 years...

Plain Talk
What is a national theatre? Is it a theatre that reflects the national character of people or is it simply a theatre financed by the government?
By Mursi Saad El-Din

Colours on the road
Amina Elbendary encounters an unexpected Palestine

Cairo beats
Sherif Iskander Nakhla meets with downtown Cairo's most popular independent band

LIVING

Men are from Mars... women are from Venus
Hips and bellies come in different shapes and sizes, though both make their presence strikingly felt.
By Yasmine El-Rashidi

The French connection
Injy El-Kashef finds therapy in the kitchen

Dill Fish with Lemon Sauce
Weekly recipe
By Moushira Abdel-Malek

The age of seeing
Aziza Sami discovers one clear outcome of the Iraq war -- the sudden political awakening of the younger generations

FEATURES

'Please forward..'
The Anglo-American invasion of Iraq was occasion for thousands of Egyptians to learn e-activism, reports Amira El-Noshokaty

What we know
Lina Mahmoud interviews young women whose lives have been transformed by their participation in Cairo's recent anti-war demonstrations

SPORTS

Child's play?
Foreign children accomplish great athletic feats. Yasmine El-Rashidi wonders why Egyptians of the same age don't usually do the same

Shooting skills
The Shooting Club surprised by dominating the national rhythmic gymnastics championships and also presented a promising eight-year-old. Inas Mazhar reports

Closer and closer
With three games remaining, Ahli are approaching the football finish line ahead of the rest. Eric Asomugha reports

Half-time: The dark was better
Despite one of Egypt's worst football defeats in its history, the federation seems to be in denial...

TRAVEL

Ah! Those Romans
The Romans left traces of their occupation in every corner of Egypt. Jenny Jobbins visits one of the most remote of their outposts, surely one of the most romantic spots on Earth

Getting about
This is a good time of year to visit Upper Egypt and the Western Desert oases. Here is the lowdown on getting from A to B

SPORTS

Child's play?
Foreign children accomplish great athletic feats. Yasmine El-Rashidi wonders why Egyptians of the same age don't usually do the same

Shooting skills
The Shooting Club surprised by dominating the national rhythmic gymnastics championships and also presented a promising eight-year-old. Inas Mazhar reports

Closer and closer
With three games remaining, Ahli are approaching the football finish line ahead of the rest. Eric Asomugha reports

Half-time: The dark was better
Despite one of Egypt's worst football defeats in its history, the federation seems to be in denial...

CHRONICLES

Birth of Labour
The creation of the Labour Party in Egypt would prove exceptionally difficult -- and would be only half the story. The big picture involved many syndicates, several of which merged under the leadership of the popular activist Abbas Halim. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk explains how Labour's pains were to become Egypt's gains

PROFILE

Tareq El-Telmissani: From Russia with love
Behind the camera or before; a life in film
By Mohamed El-Assyouti

PEOPLE

Pack of Cards
By Madame Sosostris

Limelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz


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