Pulling the plug on Lukashenko
By Mitchell Orenstein WASHINGTON, DC: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is a master of political survival. But, following a recent 64 percent devaluation of the currency, the clock appears to be running…
Religion and the public sphere in India
By Christophe Jaffrelot In contrast to most South Asian countries, modern India has always been officially “secular”, a word the country inscribed in its Constitution in 1976. Secularism, here, is not…
Egypt to restore ancient boat found near pyramid
CAIRO: Archaeologists have begun excavating a 4,500-year-old wooden boat found next to the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of Egypt's main tourist attractions, Egypt's top antiquities official said Thursday. The…
Al-Arish Port prepares to receive Gaza aid flotilla
AL-ARISH/CAIRO: Al-Arish sea port is currently preparing to receive an aid flotilla that’s about to sail to Gaza this month should it reroute to dock in Egypt and send the…
Outgoing Arab league chief praises region uprisings
CAIRO: The outgoing Arab League chief says the Arab world's uprisings have set the region on a path of change. It was Amr Moussa's last speech Thursday to the 22-member…
Europe probes migrant deaths in Mediterranean
STRASBOURG: The Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly on Thursday said it has opened an investigation into the cases of 1,000 migrants who went missing in the Mediterranean while fleeing unrest…
Cabinet committee approves LE 5,000 for Jan. 25 injured
CAIRO: A government committee said Wednesday those injured during the January 25 Revolution will receive LE 5,000 each. The money can be collected from the Ministry of Social Solidarity and…
Egyptian jailed for 25 years over spying for Israel
By Marwa Al-A'asar CAIRO: The Supreme State Security Court sentenced Thursday an Egyptian businessman to 25 years in prison on charges of spying for Israel. Two Israeli Mossad intelligence officers were…
Egypt’s first GIS-enabled information portal
CAIRO: After spending over three years painstakingly mapping out the country’s streets, landmarks, hotels, businesses and virtually every other point of interest, and superimposing this information on a digital map,…
IEA announces 60 million barrel oil stock release
PARIS: Industrialized oil consumer nations on Thursday announced the release of 60 million barrels of oil from strategic government stockpiles in a bid to push down crude prices and underpin…
