The Lebanese might repeat the past
I spent two days in Beirut in late 2002. And the tension I sensed simmering between people there even during this short stay has come to my recollection in light…
Religion and politics, an odd couple?
When the end of ideology was celebrated first in the 1950s and then, more emphatically still, in the 1990s no one foresaw that religion, the bane of politics in the…
We'll soon see if it's Mission Impossible for Petraeus
For a nation bitterly divided over Iraq, the one point of agreement seems to be that Lt. Gen. David Petraeus is the right commander for American forces in Baghdad. That…
Applaud one more tango in Paris
Sometimes we live in a hall of mirrors. The last time I saw burning tires on Lebanon's streets was in May 1992, when the incompetent government of Prime Minister Omar…
France-based El Mohager to focus exclusively on Arab immigrants
Cairo: A new newspaper published by two émigrés of Egyptian descent is promising to bring to the fore issues of Arab immigration within the Middle East and Europe.El Mohager (The…
Flexing Egypt's research muscle
Program aims to get science and technology back on trackCAIRO: While the past decades have been marked by a gradual shrinking of Egypt's research and development muscle, a new program…
Ancient Canaanite snake spell in Egyptian pyramid is oldest example of Semitic text
JERUSALEM: A magic spell to keep snakes away from the tombs of Egyptian kings, adopted from the Canaanites almost 5,000 years ago, could be the oldest Semitic text yet discovered,…
LE 20 bln telecom proceeds to be allocated to public services, says Nazif
Cairo: Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said on Monday the revenues gained from selling the third license of mobile network, which amounts to LE 20 billion, will be used in establishing…