Worldcrunch
-OpEd- CAIRO – As Egypt sinks deeper into crisis, the main political parties, which are fighting for power, are now starting to talk about a “national dialogue.” If they are unable to reach an agreement, the army might have to step in. When he confused the democratic ideals of the Egyptian revolution with the political […]
AL AHRAM (Egypt), MASRAWY (Egypt), AL-MASRY AL-YOUM (Egypt) Worldcrunch CAIRO – As Al-Masry Al-Youm describes it on Monday, President Mohammed Morsi’s latest speech to the nation, meant to calm Egypt after days of deadly unrest, only “added fuel to the fire.” The Egyptian President announced the state of emergency Sunday night in the major Canal […]
PORT SAID – Following an unpopular court ruling linked to a deadly burst of violence last year, clashes in this northern Egyptian city have left at least 30 dead on Saturday. The Ministry of Health announced the death toll in a statement, added that more than 300 people have been injured in the clashes. According […]
AL ARABIYA (Saudi Arabia/Egypt), MASRAWY (Egypt) Worldcrunch CAIRO – At least 16 people have been injured in and around Tahrir Square as both protesters and Egyptian police geared up for major demonstrations Friday to mark two years since the Arab world’s uprising coalesced in the region’s largest country on Jan. 25, 2011. Ahead of what […]
CAIRO – While still both recognizing the ongoing struggle for freedom and social justice, the Muslim Brotherhood and its political party on one side and the opposition on the other will mark the second anniversary of the Jan. 25 Egyptian revolution in two very different ways. As the Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party […]
Many across the Arab region believed Muslim Brotherhood leadership in Egypt was the path to a new unity to defy Israel and the U.S. in the region. A different reality is setting in.
EL WATAN NEWS, REUTERS ARABIC, AL AHRAM (Egypt) Worldcrunch CAIRO – The death toll has risen to 20 in a train crash near Egypt’s capital, the second deadly rail accident in two months. The crash in the city of Giza late Monday has also left more than 170 injured, Reuters reports. On November 17 in […]
From its founding, the Muslim Brotherhood has been hostile, yet not completely rigid, toward the Jewish State. Now, will President Morsi invite Egyptian Jews to return home?
CAIRO – “Hey there, Number 28!” – A friend texts me using my new nickname. Indeed, for at least one day of every month that’s what I answer to; Number 28. That’s where I fall in the list of 43 defendants on trial for working in what the government deemed “illegal civil society organizations.” It’s […]
CAIRO – The Muslim Brotherhood has been accused of illegally receiving 10 billion Egytian pounds ($1.5 billion) from the United States government. Prosecutor General Talaat Abdallah ordered an immediate investigation into the charges on Thursday. Lawyers Mohamed Ali Abd al-Wahab and Yasser Mohamed Sayab filed the complaint, in which they quoted Mitt Romney — the […]
CAIRO HIT BY DEADLY BOMBSThe Egyptian capital of Cairo was hit by three bombs this morning, killing at least five people and leaving scores injured, Mada Masr reports. The first and biggest explosion targeted the police headquarters in the city center, where four people died. The attacks, for which an al-Qaeda-inspired group claimed responsibility, come […]
-Essay- CAIRO – During the painful Ettehadiya battle earlier this month between Brotherhood supporters and youthful opposition, the violence was not just physical. The scene was also a battlefield of chants. We chanted, “horriya” (freedom). They responded, “Sharia.” Then we uttered, “Jika.” Then they fell into a temporary silence, bedazzled and confused about what the […]
CAIRO – Some of the most widely circulated images and clips in the past year and a half have been taken using smartphones, leading a well-known activist to write on Facebook in late November that: “An effective use of a smart phone can sometimes replace the need for a Kalashnikov.” His comment came around the […]
CAIRO – President Mohammed Morsi has reportedly signed a decree Wednesday that activates Egypt’s new Constitution, after nearly 64% of voters approved its adoption in a referendum that concluded this past weekend. Opposition leaders have vowed to try to overturn the new Constitution, saying its language is vague and does not protect freedom of speech […]
