'New wave' directors make a splash in Bollywood
India s Hindi-language film industry has traditionally been a tight-knit affair, with generations of actors, producers and directors forging careers in what was effectively a family business.But a number of…
Sahra: The sounds of desert music
There's only one thing that keeps you in Cairo Jazz Club for longer than you'd allow yourself to be gassed by smoke. And that, no doubt, is the music that…
Daring to hope in Pakistan's Swat Valley
ANCHORAGE, Alaska: Often referred to as the "Switzerland of Pakistan , Swat Valley - located 100 miles northwest of Islamabad - has a rich history. It has witnessed the arrival…
I remember the Nakba
TEL AVIV - This week I visited the Knesset for the third time in my life.The first time was during the War of Independence, when the site was not yet…
Good and bad capitalism
PARIS: The reality of market exchange - direct transactions between merchants and customers - appeared gradually 3,000 or 4,000 years ago.In this novel social relationship, the customer was free to…
Rights group protests kidnapping of Egyptian in Saudi
CAIRO: Egyptian engineer Youssef Al-Ashmawy was kidnapped and has been detained without charge by Saudi authorities for almost a year, according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI).…
Andalus Park to be pronounced an antiquity
CAIRO: The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) announced that it will hold a meeting today to discuss the possibility of adding Andalus Park to its roster of antiquities.The council will…
Observer commentary tackles Muslim women dress code
CAIRO: A commentary in the British newspaper, The Observer, tackled the controversy surrounding women's dress in Islam, stating that in Egypt, "a headscarf can be a political statement. In his…
Gamal Mubarak would be most popular candidate, says Pope Shenouda
CAIRO: Pope Shenouda's outspoken support for Gamal Mubarak has reignited the debate about separating religion from the state, promoting alarmed analysts to call for keeping politics and religion apart.In a…
Mansoura hospital successfully separates 8-month-old conjoined twins
CAIRO: A team of Egyptian doctors at the Mansoura Public Hospital in Daqahleya successfully separated two Egyptian eight-month-old conjoined twin boys on Sunday.The twins were joined at the bottom of…