12 - 18 June 2003 [642]
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From Aqaba to Gaza
At the Aqaba Summit there was a glimmer of hope that violence might end. It hasn't, writes Graham Usher from JerusalemMoral guises
Washington's promises of democracy in post-Saddam Iraq do not, as yet, permit for Iraqis to rule themselves, writes Salah Hemeid
First things first
As the Palestinians and Israelis grapple with their roadmap commitments, Egypt is trying to help keep the ball rolling. Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelaty reportBig plans for Egyptian broadcasting
President Hosni Mubarak launched more radio and TV stations, and inaugurated a brand new extension to the TV building in Maspero. Hanan Sabra attends Media DayThe state of radio
The fabled Egyptian Radio just turned 69. Hanan Sabra speaks to its chairman, Omar Batisha, about the past, present and future of a historic institutionClearing the air
Egypt marked last week's World Environment Day with a renewed commitment to cleaner air, reports Mahmoud BakrObituary: Master of strategy - Mohamed Abdel-Ghani El-Gamasi (1921-2003)
Field Marshal Mohamed Abdel-Ghani El-Gamasi, a hero of the 1973 October War and a veteran of other Arab-Israeli wars since 1948, passed away last Saturday...Unsatisfactory improvements?
High-profile human rights initiatives proposed by the ruling National Democratic Party were greeted with heavy scepticism this week at the Shura Council and the People's Assembly. Gamal Essam El-Din reportUnleashing creativity
Mrs Suzanne Mubarak inaugurated on Sunday the Suzanne Mubarak Exploratory Centre for the Sciences in the Al-Malik Al- Saleh neighbourhood...Pluralism in the Press Syndicate
Although competition for the Press Syndicate's 12 council seats is expected to be fierce, the race for the chairman's post is another story altogether. Shaden Shehab reportsPreempting the Brotherhood
Jailan Halawi writes on the latest arrests in the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood, which their leaders describe as the government's "hot pursuit" policy against the groupJudges rule out compliance
The Judges' Club, a registered NGO, has decided not to comply with the new NGO law. What next, asks Mariz TadrosAncient beauty sabotaged
A curious curatorial decision at the Egyptian National Museum in Berlin has resulted in an outpouring of Egyptian anger. Nevine El-Aref reportsTrouble underground
Once considered public transport's brightest star, the underground metro system has recently been feeling the public's heat. Reem Nafie investigatesNewsreel
Two NGOs have been prevented from registering with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Insurance...Torching the roadmap
Khaled Amayreh reports from Palestine on how Israel tried to kill Al-Rantissi, and the roadmapRoadmap timeline
5 June: Outraged over speech of PM Mahmoud Abbas at Aqaba Summit, Palestinian factions meet in Gaza to evaluate Sharm Al-Sheikh and Aqaba Summits...Archive
Al-Ahram Weekly continues its documentary history of the Israeli-Palestinian peace processThe Qatari angle
Qatar is angling for a bigger political role in the region and internationally. Dina Ezzat reportsWhose security?
In this first of a four-part series on the fundamental issues addressed by the roadmap, Jonathan Cook addresses the question of securityThe targets
Muna Hamzeh looks at armed resistance groups Israel wants the roadmap to eliminateThe debate continues
Arab governments are speaking of a new Arab order, but are they committed to doing what it will take to create it? Dina Ezzat examines the possibilitiesRegistering despair
British writer Victoria Brittain offers psychological insight into how the phenomenon of suicide bombers affects Palestinian childrenEthnic cleansing in Jerusalem
Annika Hampson talks to Abu Mayaleh, a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem who refuses to be ethnically cleansedWitnesses to war crimes
Israeli peace activist Gila Svirsky of the Coalition of Women for Peace in Jerusalem shares her fears of what the cruelty against the Palestinians is doing to Israeli societyNot so fast!
