Egyptians find their voice after years of repression
CAIRO: For decades, authoritarian rule and police brutality ensured the only voice heard from Egypt was that of its leaders. Since popular protests deposed President Hosni Mubarak, the silent majority…
Egypt secular parties in race for credibility
CAIRO: Political groups with a secular vision of Egypt are racing to build a coalition to compete against the nation's better established Islamists in parliamentary elections planned for September. Their…
Middle East government priorities: fiscal policy
Recent events in the Middle East have led to a range of short-term responses from governments in the region, especially increased government expenditures to relieve cost of living pressures and…
A new chance in Egypt for Islamic finance
DUBAI/CAIRO: Covered head-to-toe in a black abaya embroidered with red and yellow flowers, Amal Abbas waits for her turn to place a deposit at Cairo's Al Baraka Egypt Bank, one…
Safeguarding the banking sector: Lessons learned from fallout
As a response to the fallout caused by the financial crisis in the past years, the Independent Commission on Banking was tasked in June 2010 by the UK government to…
Egypt’s central bank extends grace period for retail loans
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) will allow local banks to extend the period after which retail loans are classified as non-performing loans to 90 days versus the previous grace…
Fatah, Hamas agree to form interim government: Egypt
CAIRO: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement hammered an agreement with the rival Hamas group on Wednesday on forming an interim government and fixing a date for general election, Egyptian…
Jordan confirms Egypt gas cut after attack
AMMAN: Jordan on Wednesday confirmed that Egyptian gas supplies to the kingdom came to a stop after unknown saboteurs bombed a pipeline in Sinai. "Egypt's gas supplies have been halted…
Bedouins form two political parties
CAIRO: Bedouin tribes formed two political parties called the Arab Party for Justice and Equality and the Egyptian-Arab Unity Party aimed at engaging Bedouins in political life and promoting citizenship.…
Europe’s test in North Africa
By Peter Sutherland LONDON: Europe’s reaction to the historic revolutions in North Africa has vacillated between exhilaration and fear. The natural instinct to celebrate and support democratization across the Mediterranean has…