CAIRO- The khatba has made a comeback in the last few years. A modern and polished version of the modestly dressed middle-aged matchmaker from the movies who visits families with a collection of pictures of prospective brides and grooms, a few Cairo women are looking once again to facilitate marriages and help people find their […]
CAIRO – On December 5, violent clashes raged for hours between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi, after the latter attacked a sit-in outside the presidential palace by protesters rejecting the constitutional declaration and a snap referendum. A total of 49 people were captured, beaten and kept overnight in makeshift holding cells as their […]
AL AHRAM, MASRAWY (Egypt) Worldcrunch CAIRO – The very first Egyptians, those residing abroad, began casting their ballots Wednesday to say “yes” or “no” for the country’s new Constitution. They will have until Saturday to either send their voting card by post or present themselves in the voting bureaus in voting offices in their respective […]
EL GOUNA – In Samih Sawiris’ world, “small scale” is not a concept that gets much play. Over the years, the scion of Egypt’s richest family has shown a flair for the oversized, even to the point of eccentricity. Twenty years ago Sawiris bought up around 40 million square meters of sand and rock and […]
AL AHRAM (Egypt), BBC (UK) Worldcrunch CAIRO – As the calm reigns over Tahrir square, cyber activists are multiplying their calls for Tuesday’s protests that will start at 4 P.M. in Cairo and later in other cities, according to tweets under the hashtag #Tuesday’s_mobilization. Protesters in front of the presidential palace. Photo Gigi Ibrahim Al […]
PARIS – Everyone was expecting Mahmoud Abbas. Serious rumors claimed that, given his success at the UN, the president of the Palestinian Authority would head for Gaza, where he hasn’t set foot since 2007, when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in a coup. In the end, the surprise came from Khaled Meshaal, Hamas’s exiled […]
MASRAWY (Egypt), AL JAZEERA (Qatar) Worldcrunch CAIRO – Attempting to tame the wave of rage that erupted last week in the capital, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi continued his weekend maneuvering into the early hours of Monday morning, imposing and quickly rescinding a new consumption tax. On Saturday, Morsi announced he would annul the constitutional declaration […]
CAIRO – After clashes one night this week near the presidential palace, I went to a mosque near the palace. I knew it would be open, as it was time for the dawn prayer. I immediately recognized people from the Muslim Brotherhood, especially when I saw my neighbor from our town on the outskirts of […]
AL JAZEERA (Qatar), BBC NEWS (UK), CNN (USA) Worldcrunch GAZA CITY – Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal set foot in Gaza on Friday, ending 45 years of exile from the Palestinian Territories, reports Al Jazeera. After passing across the Egyptian border at Rafah, Meshaal knelt on the ground to offer a prayer of thanks and was […]
MASRAWY, AL AHRAM (Egypt) Worldcrunch CAIRO – Protests against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi have turned deadly. Egypt’s Health Ministry confirmed Thursday five deaths and 446 injuries from the latest confrontation, which turned violent Wednesday night in clashes between pro and anti Morsi demonstrators, the news site Masrawy reported. As the clashes intensified, presidential security deployed […]
MASRAWY, AL FAGR (Egypt) Worldcrunch CAIRO – After a night of clashes outside the Egyptian presidential palace, Mohammed Morsi is reportedly back in his office Wednesday and “resuming his duties normally,” according to Cairo-based website Masrawy. Protestors continued to camp through the night in front of Itihadiya Palace (Heliopolis), Morsi’s residence since he was elected […]
TUNIS – Overnight, the name of their organization, Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Islamic Law), became famous. They were brought into the spotlight after the deadly attacks on several U.S. embassies that they were accused of organizing after the broadcast of the Islamophobic movie “Innocence of Muslims.” In 2011, in the course of just a few […]
AL-AHRAM, EGYPT INDEPENDENT (Egypt), TIME Worldcrunch CAIRO – As opposition protests across Egypt gather momentum, the Islamist-dominated Constituent Assembly is rushing to finalize a draft of a new constitution that will be voted on Thursday. Egyptian daily Al-Ahram reports that the government body worked into the early hours of Thursday in an attempt to finish […]
AL JAZEERA (Qatar), THE GUARDIAN, BBC NEWS (UK), REUTERS Worldcrunch JERUSALEM – Two Palestinians were reportedly killed during the visit of Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil in Gaza, dashing hopes of a possible ceasefire between Israel and Palestine According to Al Jazeera, a new air strike hit the Jibaliya refugee camp located at the northern […]
BBC NEWS (UK), JERUSALEM POST, HAARETZ (Israel), REUTERS Worldcrunch JERUSALEM – Three people were killed on Thursday when rockets fired from Gaza struck the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Malachi, a day after Israel’s targetted killing of the military chief of Hamas. Tel Aviv daily Haaretz reports that rockets fired into Israel by militants in […]
CAIRO – The economic stagnation of the past year and a half has taken a toll on many businesses, but a fleet of Islamic investment banks in Egypt sees opportunity in the emerging new order. Ridge Islamic Capital, one such investment bank, has found a niche in the finance sector and made plans to capitalize […]
CAIRO – Five male members of an atheist group congregate in one of Cairo’s crowded downtown bars, sipping beer and Pepsi as they discuss their thoughts on religion, sex, science, culture, politics and Egypt’s new ruling regime. The group, which also shares idea on an atheist website, has been holding weekly meetings since Mohamed Morsi […]
CAIRO – Mohamed Gad al-Rab, more commonly known as Sambo, was not a committed revolutionary. He did not participate in the 18-day uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak, nor the immediate events that followed it. Inadvertently, he became an icon in events after much of the history had been made, having been caught up in the […]
JERUSALEM POST (Israel), NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR, AFP (France), REUTERS (U.S.), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), AHRAM ONLINE (Egypt), LIBERTÉ ALGÉRIE (Algeria) Worldcrunch JERUSALEM – An informal ceasefire brokered by new Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was holding in most places Thursday between the Palestinian group Hamas and the Israeli army, the Jerusalem Post reported. The truce comes after three […]
CAIRO – As Egypt struggles to emerge from a period of deep financial uncertainty; government officials are looking towards the country’s vital shipping artery — the Suez Canal — as a major source of revenue and jobs. Officials from several government ministries have announced massive public-private partnerships aimed at developing the region. The hope, they […]
CAIRO – One of the most memorable scenes from the Libyan revolution was when the rebels, in wretched clothes and advanced weaponry, seized a house of the oldest son of Muammar Gaddafi. They famously entered his living room, sat in his couch, watched his TV, ate his food and slept in his bed. Mohamed Morsi […]
AL MASRY AL YOUM, AL WATAN (Egypt), AL CHARK AL AWSAT (Saudi Arabia) Worldcrunch CAIRO – ‘Chaotic’ is the only word to describe the Egyptian political scene right now. There is of course the ongoing battle among and within the three main movements in post-Mubarak Egypt: Islamists, secularists and those who still support the old […]
CAIRO – Abdallah Seleem doesn’t watch the news anymore. It’s disheartening, he says, to see how far Egypt has slid from its initial optimism after Hosni Mubarak stepped down last year. It causes him too much stress about the future. “You’re too frustrated to talk about it,” says Seleem, 25, who is unemployed. “It’s like […]
AL WAFD, JANUARY 25TH PORTAL (Egypt), TWITTER, GUARDIAN (UK) Worldcrunch CAIRO –Among the central demands of Egypt’s pro-democracy movement was for Mohamed Morsi to set free all those imprisoned during the many protests linked to the January 25th Revolution. Yet when reports that the new Egyptian president had marked his first 100 days in office […]
RUE 89 (France), YOUTUBE Worldcrunch Hiding for months in plain view on YouTube, a grainy video has begun to circulate of longtime Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser laughing off the Muslim Brotherhood demands that the state uphold Islamic traditions. The clip is charged with historical significance in light of the Brotherhood’s rise to power earlier […]
-Analysis- Since the beginning of the crisis provoked by the Islamophobic film The Innocence of Muslims, the media have written about it from almost every angle: Coptic extremism, the danger of Salafism, the “arrogance” of the West, the “backwardness” of the Arab world, the shock of civilizations between the Sacred and Freedom of Speech, the […]