Iraqi opposition figures are unimpressed by US plans to appoint a political council to assist in running the occupied country. Omayma Abdel-Latif reportsThe lessons of war
The way to Jerusalem was blocked, so they took a detour via Baghdad, only to land in a dead-end. Karim El-Gawhary, in Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, talks to survivorsPlaying down the coup
The Mauritanian government on Tuesday played down the impact of an abortive coup that rocked the north-west African country for 36 hours over the weekend, and urged citizens to resume normal life...Curse of the occupier
Can the US military be all things to all people? Nyier Abdou tags along with military patrols in Baghdad and finds that the price of US occupation goes both waysSystematic plunder?
How spontaneous was the massive looting and destruction that took place throughout Iraq following the fall of Baghdad? Galal Nassar finds method in the midst of the madnessA lot of ifs
US Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Douglas Feith told Khaled Dawoud in Washington that in the future Arabs will feel they "owe a great bit of gratitude" to US President George BushBriefs
Amnesty International (AI) issued a statement on 3 June calling on the participants in the roadmap peace plan summit in Jordan to acknowledge that respect for human rights and international law is a fundamental obligation -- not a bargaining chip to be used in negotiations, or a concession...Privatisation, liberalisation and all that -- revisited
Ten years on, Adel Beshai finds that the issues remain unchangedThe gap widens
The mounting budget deficit is emerging as one of Egypt's chief economic concerns. Sherine Abdel-Razek probes the factsSo near, and yet so far
Sherine Nasr looks into the great potentials, yet meagre achievements, of Egyptian-Sudanese trade relations
Strikes paralyse France
Protests against government plans to reform pensions and education are becoming increasingly militant, writes David Tresilian from ParisThe great white lie
Unable to produce evidence of Iraqi "weapons of mass destruction" the Bush administration is scrambling to cover up its tracks, reports Anayat Durrani from WashingtonTalibanising Pakistan?
Turmoil is erupting over President Musharraf's broadened powers and the Shari'a bill, Iffat Idris reports from IslamabadRounding up the Arabs
The revised form of the Patriot Act relegates civil liberties to the dustbin of history, writes Negar AzimiThe 'black hole' of Chechnya
The Chechen civil war is corrupting the Russian state, writes Shohdy Naguib from MoscowA genocide foretold
Ominous signs indicate that the 1994 Rwandan tragedy may be replayed in Congo, writes Faiza RadyGlobalisation and its discontents
Two decades of neoliberal policies have pauperised the South, writes M Shahid AlamEast Timor -- year one
The world's youngest state is experiencing growing pains. Damien Kingsbury writes from Dili
Attempts to derail
In the face of Israeli machinations the Palestinians must hold their resolve, writes Ibrahim NafieAfter the fall
Once the world's conscience, the United Nations is now an accomplice to its greatest miscreant, writes Hassan NafaaA four-pronged game
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed examines the Middle East situation after the Sharm El-Sheikh and Aqaba summit meetingsWhat if?
John V Whitbeck ventures into heresyArchaeology of the roadmap
To read through the roadmap is to confront an unsituated document, oblivious of its time and place, says Edward SaidBahgory One-line: RAFFARRIN
Editorial: What Jewish state?
US President George W Bush's reference to Israel as the "Jewish State" last week in Aqaba raised many eyebrows in the Arab world...Close up
Forging evidence
The issue of weapons of mass destruction has emerged from the shadowy world of intelligence agencies to take centre stage in the political arena, mainly in the United Kingdom, though also in the US...
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
Towards bigger things
The shortest route to progress: it is a question that has troubled political thinkers for many decades...
By Ali El-DeebEgypt's role
The Arab region is passing through a difficult and dangerous historical phase given what is happening in Iraq and the attempt to resume efforts for a peaceful resolution in Palestine...
By Naguib Mahfouz
Virtual realities
The Egyptian press this week concentrated on the Sharm El-Sheikh and Aqaba Summits, expressing concern at the concessions forced on the Palestinians, writes Aziza SamiRoads to the map
The Arab press this week covered the fall-out from a week of summits, writes Amina ElbendaryBottom Lines
The Arab press this week covered the fall-out from a week of summits, writes Amina Elbendary
Obituary: Margo Veillon (1907-2003)
"Painters can be like Fra Angelico and paint heaven. Or they can paint hell. But never talk about how beautiful this art is, how beautiful that. Such talk is rubbish."...
In progress: In the absence of shock
Adly Rizkallah was born in Abnub Al-Hamam, Assiut in 1939. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in 1961. For several years he lived in Paris and was briefly director of the Egyptian Cultural Centre there before returning to Cairo in 1980.
By Amina ElbendaryPlain Talk
We always think of Islam in terms of the Arab world, forgetting millions of Muslims scattered elsewhere in the world...
By Mursi Saad El-DinHeart of the matter
Amal Choucri Catta talks to Sergio Cardenas, newly appointed artistic director and principal conductor of the Cairo Symphony OrchestraOvertures to the summer lull
Amal Choucri Catta delights in season's endThe piecing of lives
Misr International Films have previewed their latest documentaries Femme Courage (Woman is Courage) and La legende de Rose Al- Youssef (The Legend of Rose El- Youssef) -- parts three and four of a 12-part project on pioneering Arab women produced by Marianne Khoury...
By Amina Elbendary
Put on your jeans and hate the US
How do we "hate" America? Gihan Shahine counts the waysHenna, the morning after
Every time I apply my own henna mixture to my hair at home I swear it will be the last time...
By Injy El-KashefMint is red
Injy El-Kashef is high on psychobabbleChicken Cordon Bleu
Weekly recipe
By Moushira Abdel-MalekThe bare necessities
As daily life turns more and more into a rat race, Yasmine El-Rashidi checks out the art of sitting stillCamera-eye: Giant mummies
Return of the living dead? Ahmed Shawqi Pasha (1868-1932), otherwise known as the Prince of Poets, occupies one of three small courtyards built around busts of literary figures...
Museum of the millennium
An architect from the Republic of Ireland has won the international competition to design a national museum overlooking the Pyramids of Giza. Nevine El-Aref attended last Tuesday's awards ceremonyDig days: An oasis with a dream
Each of the five oases in Egypt's Western Desert has a distinctive character, determined by the unique ecology of each and the subtle difference between the populations in terms of crafts produced and the way of life they enjoy...
Obituary: Jenny Leimert (1956 -- 2003)
Jenny Leimert died tragically in a car accident near Cairo on 1 June. She, like many contemporary artists working in Egypt, was inspired by Pharaonic and prehistoric art...
By Angela Milward Jones
Making mincemeat of Mauritius
Egypt rekindled hopes of qualifying for the African Nations Cup after pummelling a group opponentThey smell blood
Two men are fighting for Africa's top football post. Eric Asomugha sees whether they can dethrone the incumbentFor mum
Justine Henin-Hardenne created history when she beat compatriot Kim Clijsters 6-0, 6-4 in the women's final of the French Open to become the first Belgian grand slam champion. It was also the first grand slam final between two Belgians...Egypt briefly
After several weeks of speculation, the Portuguese coach Fingada has been hired by the Zamalek football club...From the Sidelines: Is football fixed?
If you have at all wondered whether football matches are rigged, the short answer is: of course they are, silly...An Aussie in Egypt
Picking Egypt as her home, Rachael Grinham's choice has paid off handsomely. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab talks with the migrant AussieRise to power
In Hurghada, Carol Owens regained her No 1 squash rankingWhere there's hope
The "Flame of Hope" is to arrive shortly in Ireland, site of the World Summer Special Olympic Games. Inas Mazhar reports
Club Sai'di
The first Sa'idi club was founded in Alexandria in 1932 because of the migration of Upper Egyptians to major cities in the country. The club was meant as an experiment to get migrant communities more established in and acclimatised to the northern urban environment, even though to this day Sa'idis continue to retain much of the traditions of their forefathers. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk sees what the club achieved and how it handled the clash of customs
Abu Bakr Ezzat: Of work and leisure
All at the same time
Profile by Youssef RakhaPack of Cards
By Madame SosostrisLimelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz